Gerry Dilger Passes Away

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020

MCLAUGHLIN LEAVING TRAINING TO BECOME SAEZ'S AGENT

GERRY DILGER PASSES AWAY

by Bill Finley

Despite being one of the sport's most successful trainers, Kiaran McLaughlin has decided to switch jobs and has signed on with Luis Saez to be his agent. McLaughlin will continue to train through the end of this month, before going to work for Saez Apr. 1.
"I was approached about taking Luis Saez' book and after speaking to my wife, my children, my family, I felt like this was the right thing to do," McLaughlin said. "I am very excited. Luis is a great kid and a great jockey."

Cont. p5

IN TDN EUROPE TODAY

TRAINER/BREEDER JOE CROWLEY PASSES

Respected trainer/breeder Joe Crowley passed away at 91.

John Berry has the story. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe.

Gerry Dilger | Fasig-Tipton

by Christie DeBernardis

Breeder, consignor and Dromoland Farm owner Gerry Dilger passed away very early Wednesday morning. The 61-year-old had been hospitalized in the ICU since suffering from cardiac arrest Feb. 24, confirmed Dilger=s longtime friend and business partner Mike Ryan. AWe were best friends for over 40 years,@ Ryan said. AIt is quite sudden and a big shock to us all. He was a very, very kind man and did so much for so many people. He would give you the shirt off his back. Gerry took tremendous personal pride in bringing students from Ireland, who aspired to be successful in the horse business, to work on his farm. He has done that for over 30 years and still does to this day.@ Ryan continued, AIn addition to his family and friends, his farm and his horses were his life. He was on the farm all day, every day. He was very hands on, foaling mares, prepping yearlings, he did it all. There is nothing he loved more, even on the worst of days, than to be out there feeding his horses. He didn=t care what the elements were. If he was outside with his stock, he was a happy man. We will all miss him terribly. This is a huge loss.@

Cont. p3

PUBLISHER & CEO

Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected]

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected]

EDITORIAL

[email protected]

Editor-in-Chief

Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN

Managing Editor

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN

Senior Editor

Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN

Racing Editor

Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN

Deputy Editor

Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN

Associate Editors

Christina Bossinakis @CBossTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN

News and Features Editor

In Memoriam: Ben Massam (1988-2019)

ADVERTISING

[email protected]

Director of Advertising

Alycia Borer

Advertising Manager

Lia Best

Advertising Designer

Amanda Crelin

Advertising Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution

Rachel McCaffrey

Advertising Assistants

Amie Newcomb

Throwback Thursday: March 25, 2019. A daughter of Uncle Mo and out of out of Coin Broker (Montjeu {Ire}), later named Donna Veloce, shares the co-fastest furlong time at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. See where she ranks on Bill Finley’s Kentucky Oaks Top 10 on page 8. | Fasig-Tipton

Kristen Lomasson

Photographer/Photo Editor

Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected]

Social Media Strategist

Justina Severni

FIRST MARE IN FOAL FOR OMAHA BEACH

Spendthrift Farm's newly retired Omaha Beach, the three-time

13

Director of Customer Service

Vicki Forbes [email protected]

Grade I-winning 3-year-old by War Front, had his first mare confirmed in foal Tuesday. Theyskens' Theory, a Grade III-winning juvenile and multiple Grade I-placed daughter of Bernardini, checked in foal at Claiborne Farm in Paris, KY.

Marketing Manager

Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen

Director of IT/Accounting

Ray Villa

TRAINER LAURIE SILVERA DIES

14

[email protected] [email protected]

Woodbine Entertainment and the Canadian horse racing industry are mourning the loss of longtime Thoroughbred trainer Laurie Silvera, who passed away Mar. 2. The graded stakes-winning conditioner earned more than 1,000 wins and nearly $26 million in purses throughout his career in North America.

