TDN Weekend December 2016 Issue 9
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1087484
ever, the auction turned out to be a real eye-opener. "I watched the first couple of horses sell for $700,000, $800,000, and I start- ed laughing and thinking, 'What have I gotten myself into,'" Reeves said. "For $100,000, we did not get a chance to open our mouths. So, we decided to move up to $150,000 and we bid up to that on a horse that turned out to be [GI Kentucky Derby winner] Big Brown." Fearless was a horse not on Ades's trainer Angel Penna's shortlist, but Ades bought the horse on a whim and Reeves remained true to his word, staying in as partner even when Ades gave him an out. They scribbled out their par tnership agreement on a bar napkin and never had to consult it throughout their busi- ness relationship. Ades has since passed away, b u t t h e R e e v e s e s h a v e m o v e d f u l l s t e a m ahead as horse owners. The couple eventually ended up in the barn of husband and wife train- ing duo Tim and Kathy Ritvo. In July of 2010, Tim Ritvo called Dean Reeves about buying a horse named Gourmet Dinner, who had just broken his maiden at Calder Race Course. "He told me to watch the race, so I watched the video and looked at the ped- igree, because now I thought I was a pro- fessional at that stuff," Reeves said with a grin. "When I watched the race, I don't know, there was just something about [the runner-up]. I called him back and said, 'Well, Tim, call me crazy, but I like the sec- ond-place horse.' He watched the race again and called me back and said, 'You know, you might be right. I will call and check on him in the morning.'" The chairman and co-owner of Reeves Young, a ditching and contracting compa- ny, continued, "When he called me in the morning, they had eight offers for that horse. Somebody else had another con- tract ready for the owner to sign. He was on a flight to New York. I called him as soon as he got off the plane, sweetened "EVERYBODY SAYS YOU OUGHT TO HAVE A PLAN AND I DON'T HAVE A PLAN."