FTBOA Board of Director Candidate biographies

FTBOA Board of Directors Candidate Biographies
NOMINATED BY THE FTBOA BOARD
COURTESY VALERIE DAILEY
VALERIE DAILEY
Valerie Dailey has a long history
serving both the agriculture and business markets in central Florida. She has
a B.S. in Food and Resource Economics and a Masters in Agricultural Operations Management, both from UF. She
led the UF/IFAS College of Agriculture
computer teaching labs and was the IT Director for the
UF/Health Science Center Vice President’s Office. She
also has been the Business Development Director for the
Ocala/Marion County Economic Development Council.
Valerie has been a Florida Licensed Realtor with
Showcase Properties of Central Florida since 2005,
where she specializes in listing and selling commercial
and agricultural equine properties. She is the incoming
president of the Ocala/Marion County Realtor Association. She is also on the board of the College of Agricultural, Life Sciences Alumni Board and the State of
Florida 4-H Foundation Board. Valerie utilizes her agricultural background and leadership positions to protect
the property rights of breeders in Ocala.
Valerie has been a small breeder since 1985 with multiple stakes winners including a Breeder’s Cup qualifier.
Together with husband Hugh and daughter Samantha,
she operates a successful thoroughbred breeding farm.
Valerie is a member of the Ocala/Marion County CEP,
and has belonged to the FTBOA for 13 years. ■
BRENT FERNUNG
Involved in the Florida thoroughbred industry over
30 years, Brent Fernung and his wife Crystal own and
operate Journeyman Stud, which was home to Florida’s
18 THE FLORIDA HORSE • SEPTEMBER 2016
leading sire Wildcat Heir. Fernung’s
career began at Lasater Farm during
it’s heyday in the late 1970’s through
1984. Fernung also served as Franks
Farm/Southland Division farm manager and Cloverleaf Farm General
Manager. In 1989, the Fernungs established Journeyman Bloodstock
Services. Fernung purchased Eileen’s Moment (dam of
Lil E. Tee) just months before he won the 1992 Kentucky Derby.
As an agent, Fernung purchased I’ll Get Along and
her weanling that would become 2004 Kentucky Derby
and Preakness winner Smarty Jones. In 2004, Fernung,
as agent, sold I’ll Get Along for $5 million, the highest
priced broodmare at public auction that year. In 2006,
Fernung, as agent, purchased Congrats as a stallion
prospect for Cloverleaf Farms. Congrats went on to be
the leading first crop sire in North America in 2010.
Fernung is on the board of Ocala Breeders’ Sales
Company, immediate past FTBOA First Vice President
and racing committee chair and currently a racing committee member. He was named the 2004 Florida Farm
Manager of the Year. ■
GEORGE ISAACS
Current FTBOA Board Member,
George Isaacs grew up with livestock on his grandparents’ Kentucky
farms. He started as a groom (Stanley Petter’s Hurricane Hall). In
1981, Isaacs worked for Joe Taylor
at John Gaines’ Gainesway Farm as
a stallion groom, assistant stallion manager and yearling manager. In 1989, Isaacs became stallion manager at Arthur Appleton’s Bridlewood Farm in Ocala.
In 1992, he was general manager for Allen Paulson’s
Brookside South Farm. In 1996, Isaacs returned to
Bridlewood as general manager, overseeing the farm’s
operation ever since.
During that time, well over 100 Florida-bred stakes
winners and 12 Grade 1 winners have been bred by the
farm, including Florida Champions Jolie’s Halo, Wild
Event, Forbidden Apple, Southern Image, David Junior
and Eden’s Moon. Isaacs helped manage the career of
Kentucky Derby/Preakness winner Smarty Jones for
Roy & Pat Chapman. Leading Florida Stallions Skip
SERITA HULT PHOTO
For 2016, there are five Director vacancies
on the FTBOA Board to be filled, for three-year terms running until October 2019. Pursuant to the Association’s Bylaws, the current Board of Directors nominated the
following five candidates: (1) Valerie Dailey; (2) Brent
Fernung; (3) George Isaacs; (4) Milan Kosanovich; and
(5) Phil Matthews. Each candidate agreed to run and serve
as an FTBOA Director. The FTBOA Bylaws also allow a
candidate to self-nominate by circulating a petition and
obtaining 25 member signatures, and four such petitions
were filed: (1) Joe Barbazon; (2) Alfredo Lichoa; (3)
Teresa Castro Palmer and (4) Gordon Reiss.
