Tom Pedulla is interviewing outstanding house owners, trainers, and jockeys as they journey the Street to the 151st Kentucky Derby offered by Woodford Reserve on Might 3 at Churchill Downs.
This first installment this 12 months options Richard Rigney, whose Rigney Racing owns promising Jonathan’s Manner, a son of Vekoma who’s getting ready to make his 3-year-old debut Saturday within the 1 1/8-mile Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Honest Grounds in New Orleans. The Risen Star launches the Championship Collection on the Street to the Derby and can award qualifying factors to the highest 5 finishers in line with a 50-25-15-10-5 scale.
Jonathan’s Manner, who already has 15 qualifying factors, received half of his 4 begins at 2. His solely poor outcome got here within the Nov. 1 FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile offered by TAA at Del Mar, the place he wound up seventh. He has proven an affinity for Churchill Downs, taking the Sept. 14 Iroquois Stakes there and later rebounding from the Juvenile to complete second within the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Membership Stakes on Nov. 30.
Rigney discusses why he struck out on his personal with Rigney Racing, his sturdy working relationship with personal coach Phil Bauer, and surviving a aircraft crash early final 12 months in addition to his Derby prospects with Jonathan’s Manner throughout a question-and-answer session performed on behalf of America’s Finest Racing.
PEDULLA: What led you to come back into racing?
RIGNEY: I’m from California initially. Once I was in my early 20s, I went to the racetrack for the primary time. It was harness racing. I had a lot enjoyable I went to Santa Anita the following day to see the Thoroughbreds. I had a good time. I began to go to Santa Anita, and I used to be hooked.
PEDULLA: How did you get began proudly owning horses?
RIGNEY: I ended up shifting in 1987 to Kentucky to begin my enterprise, which is Clarendon Flavors [manufacturing flavors for the distilled spirits and beverage industry]. It was most likely 2008, someplace round there, that my spouse [Tammy] determined she was going to enter a partnership with [trainer] Kenny McPeek. She had 5 shares in Dream Empress, who received the Alcibiades [at Keeneland]. It was simply a lot enjoyable. Then she took a smaller share in a horse named Noble’s Promise [fifth, 2010 Kentucky Derby]. Kenny was our coach, and Phil Bauer was his assistant. I’d all the time go to the barn and Phil can be the man I used to be in touch with more often than not. I stated, ‘Phil, I feel I need to do that in an even bigger approach. What do you consider you and I doing this collectively?’
PEDULLA: When was this?
RIGNEY: It was 2013.
PEDULLA: With nearly all of house owners searching for companions to assist handle prices, why do you go it alone?
RIGNEY: I get to be a part of the administration crew right here, the place most house owners don’t have that chance. I’m concerned in quite a lot of the selections with Phil. We do it collectively. At first, Phil and I have been horrible at this. The horses we picked have been dangerous. Every thing circled when John Moynihan began shopping for horses for us.
PEDULLA: What number of horses do you’ve, whether or not in your racing or breeding operation?
RIGNEY: We’ve greater than 100 horses [20 are broodmares].
PEDULLA: You actually took the plunge.
RIGNEY: Sure, I’m in deep.
PEDULLA: How has Jonathan’s Manner transitioned from 2 to three?
RIGNEY: From all indicators, he’s transitioned nicely. We’ve had 2-year-old runners that didn’t transition to 3-year-olds. Plenty of instances they’ve had their day as 2-year-olds. We don’t see any indicators of that, however it’s a must to perceive we haven’t even raced this 12 months. The Risen Star goes to play an enormous half wherein path we might be going.
PEDULLA: He’s solely run one poor race, nevertheless it was within the Juvenile. What do you suppose went improper that day?
RIGNEY: I felt that race was an excellent studying expertise for him. Should you watch the race, he was put in a state of affairs the place, for the primary time, he was getting kickback. He didn’t like several a part of it. The subsequent time we raced him he was sitting mid-pack. He was getting kickback, and he dealt with it significantly better.
PEDULLA: If all goes nicely within the Risen Star, have you learnt what would possibly come subsequent?
RIGNEY: If he runs nicely, he’ll carry on the Derby path. Nothing is ready in stone. We’d keep at Honest Grounds or we’d attempt to do the Blue Grass [Stakes April 5 at Keeneland]. We’re not in it to be 100-1 within the Derby. We need to be a contender. We need to look out for our horse’s finest pursuits.
PEDULLA: What’s your technique while you purchase horses?
RIGNEY: With John Moynihan, we purchase two various kinds of horses, yearlings that we all know are going to be for Rigney Racing and we pinhook horses, too. It’s sort of enjoyable for us. We like being in each side of the sport. The final couple of years John has began shopping for some weanlings for us. Jonathan’s Manner was bought as a weanling [for $290,000 at the 2022 Keeneland November breeding stock sale].
PEDULLA: We don’t see many Ohio-breds as Kentucky Derby prospects. Did that side trouble you?
RIGNEY: That’s the factor that I’ve sort of realized with John Moynihan. He’s trying on the bodily and he’s placing athletes in entrance of you.
PEDULLA: You probably have Derby fever, when did you get it?
RIGNEY: Once I was with Phil, from the very starting I had Derby fever.
PEDULLA: How a lot does Phil imply to success?
RIGNEY: He means every part to success for us. Once you meet him, it’s straightforward to see that he’s a super-nice man. It’s not solely him being a prime coach. This can be a partnership between us. I do know his youngsters. He is aware of my youngsters. He goes on trip with us. I obtained him to begin scuba diving with us. He’s certainly one of my finest associates.
PEDULLA: In assembly him at Saratoga final summer season, I can see him being very easy to get together with.
RIGNEY: It’s a must to have the proper partnership within the state of affairs we’re in with Rigney Racing. The one factor about Phil that actually shocked me, and I by no means anticipated to have to do that, was once we began dropping races, he was so upset. I’m the proprietor. I’m making an attempt to calm him down. It’s extra private to him about dropping than it’s to me. I’m the man who’s all the time saying, ‘Let’s look long-term.’
PEDULLA: What’s it about Phil as a coach that’s interesting?
RIGNEY: Phil goes to have a look at every particular person horse day-after-day. It’s not going to be the identical approach in coaching each horse within the Rigney Steady. It’s going to be primarily based on the person horse. I feel that’s large for us.
PEDULLA: It sounds as if he places the horse first.
RIGNEY: We’re looking for the most effective pursuits of our horse. We’re trying long-term. We’ve no drawback giving a horse day without work and re-starting.
PEDULLA: Did the aircraft crash change your perspective on life?
RIGNEY: My spouse sweats every part. I’m like, ‘Honey, we’re fortunate to be alive. We’re fortunate to have this stuff.’
PEDULLA: What do you see as the longer term for Rigney Racing?
RIGNEY: I’m planning on plugging away and doing precisely what we’re doing. I can see it now, making an enormous splash promoting yearlings. I see that. It’s taken us a very long time. Phil’s made the web page for all these broodmares, graded stakes winners and a number of stakes winners. I see that we’re going to do nicely in that a part of the enterprise. The racing half is a very powerful to me, and I’m going to only maintain making an attempt.
