What kind of car do you drive? Lexus. Favorite dinner meal? Snack? Chicken and pasta or meatballs with spaghetti; fruit. What is your favorite all-time track to visit? Red Mile -- It is a fair track that is not speed-favoring and allows the best horse to win. What is your favorite big event in racing? The one I win (joking). Right now it is the Meadowlands Pace. I've seen them all except this year. We've had some success in it. Again, it is a fair race for the best 3-year-olds in the country and it is a prestigious race to win for our situation. We are looking for stallions and having that race on your résumé is important. We don't think half-mile or five-eighths mile racing is a fair barometer for what is great. If you look at the horses that have won the Jug over the years, although many of them have become stallions, very few have become successful. It doesn't mean as much winning the Jug, but if you win the Meadowlands Pace or any Breeders Crown race held on a mile track, that is important in terms of a stallion career. How often is racing on your mind? 23 hours a day. What is your favorite thing to do outside of racing? Spending quality time with my wife (Stephanie, who answered from the background, "Watching basketball"). I like to watch good college and professional basketball. What is your favorite basketball Team? I don't have a favorite team. I root for players. What is one thing about you most fans/bettors don't know? I'm immersed in pedigree. I look at everything related to pedigree in terms of why certain horses are better than other horses. What is one word that describes harness racing for you? Compelling. How did you get started in the sport? As a fan and bettor in 1960 at Roosevelt Raceway. We claimed my first horse in 1968 for $3,000 and I bought my first yearling in 1976 -- Kindergarten, he was a New York Sire Stakes horse. I was in the automotive aftermarket until 1980. Then I decided to come into this business full-time. I didn't drive, I didn't train and I didn't lie, so it was tough. The most important thing is that I met great people. The reason I've been successful is because of the people I've met over the last four decades. What is the best advice you've ever gotten about harness racing? Pedigree, pedigree, pedigree. What was your favorite moment in harness racing? It hasn't happened yet. That's what keeps me going. Which is the best horse you've ever owned? Captaintreacherous, and he is the best sire. He is a great individual with great pedigree. The reason I bought him was because of his pedigree. He is from the first crop of Somebeachsomewhere and the family of Rodine Hanover and World Order. He has sterling pedigree and it delivered. Pedigree doesn't always deliver, but when it does, that is when you get a Captaintreacherous. Which horse is/was your all-time favorite? I can't say I have one favorite over another. Any horse that tries hard earns my favor. Is there a race you haven't won but are still holding out hope to win? The Hambletonian. George (Segal) has won it but I haven't. Some of your partners won it this year, including trainer Tony Alagna and John Fodera for the first time. Was that a sweet moment for you? Absolutely. Any time Tony wins a race I'm very happy for him and that goes for other partners in the barn. How many horses do you own? Parts of 55 horses including broodmares. You're also a breeder. How many mares do you have? Eight broodmares. I'm selling some mares at the Maryland sale this year in foal to 'Captain'. People talk about how hard it is to make money in the sport as an owner. Agree or disagree? It is very hard to make money unless you can come across a great stallion. That keeps you alive in the industry where you can reinvest at a high level. Otherwise most people do not make money in the sport and they should know that going in. They should enter this business for enjoyment rather than to make a lot of money. If they get lucky, they can make a little money and have a lot of fun. You are known as an outspoken man. Has that been more of an asset or a deterrent to your career? When someone calls you outspoken, as long as you feel and know you are telling the truth, people should not get offended in any way, shape or form. You are better off telling all facts than one lie. I don't know if I'm outspoken or unspoken. If someone asks for my opinion and I feel it is the proper time to give an answer, I will. You can judge people by 1) their spouse and 2) their friends. I've been very lucky to surround myself with some of the best owners in the industry. Of course, George (Segal), Brad Grant, Marvin Katz, John Fodera, I could go on. We are very fortunate to have their trust, comradery and friendship. You serve as Racing Manager for Brittany Farms. What is your relationship like with George Segal? We speak multiple times a day. I believe George is my friend and George believes I am his friend. I would do anything in my power to make sure George gets the best advice he can get from me and other people. This is not a one-oared ship. We all pitch in and try hard to make our business successful. Brittany has been a very successful breeder and a very successful racing entity. Hopefully it will continue for the next decade or two. You are now 79 years old. What motivates you? Every day I exercise my body and mind. That is part of my regime. I have a younger wife. I have to keep up. We try to live a good clean life. We are a team here. I couldn't be successful without Stephanie's help and guidance. She is very well-liked. I have a few fans, but because perhaps I'm too outspoken for most people, maybe I rub them the wrong way. If so, I cannot help that. I'm honest and sincere. You told me that you are skipping Lexington in 2020 due to the pandemic. When is the last time you weren't there? 1981 -- I had some business issues to resolve and couldn't go. I also missed the Meadowlands Pace, Little Brown Jug and other signature events. We felt it is in our best interest and the best interest of our family and people we would come into contact with, not to travel right now. We really haven't left our home base in Florida for the last six months. Do you miss the experience? You miss it, but today with modern technology, you see every qualifier and race. I'm in constant contact with Tony (Alagna, trainer). We speak every day. I'm selling five yearlings in the Lexington sale and one in the Maryland sale. Tony is very active. He has a lot of good owners. If he likes any of those horses and wants me to stay in, I can do that. I'm also keeping three 'Captain' fillies that I didn't put in the sale. Will your absence change anything in terms of your participation as a buyer? I enjoy scouting horses and going to the farms and looking at every yearling we are interested in, and even some we weren't interested in. The process is wonderful and I'll miss that part immensely. I also enjoy bidding on horses. But Tony