Courtlandt Farm, Mark Hennig split up

Courtlandt Farm, the racing and breeding operation of Don and Donna Adam, has ended its working relationship with trainer Mark Hennig and will be using new trainers moving forward, racing manager Ernie Retamoza said Wednesday.

“It’s nothing that Mark did or didn’t do, it just didn’t seem to be working for us,” Retamoza said. “We felt like a change for us might help us move forward a little bit. We have the utmost respect for Mark and his operation and the kind of person he is; I think it goes without being said what everybody thinks about Mark Hennig. It’s nothing personal at all, we just felt like we needed to make a change to give us a little more opportunity somehow.”

Retamoza said no final decision has been made on which trainers Courtlandt will use, though on Thursday he confirmed that Sonneman, a 3-year-old son of Curlin who won a first-level allowance race at Gulfstream Park on April 4, would be going to Steve Asmussen.

As for trainers for the remainder of the stable, which includes 3-year-olds Americanus and Or’effice and the 3-year-old fillies Maedean and Champagne Lady, “we really don’t know,” Retamoza said.

“We brought the horses home as of [Tuesday] and we’ll just kind of evaluate everybody and we’re just going to plan accordingly,” he said.

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A total of 10 horses shipped from Gulfstream to Courtlandt Farm in Ocala, Fla., on Tuesday.

Hennig said he was notified on Sunday – the day after Or’effice finished sixth at 4-5 in a maiden race at Gulfstream – that Courtlandt would be making a change. Hennig said he was offered to stay on to train some of the older horses, but would not get to train the 3-year-olds or the 2-year-olds of 2020 who were purchased at auction last year. Hennig declined.

Courtlandt and Hennig first got together in late summer of 2015. Among the first horses Hennig received was Strike Charmer, with whom he won the Grade 3 Beaugay and Grade 2 Ballston Spa in 2016. In 2018, Hennig won the Grade 3 Swale with Strike Power and the Grade 2 Gazelle with My Miss Lilly. Strike Power is at Courtlandt Farm, having gotten a break following a throat issue, according to Retamoza.

According to Equibase statistics, Hennig trained seven of the top 20 money earners Courtlandt Farm has had.

“That’s a pretty decent accomplishment,” Hennig said Thursday. “I appreciate the opportunity that I had; everybody is entitled to make a change. While it’s obviously difficult and heartbreaking, there’s also a certain amount of pride that goes into this group of 3-year-olds. I feel like Mr. Adam is on the cusp of some really good things with some of the work that we’ve all done. This is an exceptional crop of 3-year-olds and there’s an exceptional crop of 2-year-olds as well.”

While Hennig lost Courtlandt, he has picked up some 2-year-olds from Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farm. Hennig credited Richard Mandella, who trains Porter’s horses based in California, with helping him get into the Fox Hill outfit. Hennig said he and Mandella had been friends for a long time and reconnected when Mandella brought Omaha Beach to Florida for the Pegasus.

“He ended up talking to Rick Porter about it and I had some conversations with Rick and I’m very thankful for the opportunity,” Hennig said. “We have some of the babies in and they look like they’ve got some promise. Hopefully, we can right the ship and take the hit and keep going.”

Hennig said he planned to start sending horses to New York in phases next week.