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 15 • THETDN.COM

THURSDAY • MARCH 5, 2020

Gerry Dilger Passes cont. from p1

Always Dreaming winning the KY Derby | Horsephotos

Another longtime friend of Dilger=s, horseman Pat Costello of Paramount Sales, echoed similar sentiments. AHe was one of the greatest ambassadors in the American horse business,@ Costello said. AI don=t know of anybody who ever had a bad word to say about Gerry. He was the ultimate horseman and a beautiful human being. He loved his family unbelievably. It is so tragic.@ A native of County Clare in Ireland, Dilger came to the United States in 1978 after graduating from the Irish National Stud course the previous year. He began working at a Lexington farm and eventually became a farm manager. He started a weanling-to-yearling pinhooking partnership with Ryan and the success of that venture led to Dilger=s purchase of Dromoland Farm in Kentucky. Dilger and Mike Ryan also partnered on the breeding partnership known as Santa Rosa Partners. They purchased GSW Above Perfection (In Excess {Ire}) for $450,000 in foal to Dixie Union at the 2006 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The resulting foal was Hot Dixie Chick, who captured the 2009 GI Spinaway S. The following day Dublin (Afleet Alex), who was bred by Dilger in partnership with Peter Blum, won the GI Hopeful S., providing Dilger with a rare double as a breeder. Hot Dixie Chick was not Dilger and Ryan=s only success with Above Perfection. In 2014, she produced a Bodemeister colt who was purchased by bloodstock agent Steve Young for $350,000 at Keeneland September. That colt was 2017 GI Florida Derby and GI Kentucky Derby hero Always Dreaming. Dilger and Ryan also bred and campaigned Above Perfection=s 2016 foal, GII Demoiselle S. victress Positive Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile). AWe started in business together in 1980 and have been best friends and business partners ever since then,@ Ryan said, reflecting on his longtime partnership with Dilger. AWe started

Gerry Dilger | Keeneland

pinhooking foals and he loved breeding and the mares. We were very lucky to have a very good mare in Above Perfection. I saw her this morning and she is incredible for 22-years-old. She produced three stakes winners for us and Gerry and I still own her daughter Positive Spirit. She is going to run at Keeneland Apr. 10. Above Perfection has a yearling filly by Curlin and is due in about 30 days with a Quality Road filly.@ Always Dreaming is not the only Florida/Kentucky Derby winner Dilger had ties to. Along with partners Ted Campion and Pat Costello, he bought 2015 Kentucky Derby winner and champion juvenile Nyquist (Uncle Mo) for $180,000 as a weanling at Keeneland November in 2013 and raised him at Dromoland. They resold him for $230,000 at Keeneland September to a group that included Ryan. Finally, Nyquist was bought for $400,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training by Reddam Racing. In a TDN story on Dilger after he won the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association's annual Wild Geese Award, which is given to someone from Ireland who has excelled outside of their native country while "flying the Irish flag with pride on a global stage," Ryan said, "Gerry is one of the best horsemen I have ever met. His specialty is looking at young stock, which is not easy because they change so much. He's always upbeat, always thinking positive. Even when the horse business was going through challenging times, he was always cheerful and bright. I think that's part of the reason for his success, that he has a positive attitude and he loves what he's doing." Many prominent members of the industry took to Twitter Wednesday morning, writing tributes to the beloved Dilger.
"Gerry Dilger was a hero to us all," Tom Ryan tweeted. "That big, welcoming smile. He never refused a youngster an opportunity. When it came to his family and business, he stood seven-foot tall, oozing pride and conviction. That little man from

Clare will forever be remembered as a giant. Slainte Gerry." Canadian breeder and consignor Dave Anderson of Anderson Farms wrote, "I was stabled beside Gerry at Keeneland in my first sale after my dad died. He took me under his wing and helped me through it like a great coach. I will be forever grateful. He told me how much he loved my dad. I just wish I had a chance to say the same to him. Love you Gerry. RIP." Florida horseman and consignor Colin Brennan said, "We lost a Grade I winner of a man. Gerry Dilger was a wonderful man, friend, horseman, and so much more. His cheery Irish personality and jokes will be deeply missed." Breeder John Gunther of Glenwood Farm Tweeted, "I met Gerry Dilger when I first came to Kentucky 30 plus years ago. We often met at Goshen's for a beer and a few laughs. Very memorable times. Will miss his smiling face at the sales. RIP Gerry." Dilger is survived by his wife Erin and three children. AWe are deeply saddened at Gerry's passing,@ a statement from Erin and family, and the Dromoland Farm team, read. AHe has touched many people's lives, and was an amazing father and husband. We are tremendously grateful for all that the doctors and staff did for Gerry this past week at Baptist Health Hospital. We appreciate the overwhelming love and prayers we continue to receive from people around the world. At this time, Dromoland Farm will continue to operate according to Gerry's vision. Funeral arrangements to be made, and will be announced soon.@

