Jack Van Berg
Officially born into horse racing as a 5-year-old match race jockey in Louisiana with feet tethered to the stirrups, Glynn "Tee Red" Bernis passed away Nov. 8 at the age of 75 having led the picaresque life once free of the stirrup ties of a leading apprentice jockey, Kentucky Derby competing trainer, jock's agent, raconteur and bon vivant. "He was every Cajun stereotype you had. He was hot-tempered. He was passionate. He was hard working. He was loyal to the end of the earth and to a fault, and would...
The R.A.C.E. Fund, a 501 C 3 non-profit organization established in 2004 and TAA accredited, will begin auctioning the private racing memorabilia of Christopher Hoff on eBay beginning Oct. 25. "As a Thoroughbred racing photographer, I had the opportunity to witness the performance of such equine athletes as Alysheba, Sunday Silence, Personal Ensign, Private Terms and many others," Hoff said. "However, I also saw the fate of the 'discarded' horses who were deemed unprofitable for their owners. These beautiful horses are too often forgotten and I am thrilled that my...
When trainer Tom Van Berg won two Claiming Crown races Saturday with his first horses in that series, most racing regulars made the connection to his father, the late Hall-of-Fame conditioner Jack Van Berg. But a link to another family legacy in that series might not have been as apparent: John Timothy Kirby, 25, who also saddled his first Claiming Crown starter to a victory in his first-ever race at Churchill Downs, is a third-generation horseman with strong roots that run deep in New England. In fact, after more than...
Throughout your life, there are people who make it better. In 1964, when I moved to New Orleans to live with my soon-to-be adoptive mother, Marie Krantz, the caretakers of the Old Jefferson Downs were Jimmy and JoAn Stewart. The old Jefferson Downs was the converted Magnolia Park Harness track in Metairie (now Lafreniere Park). Jimmy had retired from race-riding and had a trainer's license with some good clients. It was summer and the camp bus would drop me off at the Caretakers Cottage on the grounds. JoAn would babysit...
The relationship between trainer and assistant can often be tumultuous and fleeting, while in other instances, it can prove life-altering and enduring. And every once in a while, the spark ignites, paving the road to great glory and even the Hall of Fame. When it was announced that trainer Todd Pletcher would be inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame this summer, most could not have been surprised that the 53-year-old would have been granted the honor in his very first year of eligibility. In truth, there...