|
Inside the WINNER'S CIRCLE
with Jake Ballis
 | | Jake and Rashard at Saratoga with famed basketball coach and fellow horse owner Rick Pitino |
A popular feature of The HIDDEN BROOK TIMES
is a Q&A with some of our valued clients. Jake Ballis, who had a runner in the Kentucky Derby with the first horse he ever owned, has been with Hidden Brook since 2011. In conjunction with his longtime friend, NBA star Rashard Lewis, he races the Hidden Brook-recommended purchase Inny Minnie, a multiple Graded stakes earner of over $180,000. Here are a few of his thoughts on the Thoroughbred industry and life in general.
Born: Houston
Residence: Houston
Family: Single
Age: 32
Education: Business major from University of Houston
Primary business: Energy broker; business manager for Rashard Lewis
Jake, you combine a love of two things most dear to a Kentuckian's heart: basketball and horse racing. Let me tackle roundball first: How's John Wall doing? That's a question for Rashard. Ha! [Ed. Note: As Rashard has recently signed with the Miami Heat, we should ask about Pat Riley. Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat].
Now that that's out of the way...What got you started in the Thoroughbred industry? Watching Groovy, my father's horse, run as a kid is the first thing I remember about horse racing. My friendship with Groovy's rider, Angel Cordero, is what got me involved after college. He has been like family to me, and a great mentor.
How many horses do you currently have? Nine.
You and Rashard race Inny Minnie. Tell us about her, and how you came upon her. Hidden Brook short listed her at the Keeneland 2-year-old sale, and I loved her from the start. I didn't think I would get her because I purchased a Street Sense colt (Cigar Street) earlier in the sale, and I was already pushing my budget. Mike Recio and I waited around to watch her in the ring (she was near the end), and had Rashard and my Dad, John, on the phone during the bidding. She was more than I wanted to spend, and way more than our overall budget, but we took the risk and it has worked out quite well. We were just at Saratoga opening week to watch Inny Minnie in her first work back since March. Her trainer, Michelle Nihei was there, and she worked well, faster than we thought she would off the layoff.
How involved in the business is Rashard? We are very involved with our horses. As I said, we went to Saratoga for a workout, and we even love to go to the barn, and hang out with the horses. Rashard likes horses so much, that for Rashard Jr.'s second birthday earlier this year, he and his wife Giovanni threw a Kentucky Derby-themed party.
What is the first race you can remember watching? 1987 True North. Groovy set the track record (1:07 4/5) and was given the highest Beyer number in history - 134.
Tell us about your own personal most exciting moment in racing. Walking the track with my friends and family with Join in the Dance before the 2009 Kentucky Derby. Rashard is used to 25,000 people screaming for him, but having 150,000 people cheering is a feeling no one can ever describe.
What drew you to Hidden Brook? Mike Recio. I met him at the Tampa Derby before he started at Hidden Brook, and formed a friendship first. We have had several bad experiences with other horseman in the past, and I didn't want to travel down that same road again. Mike introduced me to Hidden Brook, and they have been wonderful to work with. They are honest and very hard working.
How has the Hidden Brook experience, the team, been different for you than any other experience? They will never try to sell you a horse just to sell you a horse, and that is what separates them from other people I have worked with.
What advice would you have for others who want to get in the game? It is very easy to get taken advantage of in this business, so get to know everyone you will work with and start slow.
Favorite racetrack? Saratoga.
Favorite people to celebrate a race with? My family, specifically my brother Reed, because he is very animated, and I love seeing the joy the horses bring to him and my family.
What magazines are on your nightstand? Ipad. No magazines.
What is the first thing you read in the morning? Twitter to catch up on all the news.
Favorite sports team? Football: would be the Texans. College: LSU Tigers (although my brother is a freshman at UK and is on the football team, so I guess I will be rooting for the Wildcats now). Basketball: Miami Heat, now that Rashard is playing for them.
Favorite place to eat and favorite meal? Parent's house. My stepmother's chicken fried steak and rice and gravy. My mother's meatloaf is hard to beat as well.
Favorite quote or credo? If you tell the truth you do not have to remember anything.
Best advice you ever got from someone? It is 100 percent your fault if someone outworks you. Work ethic is entirely on you.
Thank you Jake Ballis, for giving us a few minutes of your time inside the Winner's Circle.
| 
Six colts and 12 fillies by some of the world's premier stallions will be offered through Hidden Brook, agent, at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga yearling sales this August.
