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| Richard Mandella |
Stats Updated Through: 11/19/2009
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| 2009 Stats: | | Starts | | 178 | | 1st-2nd-3rd | | 31-25-24 | | Earnings (Rank) | | $2,307,859 (59) | | Win % (In-The-Money %) | | 17% (44%) |
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Top Associated Horses:
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Crown of Thorns,
Meteore,
Patricia's Gem,
Matto Mondo,
Chalula One,
New Bay |
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Biography, Highlights and Media:
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- Born: Nov. 5, 1950, Altadena, Calif.
- Residence: Pasadena, Calif.
- Family: wife Randi; son Gary, his former chief assistant who has gone out on his own, and daughter Andrea.
- Racing Background: Son of a blacksmith in Beaumont, Calif., Mandella broke and galloped horses at nearby Three Rings Ranch, owned by Connie Ring, during high school ... Worked one year at Farrell Jones’ Riverside Ranch in California and more than a year as an assistant to Lefty Nickerson in New York before taking a private job for Texan Roger Braugh in 1974.
- Racing Career: Opened public stable in California in 1976 and developed Bad ’n Big into his first major stakes winner in 1977 and ’78 ... Conditioned sprint star Phone Trick, who won his first nine starts and finished second in 1986 Eclipse Award balloting behind Smile ... First trainer in Southern California history to train both winners who dead-heated in a Grade 1 race: Beautiful Melody and Reluctant Guest could not be separated at the wire in the 1990 Beverly Hills Handicap at Hollywood Park ... Gave Laffit Pincay Jr., leg up on Irish Nip for jockey’s historic 8,834th victory that made him the all-time career leader on Dec. 10, 1999, at Hollywood Park … Along with son Gary, previous assistants have included Dan Hendricks, Beau Greely and Mike Machowsky ... Experienced the richest day of any trainer in history during the 2003 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita when he sent out four winners and amassed total earnings of $4,564,040. The dream day included victories by Pleasantly Perfect in the Classic, Johar (dead heat) in the Turf, Halfbridled in the Juvenile Fillies and Action This Day in the Juvenile. Also had a second in the Juvenile with Minister Eric. Halfbridled and Action This Day went on to earn Eclipse Awards as 2-year-old champions ... Enjoyed almost as big a day the previous time Santa Anita hosted the Breeders’ Cup in 1993 when he won the Turf with Kotashaan, the Juvenile Fillies with Phone Chatter and two other stakes on the undercard with Memo and Region. Total earnings that day were $1,697,500. Kotashaan went on to be named Horse of the Year as well as champion male turf horse, while Phone Chatter earned the Eclipse Award for champion 2-year-old filly … Reflecting on those two dream days recently in 2009, Mandella said with his self-deprecating sense of humor, "It makes you wonder how you can be so stupid on other days." In a more serious tone, he added, "I look back on it with a lot of apprecation. It kind of hits you like a bolt of lightning when it happens, but with each passing year, it seems to get bigger and bigger."... Had only one starter in 2008 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita, finishing 12th with eventual Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in the Juvenile in the gelding's lone start in his barn, but did win another stake on the undercard with Into Mischief in the Damascus... Passed $100-million career earnings plateau in 2004, the year he won the $6-million G1 Dubai World Cup with Pleasantly Perfect ... Inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2001 ... Won six straight million-dollar races in Southern California from the 1996 Hollywood Gold Cup through the 1998 Santa Anita Handicap with Siphon, Dare and Go, Gentlemen and Malek. That string included Dare and Go snapping Cigar’s 16-race winning streak in the 1996 Pacific Classic and a one-two-three finish by Siphon, Sandpit and Gentlemen in the 1997 Santa Anita Handicap ... Known for developing high-caliber horses from South America which have included Redattore, Puerto Madero, Malek, Talloires and Romarin, along with Memo, Region, Siphon, Sandpit and Gentlemen ... Ranks eighth in career Breeders’ Cup earnings with $7,116,960 and is tied for third in victories with six ...Sent out The Tin Man to become only the fourth 9-year-old to win a Grade 1 stake, returning from an eight-month layoff in the 2007 Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile at Hollywood Park. The venerable gelding then finished a game second in defense of his crown in the Arlington Million.... Mandella has won 17 races with purse value of $1 million or more ... Was on the Breeders' Cup Classic trail in 2006 with Rock Hard Ten, who incurred a foot injury the week of the race and was retired ... G1 Norfolk Stakes winner Dixie Chatter was forced to miss the 2007 Breeders' Cup Juvenile when he came down with a fever after shipping to Monmouth Park ...Graded stakes wins in 2009 have come with Dixie Chatter in the G2 Arcadia Handicap, Matto Mondo in the G3 Thunder Road Handicap, Witty in the G3 Railbird and Meteore in the G2 La Jolla Handicap...Trains approximately 60 horses on the Southern California circuit. Angel Vega is his chief assistant at Santa Anita, while Gary Opsal is his chief assistant at Hollywood Park ... A history buff and committed horseman who has spent many hours serving on various panels and boards dedicated to improving racing surfaces, medication, necropsy and the improvement of backstretch housing, Mandella also has been a member of the board of directors of the Oak Tree Racing Racing Association since 2006.
Breeders' Cup Record| Starts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Earnings | | 29 | 6 | 1 | 1 | $7,116,960 |
| 1984 | Juvenile Fillies | Pirate's Glow | 9th | | 1986 | Classic | Hopeful Word | 8th | | | Mile | Mangaki | 10th | | 1990 | Sprint | Corwyn Bay (Ire) | 8th | | 1993 | Juvenile Fillies | Phone Chatter | 1st | | | Turf | Kotashaan (Fr) | 1st | | 1994 | Classic | Best Pal | 5th | | | Classic | Soul of the Matter | 4th | | 1995 | Classic | Soul of the Matter | 4th | | | Turf | Talloires | dnf | | 1996 | Classic | Atticus | 8th | | | Classic | Dare and Go | 11th | | | Turf | Talloires | 6th | | 1998 | Classic | Gentlemen (Arg) | dnf | | | Juvenile Fillies | Rayelle | 10th | | 1999 | Juvenile | Dixie Union | 5th | | | Sprint | Lexicon | 9th | | 2002 | Juvenile | Listen Indy | 7th | | | Turf | The Tin Man | 4th | | 2003 | Classic | Pleasantly Perfect | 1st | | | Juvenile | Action This Day | 1st | | | Juvenile | Minister Eric | 2nd | | | Juvenile | Siphonizer | 10th | | | Juvenile Fillies | Halfbridled | 1st | | | Turf | Johar | 1st (DH) | | | Turf | The Tin Man | 4th | | 2004 | Classic | Pleasantly Perfect | 3rd | | 2005 | Turf | Laura's Lucky Boy | 11th | | 2008 | Juvenile | Mine That Bird | 12th |
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NOTE: Stats include North American and selected international races. Click here to view selected international race list.
Biographies on jockeys, trainers and owners are from the Breeders' Cup World Championships events from 2001 through 2009, and are intended as informational resources. Biographies will be updated if an individual is again a participant in the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Biographies are available for most horses appearing in the top 100 money earnings list, and/or for those who are frequently making headlines in the news starting with the 2006 Triple Crown season.
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