ALPHA BETTOR NAMED 2013 CHAMPION OLDER MALE AT SOVEREIGN AWARDS 

Alpha Bettor and his superb performance in 2013 helped earn him the title of Canada's Champion Older Male at the 2013 Sovereign Awards at Woodbine. 

"He's just a lovely horse, and he's done better every year," said trainer and co-owner Danny Vella. "He was bought reasonably, and he's just a top working-man's horse." 

"Well, we'd like to duplicate last year," he said. "There's a pretty good program for him up here on the poly track, and he'll start his campaign within the next few weeks, probably. We'll just pretty much stick to what we did last year. It seemed to work. It's tough racing here [in Canada], but he belongs with better horses here, and hopefully we can have another good year."

RACING PARTNERSHIP PURCHASE 

WINNERS IN APRIL 

Purely Hot

Consigned by Hidden Brook during the November 2013 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November sale where she sold for $225,000, Purely Hot earned her first graded stakes win with a victory in the G3 Whimsical Stakes at Woodbine. 

She has now earned $409,525 in twenty-nine career starts, and her win at the Whimsical Stakes makes her Hidden Brook's 5th graded stakes winner of 2014.

Pleasant Cat, consigned by Hidden Brook at Keeneland in September of 2011, brought her 2014 record to two-for-two after winning an allowance race on April 5th.

Following a decisive win at Gulfstream on February 8th, Pleasant Cat came into her April start at 15-1 odds, and after a sustained back-and-forth battle, beat out the favorites and everyone else for the $36,000 first-place prize.  

Chris Swann   * Born in Lexington, KY.   * Raised about a mile away from Keeneland   * Has a wife and two kids (one boy, one girl).  * Wife has an aesthetic medical practice. * Daughter is an accomplished equestrian. * Son loves the outdoors and rock climbing. * Is in the insurance business. He does risk    management and loss prevention.

So, you lived a mile away from Keeneland?

When did you first become interested in horse racing?

What is your own personal most exciting moment in racing so far?

What's the most difficult thing about the horse business? 

There's so many risks in it. When you got a horse that can't run to its potential and gets injured, that's really tough to deal with. Or just a crooked foal.

What are some of your favorite things about the horse business?

Just the passion and the exhilaration of what the Brits would call a little bit of a "flutter", when your heart flutters at the top of the stretch, when your heart flutters at an auction. You know, when you're getting the best money you can for a horse and all the right stars align. Those are my two favorite things. There's action, you know, I like action, I like racing, and it sort of sums it all up with a crescendo being the race and the auction. You know within a minute and a half or two minutes whether or not you've won the race, and within five minutes you know whether you hit the ball out of the park with an auction. 

What are some of your plans in the next few months? 

I've got the two fillies I own with Hidden Brook on the track, which I hope obviously will do well. I'm looking forward to the New York-bred, because the money is so good up there. Contrary to what some people are doing because the breeding season is over, I'll probably claim a few mares. I've got a stakes winning daughter on the track right now that I claimed, and she's doing real well. I have another horse I own with [Hidden Brook] named It'snosmallwonder, and I own 50% of her. The reason we claimed her was Bryan Cross. I value Bryan. He's a hell of a horseman. He's the one who brought me to Hidden Brook, he's a sharp guy, and he's done a number of good things for me, and we've made some money. 

Why do you prefer working with fillies?

What is your favorite Racetrack to visit?

My favorite, by far, is Churchill. My three favorite are Arlington, Churchill, and Delmar. 

Favorite horse of all time?

I loved Unbridled, because I was there along the road with him with Carl Nafzger, and he went on to be a super successful breed-changing stallion. I was there when Jack Murphy had Formal Gold, who was the most talented horse I'd ever seen. The best horse I probably ever saw run was Cigar, in my lifetime. And recent, Wise Dan, you can't argue with how good he is. Like I said, I like to see them go on to be a successful stallion and a breed-changer like Unbridled did. That's probably the most successful horse that would be my favorite, because that sort of got me really hooked on it, when Carl won the Derby. 

Favorite Sports and Teams? 

Obviously college basketball, the Wildcats. Lifelong season ticket holder. Fanatic. Not as fanatic as my brother, but still a fanatic. That's my top team. Football-wise, I have a client that always takes me to the Packers. I've been able to take my kids there, and the 49'ers-that's my wife's hometown, San Francisco. 

Advice for someone who wants to break into the horse business?

My advice would be to participate in a partnership like Hidden Brook has put together, and take a small percentage of a number of different horses. Instead of buying one horse, buy 12.5% of eight horses, you know? And just take good advice from good people. That's how I would advise people to do it. It's more of a passion, and you have to be passionate to play this game. You just have to enjoy this, and for a new guy I would go into the business like that slowly, because that's the best way you're going to enjoy it, by not risking too much, being around people that are knowledgeable like Hidden Brook, the social atmosphere, and understanding that the bills keep coming [Laughing]. 

Thank you, Chris Swann, for giving up a few minutes of your time Inside the Winner's Circle.