McLaughlin Leaving Training cont. from p1

McLaughlin admitted that the decision to leave training had a lot to do with the frustrations involved with that job. In February, he announced that he would no longer be based in New York and would instead have divisions in Kentucky and at Monmouth Park. He is among a group of New York trainers that were fined last year by the New York Department of Labor for violation of minimum wage requirements. McLaughlin's fine was $304,646.
"It's not so much about how much money I will be making," he said. "It's more about what I've gone through with the Department of Labor, the regulations and H-2B visas. You try to do things right, but it is very expensive and difficult to make things work properly. The matter of fact is that the horse racing industry needs to be categorized as agricultural. We are at the barn 24-7 and are dealing with live animals. So I'm not sure why we don't fall under the agricultural category. If we were, it would help with all the Department of Labor issues, punching in, punching out, keeping track of every minute. We do that, but

Want to list your job?

Mulꢀ lisꢀng: $300 each
Standard lisꢀng: $350

• Two or more printed ads on this page (dates of your choice) • 30 day lisꢀng on our careers page: thetdn.com/careers • Job promoted through our social media channels
• One printed ad on this page (date of your choice) • 30 day lisꢀng on our careers page: thetdn.com/careers • Job promoted through our social media channels

Contact the TDN Ad Staff: [email protected]

>56.4K

>45.3K

>28.3K

for details or to post a job

Kiaran McLaughlin | Coady photo

sometimes there are little hiccups. Right now, you can't charge enough to train a horse and make it work. Every trainer is just trying to break even and not lose money. It's very hard to do that." McLaughlin began to make a name for himself when working as an assistant to D. Wayne Lukas. He left Lukas in 1992 to become the agent for Chris Antley. He returned to training the following year when setting up a stable for the Maktoum family in Dubai.
"In many ways, the business has been great to me and the owners have been great to me," he said. "It's been almost 27 years that I have been with Shadwell and Godolphin. Sheikh Hamdan has been like a fatherly figure to me. He is an outstanding man. Sheikh Mohammed has been great to me and my family. This was an emotional and tough decision. One of the best things about this is that I get to stay in the business and stay involved with the game I love so much. I'll be watching races every day and trying to put Luis Saez on the fastest horses. I'll be talking to all the other trainers and owners. I'm excited about it. Luis is a wonderful guy with a wife and three children. This is an exciting new chapter in my life." From 1995 to the present, McLaughlin has sent out 1,577 winners in North America. In 2019, he had 98 winners and his stable earned $5,637,168, which put him in 22nd place among all trainers. He has compiled 176 graded stakes wins. He pointed to Horse of the Year Invasor (Arg) (Candy Stripes) when asked what he will remember most about training.
"Invasor is the top memory for me," he said. "To win the [G1] Dubai World Cup for Shadwell and Sheikh Hamdan was a great accomplishment, no doubt about it. All the graded stakes wins were fabulous. It was a great time and I had a great relationship with my owners and everyone else. It's a big family on the backside. It's great that I will still be involved. This is definitely

Lee, who is based in New York, will also get a handful of his horses. Saez, who is coming off a win aboard Maximum Security (New Year's Day) in the $20-million Saudi Cup, is a fast rising star in the business. The 27-year-old native of Panama was seventh in the nation last year in earnings with $18.2 million. He is currently second, behind Irad Ortiz, Jr., in the standings at Gulfstream Park.

Follow the TDN staff on Twitter
Thoroughbred Daily News

Invasor winning the Dubai World Cup | Horsephotos

something I lost some sleep over. I realize that 100% of all trainers would have loved to have been in my spot over all these years."

@kelseynrileyTDN @BDiDonatoTDN

@SteveSherackTDN

@BMassamTDN

@suefinley
@JessMartiniTDN @EquinealTDN @MKane49
@CDeBernardisTDN @HLAndersonTDN

@thorntontd

Some of McLaughlin=s other top runners include multiple Grade I winners Frosted (Tapit), Cavorting (Bernardini), Wedding Toast (Street Sense), Alpha (Bernardini), It=s Tricky (Mineshaft), Questing (GB) (Hard Spun) and Henny Hughes (Hennessy). McLaughlin said some of his owners have already moved their horses to other trainers. He added that his former assistant Joe

@garykingTDN

@JBiancaTDN

@SarahKAndrew

@CBossTDN

Silverbulletday S.; 1st Rags to Riches S.

