Bernie Flint
Flint, 65, is a New Orleans native who now lives most of the year in Louisville, but winters at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Arkansas. His son Steven is also a trainer who worked for his dad for many years before going out on his own in 2001. Another son, Scott, is a blacksmith. The elder Flint was a New Orleans police detective for 16 years, retiring in 1976 to become a full-time trainer. He scored his first stakes win that same year. He has been leading trainer at nine different tracks throughout the central United States. He has won 19 training titles at Turfway Park alone, and has been the leading trainer in Kentucky by wins multiple times. Won his first Grade One with Outofthebox in the 2001 Super Derby.
Patrick Valenzuela
Valenzuela, born October 17, 1962, in Montrose, Colorado, currently lives in Arcadia, California. Widely regarded as one of the most talented riders of any generation, Valenzuela has battled personal problems throughout his career. He comes from a family of horsemen. His father, A.C., was a jockey, as were several uncles. His cousin, Fernando, also rides in southern California. Riding on the aforementioned circuit since the late 1970's, Valenzuela was the leading apprentice in terms of wins for the 1979-1980 Santa Anita meet. He has won numerous riding title since then at Hollywood Park, Del Mar, Oak Tree, and Santa Anita. He was the youngest jockey ever, aboard Codex for Wayne Lukas, at 17, to win the Santa Anita Derby. He won the Kentucky Oaks in 1985 on Fran's Valentine and the Derby in 1989 on Sunday Silence. He also was aboard Arazi when that one rolled to his stunning victory in the 1991 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs.
Naveed Chowhan
Dr. Chowhan is a native of Pakistan who grew up around horses before moving to the Caribbean to study medicine. He became a United States citizen in 1987, living in Washington D.C. and New York before moving to his current home in southern Indiana, where he is a partner in a private oncology practice. Chowhan has been involved in racing for about seven years. His very first horse, Deep Gold, won the Deputy Minister Handicap at Gulfstream Park. He has a small band of broodmares at his Floyds Knobs home. Like his broodmare band, Chowhan has a small number of racehorses, all with trainer Bernie Flint, who has been with him since the beginning with Deep Gold. Chowhan alos campaigned the multiple stakes winner Keepondealing and bred the Grade One winner Awesome Humor.
Everest Stables, Inc.
Jeff Nielson of St. Paul, Minn. conducts his Thoroughbred operations under the name Everest Stables. He is founder and president of the Everest Group, which has real estate and land development businesses and a commercial industrial brokerage firm. He started in the horse industry in the late 1980s and now owns about 200 Thoroughbreds -- approximately 60 broodmares, 80 foals and 60 horses in training throughout the country with various trainers. Nielsen's most accomplished horses to date are the Grade One winner Island Fashion and Petionville, winner of five stakes in 1995, including the Ohio and Louisiana Derbys.
05.04.05 - Wednesday Barn Notes 05.03.05 - Tuesday Barn Notes 05.02.05 - Monday Barn Notes 05.01.05 - Sunday Barn Notes 04.30.05 - Saturday Barn Notes 04.29.05 - Friday Barn Notes 04.28.05 - Thursday Barn Notes 04.20.05 - Runway Model Prepares For Rematch With Sis City
04.09.05 - Sis City Wins Her Third In A Row With Ashland Victory 03.12.2005 - Summerly Stamps Ticket To Louisville With Easy Fair Grounds Oaks Win
RUNWAY MODEL is a model of consistency as she has only missed the board twice in an already distinguished career. Trainer Bernie Flint seems to be bringing her back to her top very deliberately here and if she improves again she is very dangerous here at fairly playable odds in the 9-2 to 8-1 range. She's been beaten by two here in her first two '05 starts but the FG Oaks is a throw out after Summerly made a ridiculously easy lead. Harder to explain away the fact that Sis City just left her nailed to the Keeneland rail but it was another step on the path and a forward move at the right time Saturday could erase those defeats in a hurry. This is a genuine filly that knows and likes the track. She'll get a cozy inside trip and isn't out of the question to win it with a big forward move.
Runway Model is by Petionville, a sire of five crops and 15 stakes winners inlcuding Island Fashion; Grade III Philadelphia Breeders' Cup Handicap winner True Passion and Arlington-Washington Futurity (GII) winner Publication. Petionville, a son of Seeking the Gold, won the Ohio (GII) and Louisiana (GIII) Derbies in his sophmore season. He was versatile enough to also win stakes on the turf and sprinting the same year. He is a half-brother to 1996 Kentucky Oaks winner Pike Place Dancer, so Runway Model is a rarity among her peers, with a Oaks winner in the second generation of her family.
Runway Model is a half-sister to Mambo Train, winner of the 2004 Turf Paradise Derby. Their dam, Ticket to Houston, by Houston, has produced four runners, with the aforementioned pair being the her stakes winners. Ticket to Houston was a precocious filly, winning two stakes at two and hitting the board in six of seven starts her that year. She raced only one time after her juvenile season, winding up with over $147,000 in earnings. While she was relatively unproven going a route of ground, Ticket of Houston had several siblings that were adept at two turns; including the stakes winners Sea Ditty and Ghost Story. Their dam, Stave, is a descendant of Herbager, a prominent stamina influence that he passed on to his 64 stakes winning offspring.
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