Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Did you know that the pet care industry is a billion dollar industry and it is continuously growing? But are the people who care for your pets growing as well? I'm Dara Forleo and on the business of pet care, we are going to talk about what really goes on behind the scenes of those grooming tables, those daycare walls and those social media filters.
Welcome to the Business of pet care where we examine the system, strategy and the decisions shaping modern animal care businesses. Today, I'm your host, Dara Forleo and I am joined by Rachel Sells, who is a racehorse trainer based at the Finger Lakes in New York. And Rachel works in a business where animal care, performance, emotions and trust all have to function together while training racehorses. So there's so much more that is happening behind the scenes than what everybody just sees on a race day.
Today we are going to start with talking about what it really means to build and operate a training business around such high performance animals. Rachel, welcome to the show. How are you today?
[00:01:22] Speaker B: I'm good, thanks for having me.
[00:01:25] Speaker A: I know you've been up early already so your day is.
Oh, not even. Yeah, you're beyond halfway and still have more halfways to go.
[00:01:37] Speaker B: Yes, Yep, I do. We get up at 4:00 in the morning, my husband and I, he's out the door right away. I stay here with my child until either he goes to daycare or the babysitter comes and then I'm out the door and, and we're in the barn from 4 o' clock in the morning I, till we're done. Which some days could be 7 o' clock in the evening
[00:02:02] Speaker A: and that's a long day for anyone. And to bring in not just that, but you have a young son too.
[00:02:15] Speaker B: Yep. He's seven years old. So he's going into third grade this year and he's learning, you know, that the races, the horses are, you know, lifestyle. It's not just a job. And he loves the horses and he pitches in when he can,
[00:02:32] Speaker A: I can vouch for that. He really does love the horses. I have seen that in action.
[00:02:38] Speaker B: He.
[00:02:39] Speaker A: When people are really.
Horse racing is a different beast than a lot of the other industries inside the horse industry.
It, it involves quite a bit more than, than just the, I don't want to say the maintenance of the horses, but I mean, you are seven days a week, pretty much 24 hours a day and not just staying in one space.
What, what does this business really entail from, from you for, from a family perspective?
[00:03:17] Speaker B: Well, like you said, it Is it's a seven day operation. You know, it's week to week. It's depending on where we have horses running, what they're doing. You know, we are all over the map that way. We've got horses in the Finger Lakes area, we've got horses at Saratoga. And I also have a farm right now too, that's got about 20 horses on it.
So it's, you know, a little bit of everywhere for me. I have great help, which is an awesome thing to rely on, you know, so I can travel from track to track or where I need to go and, you know, go from there. But there is quite a lot behind the scenes that people don't see.
[00:04:05] Speaker A: So what made you choose the Finger Lakes?
[00:04:11] Speaker B: I grew up here. This was home. It's where I was born. I was born in Rochester, N.Y. grew up in Fairport, which is about 20 minutes from Finger Lakes Racetrack. And it's just a beautiful place to live, beautiful place to be, great place to raise a family. School districts are great. So it kind of chose me. I think
[00:04:34] Speaker A: that makes total sense that, I mean, I don't think you could say that any better when you say a place chooses you. I can't wait for that to happen to me when I grow up.
So you have horses all over.
How have you built trust with owners and how. I mean, that's, I notice it's not exactly an industry that people are buying.
I don't even know how to say it, but like, how people get into it. How do they find you?
[00:05:16] Speaker B: I think word of mouth is a big thing.
I always tell clients when they call. The first time clients, I advocate for the horse first and for my client second.
The horse just will always come first to me. That's how it's been since day one.
Some people, you know, they say, okay, thank you, and others, I grow relationship with, I am 100% honest. When something is not quite right with your horse, you know it just as soon as I know it, you know. And I think that's a huge positive in building a relationship with the owners. And yeah, I've had a lot of people that have called me just by word of mouth, basically looking for a nice, honest trainer.
[00:06:04] Speaker A: That is when, when you're not seen
[00:06:07] Speaker B: on
[00:06:09] Speaker A: television, like some of these other trainers that really have these huge, huge stables all over the world.
It's, it's gotta be hard to kind of keep your hands in that. But I mean, the levels of racing are, are different than what we see on tv. I mean, that's not the majority of the industry itself.
