January 28th:   Last full day here. Went to Kenilworth Race Course. It’s all turf racing and the horses run really hard. There’s no Lasix or Bute allowed on raceday. None, nada. The people are very proud of that fact. We could do the same in America if we had the willpower to get it done. Some say running without Lasix is animal abuse. Huh? Take a look at the rest of the world. The average racehorse in South Africa makes about 25 starts in his career- more than twice as many in the States. Continue »

Categories: The Role of the Racing Manager Since horses cannot verbally talk to us, a Thoroughbred racing manager relies on signals, cues and messages horses send to people who are around them every day. In this video, I discuss how the WPT team uses information collected about a horse, their personalities, and physical characteristics to manage racehorses. Continue »

Tom Bellhouse “Tommy B” is West Point Thoroughbreds’ Executive Vice President of Service and East Coast Operations. His primary primary responsibilities are to coordinate WPT operations throughout the East, including the New York, Mid-Atlantic, and Florida Circuits. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego with a BS in Business Administration and currently resides in Saratoga Springs, NY. Prior to joining WPT as a staff member in 2008, he spent nine years in the automotive industry as a Sales Director for a division of Chrysler. He has been involved in partnerships with us since 2005. Continue »

Eclipse Awards Thoughts I attended the Eclipse Awards earlier this week - a nice event that brings everybody together to celebrate the achievements of the previous year. Our business is about accomplishing things and winning so it’s a great night to take a step back and recognize what everyone has done. It’s a night for winners. West Point has connections to several of this year’s winners and nominees. We’ve had horses with Bill Mott, who won outstanding trainer, and Todd Pletcher, who was nominated in that category as well. We were pleased to see our good friend Claire Novak pick up her first media Eclipse Award, and we had another friend, Bob Mayberger, who won the award for outstanding photograph of the year. Continue »

Categories: The Role of the Racing Manager Whether you’re a current Partner or thinking about owning a Thoroughbred racehorse in a partnership, you’ve probably asked yourself a few questions like: How are decisions made regarding my horse? How are trainers chosen? What goes into race selection? Check out this introduction to a series of video blog posts about managing racehorses and the role of the racing manager. We'll publish these in the coming months to address questions my team and I are asked by our Partners and prospective clients. We’ll also address things that are not often asked, but will give insight about different components of racing management. Continue »

Back in March of 2011, I wrote an article discussing why a horse would drop into the claiming ranks (and that there is no shame in running your horse in a claimer). With the recent rise in purses at New York tracks and the subsequent renewed interest in acquiring horses via the claim box (coupled with the claim of my beloved namesake “Bellhouse” as well as quite a few other West Point Thoroughbreds favorites over 2011), I thought it was the perfect time to expand upon our original discussion. Continue »

Partnerships allow thousands of people to get involved in owning a racehorse for a fraction of the cost of doing it on their own.  I’d love to tell you there’s not a single drawback to going this route, but it’s true that racing partnerships aren’t for everyone. The question is not “are partnerships the best way to own a racehorse?” The real question is: “is a partnership the best way for me to have the greatest ownership experience?” In this post I’m going to outline a few pros and cons of owning with West Point Thoroughbreds.  It is up to you to assess whether the positives outweigh the negatives.  Of course, I hope they do for you! Continue »

I’m getting the New Year off to a great start here in New Jersey, buckling back down to work after both kids were home for the holidays. The first week of 2012 offers a chance to think about how to make this year better than the last one, and you can actually pick up some great tips when you weed through all the motivational and inspirational writing out there. Continue »

Watched War Horse with Debbie the other night. Can neither confirm nor deny the rumor, but might have gotten a little emotional at parts. A lot of buzz led up to this movie’s release, and with good reason.  It really gives you an appreciation of the magnificence and beauty of the horse. The story explores a bond that develops between a Thoroughbred and the young boy who understands how to connect with him. Continue »

The New York-bred program is positioning itself as arguably the best state-bred racing program in the industry today. Racing on the New York Racing Association’s circuit (Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga) has been reinvigorated by the income received from the newly-opened VLT casino at Aqueduct. Breeders are sending better and better mares to the Empire State. Promising young stallions like Here Comes Ben and Justenuffhumor are heading to farms there at just the right time. Continue »