SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2018 DIVERSIFY SEEKS BIG PAY DAY IN CT CLASSIC THE PEOPLE’S HORSE NOW A Grade I winner and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Diversify (Bellamy Road) LIVING, BREATHING REALITY is among a field of seven set to square off in the $1.2-million GII Charles Town Classic Saturday. The New York-bred capped a three-race win streak with a front-running tally in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont last October, but connections opted to skip the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic and he instead shipped to Churchill Downs for the Nov. 24 GI Clark H., in which he faded to fourth. That was his first start outside of the Empire State, so there’s at least some question as to how he’ll handle new surroundings and a quirky bull-ring track, but the Rick Violette, Jr. pupil has been working swiftly at Palm Meadows since his last afternoon appearance. Past Charles Town experience has proven an advantage in this race before, as evidenced by Imperative (Bernardini)’s wins in The horsecam captured the foal’s live birth for 1,000 viewers 2014 and 2017. War Story (Northern Afleet) is the lone runner to have competed here before–he was a close third in last year’s By Bill Finley renewal. Cont. p4 (Click Here) The “people’s horse” is no longer just a concept. A filly by California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) out of Colerful Bride IN TDN EUROPE TODAY (Munnings) was born Wednesday evening at Taylor Made Farm, NEWBURY WINNER EARNS RISING STAR the biggest step to date in bringing journalist Geoffrey Gray’s There was little hesitation tagging the regally bred Lah Ti innovative concept to life. Dar (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) a ‘TDN Rising Star’ after her debut win Gray is the founder of True.Ink, an interactive magazine at Newbury. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. devoted to adventure stories. True doesn’t want its readers to simply read the story but to experience it. True’s readers, or members, as Gray calls them, get to go well beyond the traditional printed page. When the on-line, interactive magazine covers something like a search for buried treasure in Mexico, the readers are invited to physically come along on the treasure hunt. Gray got the idea to involve horse racing as part of True’s menu after a chance encounter with handicapper Michael (The Wizard) Kipness at a grocery store checkout line in 2015 in Saratoga. Kipness told Gray the story of a claimer he owned and the journalist was immediately captured by the colorful, suspenseful, roller-coaster ride that is racing and breeding. So, through crowdfounding, he started raising money and began the “people’s horse” project. The idea was that anyone who got involved would experience virtually everything there is to experience when it comes to ownership, breeding and racing. All Gray needed was a horse. Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Saturday, April 21, 2018 Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN News and Features Editor Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN Assistant Editor Bobby Klatt ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Rachel McCaffrey Photo Editor/Dir. of Distribution The Monmouth Park stable gates opened up Friday morning ahead of the Jersey Shore Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] oval's May 5 opening day. Horseman Greg Sacco (pictured with trainee Draxhall Woods) was the first to arrive. "Monmouth Park is home so it means a lot to be back," said Social Media Strategist Justina Severni Sacco, an Ocean Township resident. "It's a special place to be. I'm really looking forward to the meet. There are a lot of good things happening here." | Bill Denver/Equi-Photo Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes [email protected] VALADORNA MAKES THE GRADE 4 Marketing Manager Stonestreet homebred Valadorna (Curlin) led home a Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen ‘TDN Rising Star’ exacta at Keeneland. Director of Information Technology Ray Villa TODAY’S GRADED STAKES [email protected] EST Race Click for TV Bookkeeper 12:55a Champagne S.-G1, RAN -------------- ------ Terry May 1:35a All Aged S.-G1, RAN -------------- ------ [email protected] 9:00a John Porter S.-G3, NBY -------------- ------ WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 9:35a Fred Darling S.-G3, NBY -------------- ------ International Editor 10:10a Greenham S.-G3, NBY -------------- ------ Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] 5:00p Kona Gold S.-GII, SA TJCIS PPs TVG European Editor 5:30p Dixiana Elkhorn S.-GII, KEE TJCIS PPs TVG Emma Berry 5:36p Charles Town Classic S.-GII, CT TJCIS PPs FS2 [email protected] 6:30p American S.-GIII, SA TJCIS PPs TVG 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 11 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • APRIL 21, 2018 The People’s Horse cont. Gray partnered with the team at Taylor Made, where California Chrome stands at stud, and they agreed to go in with him and his readers on a foal by the two-time Horse of the Year. The birth of the foal was broadcast live on a “horsecam” that streams the view from Colerful Bride’s stall 24-7. Gray said “at least” 1,000 people watched the horse being born. He was there in person to witness the birth. “Many people in the horse world have had that experience before, but not me,” he said. “To be able to be there and share it with our members was so once-in-a-lifetime. I’ll never forget that. I’ll never forget that feeling of the foal’s slobber on my fingers. We have a baby girl now to look after. Oh, my God. “I was floored and really a bit chilled by the sincerity of emotion coming from our members and our team. Literally, one night there was one horse in the stall and today there are two. One of them is ours and now we have a new member of the family to look after.” Because True does not accept advertising, in order for the readers to share in any of the stories they must pay a membership fee. About 600 people are currently members of the “the people’s horse” and memberships are still available. Prices range from $99 to $500 and additional privileges come with the pricier levels. Beyond being able to read about the foal and to watch her progress on various streaming outlets, the members were able to vote on which mare among a handful made available by Taylor Made they would breed to and they will be allowed to vote on what the horse will be named. (According to The Jockey Club records, the name The People’s Horse is available). Additional benefits include tours of Taylor Made, where they can visit California Chrome, Colerful Bride and their weanling baby. “Our challenge is to share the emotional thrill, and the ups and downs, the rawness, to share the emotions that horses can naturally bring,” Gray said. “We’re not interested in it just for ourselves, we’re interested in sharing it with as many people and as many members as we can. The horse is not just something that will give us personal pleasure, but can unite our community.” Members may not be entitled to any of the earnings of the horse, which is usually the case when people pay small fees to join fan club-style setups that purchase horses. Several racetracks have opened similar stables. Rather, people are paying for the experience, one that is otherwise beyond the financial means of many. “There’s a little bit of a proletariat class element to this,” Gray said. “This is a statement where we are saying you don’t need to be super wealthy to have all the fun.” When asked to describe the typical member of the “people’s horse” ownership group, Gray said: “It’s a funky bunch, but they are all dreamers. We are all dreamers.” Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 11 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • APRIL 21, 2018 The People’s Horse cont. Something Awesome (Awesome Again) is four-for-five since Taylor Made’s involvement is part of the farm’s commitment being transferred from Woodbine-based Danny Vella to to bringing owners into the sport and Gray said none of this Maryland-based Jose Corrales in the fall. The 7-year-old Ontario- would have been possible without the backing and support of bred stretched out to this nine-furlong distance for the first time the farm. Will someone who went in on the “people’s horse” as last out in Laurel’s Mar. 17 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial S., and a bit of a lark become a more traditional owner? Gray believes responded with a 2 1/4-length success, good for a career-best they will. 100 Beyer Speed Figure. Third finisher Discreet Lover (Repent) “It’s bound to happen,” he said. “When you put people and flattered that one’s performance with a win in the GIII Excelsior horses together there are marriages that happen there. Horses S. at Aqueduct Apr. 7. are addictive; the dream, the gambling, the high stakes.