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Aug. 19 Insights
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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
In How To Talk To Customers, co-author Tom Larkin wrote that the key in business relationships was to “Make A Great Impression on the Customer”–known by his signature acronym M-A-G-I-C. “Results matter, and so does the process used to get those results,” the Preface pithily preached. According to those that knew him best, Larkin built a successful consulting company which focused on the development and enhancement of a business's number one concern, outreach. He traveled the world giving dynamic presentations on what has become the lost art of customer service. Sadly in 2023, he succumbed to ALS after a four-year battle. In college at Arizona State, Larkin ran across future horseman Corey Johnsen and the two formed a lifelong bond. To pay tribute to his friend through his syndicate CJ Thoroughbreds, Johnsen christened a colt Tom's Magic (Justify) after they acquired him for $200,000 during Keeneland September. “Marette Farrell who we use as our bloodstock advisor pointed this colt out to us at the sale,” said CJ Thoroughbreds Vice President C.J. Johnsen. “We focus primarily on fillies, but we've had clients who wanted to invest in colts and we really couldn't believe that a Justify would be priced so well. He had sesamoiditis, but we knew we could park him for 60 to 90 days at the farm in Midway [Kentucky] and everything would work out. Tom Larkin was really important to my dad [Corey Johnsen], so we wanted to name this colt after him.” What excited CJ Thoroughbreds about their purchase was the colt's Ontario-bred roots from dam SP Dixie Chicken (Rahy). Being a half to Dixie Moon (Curlin), who won the Woodbine Oaks, and to Guy Caballero (Quality Road), who took down the Plate Trial Stakes north of the border, gave the ownership group hope that the King's Plate Stakes Aug. 16 could be a viable target going forward. “We brought Scott Mawaka of Mo Speed Racing on board as an equal partner,” said Johnsen. “Sending this colt to Mike Stidham made sense and we liked his potential, plus his pedigree speaks to the idea that he can go longer. So, the idea of getting to the King's Plate has been out there for some time.” The question concerning how to prepare a Thoroughbred for a race that is more than nine months out intersects nicely with Larkin's quote about how the process is just as important as the end result. When talking to customers he urged companies to create their own 'magic of communication,' which became all about connecting on another plane with potential clients. Empathy, listening, following through on promises and being accountable were just some of the devices his toolkit deployed to create the opportunity to do business. Mike Stidham is customer-driven | Hodges Photography As Stidham can attest–having cared for the likes of current Darley sires Mystic Guide (by Ghostzapper) and Proxy (by Tapit) to last weekend's GIII Kelso Stakes hero Think Big (Twirling Candy), plus countless others over nearly 50 years in the game–training a Thoroughbred incorporates all of the tenets Larkin espoused. “The customer experience is everything,” said Stidham. “I was going through a tough time in the 90s when I was trying to get to the next level and I thought that I needed to find something else to do. I looked around at some of the old timers who were losing horses left and right to other barns. I knew I needed to get with the program and start working on getting more clients, otherwise that was going to be it. The key was becoming customer-driven, and you do that by going above and beyond what was expected.” Gone were the days when owners were stymied by a paywall and isolated from knowing what was going on with their horses. Stidham became part of the Internet generation that sent workout videos and he picked up the telephone to personally give updates, instead of clients calling him. “You never get a second chance to make a first impression as the saying goes,” he said. “It's true. My assistant Hilary [Pridham] and I take a lot of pride in service and because we have been doing this so long we know almost immediately what kind of horse we have on our hands.” When Tom's Magic was sent to Stidham starting last summer, the colt got a smattering of working experiences from the main track at Delaware to Turfway's synthetic surface in the fall. Stidham said the colt moved effortlessly no matter what was under him. Of course, the son of Justify was customarily green when he debuted in late November, but he showed some spark