Saratoga Q&A: West Point’s Terry Finley

[Wandering Eyes]

West Point Thoroughbreds came into existence in 1991. It was founded by Terry Finley, a graduate of West Point. He wasn't at the top of his class, but he was able to complete the required obstacle course, something he can still do today. He talked to the TDN about his experiences with a horse named Flightline, who the most important person is in his phone and why he likes the nickname, Captain America. Here is the Saratoga Q&A.

TDN: Do you remember your first winner?
Terry Finley: Sun Belt, August of 1991. At that time, it was Philadelphia Park (now Parx).

TDN: How long had you been in the game before you got your first win?
TF: When I was 12, I started working at a racehorse farm in Colts Neck, New Jersey. I loved being around. I used to run the hot walking machine.

TDN: Who did you work for?
TF: I worked for a guy by the name of Bill Rodgers.

TDN: Correct me if I'm wrong, but no one else in your family was ever into the horses, right?
TF: My dad was a teacher, but he loved going [to the races]. There was a whole group of them that loved going. Just like a lot of people, you go for the last two after school.

You didn't have to pay admission and you got a free program because you'd grab it from one of the guys coming out of the track. We went to Liberty Bell, we went to Delaware Park, we went to Atlantic City. We went to Garden State. We came up to New York some, but Philadelphia Park was about 20 minutes away from us.

TDN: When did West Point Thoroughbreds come into being?
TF: 1991.

TDN: How many members, or partners, are in it now.
TF: 720.

TDN: Did you ever imagine it would be that big?
TF: Of course not. Look, partnerships are the way of the world in our industry now. We work hard but other partnerships also work hard. There's not a whole lot of variations in the model. We buy horses, we put partners into them and we try to win races. The model is straightforward. It's the administration, it's the communication, it's the recruitment of new owners. We do everything we can to try and retain the partners that we have. It's simple, but it's complex. Just like most things in life.

TDN: Is it a no brainer to say that the best horse you have been involved with is Flightline?
TF: A no brainer to the nth degree. We look back and it was like, gosh, it was like a snap of a finger. The day after the Breeders' Cup in 2022, everybody followed the van over to Lane's End and Bill Farish gave a loaded speech about how amazing the opportunity was to stand him. Now [that was] over three years ago and it has just flown by. But as we expected, the vibe is very, very good, as it should be. He arguably had the best book of mares in his first book of any stallion in the history of thoroughbred racing. It's what we all dream of. I think we took time and really appreciated the ride.

My family and I, and the partners and the whole group, I'd like to think we appreciated the true greatness that we were around for two plus years.

TDN: Does any part of you wish he would have run more (six wins in six starts)?
TF: Of course, of course. He never had surgery; he never really had a major injury. He had a bruised foot, and he had the trauma to his hip. That was inflicted by a nail that was stray that he amazingly got caught up in. He was not unsound. He was just such a brilliant horse. I know it gets used a lot, but he was a generational talent. We would have loved to have had a chance to run him more. You couldn't imagine how hard and how fast your heart was beating when he walked into the paddock and you knew you were 10 minutes away from seeing him perform and you knew greatness was there. It was short period of time but it sure was quality.

Flightline

-Classic_bc22cl19_PRINT-BC2022_Horsephotos.jpg" alt="" width="612" height="445" /> Flightline | Horsephotos

TDN: The West Point insignia. Who came up with that?
TF: I've always been into simplicity. The colors of West Point are black and gold. The Black Knights. In the early 90's, I thought it would be good just to be simple about it and to be very straightforward and clean with our branding. Everybody knows your silks are your brand and what you represent.

TDN: The star, right? I always equated that to Captain America, which is a nickname I gave you a couple years ago.
TF: You did. I took it. You have to be in the top five percent at West Point to be a star man. I was in the top 93 percent of my class.

TDN: That was bad.
TF: There were seven percent that were worse (laughs). If you're a Star Man, that means you are top dog. I could design a pair of silks easier than being an actual Star Man at school.

TDN: Did you like the name Captain America?
TF: I do. It's a good name. I have had a shot to look at a couple (movies). Captain America is good. You try not to be goofy about it, but this is a great country. Why do people all across the world want to come to America? With all of our defects and all of our problems, it says something about people wanting to come to where we are. The vast majority of people I know, there's no other place they'd like to wake up in the morning than America.

