In 1966 Anthony Risi and some partners purchased a yearling named Armbro Impulse. Some 44 years later Risi is still buying and racing horses
after his initial “impulse” buy.
“I just love the people, love the horses, love the excitement of racing,” he said. “And besides I’m still trying to get back the $6,000 I lost on Armbro Impulse!”
For Risi, his wife Carol and longtime partner in the horse business Bernie O’Brien, Saturday could be the biggest day in their racing career. Boinga, a winner after being disregarded at nearly 37-1 in last week’s Hambletonian Oaks eliminations, is their hope for glory in the $750,000 final.
Risi, who cut his teeth in ownership on the Delaware Valley circuit, has been hunting for trotters in recent years at the yearling sales, mostly fillies. In the fall of 2008 he watched videos of hundreds of trotting yearlings looking for something he liked.
“I do a lot of homework,” he said. “You can learn a lot from the videos.”
When Risi told trainer Brian Roland to take a look at Boinga, he was also satisfied with what he saw. The filly from Triple Crown champion Windsongs Legacy brought just $15,000 which was a surprise to both Risi and Roland.
“We thought she would bring a lot more and were prepared to go higher,” said Roland. “I think it may have had something to do with the fact that she was an embryo transfer.”
Boinga trained well heading towards her two-year-old season. “We put the trotting hopples on her early because she would switch to a pace,” recalled Roland.
As a New Jersey eligible Roland brought her to the Meadowlands for a baby race and the filly showed talent. Yet on the truck ride back to the farm in West Grove, Pa. things didn’t go well.
“She laid down in the truck. I didn’t even notice anything until we got home,” said Roland. Boinga also had a habit of lying down in her stall minutes after training. “We got a chiropractor for her and a masseuse,” recalled co-owner Bernie O’Brien.
Though the filly did go back to race earning a shade under $50,000 as a juvenile, she was never quite right.
“Only after we stopped racing her did she improve,” said Roland.
The connections find themselves one step closer to Hambletonian Oaks glory this year. Last year their Pennsylvania Sire Stakes star Broadway Paige, made a break in the eliminations and failed to qualify. Like her stablemate she was a bargain-basement purchase for $13,000 who has gone on to earn nearly $300,000.
“We like to purchase one or two yearlings every year,” said Risi. “I go in with a budget of somewhere between $10,000 and $40,000.”
While Boinga may have surprised the bettors last week, her connections had nothing but confidence in her ability going in. “She was coming along nicely but put in a bad race in the New Jersey Sire Stakes final,” noted Risi. The group got together and discerned that perhaps seven straight weeks racing at the Meadowlands had taken some of the steam out of her. “We could have gone to the Elegantimage in Canada, but we thought she needed to be freshened up,” said the trainer.
A pair of qualifiers got her ready for last week and driver Ron Pierce did the rest. He sat patiently with the filly, angled her to the outside in the stretch and Boinga did the rest rolling past the favorites right on the wire.
Boinga’s connections know that the competition level will go up this week, but they aren’t nervous about the prospects. “I would say I’m more anxious for the race to begin,” said Roland. He feels that Boinga is definitely capable of going a faster mile if needed this Saturday.
He’s keenly aware of the competition. “Poof Shes Gone went a huge trip last week. I think Bar Slide is very fast and Springtime Volo has been sharp all year long,” said the conditioner.
Owner Bernie O’Brien watched last week’s elimination on his computer, but is making the trip from his golf-retirement community named Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida for the final. His daughter Katie represented in the winner circle for her absent dad.
Boinga has amassed $77,062 in earnings this year with five wins in eight starts. Driver Ron Pierce will stick with her after qualifying two for the Oaks. The team chose the rail position which will give Pierce the option of leaving or coming from off the pace.
The trainer gave great praise to both owners for the endless patience. For Risi, who lives just twenty minutes away from the training center, the feeling is mutual. He has complete faith in Roland and believes they have a secret weapon in Brian’s wife Jill. “She’s been the caretaker for Boinga and all of our other horses. She does a great job of keeping them happy and that’s a huge part of their success,” said Risi.
In what is shaping up as a wide open Hambletonian Oaks, don’t discount the name Boinga. She fooled us once last week.
(Hambletonian Society)