Idaho pair chasing wins at the Downs

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This article was published 23/05/2018 (2164 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“This is the best small track we’ve ever been to,” owner-breeder Dewey Williams said, and his friend, new Assiniboia Downs trainer Eugene Burns, agreed.

“People have been really friendly and helpful to us here,” said Burns, who arrived at the Downs from Turf Paradise this year on the advice of trainer Jared Brown, who won the Intercontinent Stakes with Alpine Luck last Saturday. Funny how karma works.

“Jared was a big supporter of Assiniboia Downs,” Burns said. “So we decided to give it a shot. We’ve been to tracks where the people won’t even talk to you. And some days you can’t even get your horses out, there’s no help. There’s lots of help here compared to some tracks we’ve been to. The program they have here for bringing in workers is a great idea.”

A fifth-generation horse trainer from Fruitland, Idaho, the 34-year-old Burns was one of three new trainers here to win a race at the Downs over the first two weekends, along with Juan Pablo Silva (Estherfourfourteen, $3.60) and Francis Meza (Lady Cloud, $9.60).

Burns won an allowance race with a long shot named Patron ($24.60) last Friday, but that wouldn’t have been a surprise to those that knew the German-bred thoroughbred’s background.

Ridden by Tim Moccasin in his first start locally, the five-year-old gelding sold for $200,000 as a two-year-old in training at the April 2015 Ocala Breeder’s Sale.

Patron was the second starter of six at the local meet for Burns, who also finished second in an allowance race with Vermillion Sky’s on opening day. His most recent two starters, Moossa’s Legacy and Grass Valley Cat, both found trouble in their races and should be added to your Horses to Watch List.

Burns has been training horses for 15 years. He first came to the track at age 12 with his father, John, a former trainer turned-jockey agent, and spent his developing years working for top trainer Brent Taylor before going out on his own. Burns’ philosophy for training horses is simple: give your horses the best care possible.

When we caught up with him in his barn, he was Magna Waving his horses.

Magna Wave therapy uses pulsed magnetic energy to improve the body’s ability to repair cells and recover from illnesses.

“We’re here to win races and it speeds up the healing process by about three times,” said Burns, whose wife of five years, Lindsey, specializes in preparing thoroughbreds for new careers as show horses, dressage competitors, jumpers, three-day eventers and more.

Currently at Marble Hill Farm in Georgia, Lindsey was also a trainer for the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover program last year and finished eighth out of 300 for the Thoroughbred Ambassador Award. Lindsey helps at the barn in Turf Paradise during the winters, but at present, it’s Eugene and Dewey doing the chores locally.

“Dewey is also a trainer,” Burns said.

“Leave me out of this,” said Williams, who breeds horses in Idaho. His stallion Outrageous Limit, a stakes-placed winner of $124,367 who has a connection to Canada, finished second in the Jim Coleman Province Handicap at Hastings Park.

By dual Breeders’ Cup winner and multi-time champion Tiznow, Outrageous Limit is out of the mare Cinemine, who won seven stakes including the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes-G3 at Keenland and earned $506,681.

You’ll likely see a few of Outrageous Limit’s progeny running here this summer, including Outrageous Green, who won the $30,000 Inaugural Stakes at Arapaho Park last year and recently finished fifth in the Intercontinent Overnight Stakes here.

“He needs to go further,” said Burns, whose horses are the picture of health.

Burns and Williams mentioned they might like to breed some horses in Manitoba to take advantage of the lucrative bonuses available for Manitoba-breds.

Idaho doesn’t have a bonus program for breeders and anyone who breeds racehorses knows how essential breeders’ bonuses and purse incentives are to a healthy breeding program.

We might even end up with a Manitoba-bred that is related to local stakes winner Alpine Luck, who unbeknownst to many also won the Hollywood Juvenile Stakes as a two-year-old.

The breeding plan is something that’s up for discussion between Burns and Williams, and you probably don’t want to get between these two when they’re disagreeing on something.

The red-headed Burns is a 5-11, 240-pound former college wrestling scholarship recipient, and he refers to his burly friend Williams as Hulk Hogan’s cousin. It’s the moustache, he says. But do they ever really have arguments?

“Every 10 minutes,” Williams said with a smile.