FTBOA Board of Directors Candidate Biographies continued
SERITA HULT PHOTO
MILAN KOSANOVICH
A retired Pennsylvania steel executive, current board member Kosanovich
got involved with thoroughbreds 30
years ago purchasing his first broodmare as a graduate school business
project. Kosanovich owns a 40-acre
farm in Ocala and eight mares.
A highlight came in 2009 when broodmare, Go
Donna Go produced Grade 1 performers, Macho Again,
winner of over $1.8 million, and Be Fair. That year, his
Florida-breds won over $1.6 million, comprised of 16
starters with 18 wins, 27 seconds and 21 thirds (four
stakes winners). His success led him to be honored with
the FTBOA Needles Award, bestowed annually to outstanding small breeding operations.
Macho Again won the Jim Dandy (G2) and New Orleans (G2) and placed in the Whitney (G1) and Woodward (G1). Daughter of former Florida stallion Exchange
Rate, Be Fair won the Lake George (G3). His 2009 stakes
winners included Pray for Action and Izzy Rules. His
other stakes winners include Kays and Jays, a 3-year-old
filly by Macho Uno, Darley OBS Sprint winner Praying
for Cash, and Its True Love.
Kosanovich has experience serving on nearly a dozen
corporate and charity boards and the FTBOA governance
and audit committees. He holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. ■
FILER PHOTO
PHIL MATTHEWS
Immediate past FTBOA Board
president, Dr. Phil Matthews has been
a practicing equine veterinarian in
Marion County for more than 30
years, coming to Ocala in 1981 as an
associate veterinarian at Peterson and
Smith Equine Hospital. He became a
partner in that practice in 1984 and his veterinary affiliations include the American Veterinary Medical Asso-
ciation (AVMA) and the American Association of
Equine Practitioner (AAEP). He has served on several
committees for the AAEP and is a past member of the
board of directors.
Dr. Matthews has been a speaker and instructor at
various veterinary venues around the country and internationally. Dr. Matthews has also been involved in the
thoroughbred industry in several other capacities having
purchased his first thoroughbred in 1983.
As the owner of Cedar Grove Farm in Ocala, and a
Florida thoroughbred breeder, Matthews has had the good
fortune of raising several stakes winners, including recent
Pegasus Stakes winner Mr. Jordan and has been involved
in all facets of the industry including sales and racing.
Matthews served on the FTBOA board for six years
previously and was on the Executive, Governance and
Marketing/Communications committees. He has remained active in the Association currently serving on the
Racing Committee. ■
SELF-NOMINATED BY PETITION
JOE BARBAZON
Joseph is a native of Louisiana, and
a second generation horseman. In
1970, while visiting some of the beautiful farms in Ocala, Joe realized that
this was where he wanted to be. After
ten years of working at Grosse Point
Stud Farm, Joe moved to Irish Acres
Farm where he met his wife, Helen. They were married
in 1983; both started Pleasant Acres Farm located on
Shady Road with only ten acres. Under their guidance
Pleasant Acres Farm grew to a 300 acre full service
equine facility now located in Morriston.
Pleasant Acres now has five barns, twenty five paddocks and offers boarding, foaling, layups and sales prep.
The farm boards approximately 150 horses owned by
various clients. Joe and Helen own forty horses of their
DIMARCO PHOTO
Trial, Stormy Atlantic, Halo’s Image, Put It Back and
Big Drama all have stood at Bridlewood.
Isaacs plans to continue to produce Florida-bred winners with new farm ownership. “ The industry has been
very good to me. I would like to give back to Florida by
having a small part in ensuring the next generation’s future legacy.” ■
• Voting is open to FTBOA regular members in good standing
• Ballots distributed Sept. 20
• By mail, the ballots are due by 5 p.m. on October 19 to the
mailing address in the voting packet
In
• person, the ballots are due by 1 p.m. on October 20 prior to
Be sure to vote!
the start of the annual meeting
THE FLORIDA HORSE • SEPTEMBER 2016 19
FTBOA Board of Directors Candidate Biographies continued
own consisting of broodmares, weanlings and yearlings.