is professional and he'll do anything to better our cause. People have praised you for your ability to evaluate pedigree. Is it a science or just a great memory for genealogy? You have to be good at something. I believe I have a very good feel for the equine athlete. A good horse grabs you and says take me home. I'll go back six to eight generations. I've seen horses race in person since 1960. Before then, I had a very good relationship with the late Billy Haughton. We became very good friends and I admired Billy for his knowledge and would ask him about horses from the 1940s and 1950s that I never saw. But from 1960 on, I've seen every horse race and I either respect the family or I'm not that crazy about it. People don't study pedigree enough. They think any horse is equal and any horse can win a race. Sure, in the real world anything can happen, but when dealing with percentages over the course of time, you have to put the percentages in your favor as much as you can. You are dealing with an animal and you want to start off with the best pedigree and conformation. To me it is very important and George Segal is a big believer in it as well. What are your thoughts on people who say you overspend on pedigree? Cheap is expensive and expensive is cheap. You never overpay for something good. You always overpay for something mediocre. Sure, I don't want to spend $400,000 for a pacing colt, but sometimes the market takes you there. I'd like to buy every horse for $25,000, but that is impossible. You want to buy the best-bred horse you can for the fairest amount of money, but if you rate them the best colt or filly in the sale, in order to buy those, you have to dig deeper and go on. George Segal is in the Hall of Fame. Do you think your credentials are good enough for that honor? That is for the writers to decide. My name might not be on the program with Brittany but I had a lot of fingerprints on the success. Along those lines, make your case. What championship-type horses have you had a hand in during their careers? Western Ideal, Real Desire, Captaintreacherous, Mr Muscleman, American Ideal, American Jewel, Artspeak, Father Patrick, So Fresh, Delinquent Account, Meadowbranch Irene, Trim Hanover, Before Sunrise, Western Shore, Gala Dream, Real Desire, Tell All, Mr Feelgood, Glidemaster, Quality Western, Yankee Skyscraper, My MVP, Propulsion, Modern Family, Little Brown Fox and Il Villagio. Do you think being just the behind-the-scenes guy of all those horses hurts your chances of getting into the Hall of Fame? Of course. I am a paid employee of George Segal. I receive a check every month for my advice, good, bad or indifferent. That says it all when the guy that signs my check buys almost every horse I suggest. George is the owner. The man that owns the horse deserves all the credit. I'm in the back. I'm the scout or the advisor. Bill Parcells said you have to buy the food in order to cook it, but someone has to buy the food. That's my job. I have seen every qualifier and baby race over the last 40 years. We bought shares of Chapter Seven the day Walner baby-raced because I thought it was the greatest horse I ever saw baby-race. In fact I'm selling a Walner colt with Blue Chip at the Lexington sale. He's HIP 44 and I think he'll be well-received. If you could choose any horse in history to own, which horse would it be and why? I think I already had him in Captaintreacherous, because not only was he a great horse on the track but also in the breeding barn. I've often heard you speak about the importance of youth in the sport and you have often used young guys like Scott Zeron and Joe Bongiorno on your horses. What is it about youth? When I was 15 years old and a sophomore in high school my dad took very ill and I had to take over his business. I left school and called on customers and future customers. To the best of my recollection, 99% of them were very nice to me as a young man. I was 5' 7", just 15 and practically couldn't shave, but I knew the product I was selling. Everyone was very nice. I feel the best way to give back is to help young people. One of my owners asked me a few months ago, 'Why are you using the kid Joe Bongiorno for?' and I said because he is talented and he's showing it. He's a very good driver and he's only going to get better. Scottie has done phenomenally well. We've also used Andy McCarthy, Dexter Dunn and now Todd McCarthy. Young people deserve an opportunity. How has COVID-19 affected your life? It has affected the whole world. I worry about my children and grandchildren. My granddaughter just took her first job out of college and she travels into Manhattan every day. These are unsure times. Hopefully we'll get over it by next year and move on to bigger and better things. If you had the power to change one thing in the sport, what would it be? The way it is marketed. Our horses are so superior to Thoroughbreds yet they market their game so much better than we do. We are almost ashamed to spend money. We have this stupid mentality where everyone wants to see a $5,000 yearling being a champion. It is about someone who spends big money and could have a big return on their investment. Sure, we know some yearlings will slip through the cracks, but you have to buy quality to get quality. We have a great athlete who races 25 times a year as opposed to an animal that races six times a year, yet we belittle Standardbreds compared to Thoroughbreds. The Standardbred pacer and trotter is a great athlete. We take them for granted. We have to build the horses up. The horses are king and the owners will follow if they know we have a good product. I think they play it up much better in Canada than we do here, maybe because we have other things on our minds. How do you view the future of harness racing? I think people like to gamble. Handle has been up. Hopefully the yearling sales won't be as bad as originally feared. People want to bet from the convenience of their home from their computers or cell phones, but if we do not have things like hi-definition video feeds, and 90% of the tracks don't, how can we succeed? You can't even make out the horses. It is such a poor product. At least The Meadowlands and Ontario have Hi-Def and you can see the product. A lot of these other facilities it is so hard to see the horses. You know the driver colors and still can't make them out. Time for the stretch drive: Best Horse You Ever Saw: Niatross -- He really only lost two races and they were both flawed. A close second is Somebeachsomewhere and you can almost put it as a tie. Best Driver Ever: To me the best under-pressure driver was Mike Lachance, but John Campbell and Bill O'Donnell were right there, too. Now we have a new generation and these guys might be better, but they have to prove it over the next decade or two. Lasix -- Yes or No?: Yes. Favorite TV Show?: It was Law & Order. I mostly watch MSNBC. Trotters or Pacers?: Pacing fillies.