assistant trainer

At the Breeders' Cup World Championship, fractions of a second and tiny strokes of luck define legacies. Flipping through the past performances, it's easy to see only the numbers: the morning-line odds, post positions and speed figures that quantify each race. But for the people who know these athletes best—the grooms who understand their quirks and habits, the riders who have their stride memorized, the assistants who have thought through every nuance of their daily routine--these horses represent something else entirely. "Horses are like your family," said Tony Gutierrez, who...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In his opening remarks during this year's Kentucky Derby post-race news conference, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott paid tribute to the entire team behind the brilliant Sovereignty (Into Mischief). "I'm so proud of everybody that had anything to do with getting this horse to this point and it takes a lot of people," Mott said. "It takes a family, and it takes a community to get him ready, really." Neil Poznansky, the regular morning work partner for the nation's top 3-year-old, has been with Mott...

Katey Caddel always knew she'd build a life around horses, but it was the sense of community within the Thoroughbred industry that made her fall in love with racing. The camaraderie, early mornings and shared passion for the sport drew her to the racetrack and kept her there for good. When trainer Robbie Medina opened his public stable in 2023, Caddel came on board as his assistant trainer and helped build the operation from the ground up. Three years later, the barn is making headlines with Praying (Vekoma), who handed...

It's easy to see why She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}) has become a fan favorite. She's remarkably consistent, never out of the money in 12 career starts. She's gutsy, having fought to claim her latest of five Grade I wins by a narrow head. And she's got personality. Her friendship with an ornery goat named Mickey has a growing following on social media. Enrique Miranda, an assistant trainer for Cherie DeVaux, is the star filly's main exercise rider and can attest: to know She Feels Pretty is to love her....

Neil Pessin, who abruptly left the training business in mid-May, has landed a new position as an assistant to trainer Michelle Nihei on the Kentucky circuit, the conditioner confirmed Thursday. The conditioner of Grade I winner Bell's the One (Majesticperfection), Pessin saddled his final runner at Keeneland at the end of April and took some time to sell off some of his tack and other gear. But Pessin admits that sitting idly by isn't something he does especially well, and he ultimately accepted an offer from Nihei to oversee a...

Former D. Wayne Lukas assistant Sebastian 'Bas' Nicholl, who assumed care of the late trainer's stable in late June in a succession plan put in place by Lukas Enterprises, Inc., will no longer serve as a head trainer. The story was first reported by Daily Racing Form. Nicholl told DRF the last horses formerly trained by Lukas left the barn Tuesday and are being sent to other trainers. Nicholl, a former captain in the British Army and Lukas's assistant for more than 20 years, is in the midst of helping...

Greg Geier doesn't remember a time when horses weren't a part of his life. He and his brother Dennis were practically raised on the track. They tagged along with their father, Louisiana-based George Geier, to the barn early each morning on the weekends and traveled north every summer for race meets in Detroit. "We started walking horses when we were eight years old," Geier recalled. "Then we went to grooming and then we went to helping our dad do everything. I never did ride, though. I always thought it was...

I had the profound privilege of serving as an assistant trainer at a barn that holds immense historical significance in horse racing. Every day, I was honored to work alongside a legend, D. Wayne Lukas, whose accomplishments are forever etched in the record books of the sport. As time moved on, even for a tremendous man like D. Wayne, who had reached his eighties, the graded stakes winners didn't come as easily as they did in his most celebrated days. Yet, his confidence remained as unwavering as ever. My journey...

For all the incredible experiences Blane Servis remembers from when his father John campaigned champion Smarty Jones, there were a few less-than-comfortable memories too. Take, for instance, the time during Smarty Jones's run for the Triple Crown when Servis's school hosted a pep rally and made a teenaged Servis the guest of honor. As a self-described socially awkward kid, stepping into the spotlight felt a bit more like a nightmare than a celebration. In high school, Servis discovered that drinking was the easiest solution to overcoming his social anxiety. Later,...

There are people that work with horses and there are people that love horses. In the case of Katie Tolbert, there is no better example of a person that works with horses because of how much she loves them. You see the devotion on a quiet morning on the backside of Churchill Downs as she sits in the saddle, stroking the neck of the horse she is astride or is ponying alongside her. You hear it in the echo of a nicker from an excited trainee, eager for her company,...

His voice was hoarse from yelling and his hand was a little sore after an overly exuberant high five, but Taylor Cambra was grinning from ear to ear as he weaved through the crowd at Santa Anita and made his way down to the winner's circle. The assistant trainer to Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella was one of the first out on the track to greet Mike Smith and Subsanador (Arg) (Fortify) after their hair-raising victory in the GI California Crown Stakes. It was the inaugural running of the...

Toby Sheets, a longtime assistant trainer to Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, was found dead Sunday on a beach on the Greek Island of Mathraki, Sheets's family has confirmed to the TDN. Sheets's death is the most recent in a series of foreign tourists to disappear or be found dead on the Greek islands in the past week, according to the Associated Press. According to Reuters, Sheets was 55 years old. The confirmation was provided by Greg Sheets, who said he was Sheets's cousin. "He did pass away in...