TESTIMONIALS
FORGING CHAMPIONS
TESTIMONIALS
Highlander Training Center
Note: Trainer photos by Coady Media
D. Wayne Lukas
Hall of Fame Trainer
With nearly $300 million in earnings, D. Wayne Lukas indisputably ranks among the greatest and most successful trainers in the history of the sport. He has trained 25 champions and has won 15 Triple Crown races, as well as 20 Breeders’ Cup Championship races. Along the way he won five Eclipse Awards as the nation’s outstanding trainer.
At the conclusion of his juvenile campaign, Seize the Grey was given some time and sent to the Highlander Training Center to prepare for his 3-year-old campaign. He returned in February and began his season with a victory at Oaklawn Park. He went on to win the Pat Day Mile, the Pennsylvania Derby and, of course, the Preakness Stakes, establishing himself as one of the standouts of his generation. Lukas has this to say about Highlander:
“Seize the Grey came to me in excellent condition and was ready to do everything we asked of him. They did a wonderful job (at Highlander) with him.”
Tom Amoss
Trainer
One of the nation’s most prominent and successful trainers for three decades while winning with more than 25 percent of all his starters, Tom Amoss has saddled more than 4,150 winners in his career, including such major stakes performers as Heritage of Gold, Mylute, Delaunay, Hoosier Philly, Lone Sailor and, of course, Serengeti Empress, who won five graded stakes, including the Grade I Kentucky Oaks, and earned $2,175,653. About the Highlander Training Center, Amoss has this to say:
“I was introduced to the Highlander Training Center in the spring of 2023 and was so impressed that we sent our yearlings there the following fall. Highlander offers a superior racing surface and a wide variety of the latest therapeutic equipment. More importantly, Highlander has a knowledgeable staff. These are true horsemen and horsewomen that take pride in their work.
“Less then an hour from the Dallas airport, Highlander is the gold standard of training facilities, and when horses come to the race track from there, they have been prepared to be the best they can be, in a seamless fashion.”
Bret Calhoun
Trainer
For years one of the most successful horsemen in the region, Bret Calhoun has trained two Breeders’ Cup Championship winners, Chamberlain Bridge and Dubai Majesty, as well as a Louisiana Derby winner, By My Standards, and many other stakes winners, such as the millionaires Mr. Wireless and Mr. Money. A winner of 3,700 races and $110 million in earnings, Calhoun has this to say about the Highlander Training Center:
“It’s state-of-the-art….. I’ve been working with that group of people for a while, and they always do a good job.
“The horses come to us in good condition. They’re sound, healthy and well-educated. They’re physically and mentally ready. And that’s exactly what we’re looking for this on this end.”
Jeremiah Englehart
Trainer
Based in New York, Jeremiah Englehart has sent out horses to win more than $47 million in his career, including Ria Antonia to win the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies event. He also has guided the careers of such graded stakes winners as King Kreesa and Pat On the Back. Englehart says this about Highlander:
“After visiting Highlander Training Center, it was easy to figure out why I should send horses there: first-class facilities, with all the bells and whistles, and a top-notch staff. Great communication with Jeff (Hooper) and his staff made it easy to follow where my horses were with their layup and training. Larry (Hirsch) and the team have cut no corners on the facilities…. The first thing I said to Jeff is, ‘My horses may never want to leave.’ Grade-one care from every individual at the farm.”
Jayde “J.J.” Gelner
Trainer
A third-generation horseman, “J.J.” Gelner went out on his own in 2022, and already he has trained three multiple stakes winners — Ghost Hero, Wholelottamo and Strong Promise — as well as Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity winner Divining Humor. He says this about Highlander:
“It’s a state-of-the art facility with attention to every detail. They do everything right by the horse and have an amazing team put together in order to get the best results…. When I receive my horses back from Highlander’s breaking program, I know they’ll be ready and properly prepared to begin my regular training program. ”
Brendan Walsh
Trainer
Internationally successful, Brendan Walsh has trained several major stakes winners, including Plus Que Parfait, Maxfield, Santin and Pretty Mischievous, the 2023 Kentucky Oaks winner and champion 3-year-old filly. Here’s Walsh on the Highlander Training Center and its graduates:
“They’re doing a fantastic job there. They do things right. Their horses are as good as horses can possibly be coming to the track.”
Mike Stidham
Trainer
In 2021, Mike Stidham and Mystic Guide travelled about 7,000 miles to win one of the world’s richest and most prestigious races, the Dubai World Cup. Having won more than 2,300 races and more than $84 million in purses, Stidham has trained 20 graded stakes winners, including Two Altazano, Synchrony, Princess Grace and Willcox Inn.
“Over the years of managing a large stable, we have received horses from numerous training centers across the country,” Stidham says, “from Florida to Kentucky, around the Midwest and along the East Coast. The best way to compare them is: What is the condition of the horses when they arrive and is what I’m told by the training center accurate when it comes to their level of preparedness. Highlander Training Center gets extremely high marks in both of these categories.
“Highlander does an exceptional job of preparing the horses and communicating clearly and directly about each individual horse. The horses from Highlander Training Center are really mentally and physically prepared to come to the racetrack and move forward with their racing careers. Furthermore, Highlander’s level of communication and transparency is as good as it gets.”
Joe Sharp
Trainer
In nearly a decade of training, Joe Sharp’s horses have amassed more than $43 million in earnings. He has conditioned such graded stakes winners as Fast Boat, Summer in Saratoga, Money Supply and Girvin, who captured the 2017 Louisiana Derby and Haskell Invitational. He says:
“Highlander … does an exceptional job evaluating and preparing each horse as an individual, based on their needs. This is then communicated to the trainers… which makes for a smooth transition to the racetrack.”
Al Stall, Jr.
Trainer
A fixture in Kentucky, Louisiana and New York racing, Al Stall, Jr., has won more than 1,800 races while guiding the careers of five millionaires — Departing ($1,868,399), Tom’s d’Etat ($1,762,272), Star Guitar ($1,749,862), Dalika ($1,448,636) and, of course, Blame ($4,368,214), the winner of the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic and the season’s champion older male. Describing Highlander as a “beautiful place with everything a horse might need,” Stall has this to add:
“Whether it’s a young horse or a lay-up, the horses from Highlander always come to the track in great condition. The babies have good habits and are nice to deal with, and the lay-ups carry proper weight combined with a fresh attitude. I just go right on with them upon their arrival.”