I mean Valley.
How, how did you get your start in this? What, what attracted you to this industry from say being a, a jumper trainer or dressage trainer or three day vendor?
[00:06:55] Speaker B: Well, I actually did start my career in the horse show world. I was a professional rider, did the hunt seat, taught lessons, always just had kind of the love for the thoroughbred racehorse. So I got to a point where I felt like I kind of plateaued with the hunter jumper stuff. So I thought, you know, I'm just gonna change scenery a little bit. I still wanted to work with the horses, but I just needed to kind of change the scenery. So I went to the racetrack and actually the first job I got at the racetrack was a job as a hot walker, which is, you know, you walk the horses after they go to the track or you know, get them out for the day and walk them and it's a starting level job on the racetrack and just worked my way up from there.
[00:07:43] Speaker A: Did you ever think you would be that trainer with where you are now?
[00:07:49] Speaker B: No, I didn't. I.
When I became an assistant trainer for Carl Brugesmark, you know, he really taught me a lot. He is an old time trainer from Suffolk downs, has over 2500 wins and he really took me under his wing and just taught me the horsemanship.
So I owe a lot to him and he literally just let me grow.
I spent 10 years as his assistant trainer and I feel if I didn't do that with him, I would not be where I am today.
[00:08:25] Speaker A: You were with him 10 years?
[00:08:28] Speaker B: Yes. Yep, 10 years.
[00:08:30] Speaker A: Were you ever at Suffolk?
[00:08:33] Speaker B: It's just for the, the, the races they had like on the weekends. Absolutely loved that racetrack. It was sad to, to see it close all the way down.
[00:08:44] Speaker A: It was sad to see that track close. Yes. That's in my backyard. And the couple times I visited it, it was just to, to lose out on the mass cap. And horse racing at all in New England is pretty much non existent anymore. It's, it's, it's sad not being in a racing state anymore. I do miss it coming from Kentucky.
You know, you don't really have much more of a bigger racing state than Kentucky unless we're talking New York, Kentucky and then we've got some really.
I love what they're doing with Belmont.
Glad to see the other one get closed down. And it, it's racing is just it, it gets into your blood.
How long did it take to go, oh my God, this is it. I found my, my niche.
[00:09:45] Speaker B: I was actually I, I was.
Gosh.
I know. I was in grade school. I was. I remember sitting down watching Cigar and Holy Bull race against each other.
Actually had an injury that day that was not life threatening, but it was career ending. And I remember bawling my eyes out and my dad just going, this is, this is not good.
And I was hooked. Like it was from then on that I always, I always love the thoroughbred. You know, it was that. I think that was the moment when I kind of knew I was gonna do something with it in my life. But I didn't realize that it was going to be my whole life.
[00:10:28] Speaker A: We don't talk about Holy Bull much.
It was always Cigar. That took that, that, that whole rivalry there.
[00:10:38] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Holyville was my favorite. He was, yeah, he was probably what got me hooked to it. So.
[00:10:45] Speaker A: Okay, that's, that's interesting. I was gonna ask who, who was that? So.
Holy Bull. I'm trying to think. I, I. There are just so many great horses.
My husband and I always have a.
He, he's a Secretariat. And I've always been that man O War. So who is it for you? Which one? Secretary to Manowar.
[00:11:09] Speaker B: What?
[00:11:11] Speaker A: Who is the best?
[00:11:13] Speaker B: I mean, it's hard to say. I would like either or give me one that can run half like them and I'd be happy.
[00:11:21] Speaker A: I mean, I guess or right.
[00:11:26] Speaker B: I, I have to say, probably more Secretariat.
Yeah, maybe more Secretariat. Just because it was more.
When I grew up, it was more like the talk, you know, like, you know, he was years prior winning the triple Crown, but it was, you know, the movie came out and so Secretary was a little more plastered everywhere, I guess you could say.
[00:11:48] Speaker A: Yes, totally true. Okay, we got totally off business, but we got to take a quick break. We're going to come back and we're going to talk more horses and more horse racing because it's the best subject ever.
