HORSEMEN
Paul McGee, Trainer
Personal: Paul was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1962 and resides there with wife Angie, who manages payroll for McGee's public stable. They have four children - Matthew, Margaret, Alex and Eddie.
Racing Background: Grew up in the Derby City where he and his three siblings – all first-generation horsemen – developed their interest in racing through their proximity to Churchill Downs … Brother Marty is a columnist for the Daily Racing Form; younger sister Amy is married to and keeps the books for Southern California-based trainer Ron Ellis whose stable includes Declan's Moon, 2004's 2-year-old champion; and older sister Susan has previously worked in group sales for Hollywood Park … Paul got his start in racing at age 15 by walking hots for conditioner Jerry Calvin and later galloped horses for trainers Angel Montano Sr. and Carl Bowman … After attending Louisville’s St. Xavier High School, he graduated from Bellarmine University with a degree in chemistry. “My Dad sells water treatment chemicals,” McGee said. “It was kind of a fall-back. If it didn't work out at the racetrack, I would go to work for him. He never objected to me coming to the racetrack. He’s 100 percent behind me."
Racing Career: Took out his trainer's license in 1987 and saddled his first winner, Pabarene, at Churchill Downs that year. Graded stakes winners include Eyes On Eddy, Balthazar B., Bet On Sunshine, Dream Run, Honor in War, I Believe in You, Miss Pickums, Suave and Twilight Road … Earned first outright training title at the winter/spring meet at Turfway Park that concluded in 2007 ... McGee's Breeders' Cup appearances came with Suave, who finished fifth in the 2005 Classic, and Bet On Sunshine, who finished third in the Sprint in 1997 and 2000 and 13th in 2001. “He was a foundation horse for me and a lot of people associate me with that horse,” he said of Bet On Sunshine, who continued to race until he was a 10-year-old and retired with nearly $1.5 million in earnings. At age 15, Bet On Sunshine lives a life of leisure at Hermitage Farm near Goshen, Ky. … McGee visits Bet On Sunshine and reports that he is doing very well … When asked to compare Suave with Bet On Sunshine, McGee said, "There is similar sentiment. Anytime you get to this level, it is exciting."… McGee calls Suave extra special because he is a homebred for the father-daughter team of Mace and Samantha Siegel. “He has been a classy horse all along but 2005 was a breakthrough year for him despite the nagging quarter crack,” and McGee said the results were worth the wait. Plays golf whenever time allows.
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Neil Howard, Assistant Trainer
Personal: Neil was born in Bronx, New York, and now lives in Louisville with his wife Susan, whom he met at the racetrack when she was galloping horses for Hall of Fame trainer P.G. Johnson; grown children Ashleigh and Jared.
Racing Background: Involved with hunter/jumpers as a teen, Howard had his first exposure to racing in the late 1960s after two years in the Navy, when he visited Waterford Park in West Virginia in search of show prospects … He gained his initial racetrack experience in 1969 working for trainer John Cotter, and later worked for such prominent horsemen as Joe Cantey and Hall of Famers Woody Stephens and Mack Miller … After seven years with Miller (leaving as stable foreman), Howard went out on his own in the spring of 1979 and saddled his first winner, Knock Knock Bird, to a $43.60 payoff at River Downs on May 27, 1979.
Racing Career: Represented by his first stakes winner on Nov. 8, 1980 when Hasty Tam triumphed in the Ohio Open Championship Handicap at Beulah Park. Has since won more than 160 stakes races … In 1984, Howard went to work as a private trainer for Will Farish's Lane's End Farm … Has developed many stakes winners for Lane's End, including Mineshaft, whose seven stakes victories in 2003 earned him Horse of the Year honors and the Eclipse Award as champion older male. Four of those victories were in Grade 1 races: Pimlico Special, Suburban, Woodward and Jockey Club Gold Cup ... First gained national attention in 1990 with Dogwood Stable's Summer Squall (co-bred and co-owned by Farish) won 13 of 20 starts, including the Preakness Stakes. Dogwood had purchased the colt from Lane’s End and had him broken by their trainer, but Dogwood’s managing partner, Cot Campbell, asked Farish if Howard could train the colt. Summer Squall retired with more than $1.8 million in earnings ... Trained Mambo in Seattle, who lost the 2008 Travers Stakes by a nose; Grasshopper, surprise second-place finisher to Street Sense in the 2007 Travers and winner of the 2008 Mineshaft Handicap ... Other major stakes winners trained by Howard include 2000 Kentucky Oaks and Mother Goose winner Secret Status; Prospectors Delite (Ashland and the Acorn in 1992), Runup the Colors (Delaware Oaks and Alabama), Shadow Cast (2005 Personal Ensign), America Alive (2005 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic), Tomisue's Delight (Personal Ensign and Ruffian), Grand Jewel (Lexington and the Fayette), and multiple stakes winners Dove Hunt, Weekend Delight, Midway Road and Alumni Hall … Howard has been the leading trainer at Churchill Downs twice (once was a tie) and at Keeneland once (in a tie).
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