In the Nicker of Time is thrilled to introduce to you, Joel B. Turner, our guest expert for this week. No, I’ll say right now, he’s not the beat boxer from down under—but he’s better than that. He’s an attorney for Frost Brown Todd LLC in Louisville, Kentucky and has stopped by to answer any equine legal questions related to your manuscript, racehorse industry questions, or other question you may have for him. He’s been practicing law for 25 years and his expertise lies in horse related fields such as equine law, syndication of stallions, putting together stallion breeding packages, and the like. In addition to running a breeding farm he is an adjunct professor at the University of Louisville Equine Administration Program. He’s a busy man and knows his stuff. Please help me give a warm welcome to our guest expert, Joel B. Turner.
Joel, first and foremost, what drew you to horses?
My family always had a connection with horses, primarily my father who worked fro Keene Daingerfield at the old Thoroughbred Record in Lexington Kentucky in 1948-1950 after he returned from the Pacific Theatre after World War II concluded. He trained horses at Keeneland during this period, bet the down payment on the house on a sure thing (and lost) and ended up working a “real” job for General Electric and other defense contractors thereafter. All the while the horses would not let him go and we had them around us always whether at our farm in the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts, rented stables in Scottsdale, Arizona or Santa Barbara California. We often had lay ups form the track so I was hands on cleaning stalls and riding from a very early age.
Please give a brief rundown of your day, beginning with feeding.
I am usually up well before dawn to exercise for about thirty minutes (running or rowing) then off to the barn to feed the ten horses on the farm, turn out the mares and babies clean a few stalls and off to work by about 8:30 a.m…. Breakfast is an in the car event (fruit and grain…) then at my computer on the 28th floor of the Aegon Center in Downtown Louisville by about 9:10 a.m.
When do you find time for your own riding?
Finding time for enough riding can be a challenge, particularly in the winter months when the days are short. Scheduling my weekends around getting on one or two horses each day, and making it a priority, is key. In the spring summer and fall, early morning or after work in the late evening is always an option. We have a number of instructors in the area with indoor arenas so if we really get jammed, we schedule lessons in the indoor so we keep some continuity even in foul weather (with frozen ground etc.) The horses deserve to get out regularly, and it is such a pleasure to ride, we always seem to make the time. Sometimes it is in the cold, the heat,the rain, the snow (some of the best rides…focus focus focus…and it is quiet) or the dark, but we do ride whenever we can!
Knowing that you’re speaking mostly to writers, please give an example of a mysterious case, and what you had to do to figure it out.
There was a situation involving a horse purchased for a half a million dollars who developed a severe (could not be shown) case of headshaking (caused by the excitement of the nerve controlling the eyes by sunlight, or so the theory is) two weeks after purchased by an unsuspecting owner. It was a beautiful horse and would have been well worth the money, if he could have been shown. The horse was probably medicated before the purchase to mask the condition. We were able to find an old video of the horse at a show in which he exhibited the very early signs of headshaking while being ridden by the seller, who, by the way, had spent a considerable amount of money importing the horse from Europe. Rather than take his lumps (he was probably the victim of the European seller), he passed the horse off to the next owner as suitable for showing.. The horse ended up being donated to the University for research to find a cure for the affliction it suffered. With medication the horse could be ridden sometimes somewhat normally, but could not be shown because the medication needed to treat his condition is prohibited by the USEF/FEI medication rules.
Some legal horse terms and brief definition.
One of the oddest legal terms used around the horse business is the reference to the Agister…
An Agister is a stable keeper and it is usually used in the context of an Agister’s Lien for the care of the animals in the stable. If the board is not paid, the Agister can file a lien and keep possession of the horses until paid or sell the horses at auction or privately and use the proceeds to pay the board. It varies from state to state as there are different statutes orviding this protection to Agisters. It is a common form of a statutory lien like a mechanic’s or vendor’s lien.
Where do you see the race industry going in the next ten to twenty years?
I hope it does not go anywhere!!!! I do see it downsizing and consolidating. There will likely be fewer tracks, bigger events and quality over quantity. I also see it on your hand held devices, with streaming video and gambling content available at your fingertips.
Tell how a trainer gets a jockey for his mount.
There are Jock’s Agents who book mounts for riders. Trainers call when the condidtion books come out (which offer a variety of “book” races and “extras” for each day of the meet. Trainers try to get the Agents to commit to a “call” for a particular rider on a particular horse for a particular race. The big outfits usually have a rider who rides everything “first call” as Johnny Velasquez did for Todd Pletcher for many years (not so much anymore) and the smaller trainers have to lobby for what other riders are available. Of course if you have a CURLIN or a BIG BROWN, every jock agent in town is calling to back up the existing rider ( at the moment Robby Albarado and Kent Desormeaux, respectively) should a rider get hurt or otherwise have to miss the mount. (Riders get suspended, miss planes, etc.) Top riders can usually have a chioice of the allowance and claiming horses on the card, but the top horses are tough to come by as riders will travel to keep the mount on a top horse.
How are jockeys paid?
Jockeys get paid 10% of winnings, 5% of second and third place earnings, or a flat fee (varies from track to track, usually from $40 per mount at the lesser tracks to $100 at the best tracks), whichever is greater. Some Jockeys even get a Lifetime Breeding right (the right to breed one mare per breeding season to the horse for the life of the Stallion) if they ride a really top horse and can negotiate that form of additional compensation with the owner. For instance, Kent Desormeax got one LTBR to BIG BROWN for riding him to win the Kentucky Derby in 2008.
Do you know of a case where a jockey threw a race?
It happens.
The outcome?
Horses lose that shouldn’t. The integrity of racing is under constant scrutiny, but if a rider decides to go down the dark path to ignominy, it would be hard to prevent. Riders get caught from time to time and usually take a very long vacation. Suspensions for this conduct can effectively end a rider’s career, if not his reputation.
Most remembered race and why?
My first win as a trainer…A horse, curiously named (not by me) J.B. Turner at Turfway park about 22 years ago…Big hearted horse with big physical limitations, but he won like my life depended on it, or like he knew I had bet for all my extended family!
I saw Cary Back win the Derby from the infield when I was seven years old. He was a little horse with a “come from the clouds” running style. I saw Affirmed win the Santa Anita Derby before he won the Triple Crown. Lafitte Pincay rode him that day (Cauthen was on suspension) and he won by 8 lengths. He never won by such a large margin again. Lafitte was the strongest rider I have ever seen finish on a horse.
What are the options for retired racehorses?
Retired racehorses often find a second career as broodmares, stallions, show horses, polo ponies, field hunters and pleasure horses. Unfortunately, some retired race horses are injured and cannot be used except for breeding or as companion animals. There are many organizations working very hard to make sure that every retired racehorse has an opportunity for a second career. Unfortunately, not all are able to be retrained (some have severe temperament issues and bad vices and are either turned out with large groups of horses at retirement farms or, in extreme cases, after veterinary consultation, may be humanely euthanized). Horse slaughter is a reality much feared by many in the racing industry and many, many watchdog charitable organizations have risen to the challenge to save unwanted horses from slaughter, which is now outlawed (if for human consumption) in the US.
Joel, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by, In The Nicker Of Time! and answer a few questions for us.
Being my brother-in-law, I know your days are typically very demanding and I appreciate you dedicating a whole day to pop in and out to answer our questions….
There will be a drawing from the names of everyone leaving a comment or question throughout the week for Joel. From the winners of each weekly Guest Expert Interviews drawing (names will be posted), a grand prize drawing will be held on In The Nicker Of Time!’s one-year anniversary.