Welcome back to the Business Care Pet Care. Want more of what you're watching? Stay connected to the Business Pet Care and every NOW Media TV favorite live or on demand. You can also go and download the free NOW Media TV app on Roku or ISO for bilingual programming in English and in Spanish. And you can catch this as a podcast on NOW Media tv. We are streaming around the clock, ready whenever you are.
And every horse is different.
Every day is going to be different. And all the best operations are built on systems that still have to leave room for a lot of professional instinct to step in here. So, okay, we got the fun out. We gotta talk a little bit of serious stuff. But we walk me through a typical training day.
What happens before everyone wakes up, meaning the rest of the world when you're up at 4:00 in the morning, right?
[00:13:39] Speaker B: So my husband and my help get at the barn. Probably, you know, he leaves here at 4, so 4, 4:30.
And they start with taking out the feed tubs and the water buckets on the horses. You know, it's a great sign to see all your feed tubs empty. If the horse has left some feed, obviously it's an indication that maybe something's going on.
After we do that, we take temperatures just again, you've got to make sure that everybody's, you know, healthy go through. And we fill up hay nets. We have hay nets in front of all of our horses. Faces forage is very important in a horse's diet. And leg wraps come off and usually by then I get there, I go through and I check the horse's legs and then we start training.
I have two exercise riders in the barn. My husband is one, and I have a great guy that's been with us for years as the other one. And, you know, I watch every horse to see, make sure that they look the same as the day before. But it's also great to have two people that have been with me so long on their backs because they can feel things before I see it sometimes.
So that's, you know, a positive.
After we train, every horse has their own groom. The grooms groom six horses each same horses every day. So again, anything that's different, they can spot, help me out, you know, type of thing. I go through, check legs. My husband and I help say what, you know, we want done on the horse for the day.
You know, if they have a hard work, we'll like a poultice on them to help cool their legs. Sometimes we'll do a sweat, you know, just some things. Some horses get iced. We have a Beamer blanket that we love using.
[00:15:26] Speaker A: Oh, tell us about that
[00:15:30] Speaker B: pemf. It's not as big as like a magna wave, but it's a blanket that I can put on, set a timer for, you know, 10 minutes and walk away and not hopefully have to worry that the horse eats it. You know, they're tied up and then I can come back and take it off. And it's just, you know, a nice muscle relaxant for the horse. Helps the blood flow.
It's. It's been a great product to have in the barn. So, yeah, I like it a lot.
[00:16:01] Speaker A: And you have a unique aspect to the track that you're at, which is actually, you have the, the pool.
[00:16:16] Speaker B: We do. That's what I love about Finger Lakes. It has a pool, it has a Euro sizer. We have a training track and then we have a main track.
So basically any horse has something that we can do there.
You know, if they're, I don't want to say sour, but some of them don't like training every day. So, you know, we can go swim them or we can eurosize them. Somebody doesn't have to be on their back every time they're training.
So it's definitely benefit great place to train a horse.
[00:16:49] Speaker A: Well, I didn't actually, I had no idea there was a second training track at the Finger Lakes.
So for people listening that don't know about the secondary tracks, what, what are the differences in those?
[00:17:09] Speaker B: The training track's just a little smaller than the main track. The main track's a mile, training track's not as big and it's just, it's, it's a quieter place for the horses. You know, you don't have so much commotion, you're not allowed to breeze on it. So it's just, it's a nice quantity, quieter track to, you know, take a horse maybe that's a little nervous or just needs a quieter atmosphere to train. You can go up to the training track and take your time with them there.
[00:17:35] Speaker A: And the pool, what are the benefits of that for them?
[00:17:42] Speaker B: Oh, there's a lot. I mean it takes the weight off of them. You're swimming, you know, there's no weight, there's no pounding on the track.
It keeps them fit, opens their lungs up.
I've had a lot of horses that, you know, they swim and they enjoy it. It's, it's fun to watch them. It's, it's, it's really, it's a positive thing to incorporate into their training. For sure.
[00:18:08] Speaker A: That is.
I love watching morning workouts.
There's something about the early mornings at the racetrack that is just so calming, even with all the excitement around. And I don't think people understand how excited the horses get headed to the track. So do your guys.
They know the difference between a race day, a non race day, training, going to the pool. They probably because they, they like their routine.
