The “State of the Stable” - Dogwood Stable

D O G W O O D S T A B L E N E W S L E T T E R
VOL. XXIX No. 2 MAY 2005
ANEW
Winner
(c. 4 Awesome Again–Lucinda)
COLONIAL BAY
Winner
(h. 6 Pleasant Colony–Pelican Bay)
DESERT DEED
Winner
(f. 4 Exploit–Desert Run)
ARCHIE MANNING
(c. Sweetsouthernsaint–Queen’s Ransom)
BELLA BALLADO
(f. Saint Ballado–Thega)
BIG BAMBOOZLE
(c. Mazel Trick–She’s a Little Shy)
CANDY STRIPER
Winner
(f. Fusaichi Pegasus–Nurse Goodbody)
CAPTAIN SLEW
(c. Seattle Slew–Mama Dean)
CARNIVAL SHOW
Stakes-Placed Winner
(c. Mazel Trick–Final Vows)
CATERED
(f. Lil’s Lad–Affirmed Affair)
CIRCUIT RIDER
Winner
(c. Deputy Minister–Western Bowl)
DEPARTING NOW
Stakes Winner
(g. Wheaton–Parting Bid)
DRIZZLY
(c. Summer Squall–Cherokee Chill)
BLISSFUL TRIP
(f. Trippi–Bright Bliss)
BLOTTO
Winner
(c. Hennessy–Gleeful)
BOOTSEY
(f. Cat Thief–Dancing Devlette)
CRADLE ROBBER
(c. Brahms–Copo)
EYE FOR STYLE
(c. Carson City–Donna Karan)
GREAT ALBERT
(c. Albert the Great–Fat City)
GREAT GUSTO
(c. Gulch–Kris It Is)
HARRIGAN
(c. Giant’s Causeway–Golden Aster)
The “State of the Stable”
ROSTER OF HORSES
OLDER HORSES
FORTY FIVE
Winner
(c. 4 Gone West–Spray)
HECKLE
G3 Stakes Winner
(c. 4 Hennessy–Bid Me Adieu)
LIMEHOUSE
G2 Stakes Winner
(c. 4 Grand Slam–Dixieland Blues)
3-YEAR-OLDS
DRUM MAJOR
Stakes-Placed Winner
(c. Dynaformer–Endless Parade)
ED BOWEN
(c. Artax–Godmother)
ELECTRIFIED
(f. Charismatic–Whitesburg Express)
FONDA RONDA
(f. Mr. Greeley–Little Ronda)
FRANKINCENSE
(c. Seeking the Gold–Larida)
GOLD BRICK
Winner
(c. Forty Niner–Super Dress)
KIM BAKER
Winner
(f. Vicar–Pennbrook’s Lady)
MADE MAN
(g. Anees–Tavos Connection)
PRINCE RAHY
Stakes-Placed Winner
(c. Rahy–Hishi Lover)
REMUNERATION
Winner
(c. High Yield–Afare)
2-YEAR-OLDS
LORD LOVAT
(c. Black Minnaloushe–Haleyclaire)
MORE THAN MOST
(c. More Than Ready–Phari)
NEW ROCHELLE
(f. Old Trieste–Rochelle’s Terms)
RACEHORSE DAVIS
(c. Trippi–Rhodesian Romance)
READY AGAIN
Winner
(f. More Than Ready–ANorthern Angel)
RIPROARIOUS
(c. High Yield–Hushed Goodbye)
SAINT AUGUSTUS
(c. Saint Ballado–Lorie Darlin)
SINKWICH
(c. Trippi–Genuine Goer)
SKINAMARINK
(c. Behrens–Palana)
SKIPEROO
Winner
(g. 5 Skip Away–Exactly Like You)
SUMMER RAINBOW
Stakes-Placed Winner
(f. 4 Summer Squall–Plucky Maid)
THERMOSTAT*
Stakes-Placed Winner
(g. 4 Summer Squall–Comfort Zone)
SAINT THADDEUS
Winner
(c. Saint Ballado–Super Sheila)
SLAMMIN’ SAM
Winner
(g. Grand Slam–Topsa)
SLAMMO
(c. Grand Slam–Tipsy Girl)
SO SWANKY
Winner
(c. Fly So Free–So Ritzy)
SPEEDY DEEDY
Stakes Winner
(f. Victory Gallop–Delicate Deed)
TIFFANY TOUCH
Winner
(f. Deputy Minister–Careless Heiress)
UNITED
Stakes Winner
(c. Dixie Union–Robyns Tune)
VICARAGE
Stakes-Placed Winner
(c. Vicar–For Dixie)
VOTE OF CONFIDENCE
(c. Impeachment–Diff E Q)
SONGANDAFLASH
(f. Songandaprayer–Ersatz)
THUNDER PASS
(c. Thunder Gulch–Lakabi)
TIPPERARY
(c. Tiznow–Parsec)
UNDER THUNDER
(c. Thunder Gulch–Silent Cat)
WEDDING SINGER
(c. Songandaprayer–Diamond of Forever)
WEST COAST
(c. Gone West–Starlet Game)
WRIGLEY