as the runner-up over the grass versus Cherie DeVaux trainee Deep Manhattan (Justify), who Stidham called “a monster.” The chestnut broke his maiden at course and distance before the calendar turned, and his 3-year-old campaign was marked by a score in the Black Gold Stakes Mar. 1. With the King's Plate six months out at that point, Stidham had several avenues that Tom's Magic could take. He opted for monsoon-laden Keeneland, which miraculously put on the delayed GIII Transylvania Stakes–the result was a ninth-place finish behind eventual GI Belmont Derby champ Test Score (Lookin At Lucky). Tom's Magic was a tough customer in the Black Gold Stakes | Hodges Photography “A horse in your barn is a customer too,” said Stidham. “You have to think about their needs, what will make them rise to any given occasion. What's interesting about this colt is that the weather helped and hurt us at different stages over the next three months after the Transylvania.” On the lookout for the 'right' race for his customer, the trainer thought seriously about the GIII Penn Mile Stakes, but it kept being put off. “I have never seen a race delayed like that,” he said. “Things got really tricky and Hilary, who scours the condition books, was trying to find a fit for him that would give us a chance to build some confidence.” The barn found the right spot in the Tale of the Cat Stakes at Monmouth June 28 and got to the winner's circle. “The weather was great that day, he sat just off the speed and looked really comfortable,” Stidham said. “I especially liked what he showed in the latter stages of the race with that stride of his, so we are all systems go moving forward to the King's Plate. Even though Stidham has never entered Canada's signature Thoroughbred race, he is confident that Tom's Magic can handle the surface, the distance and be ready to ship to Toronto. Now, it is all about keeping his good customer happy. “I love a horse that is not afraid to train,” Stidham said. “He's exactly that type and coming out of the race at Monmouth with the same amount of time off as he had from April to late June, I think we will be ready.” Whether it's training an employee in the art of customer service or caring for a Thoroughbred who is pointing to a big race, it certainly takes magic. Tom Larkin built a successful career inspiring others to think about the process before taking stock of the results. Ever customer-driven, the team behind Tom's Magic is looking to do something similar with trying to get the 3-year-old ready for his King's Plate bow. Now, that's a fitting tribute for his namesake's memory. The post Good Customer Tom’s Magic to Make King’s Plate Bow appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
by Adam Hamilton Millionaire Kiwi trotter Oscar Bonavena’s exasperating start to the Brisbane Inter Dominion series has taken another twist. Mark and Nathan Purdon’s superstar nine-year-old has drawn gate one – probably one draw they didn’t want – in his do-or-die second round heat at Albion Park next Saturday night. Oscar Bonavena has a history of galloping when put under pressure from inside front row draws. The awkward draw follows an opening night horror show where he was held-up and hit the line full of running in seventh place. Driver Adam Sanderson returned to Mark Purdon and put his hand up for a bad draw. It has left Oscar Bonavena precariously placed to make the final so drawing one in the second and last heat is far less than ideal given his history. Adding to the intrigue of that heat, series favourite Arcee Phoenix is drawn to follow out Oscar Bonavena from gate eight. Arcee Phoenix smashed the clock when he sustained a big run from back in the field on opening night to run second to Kiwi young gun Bet N Win. Bet N Win will dominate betting to win again night two after drawing gate three. Driver Bob Butt should be able to push forward and find the lead. His only real danger looks to be the gifted but wayward Gus, who ran a slashing second on night one. Gus is out of the drawing, meaning he will start from barrier 12. The news wasn’t great for the lone Kiwi in the pacing series with Pinseeker drawing barrier 11 on night two. Making it much worse is the fact he is the same heat as Leap To Fame, Don Hugo and Catch A Wave. It’s by far the strongest heat of the pacing series. What an intriguing race it will be with Don Hugo drawn to lead from gate one and Leap To Fame yet again drawn inside the back row (gate eight). This time Grant Dixon likely take his medicine and follow through behind Don Hugo. But whether he stalk Don Hugo and beat the renowned speedster from off his back is highly debatable. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
