By TONY TAGLAVORE, Journal Sports
Angelo Trosclair knew when he retired from a successful career as a jockey, he wanted to stay around the sport which had given him so much.
A few years before the 25-year veteran crossed the finish line for the final time, aboard Flojet on January 19, 1988, at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Trosclair pondered what he could do.
“I thought about being a blacksmith. That was my first thought. I was going to go to blacksmith school. Then, I threw that out because I’m 40 years old. Those guys — those horseshoers — they start when they’re 18 years old. They work until they’re 60, and they don’t have a back left. At my age, at 40, I would have (literally) had my back against the wall.”
Then Trosclair, a longtime fan favorite at Louisiana Downs, considered being a trainer. But…
“We have a home in Bossier City. My wife and I spoke and decided let’s try to see if we could do something that could keep us close to home. If you’re a horse trainer, you’re going to travel year-round. You’re going to be on the road all the time.”
Was the third thought — becoming a jockey agent — the winning ticket?
“To me, it wasn’t being involved enough with the horses. It was always being involved with the jockeys or the trainers, which I enjoy anyway. They are my clients. But I wanted to do something where I could be hands-on with the animals.”
So, after 20,776 mounts, more than 2,600 wins, and right at $24.8 million in earnings, Trosclair’s choice? The trucking business.
Trosclair has built Thoroughbred Transport, Inc., based in Bossier City, from a one-truck, one-trailer operation, to one of the most respected horse transport businesses in the country. Five vehicles, three 18-wheeler air ride semitrucks, and two mid-sized vehicles, carry horses to racetracks and farms across the country.
“I thought about this three years before I retired,” Trosclair said. “I wanted to make sure I did my homework, make sure I knew what I was doing. I knew horses back, over, and under, so there wasn’t a problem with the horses. It was learning the game, learning the trucking business.”
Notice Trosclair didn’t say he was in the “horse business.”
“It is primarily a trucking business. We’re regulated by the Department of Transportation. We have to follow strict guidelines. Drivers can only drive 11 hours — being on duty 14 hours. There are a lot of regulations we have to abide by. We have to make sure our drivers are drug-tested. They’re in a drug testing program. They get pulled at random.”
And for good reason. The cargo for which Trosclair is responsible is expensive. For example, his drivers soon will carry young horses bought next week at the September Yearling Sale at Keeneland in Kentucky.
“We’ll haul 200-300 horses out of Keeneland,” Trosclair said. “It’s nothing to have a million dollars (worth of horses) going down the road.”
Some of those horses will no doubt be “going down the road” to Highlander Training Center in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Highlander has used Trosclair’s company — almost exclusively — for 20 years.
“Peace of mind is very important,” said Scooter Dodwell, Highlander’s head trainer. “You go to a sale and spend that kind of money, you don’t look to try and cut corners on getting them where they need to be. They need to get there first-class, and safe. Horses get hurt on trailers. Some things have happened on trailers, but not with Thoroughbred Transport.”
And that’s why Trosclair doesn’t hire truck drivers. He hires horse people who can also drive a big rig.
“If something happens on the truck, and you’ve just got a driver that can’t handle horses, then you’re in big trouble,” Trosclair said. “Horses get funny. They do things in the middle of the night when they’re on the road. They may decide to lay down. They might decide they want to flip upside down. They may get sick from time to time. You have to have a good horse guy that has a good, keen eye for that, so they can take care of business when needed.”
As a jockey with almost 21,000 mounts, Trosclair made a lot of connections. In turn, that made switching careers more of a gallop than an all-out ride.
“It would have taken me twice as long if I didn’t have my foot in the door with my clientele,” Trosclair said. “All of these owners and trainers that I rode for, for 25 years, I got their business because we had good relationships. If I was an ordinary Joe that just decided to get into the horse transportation business — it’s a hard business to get into. Those people have to trust you.”
Trosclair began riding when he was 16. So, he certainly has an affinity for his cargo. Yes, he’s in business to make money. But, not at the expense of the animals which helped him become so successful.
“It is about the money, but it isn’t about the money. I’m not going to put a horse on a van and do something to get him hurt or get him sick. It’s just the way I am, because I love horses. We won’t ship horses during the day in the summertime, because it’s too hot. I know people that ship horses all during the day. That’s one of my pet peeves. I’m not going to do it unless I absolutely have to. I will make decisions based on the horse, first. I will make my big decisions based on the horse first, and everything else after that.”
Just the way you hope a veteran rider would think.
Louisiana Downs races Saturday through Tuesday. Post time is 3:05.
Contact Tony at SBJTonyT@gmail.com
Submitted photo
