What hapened to Van Berg?

[breezing]

i talked to him at SA when he had his book signing a while back, he and his daughter were very nice. while i do not think the book was particularly well written, it did give great insight to the man and his training philosophy. i'm very happy that he is having a good run and hope it continues.

[glengarry]

I am tempted to say something snarky, such as JVB decided to set his alarm clock 30 minutes earlier so he can beat the other trainers to the barn. But he is known as a straight shooter that despises the drug culture in the racing industry. I have seen enough interviews with him to know that much. I just don't see him crossing over to the dark side. By the way, what's Kirk Ziadie's winning percentage at Calder these days? With the hours he has to spend at the barn to win at that high level, it's a wonder how he gets any sleep at all.

[Dahoss2002]

Originally Posted by Stillriledup

Jack rolling at Lone Star.

He's 6 for 15 at the meet and appears to have a live one in the 5th!

15- 6 3 2 so far.

Now thats some great news. Used to love it when he had a stable at LAD in the 80's. GEAUX JACK!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by rrpic6

I did that once in 1999 (not with Van Berg) with an honest no needle guy. Talk about going thru cash! I should have just gotten a pet instead. When you pay a Trainer a Day Rate of "X" amount of $, you want something in return besides getting to feed your horses carrots in the barn.

RR

This might be the saddest post I've seen here in years

[Track Phantom]

If Jack Van Berg makes a comeback to the top of the training heap, it would be the single greatest thing to happen to racing in my 28 years of following it (at least for me as a fan of Jack Van Berg).

[Stillriledup]

Originally Posted by Valento

If Jack Van Berg makes a comeback to the top of the training heap, it would be the single greatest thing to happen to racing in my 28 years of following it (at least for me as a fan of Jack Van Berg).

he has step 1 accomplished, get rid of that 1 for 114 record. Step 2 is to have ONE owner with a pretty good horse think "this guy can still train with the best of them" and then it snowballs from there.

[tzipi]

He doesn't use drugs, so he can't compete. He just didn't forget how to train.


http://nypost.com/2008/01/27/roid-to-trouble/

"Hall of Fame horseman Jack Van Berg doesn’t need a Mitchell Report to know that drugs are a scourge on the “sport of kings.” Van Berg, 71, the son of Hall of Famer Marion Van Berg, has won more races – 6,379."


"But over the last decade, Van Berg, based in southern California, has dropped off the charts. With a little more than 30 horses in his barn, he won just 47 races in the last five years. Meanwhile, their vet bills skyrocketing, a new breed of so-called “super trainers” has been winning at percentages unheard of in the past.
Van Berg, from the old school, has seen enough. He finally decided to speak out against the rampant abuse of drugs."

[JohnGalt1]

I just read his biography "Jack From Grit to Glory." which explains what happened to his business.

From having horses at many tracks to now only having only a few horses in California was because of a major set back when he bought a 500 acre horse ranch in Hesperia California.

Chapter 38, That Damn California Ranch, explains how he had to deal with multiple lawsuits.

I never knew about that part of his career.

Also as he contracted his operation, owners of good horses in other states kept their horses in those states with local trainers.

Two of his most successful assistants were Frank Brothers and Bill Mott.

I learned a lot about how a trainer trains and cares for horses, important since I bet on them.

[atonymania]

Jack has moved some of his stock to Lone Star and he is doing fairly well, his horses are alive at LS.

[rrpic6]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

This might be the saddest post I've seen here in years

Sad but true, Ralph. No sour grapes cuz that's what I wanted to do with my money. I just have to work a little longer in the real world as a result of my decision.

RR

[rrpic6]

Van Berg will be at Hazel Park this Friday (6-27) for the return of Thoroughbred Racing. His Father was a legend there.

RR