OCALA, FL (352today.com) – It’s the horse race everyone wants to win – The Kentucky Derby.
The First Saturday in May, means the annual Run for the Roses, and May 4, 2024, will be the 150th running at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
Marion and Levy Counties have cemented their legacies with the athletes that have been produced at various training facilities that make their home in North Central Florida.
The connections run deep. Dating back to 1956 with the success of D&H Stable’s Needles, the first Florida-bred to win the Kentucky Derby. Needles also captured the third leg of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, demonstrating the talent that’s possessed by 3-year-olds that compete for racing immortality.
Over the past several decades many Derby contenders have had connections to the Ocala area. This year is no exception.
Here’s a look at just a few of the contenders with ties to the Horse Capital of the World®.
Performing Magic
Barry Berkelhammer’s AbraCadabra Farms in Ocala is no stranger to having his horses qualify for the Derby. This year, two of the horses he helped develop will be competing Saturday, Catching Freedom and Endlessly.
“Catching Freedom is a beautiful horse, that’s by a stallion (Constitution) that’s very sought after,” said Berkelhammer. “He trained very well. You never know which ones are going to excel through and end up in the Derby, but it was no surprise that he was dancing in Saturday afternoon dances.”
Derby Debut
Endlessly is owned by John and Jerry Amerman who have been involved with thoroughbred racing for decades. But, Endlessly will be their first Kentucky Derby starter.
“The Amermans have been at this a long time, they’re in their nineties. They’ve done it the hard way, breeding most of their horses,” said Berkelhammer.
To date, all of Endlessly’s wins have come on the turf or over synthetic surfaces. He will try to add winning over a dirt surface on Saturday.
“To get a chance to run in a race like that, it’s a thrill,” said Berkelhammer. “I’m very excited to see them get their day. It wouldn’t surprise me if he jumped up and surprised everybody.”
Successful Sibling
Dornoch is a full brother to the 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, and he received his early education at Raul Reyes’s King’s Equine in Ocala. Full brothers have never won the Kentucky Derby, so if Dornoch follows in Mage’s hoofsteps, it would be a first.
“He had a nice gallop, a big, long stride, what you want to see in some horses,” said Reyes.
However, training an elite athlete comes with its challenges.
“He did train well, from the beginning when we started galloping, he came up with a little problem, he was real funny behind,” said Reyes. “We found out that one of his testicles was bothering him. When we took the testicle out, he made a 360-degree change as far as his personality.”
Taking a Chance
Catalytic is making his Derby appearance thanks to a partnership of three Ocala residents, Tami Bobo, George Isaacs, and Julie Davies.
Catalytic was purchased at a 2022 sale in Saratoga, NY, for $125,000. Imperfect-looking tendons made the horse available for a significant discount. The owners had an ultrasound done to check for tears and lesions and confirmed there was no injury nor trauma.
“For me, I felt the horse was a standout at the sale physically,” said Bobo. “In my opinion, this is the way that God made this horse.”
Catalytic won in his racing debut this past fall at Gulfstream Park, but it would be five months before he would make his next start, in part because of a virus that went through the barn at the Hallandale Beach-based racetrack.
He was a bit unruly prior to the start of his next race where he finished second.
“I had a lot of faith in this horse going into the race,” said Bobo. “So, with him getting upset as he did in the saddling paddock, hitting his head in the gate and kind of completely being all over the place, for him to overcome and do what he did in that race, was the absolute sign of a champion.”
Where Champions are Raised
Ocala possesses the right environment for horses to train, develop and become future racehorses, with many excelling at the highest level.
”I’m very blessed to be able to live here in Ocala, and to have what we have here, the soil, the ground, and the aquifers that run under Marion County, which in my opinion is what builds strong bone in these horses,” said Bobo. “It’s not just about buying a nice horse or finding a nice horse, it’s also about raising nice horses that can go on and have the foundation to be successful.”