(c. Grand Slam–Retiro)
YABBO
(c. Trippi–Expect Becky)
* denotes steeplechaser
Limehouse and a jubilant John Velazquez after
the Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Dogwood Stable is currently ranked
10th among all North American
racing stables.
We’ve won $1,026,610 through May.
Seven different horses have won or placed
in stakes. And we have some heavy hitters
developing.
In the racing world, after the running of
the Kentucky Derby, one tends to take a deep
breath and address and assess one’s own outlook
for the rest of the year. Our view at the
moment is lovely! (See the adjacent roster.)
• • •
After running second, third and fourth in
six Kentucky Derbies, we naturally yearned
for a 2005 berth. But the closest we came to
the Kentucky Derby was for our splendid
Limehouse to win his fifth stakes (the
Alysheba) at Churchill Downs, on Oaks Day.
We opted for discretion over valor this
year, and decided that we would not try to
force a square peg into a round hole. So,
we bypassed the Derby with Vicarage,
even though he is stakes-placed in three
significant Derby prep races.
In the absence of a Derby runner, we
contented ourselves appreciatively when
wonderful Summer Squall’s daughter,
Summerly, romped home in the
Kentucky Oaks. (continued on page 3)
PHOTO © ANNE EBERHARDT

Limehouse Wins Alysheba Stakes on Oaks Day Undercard
Before a record-shattering crowd of
111,243 at Churchill Downs on Kentucky
Oaks day, Limehouse won the $122,900
Alysheba Stakes and came one step closer to
becoming Dogwood Stable’s sixth millionaire
– with $912,433 in career earnings by his
name. His final time of 1:42.32 over a fast
track was three-fifths off the track record for
the mile and a sixteenth distance.
Limehouse has been a Dogwood favorite
(and a fan favorite as well) since his two-yearold
year. He’s competed in 15 stakes, nine of
them graded, and runs his guts out every time.
Proving that there are “horses for courses,”
Limehouse has run in stakes at
Churchill Downs for three consecutive
years on Derby weekend: he won the
Three Chimneys Juvenile in 2003; finished
fourth in the Kentucky Derby in
2004; and we’ve already mentioned this
year’s Alysheba Stakes.
Limehouse has collected some frequent
flyer miles as well! Born in
Florida, he was sold as a yearling at the
prestigious Saratoga sale for $140,000,
then came to Aiken for his early training.
We’ve never won the Kentucky Derby
(or you’d know about it!)… but we’ve run
seven horses in six of them, with a second,
third and fourth to show for it.
I have seen many – my first
one in 1942!
This past one seemed
rich in talent… and then
rich in shock!
This has provoked
some random, whimsical
and insignificant “musings:”
Musing Number One:
On the renovation of Churchill
Downs. It is better on the inside, but
on the outside, aesthetically, it is not pleasing
to traditionalists. The fabulous twin spires –
one of the greatest architectural symbols in
all of sport – are dwarfed by clearly indicated
future casinos. But… we’ll get used to it.