[00:18:50] Speaker B: They do, they like their routine.
Yeah, they can tell in a way, I mean like if they're going to breeze. Most my horses get Lasix before they breathe so that they'll know and they'll get a little ramped up for it. But we do have a pony horse in the barn.
He helps, you know, accompany the horses that are a little more nervous or a little more apt to do something that may be potential hazardous getting to the track.
He'll take them and accompany them out there.
And it's definitely something that every barn should have is their own pony, for sure.
[00:19:27] Speaker A: I just want to clarify too, pony does not mean miniature. Small Shetland. A pony is an escort.
They are sometimes a retired thoroughbred off the track who's been racing a quarter horse. So they're there to provide a, as a stabilizer for. Think of it like, how would you explain it?
The racehorses are up and down like a roller coaster, and that pony just helps stabilize them and get them to the, the place they need to be and keeps their mind frame.
[00:20:08] Speaker B: Yep, yep.
Yes. Definitely an asset. A good pony you can't beat. You know, they, they are definitely an asset to any barn that they're in.
[00:20:21] Speaker A: How, when, how do you decide when a horse needs to be pushed or when you need to back off that training or they need to be redirected, arrested?
[00:20:39] Speaker B: You got to listen to them. I mean, they give you signs, they show you every horse is different.
Some horses thrive off of going out and galloping every day. Some horses thrive off of going out and toning it down to a jog every day.
You know, every horse is different. And you really have to watch your horses train, get to know your horses and you're seriously making a different training regimen for every single horse that's in your barn.
[00:21:08] Speaker A: That's key. They can't all just go out and do the same thing time after time after time. They doesn't prepare them. And probably having a.
I think you have a fairly large stable yourself, being able to send them out. How. How does that morning break down for you with so many horses to send them out into sets is what they call it when you send them out for working.
Yep.
[00:21:37] Speaker B: Yeah. So we've got, like I said, I've got the two riders there, but they go on sets, some go single, some of them just get too ramped up. If they're in the sets again, it's you, you learn. Like, we just got a horse in about a month ago and right off the bat we realized that when she gets out at 6 o' clock in the morning, she settles for the day. She's calm, she's cool, she's collected. But if you leave her in her stall and say, try to train her at 8:30, she's a nervous filly, she gets worked up, you know, and, and she kind of ruins her morning by not being able to train early.
So you just really have to get every horse in and figure the horses out and what they like, what they don't like. And like I said, it's, it's a, every horse has their own training program.
[00:22:24] Speaker A: That's a lot of work. How do you keep all that in your head?
[00:22:32] Speaker B: I wake up a lot at like one o' clock in the morning and start thinking about what I can do to help this source or what am I doing wrong for that horse or it, my brain doesn't stop. I, it's just like you say, this is a lifestyle. And yeah, you could wake up at 12 o' clock in the morning, go, oh, why, why am I not trying this? Or why didn't I do, you know? So it's, yeah.
The life of a horse trainer.
[00:22:57] Speaker A: I, I really like that you called it a lifestyle because I don't think again, I'm, I'm going out to the outside world that just don't quite understand the, the dynamics that go on in this and the, the dedication.
I think there's a lot of negativity around horse racing that, that people who don't quite understand it and see the, the positive side of it. But I'm going to blame horse racing on that because I don't think they do a good job promoting it themselves.
What do you think about that? We got another minute left, but we'll just go ahead and cut right to break.
We'll be right back.
Foreign.
Welcome back to the business of pet care. To not miss a second of this show or any of your NOW Media TV favorites streaming live and on demand anytime. And don't forget to grab that Now Media TV app on Roku or ISO and listen to this as a podcast or on Now Media TV. We are streaming 247 so that the stories you care about are always within your reach. And we are back. Sorry about. We have some little text in the back, but we're gonna get right into this because I started with a little bit of a pressure question in the last one and I'm not sure if Rachel got that one, but what do you wish more people understood about the care that goes into the.
These racehorses?
[00:25:04] Speaker B: This, they get taken care of extremely well. You know, they're athletes, just like a human athlete. You're not going to perform if you're not at your best. So, you know, it's a lot of care. It's a lot of tlc. There's a lot of time spent with the horses. You know, my grooms, myself, exercise riders, we all bond with them.