by Jonny Turner There is more to Duchess Of Kent than the brilliance she’s shown in her recent winning hat-trick. The three-year-old made it three-from-three this time in when speeding up the Ascot Park passing lane to win the Diamond Creek Farm & SBSR Silk Road Final on Sunday. Speed has been the key ingredient in Duchess Of Kent’s hat-trick of victories, with the filly settling handy in each before zipping home to score for driver Brent Barclay. As fast as she is, trainer Lauren Pearson thinks there is more to Duchess Of Kent’s game. “I think she’d stay – I think she’ll follow pace all the time, but she has got that speed as well, which is a major help.” Putting three wins to her name has helped Duchess Of Kent add to the already impressive record of her dam, Galleons Honour. The outstanding producer has a 100% record at stud and has produced a string of smart types including Duke Of Wellington and Duke Of Cornwall. Each has been bred by the late Lester Smith, whose estate races Duchess Of Kent. Smith had a lifelong passion for harness racing and enjoyed excellent success in the sport, most recently with Pearson and Barclay. “This one ended up being Lester’s favourite horse after he sold Duke Of Cornwall, because she was a keeper,” Pearson said. Her victory in Sunday’s Silk Road Series final has now earned Duchess Of Kent the opportunity to take on better fillies in her age bracket at Addington. “She’s paid up for the Nevele R Fillies Series, so we will have a smack at that,” Pearson said. “She can have a week or so off now while we go on holiday.” “We will get her up to Bob Butt – Bob doesn’t know it yet but we are going to ask whether he can take her and keep her up there for two Nevele R heats and find out if she’s good enough.” Though the Duchess Of Kent’s current campaign could not have gone any better, behind the scenes there have been plenty of challenges. “We’ve had a lot of ups and downs with it, but hopefully we’re on top of them now.” “They put her first campaign down to soreness, so we turned her out and then an abscess burst out, so we’re hoping it was that.” “We got her back and then we had a tie-up issue again after the first workout, but we seem to be on top of it at the moment.” After reining home Duchess Of Kent with a pinpoint steer, Barclay notched a late double with Haley Jaccka taking out a hectic running of Sunday’s finale for trainer Brett Gray. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
by Mike Love Templeton trainer Jeremy Pearson trained his first winner yesterday when Coba Charged took out the Wouldn’t Be Here Without Ted & Di Enright pace, with Sam Thornley in the sulky. “It’s bloody brilliant,” said Pearson. It was Pearson’s eleventh race as a trainer, and only the second this season. It was Coba Charged’s ninth career start and maiden victory. Coba Charged made a good beginning from the outside of the tapes to be in the one out one back position briefly before being left parked. Over-racing in the parked position, Coba Charged had a couple of unsuccessful digs for the lead. Thornley finally reached the lead around the 400m, going on to a tenacious victory by half a head at the line. “He’s been a bit of a challenge, and he does get on the nickel a bit but we got there in the end playing around with him. “He had a few tie-up issues as a two year old, but we got around that one. It’s just getting him to race kindly is the next thing.” Pearson also owns Coba Charged, who started his racing career with Regan Todd, placing on two occasions as a two year old. “I bought two at the weanling sales, him and Cyclone Sala who won last week (June 27) at Alexandra Park. It’s been nice having two come out and have success within a week.” “We will space his (Coba Charged’s) races a bit, and have a couple more starts then give him a bit of a breather. We will try to give him more education and get him to race kindly.” Pearson’s introduction to the sulky was a little uncanny – but nevertheless bug-inducing. “Wendy Devenport had a horse called Uncle Drew who pulled a lot, so she needed a driver. So the next day I went around, jumped in the sulky, and he pulled me around for 400m before I could pull him up.” Pearson currently trains out of the Kevin and Bonnie Williams’ property at Templeton. Other highlights on the card included a double for driver Ricky May (Shadow Creek/Brent Weaver and The Coalman/Mark Jones), while John Howe trained KD Grins to a maiden victory for the race day he sponsored. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
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