Stronach to Receive Eclipse of Merit Stronach Expanded His Participation in the Industry to Racetrack Ownership with the 1998 Acquisition of Santa Anita
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018 STRONACH TO RECEIVE NEW NYTHA PRESIDENT TARGETS WORKMEN=S COMP, ADDING NEW OWNERS ECLIPSE OF MERIT by Bill Finley With some of the best purses in the world and perhaps the sport=s most iconic racetrack in Saratoga, New York racing be should be a place everyone wants to race, but that=s not always the case. Joe Appelbaum, appointed last month as the new head of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen=s Association, understands that there are impediments that keep some owners and trainers away from New York. He wants to change that. Appelbaum is one of two principals in Off The Hook, a breeding, racing and sales company with offices in New York and Ocala and says he=s been following New York racing for 30 plus years. Previously a member of the NYTHA Board of Directors, he expressed a desire to take over when prior president Rick Violette, Jr. decided not to seek reelection. He did not want to be one of the people sitting on the sidelines Frank Stronach leads Shaman Ghost into winner=s circle | Benoit complaining. (Click to continue to p4) Frank Stronach will receive the Eclipse Award of Merit in IN TDN EUROPE TODAY recognition of his outstanding success in racing, breeding, BREED SHAPERS, LIFE CHANGERS AT MAGICS racetrack ownership and support of retired racehorse programs, Kelsey Riley previews the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Sale which kicks off Jan 10. Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters announced Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. Tuesday. AI am flattered and touched to be recognized with the prestigious Eclipse Award of Merit,@ Stronach said. AHorses and racing have been my passion, my labor of love, since I was a boy. It=s been an honor to be part of this great sport and help in creating world-class races, facilities and training centers with our friends, partners and co-workers. What=s most important, however, has been working and being around the incredible horses. I want to share this award with all of those who have contributed to all our success.@ Stronach, a native of Austria, emigrated to Canada in the 1950s and built a one-man tool and die shop in a rented garage into Magna International, one of the world's largest and most diversified suppliers of automotive components with annual sales of more than $30 billion and over 120,000 employees in close to 30 countries. He purchased his first Thoroughbred in 1962 and by 1989 he established Adena Springs near Versailles, Kentucky. The farm has locations in Kentucky, Florida and Canada, and last year Stronach announced plans to expand to California. Cont. p3 PRESIDENT & CO-PUBLISHER Barry Weisbord @barryweisbord [email protected] SR. 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WORLDWIDE INFORMATION International Editor Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 10 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • JANUARY 3, 2018 Stronach to Receive Eclipse of Merit Stronach expanded his participation in the industry to racetrack ownership with the 1998 acquisition of Santa Anita. (cont. from p1) He acquired Gulfstream Park and Golden Gate Fields the Stronach has captured the outstanding breeder Eclipse Award following year and, in 2002, he added the Maryland Jockey Club a record eight times (2000, 2004-2008; 2010-2011) and has tracks of Laurel Park and Pimlico, as well as Lone Star Park. been honored as the outstanding owner on four occasions Through a reorganization in 2007, the tracks are now owned (1998-2000, 2008). under the name of The Stronach Stronach-campaigned horses have Group, with Frank Stronach as its won five Eclipse Awards: Glorious founder and chairman. His daughter, Song, 1980 older female; Macho Belinda, now serves as chairman and Uno, 2000 champion 2-year-old president of the company. male; Ghostzapper, the 2004 Horse One of Stronach=s most recent of the Year and champion older trailblazing innovations is the male; and Ginger Punch, 2007 GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational. Worth $12 million for its inaugural champion older female. He has won running a year ago, starting berths in five Breeders= Cup races, including the world=s richest race were sold for the Classic twice with Awesome $1 million apiece to individual Again and Ghostzapper. Stronach ownership groups. The second also won the 2002 GI Preakness S. Pegasus World Cup, which will be held with Red Bullet. Belinda and Frank Stronach | Horsephotos Jan. 27, will now carry a record Adena Springs was also the $16-million purse. leading money-earning breeder in North America for 11 AYou=ve got to be innovative,@ Stronach said a few years ago. consecutive years (2003-2013), and was second in 2016. AIf you want to be number one, you need to make a big Stronach was the leading North American owner in earnings in investment to attract people. You know, a turtle only makes 2000, 2002 and 2007. progress if he sticks his neck out a little.@ Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 10 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • JANUARY 3, 2018 Stronach created the Adena Springs Retirement program in 2004, with locations in Florida and in Canada and he also created aftercare and retirement programs at his racetracks. These endeavors earned him the inaugural Earle I. Mack Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Champion Award, honoring outstanding efforts and influence on Thoroughbred welfare, safety and retirement. AFrank Stronach has had an undeniable impact on the Thoroughbred industry, accentuated by his tremendous commitment to excellence in so many facets of our sport,@ Alex Waldrop, NTRA President and CEO said. AThrough his indomitable will, spirit and bold business ventures, Frank has built a tower of tremendous accomplishments with The Stronach Group, Adena Springs and now the world=s richest horse race, the Pegasus World Cup. We salute him as a most deserving Award of Merit recipient.@ The 47th Annual Eclipse Awards dinner and ceremony will be held Jan. 25 in the Sport of Kings Theatre at Gulfstream Park. New NYTHA President Targets Workmen=s Comp, Adding New Owners (cont. from p1) Appelbaum wanted to be part of the solution and understands that perhaps nothing is more important for New York horsemen than getting the workmen=s compensation situation under control. The system is complex and it requires payments from both owners and trainers to cover jockeys and backstretch help, but there=s no doubt that because of what are likely the highest workmen=s comp rates in the sport, there are people staying away. "There's no question people have second thoughts about racing in New York because of the huge costs,@ Violette told the Blood-Horse when still in office. Appelbaum has already helped broker a deal with NYRA whereby during the current winter meet, any owner and trainer who has a horse finish fourth through last will receive a $300 credit toward the amount they must pay into various workmen=s compensation pools. It=s both an incentive for people to race in the winter in New York and a way to ease the burden on horsemen. ANYTHA and NYRA got together as a way to help incentivize owners and trainers to race during the winter and both organizations know how burdensome the workmen=s comp situation is,@ Appelbaum said. AWhen people are racing for slightly smaller purses in the winter, this is a small way we can help keep guys in the game and get them through the winter when we hit them with the workmen=s comp costs, which usually come in January.@ Cont. p5 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 5 OF 10 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • JANUARY 3, 2018 But Appelbaum knows that more needs to be done to bring AOne thing I=d really like to work on is recruiting more owners down the costs and that, he said, is his number one mission.