They have raised many stakes winners including Presious Passion, the 2008 Florida Turf Champion and they
are the recipients of the 2008 FTBOA Needles Award.
Joe and Helen have two sons.
In 2014, Joe and Helen Barbazon decided to bring
some exciting new stallions to Florida. Pleasant Acres
Stallions now features some of the finest pedigrees in the
thoroughbred industry. ■
SHERIDAN PHOTO
ALFREDO LICHOA
Alfredo Lichoa moved to Ocala in
2001, to work at Franks Farm, managing 200 broodmares as a resident veterinarian (private).
Other duties
included developing and managing the
stallions Lost Soldier, Premiership, Eskimo, Lucky North and Kissin Kris. In
2005, Alfredo went to work as the Stallion Manager at
Hartley DeRenzo Thoroughbreds and helped develop future leading Florida Sire With Distinction. In 2010, Alfredo moved into the General Manager position at Nelson
Jones Training Center developing Northwest Stud as a
breeding, racing and pin hooking operation. Horses sold in
their first consignment offerings included, Carpe Diem a
dual grade 1 winner and co - 2 year old $1,600,000 sales
topper, Zulu, grade 1 placed and Constellation, graded
stakes place, among others. Young Florida stallions developed include Gone Astray, a leading 2016 second crop sire.
Alfredo has shown a passion for thoroughbreds since his
childhood in his home country (Venezuela). He has been
involved in all the aspects of the thoroughbred industry,
breeding, racing, buying and selling horses at all levels. Alfredo was named 2012 Horse Farm Manager of the Year for
the Florida’s Farm Managers. He is married to Elisa and
they have two daughters. ■
TERESA CASTRO PALMER
Teresa Castro Palmer is a current
thoroughbred racehorse owner, breeder
and managing partner in Winner’s Circle Thoroughbreds LLC, a Florida
based business that manages all aspects
of the thoroughbred industry. Teresa,
along with her husband, David, own
Winner’s Circle, a 125 acre thoroughbred breeding and
training facility in Ocala, Florida. Teresa was first intro20 THE FLORIDA HORSE • SEPTEMBER 2016
duced to thoroughbred racing by her husband David in
1979. Teresa became a racehorse owner when she and
David purchased a yearling El Prado colt at OBS in 1998.
They named their yearling purchased, Mr. Livingston, who
would go on to become a seven time stakes winner of
$429,000 including the Palm Beach Stakes Gr. 3.
Teresa served six years on the FHBPA Board of Directors, where she took an active role in improving the
challenges facing the industry by working with owners, breeders and trainers both locally and nationally.
Teresa believes that thoroughbred racing in Florida
should be among the best in the nation and continues
to work diligently towards that goal. This year Teresa
hosted and sponsored an FHPBA decoupling meeting
in Ocala as well as attending Senate and House decoupling committee meetings during this past year’s
legislative session. ■
GORDON REISS
Gordon owns and operates Gordon
Reiss Insurance LLC, a full service
equine related insurance agency serving horsemen throughout Florida for
the past twenty years. Reiss moved to
Ocala in 1985 after graduating from
the University of South Florida. He
opened Reiss and Associates Advertising, an Addy Award
winning equine advertising agency.
In 1988, Reiss became General Manager for Warnerton Farm, quickly helped acquire Meadowlake and Stalwart for stallion duties. Meadowlake became a leading
juvenile sire producing Eclipse Award Champion two
year old Meadow Star ($1,445,740). In 1995, Reiss was
appointed a property casualty agent for Mike Powell Insurance. Three years later he opened Gordon Reiss Insurance LLC, offering a full range of equine farm
property, liability and mortality coverage's.
Reiss currently serves on the board of the Florida
Farm Managers, and Farm Outreach Advisory Board for
the University of Florida through Marion County Ag
Extension Services. He is an outspoken opponent
against decoupling. On May 19th, 2016, Reiss sponsored a well-attended FHBPA Q&A inviting local horsemen to meet President Bill White, newly appointed
Executive Director Glen Berman, and key lobbyist Herb
Sheheane to discuss and strategize decoupling of thoroughbred racing in the state of Florida. ■