They're great animals.
It's just. It's not, it's not all that people try to.
I'll say, like the meaner people try to make it out to seem.
These horses are a lot more well cared for than you would think.
[00:25:45] Speaker A: And they have to be. I mean, when you go out on national television and there's all the publicity around it, they. They have to be taken care of. You don't just let them not be taking. I, I don't even know what I'm trying to say there, but they're. You know what I mean?
[00:26:11] Speaker B: It's not. They're not just standing in a stall for 23 hours a day and then know. Brought over to a race there. You know, there's a lot of work that goes behind the scenes. And you. There's a lot of horses too, that you don't see that, like, I have a farm that's five minutes down the road. They can go to the farm after the race, get turned out, have a couple days of just R and R where they enjoy life, and then they come back. You know, it's not all just about per se. Being stuck in. In a stall for 23, 24 hours a day, like is perceived, that's a huge difference.
[00:26:44] Speaker A: Being able to have that downtime, that vacation time, so to speak, and just clear themselves as well and clear their energy to come back. I mean, they're.
I have seen it myself firsthand, how there are horses that just love what they do so much that taking them out of the environment reverts them to another place in their own minds.
[00:27:16] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, even I have like, my retired pony horse now. He's been with me for 17 years. I actually groomed him when he was a racehorse. Trying to transition him this year. And to just know you're staying at the farm, you're not coming back to the track to work. It took a while because he loved his job at the racetrack. And, you know, it's funny how some horses, they would rather be working and be in that environment than be turned out, you know, in a pasture with other horses.
[00:27:47] Speaker A: So, yeah, I think that's a big misconception too, is that horses should be often free and doing their own thing and living a different lifestyle than what they were bred for.
[00:28:01] Speaker B: For.
[00:28:01] Speaker A: I mean, there's. There's a huge difference when. Just like, even with animals, there's a huge difference in being bred specifically to do a job. And that job is not being in a home as a pet.
[00:28:18] Speaker B: Exactly. Yeah. And, you know, like I said, these horses, they. They bond with the grooms, they bond with me, they bond with my husband. You know, it's there. I always say in my barn, they're a name, they're not a number. You know, I can't tell you what stall number my horses are in, but I can tell you the names of all of them in order in my barn. And that's how I always want it to be. I always just want them to be a name and not a number.
[00:28:47] Speaker A: And you mean, when you say in order, does that. What does that mean?
[00:28:53] Speaker B: It means, so, like, the horse, I could tell you who's in stall 1, 2, 3, 4, in order, but I couldn't tell you, you know, if you said, oh, who's in software? Like, I have to go through my head and, like, count down to see who's in that stall, you know.
[00:29:07] Speaker A: Yeah. So that makes, that makes sense.
How has recently, I know there's been a lot of changes. How has your. Your standards of care had to change based off of some industry changes that have come up?
[00:29:28] Speaker B: Yes. So, you know, with. With HISA involved now, you know, government involved in the horse racing, changes have happened. Honestly, my program has not changed much because, again, the horse always comes first. If the horse needs a vacation, they get a vacation. I'm not looking to, you know, give them butte seven days out of the week to try to train them. If, if they need time, they get their time that they need.
So honestly, I haven't had to change much on the way that I train.
[00:30:00] Speaker A: That is good, because I bet there were a lot of people that had to. Hopefully they are.
But that, that has been a big, A big change in the industry there. And there are a lot of opinions out there from the outside.
What, what parts of this conversation with, with Heisa coming in, what do you think? They're. They're.
There's good and bad with everything. What parts really miss the reality of the work?
[00:30:34] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. There is good and bad with everything. You know, the, the testing that's. It's hard now because it's done. You know, I don't say black and white, but it's almost like some of these trainers that have had bad tests, it's. They're guilty before they're proven innocent. When it, you know, obviously should be the other way around.
Contamination happens. There's, you know, things that are out of our control.
That's the major thing, you know, and obviously, too I feel bad for the owners for the money that's coming out of the purses to pay for Hisa because it's, you know, Finger Lakes racetrack, we're paying the same amount now for a $5,000 claiming horse to run as the horse that won the Belmont Stakes paid.
