Besides his love for the competition in the game, one of the reasons owner-trainer Ryan Castellani is conditioning standardbred racehorses is to honour the legacy of his late father, Robert. "There is a lot of barn work," the 29-year-old was quoted as saying. "It's like a college that
never ends."
As explained in an article on thetimes-tribune.com, Castellani is part owner of Konjo N, a 10-year-old Panorama gelding which is in to go today at Pocono Downs.
"My dad retired in 1995, and he wanted to get back in it before he got sick," Castellani, a resident of Peckville, Pennsylvania, was quoted as saying. "When he died from pancreatic cancer that left something for me to keep alive a dream that they (his father and uncle) started."
The article explains that the younger Castellani was an outstanding high school athlete who ended up trying out for the National Football League's New York Jets. Previously, Castellani had an 'All-American' stay at Wagner College despite having lost the sight in his right eye due to an infection he had contracted in a hotel he had been staying in for a road game.
Castellani finds time for the horses after his day job as a school principal at the Adventure Learning Center in Tobyhanna.
"I never stop," Castellani said, referring to his passion for the harness racing industry. "If I didn't get a dime, I would do it. Competition has always been a big thing for me. Competition breeds success. I love to compete.
"If this is all I have left, it's a great thing."
(With files from thetimes-tribune.com)