BY JIM WELLS
Thelifeoftheparty, a four-year-old filly, proved to be a reason to party for her new owners on Sunday.
The three-year-old filly won the fifth race on the card, an allowance sprint at six furlongs on the Shakopee card, but her thrilled owners did their rejoicing at home in Washington state or on hiatus in Phoenix.
No one at Canterbury, other than her trainer, really knew who these fellows were, however. The program and the Racing Form listed the winning stable as The Sons of Sacred Heart. (although a typo resulted in Scared Heart).
Were the owners of this filly a religious order, a group of Catholic priests, a country/gospel band?
Perhaps Thelifeoftheparty, an $11 winner, had a bit of a boost along the lines of, say, divine intervention while winning for the second time in five career starts.
“She probably did the way she ran,” said Bob Capelletti, one of three owners of Thelifeoftheparty.
Trainer Wade Rarick claimed this Cat Dreams filly from the Dynaformer mare Martinis Atmidnite at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Ariz. on April 15, and sent her out for the first time in the colors of the new stable.
Who are The Sons of Sacred Heart?
They are Capelletti, Fred Desimone and Greg Geiser, three Seattle area men with a common interest and a common background.
They were brought together some time ago by their love of racing and horse ownership. That initial introduction provided the basis for a bond that grew even stronger when the three men discovered years later that they were all adopted orphans.
All three have been involved in racing for years and owned horses, but Thelifeoftheparty is the first horse they have owned together
They mulled over what to call the stable. “We thought about calling it Orphan Stables,” said Cappelletti.
After rejecting that idea as a bit over the top, the men settled on Sons of the Sacred Heart. Cappelletti’s adoptive parents sent him to a grade school associated with an orphanage in the Seattle area by that name.
Geiser spends part of the year in Phoenix, Ariz., where he had a horse with Rarick. Once the idea of owning a horse in partnership took hold, Geiser invited the other men to meet Rarick. “We decided to give Wade a shot. He’s a good young horsemen,” said Cappelletti. “A week before the meet ended there, we claimed that filly.”
The three men race horses in Southern California and at Emerald Downs in Seattle, although Cappelletti is involved in an additional way as the racing manager for Dr. George Todaro, who has horses with trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, including Breeders’ Cup starter Hystericalady.
Geiser said that all three owners plan to be at Canterbury the next time their filly runs, sometime in the the next three weeks in all probability.
He and Desimone had a horse together 20 years ago, before discovering their common background, something that doesn’t seem all that unusual to Geiser any longer.
“My girlfriend is adopted, too,” Geiser said. “Another fellow and I claimed a horse together six or seven years ago that won a stakes race. He was adopted, too.”
LOOKING FOR SUGGESTIONS
Patrice Underwood is looking for input from horsemen that can be used in the HBPA’s trainer of the week selection.
Underwood has printed up a number of Trainer of the Week Nomination forms that are available outside her office on the backside.
Underwood said this will give horsemen a chance to have their voices heard by nominating someone to the weekly award.
The award recognizes trainers who have contributed to Minnesota racing in various forms, by helping other horsemen, by their horsemanship and sportsmanship or by helping with fundraisers or legislative matters.
Winning races, of course, is a factor and can’t hurt.
