CJ Thoroughbreds

Mike Renfro caught 28 touchdowns during his eleven seasons in the NFL playing for the Houston Oilers and the Dallas Cowboys. Like most athletes, even after all these years, he misses those Sunday afternoons, the camaraderie with his teammates and the thrill of competition. But what would fill the void when he walked off the field for the last time in 1988? To Renfro, that's a very easy question to answer. He discovered horse racing. Thirty-seven years later, Renfro is part of the CJ Thoroughbreds ownership group, which has its...

Mike Renfro, who played wide receiver in the NFL for 11 years, is now part of the team at CJ Thoroughbreds and is looking forward to this Saturday, when the partnership will send out Tom's Magic in the King's Plate at Woodbine. He joined us on this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss the promising colt and his history in the sport.

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....

With a strong kick down the lane in the Tale of the Cat Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday, Tom's Magic (Justify) netted the second black-type win of his career and the Ontario-bred is intended for the August running of the King's Plate at Woodbine, according to his trainer. The chestnut came on the scene last fall and at second asking graduated by 1 3/4 lengths over the grass at Fair Grounds Dec. 22. The son of Justify then won the Black Gold Stakes at course and distance in what...

The first foal by graded stakes winner Dennis' Moment (Tiznow--Transplendid, by Elusive Quality) arrived at the Jack Sims' Ranch near Evanston, Wyoming Tuesday. The Wyoming accredited colt is out of Half a Chance, a 2-year-old maiden special weight winner at Saratoga during her racing career. Dennis' Moment, winner of Churchill's GIII Iroquois Stakes at two, stands for $1,500, live foal, stands and nurses, or $3,000 for lifetime breeding rights. Dennis' Moment, who stands at the DeLancey's Rodeo Ranch in Cheyenne, was brought to Wyoming in 2024 to become an accredited...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Gearing up for a potential debut run at Saratoga last summer, She's a Gemma (f, 3, Nyquist--Florida Fabulous, by High Cotton) posted seven workouts for Hall of Famer Bill Mott at Belmont Park in the spring. "When she got to Belmont, (Mott) told us--and you don't get a whole lot out of him--that she was one of the nicest 2-year-olds in his barn there," said CJ Johnsen,...

DEL MAR, California--In Saturday's GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar, the Europeans come to town riding a five-year win streak having taken the hardware and the bragging rights with thanks. Yet, lest we forget that this is horse racing on the turf and that means even the most deserving favorites can be vulnerable. To put it in sports betting terms, the Filly & Mare Turf could be deemed what we call a 'trap game' in the business. That means a seemingly stronger opponent underestimates...

7th-Ellis, $70,251, Msw, 7-29, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.97, my, 1 3/4 lengths. MESERO (c, 2, Not This Time--Lemon Liqueur {SP}, by Exchange Rate), a 5-1 shot, was away half a step slowly and raced near the back of the field as favored Snap Call (Volatile) pressed the pace three wide down the backstretch before settling just off the pace on the bend. Mesero began improving his position along the rail as the favorite settled just off the pace in third, but he was still some eight lengths back as the leaders...

A colt by Practical Joke led the way Wednesday, kicking off Book 5 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington. Consigned by Bluewater Sales, Hip 2980 is out of Jetbird (Wildcat Heir), a half-sister to Group 1 winner X Y Jet (Kantharos). "We were prepared [for the $250,000 price] because of the entire package," said CJ Thoroughbred's Corey Johnson. "We felt between $200,000-$250,000 was what it was going to take to purchase him. We were expecting somewhere around that number." On Day 9, Ashford's Practical Joke was the second...

GSW Dennis' Moment (Tiznow) will stand the 2024 breeding season at Golden Creek Equine in Cheyenne, Wyoming, part-owner CJ Thoroughbreds said in a release Wednesday. The 6-year-old is co-owned by Eugene Joyce and will stand for a fee of $1,500. A limited number of lifetime breeding rights are also available. Although Wyoming has a long history of horse racing and is the final resting place of the sport's first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton, the state's live racing scene nearly disappeared until HHR was legalized a decade ago. Since then,...

5th-Ellis, $67,900, Msw, 8-1, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.77, fm, 4 1/4 lengths. SONG OF NORWAY (f, 2, Flatter--Cougarstown {SW, $101,723}, by Speightstown) was installed the 2-1 favorite, her position only strengthened by the late scratch of the well-meant Pinotslilgirl (Jimmy Creed). Jumping to the front in a blink of an eye from her high draw, the Wesley Ward trainee led 3-1 chance Saltwater Taffy (Twirling Candy) and Midnight Angel (West Coast) through an initial quarter in :22.12. Rolling through the a half in :45.79, the blinkered filly opened up...

On this week's episode of Bettor Things with Joe Bianca, the host talks to handicapper, owner/breeder and former racetrack executive CJ Johnsen about betting, sports, music and more. Johnsen, who is currently the vice president at CJ Thoroughbreds, is best known for guiding the remarkable transformation of Kentucky Downs from an afterthought on the racing calendar to a marquee stand with what equates to paradise for horseplayers: big fields and low takeout. Then, in the latest installment of his Breeders' Cup handicapping series, Bianca lays out plays for Saratoga's GI...