TDN: Who is the most famous person in your phone?
TF: I have some famous people. If you are in the horse business, you know some influential people. I talk to my college roommate, who spent 35 years in the FBI, every day.

TDN: What's his name?
TF: Jimmy Diorio. To me, he is the most famous person in my phone. We've all fought the fight. Through thick and thin we have been together. He was undercover for two years and I had no contact with him. Some kind of undercover thing. As soon as he came out of that operation, we ended up engaging every day.

TDN: I always ask this question. If there is a movie made about your life and you can pick the actor to play you, who you got?
TF: I hate to say it but Tom Cruise. He wants to be me and I want to be him.

TDN: I always thought you were an Ed Harris kind of guy.
TF: We talked about that. Let's go with that. He is one of my favorite actors, especially the role he played in “Glengarry Glen Ross.”

TDN: A little bird told me you recently did the obstacle course at West Point. That is a requirement you have to do to graduate.
TF: I did part of it. I took Dale Romans and (partner) Tammy (Fox) to West Point for a tour. I always like to introduce people to the national treasure that is West Point. He was pretty impressed by that.

TDN: What is the obstacle course? What do you have to do?
TF: There's a whole bunch of different things, but basically, it's strength, it's agility, it's running, it's physical fitness. Everybody that has graduated from West Point has memories of the IOCT, the indoor obstacle course test.

TDN: Is it hard?
TF: It's very hard. You have to climb a high rope, you have to go through balance beams, you have to go through an obstacle course on the ground. You have to grab a platform up above and pull yourself up. You've got to run.

TDN: And there is a time limit?
TF: There is a time limit.

TDN: What is the time you have to shoot for?
TF: It's been 40 years! Whatever it is, you've got to get after it. You have to be proficient. It's very similar to that American Ninja Warrior show on television.

TDN: When you went and did it in front of Dale and Tammy, how long did it take you?
TF: I didn't do the whole thing. I did parts of it, but Dale was very impressed by it.

TDN: Did Dale try it?
TF: He didn't do it. It might have been before he lost all his weight. He would have a better shot to have a lower time now than he did three years ago.

TDN: Favorite holiday?
TF: Christmas, of course. I've got five grandkids and it's a beautiful time.

Labor Day, also. I have four brothers and two sisters and all four of my brothers were or are union cement masons. I got a very good sense of how, especially immigrants, built this country. I would say Labor Day is pretty important. I always pause and reflect on the impact unions and people that work with their hands have made on this country.

TDN: The President and CEO of the Thoroughbred Daily News is Sue Finley. No relation. But you know her, right?
TF: I know her. My sister, who is also named Sue, I sent her a happy birthday message and Sue Finley of the TDN replied and said it was really nice to get a note from me, but it was not her birthday.

TDN: You sent the email or text to the wrong Sue Finley.
TF: Yes. So, every year on my sister's birthday, I send a note to Sue Finley from the TDN and she sends one back and says, 'thanks, but it's not my birthday.' A 25-year running joke. I will tell you; I have always been a big fan of Sue and we met about 30 years ago. I know this is an interview for the TDN, but I think she is a treasure for the business. She has really navigated the changing dynamics of our business, the politics of our business. She is not in an easy position. She has really led the company in an amazing way. She would be a very good general. I would follow her anywhere.

TDN: You read my script very well. I'll get a raise off of this now.
TF: (laughs).

TDN: If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be?
TF: Ronald Reagan. He was president the first two years I was at West Point. I would love to have dinner with my dad again. I would love to spend one more day at the races with him (he passed away in 1989). And Abraham Lincoln. There is a reason why he is such an important figure in America. They would be the three.

TDN: My favorite part of the of the race day is the mornings? How about you?
TF: It's the mornings because you always have something to talk about. If you're smart and you keep your mouth shut, a good number of times you can learn a lot. When you sit in a golf cart at the far turn and you talk about the world, you can pick up a lot. There's a lot of wisdom in our game. The second thing is, I love when Frank Mirahmadi says, 'they're at the gate,' and your heart is beating twice as fast as it does at rest.

And you're like, 'ok, let's see what happens here for the next minute and a half or so.'

TDN: Last question. Describe Saratoga in one word.
TF: Serene. When you get a little bit older–I started coming here when I was 12 and I'm 61 now–you don't know how much longer that we're going do have a chance to do this, much less live. You realize, you've been pretty darn lucky.

The post Saratoga Q&A: West Point’s Terry Finley appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article