Scotty Schulhofer

[blackthroatedwind]

Just read on another board that he passed away today.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/81279.html


He trained a lot of very good horses.

[KirisClown]

Thats pretty sad....

I was just looking at Colonial Affair's PPs the other day... probably would have won the BC that year had he not gotten hurt.

[blackthroatedwind]

Thats pretty sad....

I was just looking at Colonial Affair's PPs the other day... probably would have won the BC that year had he not gotten hurt.

I totally agree.

I remember I was at Keeneland early that October and I ran into Randy, Scotty's son, and said pretty much the same thing to him. Then he told me he had broken down that morning.

[Hickory Hill Hoff]

Just read on another board that he passed away today.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/81279.html


He trained a lot of very good horses.

Sad news, he was one of the trainers that I grew up with when first following this sport in the late 80's. He'll be missed. :(

[Byebyemermaid]

Veteran trainer Scotty Schulhoffer lost his battle to cancer yesterday at the age of 80.A staple here in NY for many years won the Belmont Stakes 2 times.Once with Colonial Affair with Julie Krone aboard making her the only female jockey ever to win a triple crown race,and with Lemon Drop Kid.If memory serves me correct he was also the trainer of Dr. Carter and i'm not sure anymore Manila.R.I.P. Scotty.

[Kasept]

I haven't had an opportunity to write anything here until now, but I hope some heard my recollections on Friday's ATRAB, of this great trainer and sweet, warm individual.

Scotty Schulhofer was the top guy to me when I first started playing horses and going to the track regularly. When I would see "Flint Schulhofer" as trainer listed in the PP's, I would always take note and give extra consideration to his entrants. I loved Mrs. Vance's Lemon Drop Kid, and it turned out he would be Scotty's last "big horse".

Steve Haskin tells the story of how Schulhofer was working as assitant to John Nerud on November 1, 1969 when Ta Wee was entered in the Vosburgh. Nerud told Scotty to go and saddle her as she was running in his name. Nerud "forced" a re-start of Schulhofer's training career, (he had briefly been on his own earlier in the 60's), and he almost never looked back.

The best benefit of the good fortune delivered to me this year as a racing correspondant has been the chance to meet and get to know people like Scotty Schulhofer. And I said "almost" above because of the story Schulhofer told me this past winter when I sat with him and his wife Stephanie at one of Bill Hirsch's Horseman's Dinners in Florida. After opening his stable to the public when his exclusive training for Tartan ended in the 70's, Schulhofer struggled. He and Stephanie explained that they had recently had son Randy, and that the money was just not coming in. They were in Florida for the winter of 1978, and Scotty said that if things didn't turn around, he and the family were going to have to pack it in and return to his native South Carolina.

Enter Dr. Torsney and 'Mac Diarmida'... Schulhofer had saddled the allergist's colt to unsuccessful starts on the dirt at Belmont and Hialeah, and finally moved the son of Tartan sire Minnesota Mac to the lawn. The rest, as they say, is history. Starting with his maiden win February 1, 1978, Mac Diarmida ripped off 10 straight grass victories under Jean Cruget, including the Long Branch (Gr. III), Leonard Richards (Gr. III), Lexington (Gr. II, by a head over an unknown John Henry), Secretariat (Gr. II) and Lawrence Realization (Gr. II), before being beaten by Waya in the Man o'War (Gr. I) in his first try versus older horses. He came back to end his three year old campaign with wins in the Gr. I Canadian and D.C. Internationals and was the easy choice as Champion Grass Horse of 1978.

Mac Diarmida kicked a tack box in January 1979 while preparing for his 4 year old season, injured a tendon and had to be retired. Though his career as a sire at Cashel Stud, (the farm where he was bred, stood, pensioned and is buried), was largely undistinguished, he will always be remembered as the horse that kept Scotty Schulhofer in the thoroughbred game as a trainer. Mac Diarmida helped launch Schulhofer into a two decade long skein of success that included management of 5 more champions, 2 Belmont winners (Lemon Drop Kid, Colonial Affair), 2 Breeders' Cup winners (Smile, Fly So Free) and dozens of important stakes scores in Florida, New Jersey and New York.

More than anything else, Schulholfer will be remembered as a kind, gentle, quiet and humble man who prefered to let his accomplishments speak for him. It only took 2 hours of hearing him credit others for his success for me to understand what kind of special individual Scotty Schulhofer was, how much he will be missed by anyone who had the opportunity to be close to him, and how much racing could use more like him now.

[SteveHaskin]

Scotty was indeed a wonderful person, and always media friendly. His help stayed with him for a long time, because of the great work atmosphere he provided. He learned from Nerud, and always subscribed to Nerud's training method of breezing all horses a half in about :50. That was the advice Ben Jones gave Nerud, and he passed it on to Scotty when he named him as trainer of Ta Wee for the Fall Highweight Handicap. Jones had told a young Nerud: "Breeze 'em a half in :50 and they'll win in spite of you."

One of my favorite Scotty stories happened right before the 1999 Travers. As Lemon Drop Kid was being washed down one morning a few days before the race, Scotty happened to look down and noticed something that surprised him. Lemon Drop Kid was a listed ridgling, but when Scotty looked under the horse, lo and behold, the horse was a ridgling no longer. "Damn, he's got two," Scotty said.

Lemon Drop Kid, literally overnight, had become a full-fledged horse and he was feeling the part. He started giving his hotwalker a rough time being walked around the shed. When Scotty came over to lend a hand, Lemon Drop Kid decided to get the trainer's attention. As soon as Scotty grabbed hold of him, Lemon Drop Kid swung his head around, wheeled, and put Scotty right on the seat of his pants. Scotty landed on his shoulder and rolled completely over. With a smile on his face, he got up, dusted himself off, and headed home to change clothes. He knew Lemon Drop Kid was ready to kick some butt, and the next day, the "colt" went out and won the Travers.

[blackthroatedwind]

Lemme guess.....the Haskin post was a Hannukah gift to Byk?

[blackthroatedwind]

Veteran trainer Scotty Schulhoffer lost his battle to cancer yesterday at the age of 80.A staple here in NY for many years won the Belmont Stakes 2 times.Once with Colonial Affair with Julie Krone aboard making her the only female jockey ever to win a triple crown race,and with Lemon Drop Kid.If memory serves me correct he was also the trainer of Dr. Carter and i'm not sure anymore Manila.R.I.P. Scotty.


Manila was trained by Leroy Jolley and I think John Veitch trained Dr. Carter.

Scotty trained a zillion good horses over the years. Cryptoclearance was one of my favorites. Mac Diarmida, who was previously mentioned, was a champ when that meant something. He defeated truly good horses like Majestic Light and Johnny D when winning those once great races, ruined by the BC, in the Fall of 1978.

[paisjpq]

Lemme guess.....the Haskin post was a Hannukah gift to Byk?
you're awful...you know that right? LOL

[Kasept]

I linked to my rememberance of Schulhofer (above) today, and thought it would be nice if the thread popped up again too on the day they run the Mac Diarmida... Andy Serling's and Steve Haskin's thoughts above as well.