Musing Number Two: The Race. It
always suffers from over-analysis.
Various geniuses tell us why some horses
will win, why others are simply littering
up the field. This year, one that fell into
the latter category “got the money!”
This is good for racing, if not for the
egos of the press.
It was refreshing to see an old boy from
California come quietly into Churchill
Downs a few days before the Derby, and use
a rider that some consider slightly over the
top. Mike Smith rode that Giacomo like a
2
Limehouse made his first start at Keeneland
(April 16, 2003) a winning one for trainer
Todd Pletcher, won two juvenile stakes at
Churchill, and shipped to Saratoga to take on
the best two-year-olds in the country (Cuvee
and Silver Wagon). He capped off the year
with a third-place finish in the Lane’s End
Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland.
Our colt had momentum going into last
year’s Derby, with two graded stakes wins in
Florida and a third in the Blue Grass to The
Cliff’s Edge and Lion Heart. Dismissed at
odds of 41-1, Limehouse proved his detrac-
Dogwood
Stable
Honored with
this Year’s
Reading
Rooms
Tie
Each year the Saratoga
Reading Rooms in Saratoga
Springs, NY, has honored one
of its members by choosing
that person’s racing colors as
its “club tie.” This year the
Reading Rooms tie will be in
the green and yellow colors
of Dogwood Stable!
Designed by Anthony
Corey of Boston, our tie will
make its debut at Saratoga.
man with his pants on fire!
The race proved that the ability to win the
Derby is not confined to several high profile
trainers. A healthy blow to strike. And
the outcome was a boon to racing.
The turfwriters who ended
with egg of their faces are
now telling us that it was a
wretched field of sorry
horses, most of which had
won slow prep races.
Before the race, it was one
of the most glittering fields
ever assembled. Nuts!
Musing Number Three:
Thoroughbred racing is a fad-infested activity.
There is no doubt that the modern day race
horse is less durable than his not-too-distant
ancestors, but there is a certain amount of training
faddishness involved when horses must
have five or six weeks between races. Some
– with ailments – need five or six months.
But an able-bodied horse can race more
often, and could benefit in fitness (and less
repetitive training) by so doing. The colt,
Don’t Get Mad, became a poster boy for that
when he won the Derby Trial on April 30,
then came back and ran a corking good fourth
seven days later. His trainer, Ron Ellis, followed
the pattern of Calumet’s Ben Jones –
a man who truly did have the key to the
Derby: Run in the Derby Trial on Tuesday (in
those days), then come back in the big race
tors wrong – digging down deep through the
Churchill Downs stretch to finish fourth
behind Smarty Jones, Lion Heart and
Imperialism. After his off-the-board finish in
his next race, the Ohio Derby, chips were discovered
in an ankle. At the end of the year he
was named the Florida-bred Champion
Three-Year-Old Colt.
After a two-month freshening in Aiken,
Limehouse returned to the races in January –
finishing second in the Mr. Prospector
Handicap and then came back three weeks later
to finish a solid fourth in the $1 million
Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream.
Next stop was Louisiana, and Limehouse
faced a host of talented older runners in
the $500,000 New Orleans Handicap on
March 12. He was beaten only one length
for it all by Badge of Silver. Limehouse
ran off the board in the $500,000 Oaklawn
Handicap on April 9 – an uncharacteristic
showing for our colt.
Through the first five months of
this year he’s run in Florida,
Louisiana, Arkansas, and Kentucky.
He’s a traveling man!
You’d Better Be Lucky… If You’re Going to Kentucky!
five days later. He won six of them doing
that… in a bygone era, admittedly.
No less an authority on training than the
great Allen Jerkens said of one of his horses
recently, “I’ll run him back on three days rest
if I have to. It used to be horses would run a
lot more. Seabiscuit ran 35 times as a twoyear-old
and won the Big ’Cap when he was
seven. I’m not going to worry about running
a horse twice in a week.”
Another faddish Derby practice
nowadays is to prefer post positions from
the 10 hole out. Logic used to dictate
inside post positions. Go figure!
