Zilla Racing Stables is one of the more exciting partnerships in thoroughbred racing right now. They are winning their fair share of races at various levels of the game and offer varying partnerships for just about anyone to get involved.
Partnerships have become the norm in the sport. Mike Piazza is the founder of Zilla Racing Stables and he sat down with our Jonathan Stettin to discuss not only Zilla, but several areas of racing from both the business side and the horse side.
Mike brings a lot of knowledge to the table and he was transparent and forthcoming with his opinions and how he operates Zilla Racing Stables. He discussed everything from how he selects horses at the sales, to how he goes about claiming. Long hours and hard work are part of what it takes and Mike shared just how much he has to put in to compete.
Jonathan Stettin often says racing offers the highest highs but also the lowest lows. We found it interesting when Mike talked about his initial reactions when he gets a call from the farm or one of his trainers like Chad Brown, Brad Cox, Raymond Handel, Orlando Noda, or Danny Gargan.
Interestingly enough Zilla Racing Stables recently caught some heat for cheering or as we say in the game “rooting” one of their horses home. Rooting has long been a part of the Sport of Kings, and owners, fans, and bettors alike have rooted one home from time to time. Some do it frequently, some occasionally. At a time when we should all be pulling together to grow the sport and attract more owners and bettors alike, we found it odd if not counter productive to call out a trainer, owner, or bettor for cheering a horse and celebrating a win. Most of us have heard the West Point Thoroughbred phone call commercial. The excitement can be contagious, and we also understand some can find it over the top. It is still part of the sport. Until we become like the NFL and ban certain types of celebrations rooting is allowed. Some of us even remember the Go Baby Go and Pay the Lady commercials. Was racing more fun back then? It was hard to find this one but it is still left out there:
We think you will enjoy our sit down with Mike. Thank you for watching and we hope you enjoy the show:
Photos courtesy of Mike Piazza and Zilla Racing Stables
