De Paz enjoying life as new Sagamore Farm trainer

Horacio De Paz has the best of both worlds in his new position as trainer for historic Sagamore Farm in Reisterstown, Md. He gets to train some of Sagamore’s horses and also break and develop the farm’s young stock. Sagamore also has horses with trainers Graham Motion and Joe Orseno.

De Paz, 30, has been at Sagamore since 2011. He took over as trainer when Ignacio Correas IV left in March to open a public stable in Kentucky.

De Paz, a native of Snyder, Texas, worked for Todd Pletcher for four and a half years and spent nine months in Ocala, Fla. with Pletcher’s father, J.J., breaking horses and helping prepare them for sales.

De Paz has nine horses at Pimlico and three in training at Sagamore, which has a six-furlong Tapeta track. Sagamore has about 85 horses, including 21 mares, 18 yearlings, and 13 weanlings.

“This is a good opportunity for me, a chance to get more experience,” De Paz said. “My goal is to start the horses here off with a good foundation and to develop them both mentally and physically.”

De Paz has run three horses for Sagamore, each of whom has finished second. He missed winning his first race by a nose at Laurel Park last Friday with Ginger N Rye.

“I thought I was going to get it done the other day, but she hung a little bit and was waiting on horses,” De Paz said.

De Paz and his wife, Chelsy, had their first child, Mila Marie, on July 7.

Sagamore Farm, established in 1925, was owned by Alfred G. Vanderbilt, Jr. from 1933 until 1986. In 2007, it was purchased by Kevin Plank, CEO of the Under Armour clothing company.