So it's just that way. It's, you know, it hits a little harder. It's a little bit of a gump punch for the owners that support the quote, unquote, smaller race tracks.
[00:31:32] Speaker A: That is a big deal. I didn't really, I, I, I knew there was some of, of that, but I didn't realize it was that.
Not inconsistent, but not that that wasn't taken into consideration to say that owners with much larger stables, more horses, bigger purses, are still paying the same price as us at a lower, in a lower division, so to speak.
[00:32:06] Speaker B: Right? Yeah, yeah. Minor leagues were paying just as much as the major leagues. It's, yeah. How you can look at it.
[00:32:12] Speaker A: That's a good way of looking at it.
That's a good way of looking at it. And it's.
What.
So I, we're probably not going to have any.
Okay, how about that? If somebody's looking and have, and listening and saying, I've always thought about getting into horse racing. I've had no. How do you meet people? How do you, how do you find a trainer? How do people who have no way of getting into the industry, how do they get that opportunity to be able to step in and have a chance?
[00:32:55] Speaker B: That's a good question. I mean, for me, you know, some people have just called the racing office and said, hey, I'm looking for a trainer. You know, give me a few numbers to call and I guess it's up to the person on what they're really looking for. Trainer wise.
Some people might be best if they join a syndicate first before, you know, going out and purchasing their own horse 100% to themselves. Because, you know, it is, it is costly to, to own a horse.
So I guess it's just all different on what the person is looking for.
[00:33:32] Speaker A: Yeah. Somebody coming in may not even know what they're looking for though, because there's no education on that out there. There's nothing propelling people to even, you know, you don't walk through the racetrack as a two dollar better and go visit, especially in a track like Saratoga and go, oh, I want to do this someday.
How do I, like, yell over the rail, hey, are you sure?
You know, I mean, how many people.
[00:34:04] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, they're really this.
Right. And I guess that's where like, social media comes into play because I have had quite a few people reach out to via Facebook or Instagram, you know, just. Yeah. Saying, hey, I'm looking to buy a horse or get into the business and.
And go from there, you know, so that is.
[00:34:31] Speaker A: So that's good. So you have your own. You. You keep Facebook page, Instagram.
The tracks do a good job at showcasing their daily.
The winds and the. The places, you know, the horses that are up and coming and what's going on at the track. So you do get that type of publicity.
How else can you get yourself out there,
[00:35:03] Speaker B: win races?
You know, obviously people look at your percentage you're doing. Yeah, yeah. I mean, that's.
I, you know, that's mainly, you know, I guess how you do it.
Like I said, word of mouth for me has been a big help.
Just be honest. If you're honest and you try to do. But right by your horse, you're gonna have people that are going to enjoy what you've done for them and they're gonna talk about you and. And hopefully, you know, that entices some people to come your way.
[00:35:38] Speaker A: Good advice.
So we're gonna find you on social media and what is your state? What's your full stable name?
[00:35:50] Speaker B: RLS Racing llc. RLS Racing on. Yep, yep.
[00:35:56] Speaker A: So that is the best way to find you.
And I'm assuming your email address is on there so that they can reach you there also?
[00:36:07] Speaker B: Yes, Yep.
[00:36:10] Speaker A: All right, well, we're gonna take a break. When we come back, we're gonna continue the conversation a little bit more and after this message.
Welcome back to the business of pet care. I am Dara Forleo, and in this final segment, we are going to look at a little bit more of a harder side about the racing. I'm gonna ask Rachel, what is one of the most difficult conversations you have had to have with an owner?
[00:37:00] Speaker B: Oh, gosh.
[00:37:03] Speaker A: Loaded question. Sorry.
[00:37:05] Speaker B: Well, well, yeah, there's a couple. I mean, I'm one that, like I said, as soon as I know something, my owners know what I know.
You know, obviously the most difficult is when a horse comes back with, you know, a bad injury.
Those would be the most difficult ones.
Thankfully, I have great owners.
Always. We put up the horse first and, you know, if they need surgery or whatnot to help them, most of them do it. And we find good homes for the horses.
So those are the most difficult ones.
