Meet the team
Oakhurst Thoroughbred Farm, Newberg, Oregon
| President and Managing Partner, Scott Gruender | ||
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Like we say, Horseplayers Racing Club was created by, and designed for, the everyday handicapper. Scott and Debbie Gruender formed HRC to share their passion for horse racing with partners in an affordable and exciting way through limited partnerships. As an avid race fan and handicapper, Scott attended his first race as a toddler in England and has been hooked ever since. He grew up with an unrelenting passion for racing and all the excitement it has to offer. As a young, blue-collar handicapper, he dreamed of someday having more than just a passive interest in the Sport of Kings. He bought his first horse through a partnership over 20 years ago and his love for racing has grown expeditiously since then. Over the years, he’s formed and managed many racing and breeding partnerships and as his knowledge and experience grew, so did his success. His unique blend of talents – racing experience, relationship building, business sense and writing skills led him to write a book about jockeys. In 2006, “Jockey: the Rider’s Life in American Thoroughbred Racing” was published by McFarland and Company. Through a compilation of over 150 interviews with jockeys, agents, trainers and racing officials, the book tells the story of what it’s like to be a jockey. As a member of the National Turf Writers Association, Scott has national exposure to racing insiders. Scott is a veteran handicapper and NTRA/Daily Racing Form National Handicapping Championship qualifier in 2008 and has been a guest on several TV and radio shows in the past few years. A respected horseman with business experience and professional communication background, he is uniquely qualified to lead this public partnership venture. |
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| Office Manager, Debbie Gruender | ||
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Debbie, our Office Manager and Event Coordinator, has been a racing fan for more than a dozen years and brings her passion for racing and flare for fun and excitement to all HRC events. | |
| HRC Trainers | ||
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Shannon Hastings
Shannon has been training horses for 15 yeas and is a hard worker on the Texas thoroughbred circuit. He draws upon his athletic experience as a former football and track star in getting his horses ready for peak race day performances. A former understudy of the legendary Jack Van Berg, Shannon specializes in finding ways to move horses up in class and ability. His best horses include the likes of Imperial Material, Deception Island and Chokum Dan. |
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Bart Hone Bart Hone Racing is backed with 25+ years of industry experience racing throughout the country. Bart has been the leading trainer at Turf Paradise while setting a record with 88 wins in a single race meet and consistently ranking in the top 10 trainers. He was also the leading thoroughbred trainer 2006-2007 at Ruidoso, New Mexico. Bart and his team don't want to be the largest training team in the country, they just want to be the BEST! Bart and his team provide the very best care, top-notch training, conditioning, board, breaking and more to each individual horse. Through their fabulous personalized and professional service, Bart and his team have established business relationships with their customers that will last a lifetime! |
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Ed Moger, Jr Ed took out his first trainer’s license in 1976 and has successfully campaigned horses at Bay Meadows, Golden Gate and southern California the last several years. He has an excellent reputation with horsemen as being a reliable, knowledgeable, responsible and trustworthy trainer. He takes a strong interest in each horse, believing it is important to get to know their individual characteristics, movements and personalities. Ed’s top horses have been stakes horses Phaenna, Zoning In and Gentle Charmer. |
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Ben Root Ben began his training career working as a groom for his father at Longacres while still in high school. After graduating from Oregon State University in Business Management and Athletic Administration, he worked in Sports Event Management, and as Promotion and Events Director at the Home Builders Association running famed events such as the Street of Dreams. However, his love and passion for the Sport of Kings quickly lured him back to racing at Portland Meadows, one hour from his parents’ Oakhurst Thoroughbreds 140-acre farm. Ben has since branched out to become a regular at Emerald Downs, consistently finishing in the top 15. “We treat each athlete in our stable as an individual and are constantly looking for ways to improve performance. We also really pride ourselves on excellent communication and complete honesty when dealing with our owners. Our goal is simple: have fun and introduce new faces to the Sport of Kings and Queens!” |
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Dr. Jack Root, DVM, & Margaret “Cookie” Root “Cookie” returned to training at Portland Meadows this year when her son, Ben, moved on to Turf Paradise. Cookie will run a stable of over 30 horses, including many young horses and some homebreds from Oakhurst Farm. A lifetime winner of 16%, she is an experienced trainer with a great team around her. |
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Les Salzman Les has put together a team that is dedicated to winning races and providing superior care to the stable's horses. His staff is focused on the success of owners and making the racing experience enjoyable. Modern technology meets good old fashioned horsemanship under his shed row. |
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Ron Shenofsky Ron is a veteran trainer with over 25 years experience. He runs a first-class stable with all horses receiving top quality, hands-on care. Dedicated to the Hawthorne and Arlington Park circuit, Ron has been very successful in the claiming game over the years and has posted a 17% lifetime win rate and 45% in-the-money. His best horses include stakes horses Silent Note, Keystone Gulch and Hurricane Merle. |
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| Racetrack Liaisons | ||
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Vince Delgado Vince has been a racing fan for ten years and lives 30-minutes from Lone Star Park with his wife and two daughters. Professionally, he’s a successful manager with strong interpersonal, communication and relationship building skills. He’s been a racing fan for over a dozen years and is a part-owner in two horses. He’ll be working closely with our Texas trainer and assuring our partners enjoy the best race horse ownership experience possible. |
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Mike Vito Michael is originally from Chicago and resides downtown with his wife, Margaret. He is a graduate of St. Francis University in Joliet, where he played football and baseball. He is the General Manager of the Seneca Hotel in Chicago and has been in the hotel business for 20 years. His home tracks are Arlington Park and Hawthorne. He has been involved in the horse racing industry as racing fan and handicapper for over 15 years. He’s owned horses the past three years and currently has over 25 horses in various partnerships from coast to coast. He looks forward to bringing the HRC experience to the Chicagoland area. |
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| Web Content Development | ||
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Steve Klopfstein Steve is a veteran web designer with over a dozen years experience. With a Visual Communications degree from the Art Institute of Seattle, he enjoys marrying technical knowledge with artistic talents to solve client challenges and build creative web designs. Steve has visited the race track several times and also enjoys walking club experiences with his girlfriend and sharing his passion for video game design and entertainment with his son. |
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| Photographer/Videographer | ||
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Carly Kaiser We’re thrilled to have award-winning photographer and videographer Carly Kaiser on the team. Carly contributed many of the photos on the website and captures the HRC spirit in action throughout the year. |
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