Carbone Enters Southwest With a Flurry
Coincidence, irony, or an omen? Staton Flurry just termed it humorous.
Flurry, in late January, shut on a deal to purchase a minority interest in unbeaten Carbone, who is scheduled to make his stakes debut in the 1 1/16-mile Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-yr-olds Feb. 3 at Oaklawn Park. Saturday’s race is worthy of $800,000.
But Flurry, a Very hot Springs, Ark., native and Oaklawn’s foremost proprietor so much this period, was tethered to a further Carbone prolonged prior to the equine edition, a son of Eclipse Award winner Mitole , manufactured his racing debut last slide for Texan William Heiligbrodt and wife Corinne, the colt’s breeders and first sole homeowners, and Hall of Fame coach Steve Asmussen.
For about 7 years, Flurry and Steve Carbone (pronounced Motor vehicle-bo-knee) have been partners in Trifecta Motorsports, a grime midget automobile racing staff based mostly in Tulsa, Okla. The Oaklawn-primarily based horse Flurry now co-owns is Vehicle-bone.
“I wouldn’t say it was additional of a joke, but the rationale I kept up with the horse was humorous simply because of possessing some friends with the final name Carbone that is spelled the identical way,” Flurry mentioned. “I kept up with the horse, at first, for the reason that of Steve’s very last identify and I’d continue to keep them up-to-date like, ‘Hey, y’all’s horse is jogging. Y’all’s horse is functioning.’ They considered it was so neat. Equally instances it ran, it received. I sort of stored my eye on it. I instructed them from the get-go, like, this horse is the actual offer.”
Staton Flurry
Carbone—the horse—has gained his two starts by a put together 12 front-managing lengths. He captured his Nov. 19 debut at Churchill Downs by 8 lengths and easily handed his initial take a look at about two turns in an entry-amount allowance Dec. 31, Oaklawn’s next card in historical past solely for 2-year-olds.
Flurry said he went from observer to proprietor right after 1 of his promising young prospective clients experienced a actual physical setback. Immediately shifting gears, Flurry discovered a alternative motor vehicle, er, horse, in Carbone.
“When he ran on New Year’s Eve, I went around to look at it,” Flurry said. “Took a picture and despatched it to Steve and that complete race car or truck team. Then, the horse goes off and wins impressively here going a mile. I’m going for walks back to the parking large amount and Steve Asmussen’s walking to the winner’s circle. I stated, ‘Man, that horse seemed good.’ Steve claimed, ‘Yeah, that horse is pretty great.’ I just manufactured the comment: ‘Hey, do you imagine they would want to offer a piece of it?'”
Flurry reported Asmussen quickly texted him William Heiligbrodt’s cellphone quantity. Flurry reported he then despatched Heiligbrodt a congratulatory textual content and questioned if he would be intrigued in marketing an desire in Carbone. Flurry explained Heiligbrodt to begin with was not sure and desired to talk about it with his wife and Asmussen, Oaklawn’s all-time primary trainer.
Flurry said Heiligbrodt named back again about two months afterwards and was open up to a likely deal.
“We talked for a few or four minutes, and we arrived up with a quantity we equally assumed was really good,” Flurry stated. “We run in my silks below at Oaklawn and his almost everywhere else. He claimed, ‘Let me discuss to the wife.’ He called me back about a few minutes later and mentioned, ‘We’ve obtained a deal.’ We did all the vetting things, and I think the invoice of sale received signed last Tuesday.”
Flurry claimed he has hardly ever fulfilled Heiligbrodt, amid the most thriving house owners in Oaklawn historical past, but thrilled to partner with him for the initial time for the reason that of Carbone’s upside.
Carbone is from the to start with crop of millionaire various Oaklawn stakes winner Mitole, the country’s champion male sprinter of 2019. The Spendthrift Farm stallion, who the Heiligbrodts and Asmussen raced, was North America’s foremost initially-crop sire of 2023 with $2,624,858 in progeny earnings.
“It type of arrived collectively pretty speedy,” Flurry mentioned of the deal. “I am psyched to see what he can do mainly because I believe the horse has an enormous amount of expertise.”
Carbone is 9-2 on the morning line for the Southwest, Oaklawn’s second of 4 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying races.
Flurry, 33, has 9 victories as a sole operator this year at Oaklawn. Flurry is most effective identified for campaigning, in partnership, 2020 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Shedaresthedevil with Brad Cox, who has trained the owner’s most prominent horses.
This press launch has been edited for articles and model by BloodHorse Employees.