THE TDN KENTUCKY OAKS TOP 10 FOR MARCH 5

Next Start: GII Fair Grounds Oaks, FG, Mar. 21 Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 70. Finite is leading all contenders in terms of Oaks points and is riding a five-race winning streak. That may mean that all trainer Steve Asmussen needs to do to get a winning performance out of his filly on Oaks Day is to get her to maintain her form. In that vain, he doesn't appear to be doing anything too fancy with her in the mornings. She's had two works since her win in the GII Rachel Alexandra S., a four-furlong breeze in :51.40 and a five-furlong breeze in 1:01.60. While Asmussen has yet to win a GI Kentucky Derby, the GI Kentucky Oaks has been good to him. He won the race in 2005 with Summerly (Summer Squall) and in 2014 with Untapable (Tapit). The Oaks was also the last start for Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro) before she was purchased by Stonestreet Stables and turned over to Asmussen.

Finite | Hodges Photography

There's not much left for Finite to prove, including an ability to win at Churchill Downs. With wins in the Rags to Riches and the GII Golden Rod S., she is two-for-two there.

by Bill Finley

Since we were last heard from, Bast (Uncle Mo) has been retired due to a soft tissue injury and Tonalist's Shape (Tonalist) did it again, staying undefeated with a win in the GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream. Also in Florida, Eve of War (Declaration of War) couldn't get the job done in an allowance after winning her debut for the Todd Pletcher Stable by 7 1/2 lengths. A fourth-place finish likely knocked her off the road to the GI Kentucky Oaks. This coming weekend, the top 3-year-old fillies will be heard from in the Busher Invitational at Aqueduct, the GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn and the GIII Santa Ysabel S. at Santa Anita.

2) VENETIAN HARBOR (Munnings--Sounds of the City, by Street

Cry {Ire})

O-Ciaglia Racing LLC, Highland Yard LLC, River Oak Farm & Dominic Savides. B-Colts Neck Stables LLC (KY). T-Richard Baltas. Sales History: $110,000 yrl >18 KEESEP; $205,000 RNA 2yo >19 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-1-0, $163,400. Last Start: 1st GII Las Virgenes S., SA, Feb. 8 Next Start: GII Santa Anita Oaks, SA, Apr. 4 Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 10.

1) FINITE (Munnings--Remit, by Tapit)

O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, Thomas Reiman, William Dickson & Deborah Easter. B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY). T-Steven Asmussen. Sales History: $200,000 2yo >19
FTMMAY. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 7-5-2-0, $638,349. Last Start: 1st GII Rachel Alexandra S., FG, Feb. 15 Accomplishments Include: 1st GII Golden Rod S.; 1st
Since an initial career outing on the turf, Venetian Harbor has been brilliant in her two dirt starts, winning them by a combined 20 lengths. She appears to have the rare ability to go fast early and maintain her cruising speed, which makes her very dangerous. After a series of works at San Luis Rey Downs,

trainer Richie Baltas has moved her to Santa Anita. She had a five-furlong work there Friday, going in 1:00.80 (XBTV video).
"She is doing well and has had two works since her last race," Baltas said via text. "We are looking at the [GII] Santa Anita Oaks, but the [GI] Ashland is also a possibility." Some skeptics will no doubt want to see what she can do beyond a mile, the distance of her most recent win in the GII Las Virgenes S.

3) BRITISH IDIOM (f, Flashback--Rose and Shine, by Mr. Sekiguchi)

O-Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, LLC (Stuart Grant), Madaket Stables LLC & Bethlehem Stables LLC. B-Hargus & Sandra Sexton and Silver Fern Farm LLC (KY). T-Brad
Cox. Sales History: $40,000 yrl >18 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Filly & MGISW, 4-3-1-0, $1,441,250. Last Start: 2nd GII Rachel Alexandra S., FG, Feb. 15 Accomplishments Include: 1st GI Breeders= Cup Juvenile Fillies;

1st GI Darley Alcibiades S.

Next Start: GII Fair Grounds Oaks, FG, Mar. 21 or GI Ashland S., KEE, Apr. 4 Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 50.

The winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and last year's juvenile filly champion, British Idiom came into the year on top of this division. That all changed when she was soundly defeated by Finite in the Rachel Alexandra. The question, now, is will she move forward off that race? She will have to in order to defeat not only Finite, but the other stars in this deep division. She returned to the work tab Saturday, breezing four furlongs in :49. Her next race will be a huge test. She has the class and ability to win the Kentucky Oaks, but must prove that she has developed and improved since her 2-year-old campaign. Trainer Brad Cox will be seeking his second Kentucky Oaks win. He captured the race in 2018 with eventual champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar).