He was not only a great horseman, but racehorse trainer J. Willard Thompson also should be remembered as a great gentleman. The horse world lost a much-admired figure when he died Saturday at the age of 83 after a long illness.
A fixture at Monmouth Park for more than a half-century, Willard’s involvement in racing began when he was a steeplechase rider before switching to training in the early 1960s. He dominated the New Jersey racing scene in the 1970s, winning three consecutive training titles at Monmouth Park from 1975-1977 and two at the Meadowlands in the 1980s.
J. Willard Thompson (photo by equiphoto.com)
Willard was back in a big way several decades later, when he took the 2001 Monmouth title and had record earnings that year of nearly $1.6 million for his runners, many of whom raced in the colors of his Quiet Winter Farm. Some his most recent stakes winners included Jenny Bean Girl in the 2007 Jersey Girl Handicap and Pinot Grigio, who took the 2014 Open Mind Handicap.
In 1996, Willard won the first Virgil “Buddy” Raines Distinguished Achievement Award, honoring men and women who demonstrated a continuing commitment to the sport of thoroughbred racing and whose conduct has been exemplary for professionalism, integrity and service to the sport.
“It’s very hard to imagine Monmouth Park, and racing, without Willard,” said John F. Heims, Monmouth’s racing secretary.
“I’ve had the privilege of calling Willard my friend for nearly 20 years. We had spent countless hours in his office, the clocker’s stand, frontside and my office talking horses, politics and everything in between. With Willard, the generation gap just slipped away as age made no difference. He was kind and generous to everyone in this sport and his passing is a tremendous loss for our industry.”
From 17,863 starters, Thompson won 2,137 races, good for earnings of $30.5 million. With his longtime assistant, Sergio “Victor” Rabadan, Thompson’s most recent starter as a trainer was Snowday on Oct. 26 at Laurel and the most recent starter for his Quiet Winter Farm was Arnold Ziffle, who finished third at Laurel as Willard watched on the internet, just a few hours before he died.
Thompson was married to the former Carol Hofmann, a show jumper who rode for the U.S. Equestrian Team and died in 2013. An Olympic alternate in 1968, after the Games Carol accepted an invitation from a friend to “come to Aiken, S.C. for a quiet winter.”
On her second day there, Carol met Willard, and after that, as she always said, “It was definitely not a quiet winter.” But least that gave the couple a name for their Colt’s Neck farm.
Last year, Willard finished a novel, “The Mission,” that he had begun in the 1960s.
As he recalls in the book’s preface, the draft “was lost moving back and forth between Florida, South Carolina, and New York and never finished. Recently, I found the book in the bottom of my desk drawer. Now, at the age of 82, I finally got around to finishing it.”
The book, available from Barnes and Noble and Amazon, centers on a man who has everything, but is bored, and decides to rob the bank where he works.
“Things seemed simpler back then and in other ways, they’re still the same — people still yearn to be successful without really knowing what that is and whether they have achieved it,” Willard observed.
Proceeds from the book will go to the Retired Racehorse Project in Maryland. Here is a link to the book’s website.
Willard’s survivors include sons Glenn and Stewart; daughter Julia and nine grandchildren: Julia, Parker, McKenzie, Wyatt, Mizuki, Taylor, Landon, Shelby and Bradyn.
A celebration of Willard’s life will be held in the spring to coincide with the opening of Monmouth Park’s 2019 racing season.
The Turkey Trot pleasure ride, a fall fixture at the Horse Park of New Jersey for 20 years, will be held Nov. 18. The event is sponsored by the Horse Park and the Eastern States Combined Training and Dressage Association.
The closing date for mail and email entries is Nov. 11, but post entries are accepted on competition day. The ride runs from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., with awards at 3:45 p.m.
The divisions offered are Senior (55 years and over), Junior (18 years and under), Family (those in that section must be related to each other), or Open (to be ridden in pairs). There is a choice of Long or Short course for each
There is a new Open division for those who are new or whose horses are not fit enough for the longer courses.
Entries must include the names of riders (the course is to be ridden in pairs) at $45 per rider. Post Entries (entry received after Nov 11, 2018 or on competition day)are $60 per rider. Entry forms are available from the secretary, the Horse Park at this link or ESDCTA’s website at ESDCTA.org. Those interested can also call the Horse Park at (609) 259-0170 or via email at HorseParkOfNJ@aol.com. There is a $5 discount for members of the Horse Park or ESDCTA.
Draw checks to “Horse Park of NJ” or provide credit card information. Fax entries will not be accepted.Entries MUST be legible and include credit card information or check.Entries must include current negative Coggins. Include your cell phone number and carry their phones on the course in case they get lost and organizers need to contact them.
The short course will be about 5 miles and the long course about 6.5 miles. The new Intro course will be 2-3 miles.The courses will all start and finish from the Horse Park and will travel in and around the Horse Park and the Assunpink Wildlife Management. Area.
There are awards for first place and eight ribbons for each division.
There are lots of clinics for hunter/jumper riders, eventers and dressage enthusiasts in New Jersey, but it’s rare to find one that focuses on western, trail and pleasure riders.
The Alexandria Equestrian Association is taking care of that group on Nov. 17 with a clinic on trail, patterns and cones. It will be given by Heidi Bergmann-Schoch at the Alexandria Township Park Indoor Riding Arena, 242 Little York Mount Pleasant Road, Milford. Private lessons are $50, while semi-private lessons are $35 and auditors are welcome.
Complete the registration form at https://aeanj.com/clinics. For more information, contact Bonnie Beasty at 908-303-9392.
It seems like common sense to acknowledge that New Jersey’s horse industry is part of the agricultural community, but everyone doesn’t see it that way.
To some who raise crops, “Horse people are not farmers. That’s the mentality,” noted equine veterinarian Brendan Furlong, recalling a comment from an acquaintance whose business is growing vegetables. And that farmer isn’t alone in his viewpoint.
In an attempt to change the mindset, members of the horse industry got together with farmers this week at the Desiderio family’s Tranquillity Farm in Chester during the “Equine is Agriculture” gathering.
Explaining the effort to have representatives of both sectors at the meeting, Brendan said, “We’re trying to integrate them.”
Such a move seems long overdue, considering their shared concerns about such issues as farm labor, farmland preservation, waste management and the pressures of development, as well as the often-burdensome regulations that go with the territory in the country’s most densely populated state.
Brendan’s Oldwick-based practice, B.W. Furlong Associates, partnered with the New Jersey Farm Bureau, Califon Animal Hospital (one of its owners, Mary Beth Hamorski, is a past president of the N.J. Association of Equine Practitioners) and John Deere/Central Jersey Equipment on the program. It drew 135 people to the show stable’s indoor arena for the lively session.
Brendan’s son, Adam, a vice president of both the Furlong practice and the Horse Park of New Jersey, said that as a member of the New Jersey Agricultural Society’s Leadership Development Program, he learned, “There was a sense the equine community was separate from the agricultural community.”
He put in a call to discuss the subject with Somerset County hay farmer Ryck Suydam, the farm bureau’s president, who is well aware of the horse industry’s importance to larger New Jersey agricultural picture.
“Our interests are perfectly aligned with each other,” said Ryck. “What is good for the hay farmer is good for the horse owner and vice versa.”
The two began planning for the event about a year ago. Ryck said this is the first in a series of such get-togethers, with another already requested for Gloucester County.
Such meetings facilitate what he called “old school networking,” with people getting together beforehand and afterwards to share their points of view.
“It’s better face-to-face that it is in an email or a tweet,” Ryck continued. The last time the Farm Bureau did something similar, when the subject was changes in farmland assessment, three such meetings were planned. “We wound up doing 11,” he said.
The question is why there has been a lack of cohesiveness between equestrian interests and non-equine farmers in the Garden State, where the horse is the state animal.
“I don’t think either side is to blame,” observed Adam.
“Equine is very definitely a big component of agriculture,” he continued, explaining organizers of the event want to “create a more singular voice. If we look out for interests of the equine community, it’s going to go hand-in-hand with the agricultural community. Likewise, we should support farm legislation in general.
“If commodities go up in price because land values skyrocket, or it becomes too inefficient to farm here, it will have a negative impact on the equine community in New Jersey. People are moving out; it spirals.”
Citing the Horse Park’s struggle to obtain more funding, Adam observed, “the only way get it is if more revenue is counted in through agriculture and/or equine and showing the state this is a revenue-producing industry for them.”
Speakers included Brian Smith, chief of legal affairs for the State Agriculture Development Committee. He discussed the right-to-farm act, which offers protection to agricultural operations. Its website is worth a look at http:nj.gov/agriculture/sadc/rtfprogram, particularly for those whose operations are having trouble with neighbors taking issue with farming in their area.
Ed Wengryn, a farm bureau research associate, offered welcome news that the much-hated sales tax on boarding horses, which went into effect in 2006, may soon be a thing of the past. A bill pending in the state Legislature is designed to repeal it, but a provision to make it retroactive didn’t fly because it would be too costly and complicated to refund the money collected over the last 12 years. Equestrian interests have been trying for more than five years to kill the fee, which is a “storage” tax, similar to what you would pay to keep your sofa and bookshelves at a facility somewhere.
“Horse are livestock, they are not furniture,” Ed pointed out. The bill, which has been passed by the Assembly, will go through the Senate budget process and from there to a floor vote.
Brendan gave an equine health update, discussing the importance of turnout and ways to feed horses more naturally (less grain, more forage), cutting down on the chances of colic in the process.
Organizers of the meeting are hoping more horse people will join the Farm Bureau and help its efforts with their support. The cost is $150 for a regular membership, $60 for an associate membership and a $210 corporate membership. Fine out more at https://njfb.org/join/.
The bureau offers information on current farm issues through a weekly newsletter, a quarterly publication and its website. Among many other initiatives its efforts include working with legislators, providing leadership development for young farmers and focusing on immigration reform to ensure a stable and affordable source of farm labor.
“I hope the Farm Bureau increases their membership out of this,” said Adam.
“I want the farming community to think about changing the mindset, being supportive of each other and really acknowledging how much our interests are aligned.”
The Horseshoe Bend Park Benefit Trail Ride in Kingwood Township will be held from 9 a.m.-noon Nov. 4. You can choose whether you want to do four, eight or 12 miles (if it’s either of the latter two, you have to get on the trail by 11 a.m.)
The area has a mix of terrain, and you can ride alone or in a group of up to four people. Innovations this year are a raffle and a tack swap/sale. The fee is $40 or $35 for members of Friends of Horseshoe Bend Park. Pay at the event, but for planning purposes, please register beforehand with megsleeper@icloud.com.
Get on Horseshoe Bend Road off of Spring Hill Road. Do not get on Horseshoe Bend Road off Route 12, as there is a narrow bridge going that way,
The phrase “old-fashioned fun” is too seldom heard these days in connection with equestrian sports, which tend to be high stakes, played with horses bearing even higher pricetags.
So it was refreshing to roll back the clock this weekend at the Masters’ Chase, “a family-friendly day of amateur horse racing” put on by the Peapack-based Essex Fox Hounds (essexfoxhounds.org) and the Countryside Alliance of the Somerset Hills. It all took place on the great lawn at Natirar, a former estate in Peapack now owned by the Somerset County Park Commission.
Don’t confuse this with the 98th Far Hills Race Meeting, which will be run a little more than a mile down the road next Saturday at Moorland Farm in Far Hills. That’s serious business, professional steeplechasing complete with pari-mutuel wagering this year for the first time, and $850,000 in purses. (See the On the Rail section of this website for more information about the Far Hills Race Meeting.)
The Masters’ Chase didn’t offer purses; its prizes were ribbons, small trophies and lots of candy for the kids taking part, along with opportunities for real amateur riders to get a taste of what it’s like to race, the thrill of pounding hooves and cheers from the crowd. Some competitors, like the team that won the baton relay, wore racing silks. Others were togged in hunting attire or show clothes. But few crossed the finish line without smiles on their faces.
The relay was lots of excitement for the six teams of four participating, particularly with the trickiness of passing off a baton while barely pausing in mid-gallop.
Nancy McCaffrey was grinning broadly after coming in first in the Senior Fieldmaster race on Simon. Her trainer, Ann Sullivan Scher, had warned her that Simon was rather slow. Nancy, of Far Hills, was glad to find that wasn’t the case in this instance.
“It was fantastic,” said Nancy of her racing experience over fences. “He was just so strong. He just wanted to win.”
Ann, who brought eight horses to the Masters’ Chase, recounted Simon’s interesting history. He is by Sale Johnson’s stallion, Golan. His granddam is Isle of Erin, a great show ring performer for the Scher family. Simon was trained by top show jumper Laura Chapot and was the high money-winner in the Preliminary division in Florida years ago. He also jumped with Sarah Segal in amateur classes and has spent time hunting.
The race was led by Karen Murphy, joint master of Essex with Jazz Merton. She set a sensible pace for the 10-horse field over fences at various heights arranged around the lawn, then peeled away before the home stretch to allow the contenders to battle it out on the flat.
There were similar races for juniors and ponies. Karen rode at the head of the pack for all of them, alternating among her three gray horses; George Clooney, Sean Connery (do you see a naming pattern here?) and Bentley.
Jackie Gattoni of Bedminster got popped off her horse, Levi, over a fence in the Senior Fieldmaster race, but true to the sporting spirit, came back with him to win one section of the Senior Foxhunter Flat Race in a close call over Nancy and Simon.
While Simon has quite a background and lineage, the day drew all kinds of horses and ponies, like the black-and-white pony aptly named Oreo, ridden by Ian Ucko. The little paint ran gallantly in several races, before taking a break to nibble grass and get some love.
The smaller children were involved in stick pony races for three age groups, making early converts to the equestrian scene. The winners got three-streamer blue ribbons; all the other participants got rosettes with checked streamers on either side of the main ribbon.
The next age group up had the option of a lead-line race, in which the leaders walked, or a match in which the folks holding the line could run.
Take a look at the video below to get the flavor of the Masters’ Chase, which started off with an appearance by Essex huntsman Bart Poole and the hounds, who made friends with the kids. In the stick pony race, watch for the little girl in pink boots who dropped behind the rest of the field but didn’t give up.
While racing was the afternoon’s focus, there were other things going on as well.
Prudence Theriault of Kinderhook Lake, N.Y., was recruited for the new vendor village by her friend Penelope Ayers, who organized the initiative in a tent on one side of the racecourse.
“I love the combination of the jewelry and the horses; I have fox earrings and pawprint jewelry for the dog lovers,” said Prudence, who designs the pieces she sells. Other vendors offered dog beds, paintings, honey and a variety of knick-knacks.
Tailgating was right next to the track, enabling mounted riders and their friends to mingle and grab a sandwich or a drink. Mary Lane sat comfortably on her horse, Denali, sipping champagne (what else?) from a plastic glass.
“That’s what makes it a race day,” she said cheerfully of the bubbly.
Wallis Weiner-Trapness was next to her, enjoying the ambience aboard her mare, Brons Flicka (a great-granddaughter of Bold Ruler).
“I’ve been involved in this event since it started (in 2013),” said Wallis.
“I love competing in it. It takes me three months to get the horse quieted back down. It’s a great day of friends competing against each other. It’s a great venue and it’s getting bigger and bigger every year.”
Wallis pointed out that Essex started the races that became the Moorland meeting. The steeplechase originally was done as a thank you to farmers and landowners over whose acreage Essex hunted. The fixture became known as “the hunt races,” and although the hunt is no longer involved, some people insist on referring to the Moorland races as “the hunt.” Anyone who calls it that obviously doesn’t know what they’re talking about…
Sally Ike, who missed much of the action because she was the “front gate host,” had a chance to see everyone at the end of the day for socializing and reminiscing.
“It reminds me of what steeplechasing was like in the old days. It’s a family outing and a community-based thing and it was a great deal of fun,” said Sally, who chairs the Essex hunt committee.
“It’s an opportunity for our neighbors to come together on a Saturday afternoon and just enjoy being out and watching the races. What struck me was the public coming in to watch. That’s the kind of atmosphere we want to have.” She would also like to see more riders participate.
This year, members of the Windy Hollow and Amwell Valley hunts took part.
“We had a great group of people,” said Karen Murphy, who thanked the park commission for its cooperation.
“I absolutely loved it. This is super fun. It was super inviting and nice,” said Gabrielle Sterling of Amwell.
Ed Wiley, joint master of Windy Hollow, noted, “I think the concept of getting the various equestrian organizations together to enjoy a day of good sport is fantastic, and I thank the Essex Foxhounds for accomplishing that task.”
Are you up to date on what’s happening in scientific research involving horses? Catch up at the Rutgers Equine Science Center’s Evening of Science and Celebration Nov. 8 at the Cook Student Center on the G.H. Cook Campus at 59 Biel Road in New Brunswick.
The keynote presentation by Dr. Burt Staniar of Penn State Univeristy involves a visual tour of how fiber affects the equine gut. His research focuses on equine nutrition, pasture and gastrointestinal health.
The evening begins with dinner at 6 p.m. and continues at 7 p.m .with the keynote presentation, an update on equine muscle physiology and awards. The Spirit of the Horse will go to Kennis “Buttons” Fairfax, while John Crater and Mortonhouse Farm in Long Valley has been designated the Gold Medal Horse Farm.alley, NJ
Admission is $15 for students, and $35 for adults, which includes dinner, other refreshments and dessert. To register, click on this link
The Essex Foxhounds will hold a mock hunt at 11 a.m. Oct. 21 at Cedar Lane Farm Road, 87 Homestead Road, in the Califon section of Tewksbury Township (just outside of Oldwick).
Riders, who should wear hunting clothes or ratcatcher, will have the option of trying one of three flights. The first group will jump everything and go at a forward pace, the second group has go-arounds and will proceed at a moderate pace. The third group stays on the flat, no jumps, and the pace will be gentle.
There always has been informal betting at the Far Hills Race Meeting, where groups of friends would organize their fun wagers. But on Oct. 20, it will be the real deal, as the 98-year-old fixture will offer pari-mutuel wagering for the first time.
With the introduction of wagering, the race meeting delivers on a long-held promise, pairing betting with its world-class steeplechase races, including the $450,000 Grand National (Grade 1). A National Steeplechase Association race meet record of $850,000 in purses will be presented.
“Far Hills is pleased to offer our loyal patrons this prized amenity: A chance to bet on our races,” said Far Hills Chairman Guy Torsilieri. “The wagering experience is yet another way for our fans to enjoy and be intimately involved in our races, which, every year, draw top horses from the United States and overseas.”
Under New Jersey law, Far Hills will conduct its one-day of wagering under Monmouth Park’s pari-mutuel license. All races will be under the supervision of the New Jersey Racing Commission.
“After years of working closely with the Far Hills Race Meeting team, we’re so pleased the partnership is finally official,” said Dennis Drazin, president and CEO of Darby Development LLC, which operates Monmouth Park.
“We are grateful to have an opportunity to support this beloved 98-year tradition while also raising greater awareness for steeplechase racing and all equine sports throughout the region and beyond.”
With strong support from Central New Jersey legislators and near-unanimous votes in the New Jersey Assembly and Senate, legislation authorizing pari-mutuel wagering at Far Hills passed in August 2016, with the law taking effect the following month. Far Hills officials had worked to prepare for pari-mutuel wagering last year, but logistical issues at its Moorland Farm race course delayed the launch until the 2018 meet.
“We have resolved the logistical issues, and we’re now ready to provide a top-quality wagering experience,” Torsilieri said.
In the Borough of Far Hills, local officials have embraced the partnership.
“As mayor, I and the borough council support the introduction of pari-mutuel wagering at the Far Hills Race Meeting, not only to enhance the event’s experience, but also to continue to provide funding for local charities, medical facilities and borough programs—both present and future— providing an important benefit to our residents,” said Borough of Far Hills Mayor Paul Vallone.
“Wagering will help to invigorate the equestrian tradition, which is part of the fabric of our region, and enhance growth within the Far Hills Race Meeting and throughout the entire borough as we both near our centennial anniversary.”
While pari-mutuel wagering will primarily serve Far Hills’ patrons, bettors around the world will also have an opportunity to wager on Far Hills’ races. Far Hills will continue to provide high-definition video streaming of its races, as it has done for the past two years.
“We feel that Far Hills offers a premier steeplechase experience, and we welcome the opportunity to share our races with all of America and jump-racing fans around the world,” said Torsilieri, who also is the National Steeplechase Association’s president. “We hope that this combination of top-level competition, a superior video experience, and a wagering opportunity will attract new fans to steeplechase racing.”
Over the years, the race meeting has provided more than $18 million to fund local health-care initiatives, including the Steeplechase Cancer Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset (named in honor of the Far Hills Race Meeting), Cancer Support Community of Central New Jersey, Bonnie Brae, the ARC of Somerset County, LifeCamp and Community in Crisis. For tickets and more information, visit www.farhillsrace.org.
The U.S. Equestrian Federation just awarded a slew of championships for the Garden State Combined Driving Event’s Oct. 11-13 2019 edition. The divisions will include all Intermediate Classes: Single pony, Pair pony, Pony Fours, Single Horse, Pair Horse, Horse Fours, and all preliminary classes:VSE (if offered), Single pony, Pair pony, Pony Fours, Single Horse, Pair Horse and Horse Fours.
If you haven’t ever attended a driving event, Garden State will offer an opportunity to learn about an exciting sport. Seeing the horses compete cross-country in the marathon, as they have to work their way through complicated obstacles, is really fascinating. The elegance of the dressage and cones phases also is worth watching.