[00:37:45] Speaker A: I mean, race horses, I think injuries, injuries happen. It doesn't matter what part of the horse industry you're in, they, they are gonna be injuries based on thing circumstances that are out of our control.
And I know as an owner, I mean I, I had hunter jumpers as a kid growing up and I still saw horses have accidents and, and people get hurt and that's the last thing we want to see. So at least owners coming in have that expectation that they do understand there are major risks in this on all sides, especially for riders.
And not just for riders, but anybody working in the stable. How do you manage the expectations? Sometime when an owner pushes a little, sometimes see thinks they see more potential, but the horse is definitely saying yeah, no, not happening.
[00:38:53] Speaker B: Yeah, well that's you know again where I, I say I, I advocate for the horse first. So I just tell them, you know, you think you have one that's per se a new horse coming up that you think's going to be a maiden special weight horse and you know, the horse is just working. Okay. You know that's my job to say, well look, you know that, that competition is going to be too tough.
We need to run for a claiming price.
You know, it's never something the owners want to hear. But no, because we all have the next job to do it.
Exactly, exactly. But yeah, yeah but no you do. You got to be realistic and yeah, put the horse first. You just always have to put the horse first.
So that's good.
[00:39:40] Speaker A: I, I'm getting you to say this because I want others out there to realize that there are a lot of people in this industry who do just that it is not all there's bad in every place. And I know there's so much around horse racing that people still don't understand.
So I, I, that's why I keep asking you these questions about that because you keep saying exactly that. It is all about them first business pressures. I mean I know you guys face some major ones. How, how right now with everything spiking and, and going up all the prices the are things consistent on let's say the front side with the racing prices verse what's coming in stable wise meaning your everyday goods.
[00:40:42] Speaker B: Obviously you have to make it be or else we'd be out of business.
You know, things happen like per se, the feed that I buy my horses, it just went up $2 a bag. Well when you're getting 70 bags a week it's a little more money, you know, but you just got to figure out how to work around it. You know, I, I don't want to have to raise my day rate all the time. Sometimes you do.
It just is what it is, you know?
But my major thing is that, again, the horse always gets what they need. If I need to eat ramen noodles or night or two, I will. But that horse is getting that bag of feed, even if it's $2 more,
[00:41:26] Speaker A: because they need the substance.
[00:41:29] Speaker B: Yeah. And just, you know, it's.
I'm not going to buy something less quality because it's cheaper.
It's just, it's not what I'm gonna do for them.
[00:41:43] Speaker A: How, how, how often do you, how often are the horses moving through, through the barns? How. How many.
What's your max capacity?
Like, how does that look for. I know every trainer is a bit different.
So what's your comfort level?
[00:42:06] Speaker B: So we have about 43 right now in training, and I have 20 at the farm.
Honestly, I don't think it's more of a comfort level. It's a help level. As long as you have the help and good help there, you can get more horses.
But the minute your help isn't quality, that's when you got to start looking at how many horses you really want to take on. Because again, I'm not going to cut corners. And my help, thank God, they don't cut corners either. You know, if, if a horse needs to be a nice, they're going to get a nice. If they need that Beamer blanket, they're going to get it, you know, and it's, it's time consuming, but that's, that's how it works. So I don't, I don't want to say there's a number of horses, but it's more.
As long as I have good help, I can keep them, you know, more horses coming in.
[00:42:58] Speaker A: And like with any industry right now, good help at a service and, and you still are providing a service, whether it's considered part of the service industry or not, you're providing a service and it's hard to find people to step into those and work at your level.
[00:43:18] Speaker B: The.
[00:43:19] Speaker A: At your coming. I'm going to kind of relate this to the grooming industry because, you know, I. Dog grooming and you're providing that service to someone. But your standards, your goals have to reach and reflect to your team. So finding help that fits into that mold, into that work culture. How do you, how do you do that?
[00:43:46] Speaker B: I will say most of my help comes back every year. We have a great team working for us.
You know, we treat them well, they treat us great.
So they come back. Thankfully.
Yeah, I explain that a little more when you guys have been with me for quite a few years.
[00:44:10] Speaker A: Explain that just a little bit more. When you say they come back, what.
What does that mean?
[00:44:17] Speaker B: So Finger Lakes is only open. We're open from mid March until.
