A little bit about us… Shelly grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and moved to Florida in 2011… Russ grew up in a small town outside of Cooperstown and spent his work life in NJ… one of the most memorable moments of his life was seeing “Welcome to NJ” in his rear view mirror.We were married 8 years ago in Naples, FL and we still call Naples home for 6 months and a day. We previously spent our summers at our northern lake home on Lake Wallenpaupack in NEPA. During the summer of 2018, we booked a weekend getaway at a bed & breakfast on Union Ave in Saratoga Springs. We quickly discovered how special Saratoga was on that very first visit… several annual trips followed & in 2021 we purchased a home that was under construction in Oak Ridge.We are excited to call Saratoga our home for 6 months minus one day since May of 2022.We adore our family & between us have 4 kids, 7 grandkids (ages 26 to 1 year & another granddaughter arriving in June).
When did your interest in racing come about?Russ has the more extensive racing background having owned trotters around the time Meadowlands opened many years ago.Best moment as an owner?Definitely has to be our first win with our first horse, Mariah’s Fortune, that we claimed the 2nd week of the Saratoga meet right after we moved in.
Favorite horse & why?This links to our best moment… Mariah’s Fortune.After we arrived in Saratoga in 2022, we met Nancy & Ron Solevo, who so kindly introduced us to several people in the horse racing world, including Matt Cutair & Rudy Rodriguez. (We can never thank Nancy & Ron enough for those introductions!)Back to Mariah’s Fortune… Rudy Rodriguez claimed Mariah for us for 25k… it was a 19 way shake & we won! We had no idea of how lucky that was at the time. Not having a clue of what we were doing, we gave Rudy free rein over Mariah… he raised her up to race her back in 4 weeks & she was ML 20-1. Russ was not happy… wondering what was Rudy doing. Fast forward to the race… she goes off 16-1 and she wins! Easily! What a thrill! She was claimed away from us about 6 months later & is still racing. Shelly is still mourning losing her!What race would you like to win as an owner?Any Grade 1!Favorite track?Saratoga of course. It feels like home.
Key wagering strategy?Shelly: hmmm… great name, fabulous silks, gut instinct… so basically, no strategy.Russ:Don’t bet tipsToughest aspect of owning horses?Illness, Injury, Loss.Sadly we have lost 2 of the incredible athletes we were partners in. There is nothing worse than that phone call notifying you that a horse has died. Your heart just breaks in 2.Favorite restaurant in Saratoga?Hands down Solevo’s… you will find us having dinner at the bar every Wednesday… we love the food, ambiance, staff & meet the nicest people every week!We also enjoy the Patio at 15 Church.3 dinner guests from racing (any era)?Shelly: Colonel Matt Winn, Mary Lou Whitney, Diane CrumpRuss: Any takers? Dinner on Russ.
