Meeting Fred Tunks
Having a father raised at a time when horses were as common and necessary as cell phones are to people now, it seems I was destined to become a horseman. My earliest adventures to the track came by way of galloping and grooming horses for him, and to him I owe everything I know about horses.
I was sixteen when dad sold the ranch and hit the road a, running. Literally. What began as a week to week shindig at the local county fair, soon became a life. The transition from racing at the unrecognized tracks in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona was slight at first. However, the knowledge gained along the way allowed me to travel and work at racetracks all across the Mid and Northwest as well as Mexico and Canada.
By the time I wanted to go out and work for someone in the industry, other than dad, he had developed a reputation as the “King of the Bushes.” When we pulled into the track with a horse at a fair meet, they knew they had better put on their running shoes.
So it was through the association with my dad that I never had a problem going out and finding jobs with those that knew about him. After working as a groom for C.J. Livingston, (Mainly a quarter horse trainer) one winter we traveled to Canterbury Park for the mixed Quarter horse and Thoroughbred meet held there. It was at Canterbury that I first became a trainer and I spent two years in that capacity there and at Remington Park.
Those years at Canterbury were unforgettable and highlights included having my first two wins come back to back on the same card. Moreover, Aaron Gryder was scheduled to have a mount in that year’s Lady Canterbury Stakes and he accepted the call on my mare Nasty Paster ( Flying Paster - Nasty Jay, by Naskra) in an allowance race prior to that event.
She won easily under Aaron and after the races he came to the barn to express his appreciation for the mount. A classy act from a classy guy. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to become acquainted with several industry notables at Canterbury.
Such as the voice of Tampa Bay Downs' Richard Grunder and current commentator for ESPN and TVG, Donna Barton Brothers, as well as former jockey Shannon Ritter. Shannon now trains a small stable on her own in the mid-west and her clientele include Winstar Farms LLC.
After experiencing the highs and lows with my first group of owners as a trainer, I would meet W.J. Smith in Farmington N.M. in the fall of 1999. Together, we would team up for five great years of racing, alternating primarily from N.M. and Ariz. in the winter to the Northwest at Emerald Downs and Hastings Racecourse in the summer.
Moreover, we also ran horses at Calgary, Winnipeg and Northlands Park. While together, Bill and I averaged thirty-five % wins during those five years while racing mainly in allowance and Stakes company.
A retired Canadian Mounted Policeman himself, Bill Smith was not opposed to stepping a little outside the law at times, and our partnership was both entertaining and memorable.Notable were our wins in the Downs at Albuquerque Handicap with Vernon Invader (Ringside - Pacific Invader, by Welsh Legend) and the Chandelier Stakes at Turf Paradise with Sassy Chimes ( Chimes Band - Village Sass, by Sassafras (FR)).
A multiple Stakes winning daughter of Chimes Band, Sassy won nine of eleven of her starts while in my care. And though we did win several other significant Black Type Races as well, those are just two in my mind that stand out.
Bill and I only separated, due to my developing physical problems, that prevent me from being on my feet at the track all day.
And that's what brings me to HRN. Unwilling to exit the world of horse racing, I am instead embarking on a different role in the sport by way of writing.
My goal here at HRN will be to always provide the audience with articles that they will find both informative and entertaining. Moreover, if you find you would like to learn a little more about a particular horse or past history of the sport, I will do my best to bring that story to you. Follow me on Twitter @coloracefan, and I will see you in the Blogs.
Fred Tunks