Joe Scurto

A concrete foundation is the bedrock of any structure. Building a successful Thoroughbred partnership needs that same footing. You need rock-hard determination, the right aggregate of experience and the liquidity to maintain elasticity. Without such a concrete foundation, the tallest of ambitions can crumble, but with one in place, you can find long-term success and come out smelling like a rose. For BBN Racing, the first scent of success came from the appropriately-named mare Concrete Rose (Twirling Candy) who won over $1.2 million and four graded stakes, including the Grade...

The exhilarating rush of adrenaline created when seeing your Thoroughbred soar across the finish line creates a sweet taste of victory that brings a sense of satisfaction and a touch of disbelief. That often-elusive flavor remains on one's tongue in a constant search for more. Taste of Victory Stable's founders Kyle Yost and Brian Richardson have reveled in that sensation, knowing it can be interspersed with bitter moments that only life and owning Thoroughbred racehorses can produce. The seeds of Thoroughbred ownership are typically planted by family and/or friends. Yost,...

The Midwestern sage, Mark Twain espoused, "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." Nothing could be more apropos when considering joining a Thoroughbred racehorse partnership. Getting started is the hardest part for most prospective owners. The world of Thoroughbred racing can seem as inaccessible as the Churchill Downs Turf Club on Derby Day. The good news is joining a partnership makes getting started easier. In the first part of this series, we provided basic information such as investment levels, tax considerations and the entertainment value partnerships offer. In Part...

If you are someone who always had the dream of owning a Thoroughbred racehorse and have room on your wall for a few coveted winner's circle photos, there are some important things to consider in order to maximize your experience and avoid some of the pratfalls that can leave a new owner's confidence crippled. As the Executive Director of the Minnesota Racehorse Engagement Project from 2019-2022, I was able to direct over 300 first time owners into Thoroughbred racehorse ownership. The secret sauce in making this happen was providing a...

In Yiddish, a mensch is a person who personifies integrity, morality, dignity and a sense of what is right and responsible. But mensch is more than just an old Yiddish adage, it is a word that best describes the managing partner of In Front Racing Stables, Howie Heiberger. Heiberger was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and that meant having Aqueduct as a beacon of fun and excitement just a few miles away. As a teenager in the late 70s, he and his friends would put forward the $1...

It is said that life is simply a series of memories you share with the people you love. For Tony Rallo and his brother Tyler, most of those memories include Thoroughbred racing and Crown's Way Farm. First exposed to horse racing by their grandfather, Ron Dicicilia (their original family name) and his brother Gene Cilio, both stalwarts of Illinois Thoroughbred racing, the Rallo brothers have resurrected the Crown's Way name and set out on a new path in racing, developing, and managing a racing partnership group. In fact, due to...