Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Another Down Under Success Story

March 7, 2006

Thirty years ago, Australian-born trainer Ross Croghan landed in the United States with the hopes of making a good living in the harness racing business. One thousand victories and $18 million in earnings later, he is still going strong. Croghan has been a nightly presence at the Meadowlands for the past decade and now ranks third in all-time Big M earnings [$14 million] and fourth in victories [over 650].

He won back-to-back Meadowlands training titles in 1999 and 2000 and among the records he holds is that of most starters in one meet [717 in 1999]. Nationally, he sent out 1,061 horses that year. By comparison, he sent out 656 starters in 2005. While he is starting fewer horses, Croghan is still posting an impressive "batting" average. From January 1 through March 8, 2006, he has sent out 25 winners at the Meadowlands and his horses have finished on-the-board in an impressive 51 of 95 starts.

"If I've scaled down, it is just in the amount of overnight horses I put out on the track each week," he said. "We have quite a few horses in winter training in Florida, and I'm down there quite a bit. It's really hard to run a large number of horses when you're not around.
We've gotten into a comfortable little routine. We run 30-odd here and 25 to 30 in Florida throughout the winter. We just try to keep the numbers comfortable. I'm getting a little bit old to be working 18 hours a day."

Croghan immigrated to the United States in 1976, the year the Meadowlands opened its doors, and settled in California. He raced on the West Coast for 17 years, winning nine driving titles, before moving to New Jersey in 1993.

"In '76, the racing in Los Angeles at the time was very good," he said. "Hollywood Park was racing, the purse structure was fabulous. It was the obvious first stop for anybody coming to the States, so that's where I got rolling."

He heads a list of Southern Hemisphere conditioners who have made an indelible impression on American racing, including New Zealanders Brett Pelling, Mark Harder and Chris Ryder and fellow Aussie Noel Daley.

"I think you get a very good agricultural background in Australia but more so, like when I came here in '76, I was quite taken by the quality of horses in this country," he noted. "When you're interested in horse racing, it is something you want to experience, so I think you get the real lovers of the game that find their way here. I think the ones that come here to be successful endeavor to do so. What's the difference between racing in the United States versus Australia is that if you're successful here, you get paid, and down there, it's a labor of love."

Pelling, the sport's all-time leading trainer, spent 10 years working for Croghan before going out on his own in 1988. Pelling, who retired from the racing and relocated to Australia with his wife and children in January of this year, allowed Croghan to have stables on two
coasts, when they teamed in the 1980s.

"We were running a dual operation in those days," Croghan recalled. "He was in charge of the Florida arm of the barn, and I was in charge of California. We just got to the point where the horses that we were getting, we didn't have spots to race them all. So, I suggested he come here and run a New Jersey arm of the operation, but I wasn't really too interested in keeping up on it myself, being too far away. He kind of just went out on his own and everything rolled on from then."

Harder spent three years in Croghan's training camp before opening a stable of his own in 2000. He took home his first Meadowlands training title in 2004 and led all trainers in North America that year.

"I've always thought in order to keep a good operation going, you have to have good help," Croghan said. "I've always gone after what I thought were very competent people, and they've taken the step and gone on to their own careers from there."

Croghan finished fifth in last year's trainer standings at the Meadowlands, while nationally, his starters earned $2.4 million. After a strong start this winter, he is looking forward to campaigning pacing filly Lonesome Day in the warmer months. Last year, the standout freshman captured the $330,000 Sweetheart Final at the Meadowlands, giving Croghan his biggest win of the season. Her seven victories also included the International Stallion Stake and Bluegrass at Lexington's Red Mile.

"Lonesome Day just returned from the turnout farm a couple of days ago," he said. "She is a very nice filly but she had some throat issues that got the better of her towards the end of last year. The Breeders Crown was very disappointing [she finished fifth in her
elimination]. All in all, she had a good year and I'm hoping for another good one. She's probably going to chase one of the best two-year-old fillies I've ever seen, Noel Daley's filly [My Little Dragon]. She looked sensational. We'll take a run at her somewhere along the line."

Meanwhile, Croghan's top mare Carolina Sunshine, a winner of $1.2 million, will become a broodmare this season.

"Carolina Sunshine is retired and going to the court of Rocknroll Hanover this year," he said. "It may happen very soon. It could be a good year. I've got some chances, especially through the summer. Last year was relatively okay. If this year is slightly better than last year, I'll be very happy."