Residence: Greenwich, CT
Education: Cornell University (Medical College)
Primary business: Orthopedic surgeon
Dr. Crowe, did your years at Cornell perhaps instill a love of agriculture in you? No, that's not the way it started. My first job, beginning in junior high, was at Bay State Raceway, a Standardbred track in Foxborough, Mass., where Patriots Stadium is now. I was a groom, hot-walker, and exercise rider. I brought the horses to the paddock at night. These were long days. I worked there from late junior high to high school and then college.
Is it much of a stretch from orthopedic surgery to Thoroughbred horses? I personally think orthopedic surgery is a great background for observing static and dynamic conformation in horses. I was looking at a horse with my key advisor, Mike McMahon, and I noted that a knee looked to be in a little valgus. Someone said, "How do you know that?" and I said, "Well, it's my business."
How did you make the move to Thoroughbreds? I was always more intrigued by the Thoroughbreds. Standardbreds have different personalities, and most are more laid back. Thoroughbreds tend to be more high strung. But the way Thoroughbreds run, not trot or pace, but run, intrigued me. In 2003, we started with Joe and Anne McMahon in Saratoga, and bought a mare. We primarily intended to breed and then race some. Joe and Anne introduced us to their son Mike, who has since bought all of our mares.
How many horses do you currently have? Too many.
How did you discover Hidden Brook? After purchasing several mares in New York, we decided to send them to Kentucky to be bred. Mike recommended Hidden Brook. We loved it then and we still love it.
Talk a little about the crossover aspects of the business. We have a very good horse we own in a partnership put together by Mike McMahon and Jamie Hill. They have formed Bourbon Lane Stables, where all the horses have Bourbon in their names. One of ours is Bourbon Courage, who won his first two races and was named a TDN Rising Star. He is not yet a stakes horse, but I am confident he will be. Another of our Bourbon Lane horses is also owned partly by Hidden Brook.
Talk about the social aspects as well. One thing I must say: we have met more fun, nice people in this industry, people with whom we have common interests, than any other endeavor.
What has been your most exciting moment in racing? My wife and I talked about this last night - it's not a stakes horse. The mare we purchased in 2003 produced her first colt, and we decided to keep him. He was just an average New York-bred. We went to Saratoga for the weekend, he was racing, and the purse was substantial for those days. We got there in time for the race, and as it happened, the race came off the turf. He was doing his usual thing, lagging behind, going along, and then he started passing horses! He got to the lead and he looked like, "what am I doing here, in front of all these horses?" The chart described him as "erratic in the stretch." He won easily. We had so much fun. It was as if your firstborn wins.
What advice would you have for others who want to get in the game? Number one, learn as much as you can about the Thoroughbred business. Do your homework, research individuals and farms as well as the horses. And the most important thing of all, you have to seek out the most knowledgeable, honest, professional horsemen, who will listen to you and have your best interests at heart. You also have to listen to them. You may be successful in your field, but you will never know as much as Mike McMahon, as Sergio, as our trainer Tom Bush - who is also a Hidden Brook client - do in their fields.
What magazines are on your nightstand? None on the nightstand, because I don't keep them there, but in my magazine pile are The Journal of Hand Surgery; Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery; Blood-Horse; Thoroughbred Times.
What is the first thing you read in the morning? Emails. Then, online Thoroughbred Times TODAY. That is the way I keep up. I am always up early, and it does not take long to scan these.
What is your favorite sports team? I have two - Patriots and Giants. [Ed note: making this year's Super Bowl a win-win].
What is your favorite place to eat? We have a few. In Saratoga, it's Chianti. At Belmont, it's King Umberto. At Keeneland, The Heirloom in Midway. At home, the Tarry Lodge. You can tell we like to eat.
What's the best advice you ever got from someone? Always do the right thing. Be honest, no matter what you think the outcome may be. I got that from my parents.
Thank you John Crowe, for giving us a few minutes of your time Inside the Winner's Circle.
