Chatlos brings Hollendorfer's 'consistency' to new training gig

Life-changing revelations come at interesting times. For trainer Don Chatlos Jr., his happened August 30, 1981, at age 15.

Because his father and uncle were trainers at Arlington Park outside of Chicago, Chatlos grew up surrounded by Thoroughbreds. Racing was old hat to Chatlos, so he didn’t plan to attend the inaugural Arlington Million. But an old groom talked him into going, and what Chatlos saw that afternoon set his career path as a trainer.

That first million-dollar horse race in the world, run on turf at the classic 1 1/4-mile distance, featured a showdown between John Henry and The Bart, a 40-1 longshot with Eddie Delahoussaye aboard. The Bart raced nose and nose with John Henry, Bill Shoemaker up, in a thrilling stretch duel. The beloved John Henry would go on to win the race a second time in 1984.

“Although I was around the sport every day, I didn’t know the heights that racing could take you to,” Chatlos said. “It was an amazing race, and it got my attention.”

John Henry’s trainer, Ron McAnally, and Shoemaker opened his eyes. He also noticed both horses were based in California.

After learning as much as he could from his father, who Chatlos said was “a good handicapper and knew the art of where to place horses,”  he went to work out West. Having also worked for Ron Ellis and John Sadler, Chatlos took out his license in his adopted state of California, where he says the jockeys and trainers “are the best in the world, and you’ve got the weather to train year-round.”

Chatlos spent time watching Charlie Whittingham (he called him the “Michael Jordan of the sport”) and the late Bobby Frankel (“who really knew when to press the button on a horse”). Chatlos still considers Long Beach his home.

His career highlight — so far, at least — came with a victory in the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Lone Star Park with Singletary, owned by Little Red Feather Racing, in his first start at the championships.

A while after that, Little Red Feather Racing as well as IEAH decided to move on, and business dried up for Don. That’s when he went to work for Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer as assistant trainer in charge of the string at Los Alamitos.

Chatlos was associated with Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and two-time Eclipse award winner Songbird, who “showed up every time in every race,” he said. “She is an amazing horse.”

Chatlos moved on to Belmont Park this spring to continue  as an assistant trainer for Hollendorfer. In recent weeks, of course, his profile has risen as Hollendorfer was banned by The Stronach Group’s tracks (including Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields) and the New York Racing Association.

Chatlos took out his license again, this time to train privately for OXO Equine, stable name of Larry Best, whose horses he’s overseeing into the Saratoga meeting that begins Thursday.

“I learned a lot from Jerry,” Chatlos said. “The main principle I took home from him is consistency. Do the same thing every time you do it. This keeps horses content, and that’s what we’re all about. You ice, wrap, feed, and treat horses the same way every day. The horses are what matters in this sport, and they have to be happy to perform their best.

“In the four and a half years I worked for Jerry at Los Alamitos, we didn’t have one horse break down there. Jerry’s career is very impressive, and he has over 7,600 winners and earned over $200 million. Ron McAnally once said that Jerry was ‘the most impressive trainer in the Hall of Fame. He did it the blue collar way with both claimers and stakes horses.’

“Jerry’s the hardest working guy in the game. He wants you to be there at 3 o’clock in the morning and he’s right there with you. His energy would blow you away. He knows every horse so well, and his owners certainly get their money’s worth.”

Among those in Chatlos’ care is Instagrand, the Grade 2 winner who entered this season with Kentucky Derby dreams but was sidelined after an undercard race May 4 at Churchill Downs needing surgery on a sesamoid.

“Instagrand is just coming back from a little bit of a layoff, and Larry wants me to take my time with him,” Chatlos said. “We’ll make sure he is healthy, then look for a race for him.”

Instagrand was a “professional since Day 1,” Chatlos added, and is “the personality of the barn. He has a presence about him that draws people in. He really makes an impact on all who know him.”

Also in the stable are Brill and Rowayton, debut winners at Del Mar last season who both ran over the weekend at Belmont Park,  with Brill running fourth in the Victory Ride Stakes (G3) and Rowayton finishing third in the Dwyer (G3) after a troubled trip.

“I really like Brill and I have a soft spot in my heart for her,” Chatlos said. “She is moody, temperamental, and sweet all at the same time. I like her attitude.”

More OXO Equine horses are on their way to Chatlos’ care, with a batch of 2-year-olds among them.

The barn employs two grooms and an assistant groom. “I’ve known them for awhile, and we all work well together,” Chatlos said. “They know if they see something to tell me. I really just direct traffic. They’re the ones who do the heavy lifting. Everybody checks their egos at the door from the grooms to hotwalkers to exercise riders. They help make me overachieve. We win together and we lose together.”

Chatlos likens training horses to “putting the puzzle together to make a career for them — every piece from seeing how they run to how they eat.”

His former boss, Hollendorfer, was kicked out of Santa Anita and Golden Gate after four of his horses died last season at Santa Anita due to injuries in racing or training. Chatlos touched on what’s a hot topic now in racing — breakdowns, and what the industry can do to prevent them.

“The worst thing is seeing that empty stall after you lose a horse,” he said. “It’s the hardest part of the sport for me. Most people don’t understand the attachment most trainers feel for their horses. Horses aren’t dollar signs. That’s not how I look at them. Nobody wants (breakdowns) happening at their track.

“The best minds in the business have to come together to figure this out. Perhaps continuing education for the trainers would be part of the overall solution. The days of taking risks are over. People are just looking to place blame. A bunch of factors combined to make this mess and all of the issues have to be looked at.”

Overall in racing, “There are problems on the backstretch and on the front side, too,” he added. “If people in racing can’t figure things out, people will go to casinos instead. We’re not doing enough for the gambler. We’ve got to get them in the gate along with everyday fans.”

At home, Chatlos and his partner, StevieRae Ros, have a dog named Harley who rules the roost. Owning to his roots, Chatlos is a Chicago sports fan who roots for each of the Bears, Cubs, Bulls and Blackhawks.

“The Chicago Cubs winning the World Series is my greatest sports moment,” he said. And, of course, his Breeders’ Cup winner Singletary was named after the former Bears linebacker Mike Singletary.

While life away from the track is stable, much has changed professionally for Chatlos in recent weeks. Next up is Saratoga, which he says “will be a different experience for me staying up there all summer.”