The truth is the Derby generates too
much analysis and counterproductive
brainwork and strategy. A good horse,
campaign-tough, and blessed with luck on
the day, can win the Kentucky Derby.
Musing Number Four: Churchill
Downs did a good job on a complicated
production, but they botched the one most
important ingredients of the Kentucky
Derby. Because of a technical audio snafu,
the singing of “My Old Kentucky Home”
sounded like an unenthusiastic Gregorian
chant. The upshot was that television viewers
were treated to a faint, weird melodic
murmuring, while those on hand were frustrated
and bewildered as they awaited the
magical moment to belt out, “…WEEP NO
MORE MY LAAADY!!!”
– WCC

It’s Time Again for the Dogwood Dominion Award
The Dogwood Dominion Award is now a
“teenager” – 2005 marks the 13th year for the
award that honors a man or woman who is
truly an unsung hero of the Thoroughbred racing
industry. Nominations for this award are
now being accepted.
This year’s winner will be honored at a
luncheon on August 3 at the Saratoga
Reading Rooms, and presented with a $5,000
check and a bronze statue of Dominion.
Judges for this award are Anne Campbell,
Penny Chenery and Jerry Bailey.
The award was inspired by the multiple
stakes winner Dominion, who was campaigned
by Dogwood Stable in the 1970s and
then went on to become five-time Champion
Sire in England. Upon Dominion’s death in
1993, Dogwood President Cot Campbell created
the award to recognize the industry’s
unsung heroes – the behind-the-scenes men
Cot and Anne Campbell flank last year’s
Dogwood Dominion Award winner Pam Berg.
and women who work to create a positive
influence in their work environment.
Nominees should be individuals who have
had a positive effect on the racing/breeding
environment in which they are involved.
Sales Integrity Task Force Update
Although Dogwood President Cot
Campbell turned over the reins of the Sales
Integrity Task Force on January 15, we still
have a keen interest in what’s been happening
in that arena. A three-person committee
now monitors the Code of Ethics –
Reynolds Bell, Jr. (chairman), Fred Seitz
and Satish Sanan.
So what has happened to the code now
that it’s out of committee, so to speak, and
out in the real world?
The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders
Association (TOBA) has set up a marketing
campaign to keep the Code of Ethics in the
public’s mind and eye. Placards were in
place for the first time at the Calder Race
Course paddock during the Fasig-Tipton
two-year-olds in training sale on March 1,
and they displayed the marketing campaign’s
slogan: “Act With Prudence… Buy
With Confidence,” and they also listed key
points of the Code of Ethics.
Copies of the entire Code of Ethics and
a sample legal agreement for buyers and
their agents were available in the sale
company office.
The distribution of information hasn’t
only happened on the sales grounds: TOBA
has undertaken an enormous mailing to over
30,000 individuals – with packets containing
the “Code” as well as the legal agreements.
There is also information on the Code of
Ethics on TOBA’s website (www.toba.org).
Headley Bell, who was a member of the
22-person task force, has written on his
Nicoma Bloodstock website that “I have been
fortunate to sit on a number of boards, but,
have never seen such deft defining and seamless
execution of a game plan as by these leaders
and their committee members; Chairman
Cot Campbell; John Ward (Veterinary
Practices); Nick Nicholson (Disclosure of
Ownership); and Bill Casner (Role of Agent).
I am aware how complex an issue it was and
the methodology of working through this was
most impressive.”
Remembering… Absent Friends
Former computer systems manager Sharon Williams died after a lengthy illness
on January 24. A Dogwood employee for 16 years, Sharon was passionate about the
University of Tennessee’s football team – even after she moved to Aiken from her
home state. “She never met a stranger” was a saying that definitely applied to Sharon.
We’ll remember her for her zany presents at the annual Dogwood Christmas party,
all the homegrown tomatoes she would bring into the office, but most of all for her
warmth and southern charm.