Thanks. The day before Thanksgiving is our last day of racing.
So they've got a few months where they go to other racetracks or they go home, and then in March they come back.
So.
[00:44:35] Speaker A: Okay, I just wanted to clarify what that meant because. Because I know, I know this, the circuit, but not a lot of people do. So trying to clarify that for. For those listening.
Yes, there is a race.
[00:44:51] Speaker B: Right. We're year round, but
[00:44:56] Speaker A: go ahead.
[00:44:57] Speaker B: Right, yeah. So when. When Finger Lakes. Oh, sorry. When Finger Lakes closes in November, either our horses go on vacation to the farm or we move actually down to New York City to. To Belmont.
So, you know, we keep going year round, but Finger Lakes is not open for the whole year.
[00:45:18] Speaker A: So when you go to Belmont, do you. You. Your whole. You pack up and the family goes.
Because that's not a commute.
[00:45:29] Speaker B: You not.
No, not now that my son's in school. I stay actually up here with him and my husband goes down with the business.
And then pretty much every weekend, though, we get in the truck and we drive down there. So.
[00:45:44] Speaker A: Okay, that makes sense because I was gonna say that's a lot, that that's hard. And when you say it is a lifestyle, you are not kidding that it is a lifestyle. People move from track to track, state to state, following the circuit, year after year, seven days a week. And as we know, with horses, it doesn't matter if you have a birthday, if you're sick, if you're going for Christmas or whatever it is. They are first and foremost. And your lifestyle is revolved around that.
[00:46:20] Speaker B: Yep, it is.
[00:46:23] Speaker A: It is.
It is truly a interesting lifestyle and one that I absolutely love and I miss so much.
[00:46:41] Speaker B: Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.
[00:46:43] Speaker A: It's.
Yeah, it is. It is something. So I want you to tell people where they can find you, how they can get into horse racing, and we all know why they should be with you is because horses are first and foremost.
[00:47:04] Speaker B: Yeah. So easiest way to find me, if you're looking is probably Facebook, Rachel Sells or RLS Racing are our two pages.
Email Rachel Sells. R A C H E L S E L L S. And then the number 22hotmail.com is my email.
Those are probably the best two ways to get a hold of me.
[00:47:27] Speaker A: And who's your favorite horse right now? No pressure.
[00:47:34] Speaker B: Right now in Your barn racehorse or my old pony horse is my favorite.
[00:47:43] Speaker A: Favorite. No, I mean, who, who right now is like, because, you know, we all get attached to him and we do have our favorites.
I mean, right. Having a large stable as an owner, I had my favorites and I, I, So is there one in particular that you like that's like, oh, this is just, just, just a heart horse right now?
[00:48:08] Speaker B: Not really. I mean, if I had to pick one out of my own personal horses, it would be St. James. Just because he's, he's got, he's got a little attitude. But he, he knows, he knows mom, he knows me, so, so, you know, he makes me feel good. I'll walk in the barn and he'll nicker to me and, and you know, stick his head out and he knows me and yeah, so I, I do have a soft spot for him.
You know, obviously Alazabel, you can't go wrong with him. He's a hard knocking horse that, he's the same. He's, he's like a, anybody could lead him around the barn, you could do whatever you want. But when he goes in that starting gate, he changes.
So he knows those two are probably, he knows
[00:48:50] Speaker A: I have a little soft spot for all his apple too, but that's another story.
[00:48:57] Speaker B: Yes, he's, he is a good boy.
[00:49:00] Speaker A: Well, thank you so much for coming on and taking the time from your very busy day and doing this.
So I appreciate you coming on. I hope to all of our viewers and listeners that, you know, learn a little more talk, ask questions about horse racing before you form an opinion on it. Because there are some really good trainers, there are some amazing places out there and it is really such a fantastic sport to be a part of and the lives of the people that commit to these animals year round, their dedication is, is tenfold. You do not find a group that is more family, more community and tight knit than when you walk onto the backside in the morning and just feel that atmosphere. It is totally different than watching on the front side. So hopefully you will come and enjoy that with us one day.
This has been the business of pet care.
Rachel Sells and I'm Dara Forleo. Thank you so much. Have a great day.