George Howard, a former vice-president of Dogwood Stable, also passed away this
year. In the early years George served as Dogwood’s Northeastern Operations Manager
– filling a niche for the stable in that part of the country. Before Dogwood, George had
served as Senior Vice-President of Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co., Vice-President
of United States Trust Company of New York and Vice-President of Thoroughbred
Equity Co., Inc., a division of Fasig-Tipton. He lived in Locust Valley, Long Island.
Previous winners are H.W. “Salty” Roberts,
Howard “Gelo” Hall, Peggy Sprinkles, Grace
Belcuore, Nick Caras, Donald “Peanut
Butter” Brown, Danny Perlsweig, Katherine
Todd Smith, Julian “Buck” Wheat, Jim
Greene and Shirley Edwards, Neftali
Gutierrez, and Pam Berg.
“We’ve awarded $60,000 over the years,
and our idea has spawned several other similar
awards,” said Campbell. “In many cases
the $5,000 check – and the unexpected recognition
– has had a significant impact on the
lives and works of worthy human beings.”
Nominations should be received no later
than June 27 and be mailed or faxed to:
Mary Jane Howell, Dogwood Stable, P.O.
Box 1549, Aiken, SC 29802. Fax:
803.642.2747. An electronic nominating
form can be found on the stable’s website:
www.dogwoodstable.com.
The “State of the Stable”
(continued from page 1)
But, onward now!
Our goal is $2.5 million for the year,
with no pipedreams for gigantic paydays
cranked into that equation.
Our horses are currently at Belmont
Park with Todd Pletcher, Frank
Alexander, and George Weaver. We have
horses at Monmouth Park and Delaware
Park with Pletcher, and we have stock
with Graham Motion at Fair Hill Training
Center in Maryland, and at Delaware.
Dogwood has a division at Arlington in
Chicago with Becky Maker; a draft of
horses for Ohio and Kentucky racing with
Elwood McCann, three at Calder in
Miami with Henry Collazzo, and one
jumper with Sanna Hendriks.
Dogwood’s Top Jockey
Contest Results
Eddie Arcaro was ranked Number One
after a tally of votes from the contest in our
January newsletter.
With a highly “scientific” method of
assigning points (5 points for the top ranking
– then down to one point for fifth place) we
came up with our top five jockeys:
1. Eddie Arcaro – 64
2. William Shoemaker – 61
3. Lafitt Pincay, Jr. – 43
4. Angel Cordero, Jr. – 32
5. Jerry Bailey – 22
Arcaro is the only jockey to have won two
Triple Crowns – with Whirlaway in 1941 and
Citation in 1948. He won the Kentucky
Derby five times and the Preakness and
Belmont six times apiece. Arcaro was
inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1958.
3

1
5
11
2 3 4
6
12
7
9
Aiken (Trials, Steeplechase, etc.) and at the races… 1. Post-race kiss. Billy and Vicki Bernard. 2. Clem, Hayes Clement. Bill, Liz Victor (and
twins!). 3. Anne, Lou and Teri Piancone. 4. Aiken riders, some in battle garb. Billy Bernard, Victor Sambrano, Robert Bravo (see Editor’s
Notebook for more!), and Vanessa Feliciano. 5. Pre-Trials barn barbeque invitee: Jose Maria Martinez. 6. Governor Mark Sanford, Anne,
grandson Brady Tindall and horse (?). 7. Now headed for Belmont’s Fashion Stakes, Ready Again (Vanessa Feliciano aboard) won at the Aiken
Trials. 8. Clem, Hayes Clement, and Judge Robert (“Bodip”) Sparks lolling at the rail. 9. Pre-race strategy discussion. 10. Pete and Yvonne
Gibson pose at the Dogwood wall at The Bowery restaurant. 11. Famous Red Hat Ladies, raising hell in the track kitchen after Dogwood tour.
12. Vernon and Patricia Brinson before New Orleans Handicap. 13. Before Vicarage’s Louisiana Derby second: Anne, Dawn and Dick Kelso.
4
13
8
10

14 15
17
20
18 19
21 22
23
16
24 25
14. Gulfstream paddock. Mark Grier, Dean DeLuke, Ron Stevens and Jack Sadler. 15. Bewigged Atlantans Jack Rooker and Bruce Wilson at
the Campbells. 16. “Goodnight Irene” being rendered by Stanley Petter, Kim Taylor and Jack Burton. 17. Two dandies…Carl Myers and Jim
Pippo. Dogwood Celebration Weekend, February 19… 18. Early morning barn visitors: Estelle and Jim Pippo, Sherrill and Tom Hall, Melanie
and Randy Moorer. 19. At the dance. Jim and Wynona Wilson. 20. “Most Glamorous Couple” – Joyce and Ali Fyfe. 21. Dance beauties:
Campbell Glenn, Lila Tindall (her mother), Cindy Rooker, Dorsey Jennings, and Sally Waldron (her mother and Cot’s sister). 22. Beth Newburn,
Molly Gray, and Cecilia Davies. 23. Raucous Dogwood Revelers! Jan Eisenmann, Brad Stauffer, and Suzanne Davila. 24. Captains of Industry:
Senator Greg Ryberg, Bill Coscioni, and Pat Moore. 25. Darby and Chris Copeland and “Sebastian.”
5

26 27
28
29
30 31
32
35
33
36 37 38
26. Josephine Abercrombie and Stanley Petter – Lexington glitterati. 27. Three generations of Campbell women – Anne, Campbell, Lila.
28. Reggie’s Red Hot Feetwarmers prepare to hit it. 29. Nashville’s Flash Gordon sits in on a final number. 30. Lila and her dad cut a rug.
31. Post Dogwood Dance: track kitchen breakfast – too many to identify. At the Derby… 32. Churchill’s John Asher, Cot, Anne, and Wayne
Perkey, Rotary President, at pre-Derby speech. 33. Smarty Jones and a slightly wary Anne. 34. Charlie, Joanne Owen, Bill Brittain, and Anne
at Cot’s Louisville Rotary speech. 35. Michelle Nihei and Anne seconds after Limehouse’s victory. Michelle is his exercise rider and one of
Pletcher’s fine assistants. 36. Champagne in the Director’s Room: Jo Ann Oreffice, Jerrie Pletcher (Todd’s mom), and Anne in a celebratory mood.
37. Same room – Marylou Whitney and Walter Cronkite. 38. Two hours after his Churchill victory, Limehouse has peppermints on the brain.
6
34

PAUL OREFFICE: Dogwood’s Renaissance Man
Editor’s Note: Paul Oreffice, former CEO of
Dow Chemical, owns a share in every
Dogwood runner, and has for almost 20
years – making him a 23.75% owner of the
stable. He’s an interesting man, important to
us, and a significant factor on the American
racing scene. So, we thought you’d enjoy
this glimpse into the life of Paul Oreffice…
From the world of Italian show jumping to
the winner’s circle at Pimlico for Summer
Squall’s Preakness victory, Paul has had innumerable
high points in his life with horses.
“People ask me why I don’t have my own
stable,” said Paul. “I tell them that the
Dogwood family is filled with great people
and we have the advantage of Cot’s vast
knowledge, besides the fact that I get a lot
more action with 60 horses than I would with
15 of my own!”
Paul Oreffice was born in Venice, Italy, in
1927. His father was both a breeder and trainer,
and specialized in harness horses. “I was
thrown on a horse as
soon as I could walk and
I really loved them,” he
recalled. “My father let
me start breaking horses
when I was nine years
old. What was probably
my finest hour came at
age 12, when I won an
adult jumping show on a
horse that I had trained –
I was the only one to
have ever ridden him.”
Life took a dark turn on
the eve of World War II,
when Paul’s father, who
was strongly against the
Fascists, “disappeared”
one night. After being
tortured for days, an
anonymous phone call led Paul’s mother to
where her husband was being held and she
performed a daring rescue. The family was
able to leave Italy for Ecuador (the only
country that would give them visas) on the
very last ship to sail to freedom.
The family lived in Ecuador for five years
before immigrating to the United States.
Paul studied chemical engineering at Purdue
University, graduating in 1949. “I love math
and chemistry,” explained Paul, “and the
field of chemical engineering gave me a way
to combine those two interests.” Paul went
to work for Dow in 1953 and three years
later at 28 he was sent to Brazil to lead the
start-up of the company’s South American
division. It was the first of many business
successes for Paul – when he left the country
several years later, Dow was the second
biggest chemical company in Brazil.
And the crowd goes wild! Paul Oreffice and
Cot Campbell share in the moment of Summer
Squall’s Hopeful Stakes victory 1989.
In 1978 he became the President/CEO of
Dow, a position he held until 1987. The
world of chemical engineering and horse
racing may seem worlds
apart, but Paul had not
forgotten his love of
horses during his years
with Dow.
“When my family
came to the United States
we had nothing, I wouldn’t
even let myself dream
of owning a horse,” said
Paul. “It was after I started
to make some money
that I looked for ways to
get involved with racing.
Someone had sent me one
of Dogwood’s partnership
catalogs that featured five
horses. The one that
caught my eye was an unnamed colt with both
Northern Dancer and Secretariat in his pedigree.
I met with Cot, took a couple
of shares (it was the
days of the 40-share limited
partnerships), and that
colt turned out to be
Summer Squall!”
Paul’s next involvement
(and first winner)
was a stakes horse named
Luge II. Imported from
England as a two-yearold
in the fall of 1988,
Luge II was already a
stakes winner in his
native land. His first
North American race was
the Grade 1 Laurel
Futurity on October 22,
which he won.
“My first five races as
a Dogwood partner were all wins,” laughed
Paul. “Talk about being spoiled!”
With hundreds of wins under his belt, you
might think that Paul
would have a hard
time deciding what his
most thrilling moment
as an owner was… but
it takes him just a second:
“Hands down it
was British Banker
winning the Nearctic
Stakes at Woodbine.
Six horses at the wire –
photo finish – and our
horse wins by a nose.”
And although he
says that the
Kentucky Derby is a “special occasion, especially
when we have a horse entered” Paul
Paul Oreffice during a recent visit to Aiken.
Dogwood’s Salute to Longevity
We have often said that our Dogwood
clients make up a blue-chip roster if ever
there was one. And we appreciate – and
are proud – of their longevity. We take
this opportunity to salute five who have
been with us for many, many years:
Jack Lansill – Lexington, KY – 1976
Bob Evensen – Pepperell, MA – 1981
Hayes Clement – Greensboro, NC – 1985
Helen Brann – Bridgewater, CT – 1986
Sherry Rosenthal – New York, NY – 1988
thinks that the Breeders’ Cup is the most
important day in American racing. His
favorite tracks are Saratoga and Keeneland.
“My wife Jo Ann and
I built a house eight
years ago in Saratoga
Springs,” said Paul. “I
never miss a day at the
races during the meet.”
His children, Laura and
Andrew, and their families,
also enjoy the sport
– making trips to the
Derby and Saratoga
most years.
Paul was on the
board of trustees for the
New York Racing
Association for 10 years,
which gave him some
fresh insights into the
sport. We asked him what changes he would
make in racing if he held the position of
“Racing Czar.”
“The first thing I would do would be to try
and get racing people together. Right now
each track and each state rules its own fiefdom
– and there’s not enough work done
together to benefit racing as a whole. My second
objective would be to have standardized
drug rules nationwide. This is something that
is being worked on, but it’s a difficult topic,”
explained Paul. “Thirdly I would raise jockey’s
weights. These guys are killing themselves
and there’s no need for it. Finally I
would create some heroes – and the jockeys
are the obvious answer. Horses could be
heroes, but they’re not around long enough
any more. Jerry Bailey would be a perfect
choice – a great rider, intelligent, savvy – we
could be making use of guys like him to publicize
the sport to a national audience. Look at
other athletes like Tiger Woods and Michael
Jordan. Everyone knows them. We need to
do that with our jockeys.”
Paul is active on several boards,
including the
National Parkinson
Foundation and the
University of Texas
M.D. Anderson
Cancer Center. He
is also involved in a
large-scale development
project in
southern Arizona.
A much sought after
commencement
speaker, Paul
coined the phrase
“Do the common
thing uncommonly well” that he used in
many of his public speeches.
7

PHOTO © MARIANNA HAUN
Cotton Anne, a two-year-old filly
owned by Penny Chenery, has had her
photo in our newsletter before (back in
May, 2004), but because she’s named for
Cot and Anne Campbell we’ve taken a
special interest in her maturation. This
photo was taken on January 27 –
Penny’s birthday.
* * *
Storm Song Court, Summer Squall
Lane and Trippi Lane – the neighborhood
sure is improving!
One of Aiken’s newest developments,
Woodside Reserve, has several streets
named after Dogwood
Stable runners. This
collection of small,
and decidedly upscale
neighborhoods, lies
within the larger
development of
Woodside Plantation.
Although golf courses
dot the landscape,
the streets reflect
Aiken’s pride in its
equine heritage.
We’ve had several
new home owners who live on Summer
Squall Lane come by our office to get a
copy of A Year at the Races, a book
written by Robert Parker which chronicles
the colt’s early career.
DOGWOOD
STABLE, INC.
Editor’s Notebook
Woodside Reserve is still expanding,
so who knows… could there be a
Limehouse Circle in their future?
* * *
Ron Stevens, our trainer in Aiken, has
heard lots of excuses from his help over
the years for missing work, but exercise
rider Robert Bravo’s was priceless.
Robert had gone to a party and was
still at the shindig in the morning hours
when he left the following message on
Ron’s answering machine:
“Ron, this is Robert… I’m at a party
and there’s a problem… my friends told
me when to come, but they never told me
when to go home!”
Ron’s next day suggestion: “When
the sun comes up, go home… or better
still, come here!”
* * *
Angel Cordero. One of history’s
greatest jockeys, has always been noted
for his rather irrepressible nature. He
demonstrated this during Derby Week at
one of the numerous banquets. The
Campbells were seated at a table for 10
including Wayne Lukas, Todd Pletcher
and Angel (now agent for America’s
leading jockey John Velazquez). The
evening grew late and the speaker
pushed on. Wayne Lukas, who rises well
before the chickens each morning, began
to doze off. Angel, seated across the
table, amused himself
by flinging spitballs
at the legendary
trainer. Wayne
would snap to attention
when the missiles
found their
mark, look around
the table to try to
ascertain the perpetrator,
while Angel
looked with rapt
attention toward
the speaker.
* * *
Mountaineer Park, hang on to your
hats – here comes Vanessa Feliciano! For
the past three years Vanessa has been an
exercise rider for Ron Stevens. This
W. Cothran Campbell, President
Mary Jane Howell, Newsletter Editor
Address: Post Office Box 1549
Aiken, South Carolina 29802
Tel: (803) 642-2972 Fax: (803) 642-2747
E-mail: office@dogwoodstable.com
Internet address: http://www.dogwoodstable.com
Former exercise rider Vanessa Feliciano
glamming it up with Cot Campbell before she
headed off to Mountaineer Park.
March Vanessa rode Dogwood’s Ready
Again and Catered to victory in the Aiken
Trials, perhaps whetting her appetite for
more racing. With her ever-present grin
and great attitude, we’ll miss her in
Aiken… but wish her the best at the track.
* * *
Under the heading of useless information,
here are three characteristics that
often signal the probability of a good racehorse.
I offer these in a whimsical spirit –
75 percent (but not 100 percent!) in jest:
#1: A slightly bitchy attitude with a
faraway look and a preoccupied manner.
#2: When poked and prodded at a
sale, a horse who will turn and glare at
you as if to say, “What the hell do you
think you’re doing?”
#3: A horse that readily takes to eating
peppermints, but is not obsequious about
it. I maintain this signals an adventurous,
inquisitive, bold attitude.
But, believe me, we do have more significant
prerequisites for purchasing!
– WCC
Does it ever stop snowing in Maine? This
Dogwood lawn jockey has his doubts.
Dogwood friends Clark and Judy Thompson
of Bangor own the poor guy.