Kindergarten Futurity : Trainer and Jockey End Their 10-Year Team Quietly

The way the 10-year relationship between trainer Blane Schvaneveldt and jockey Kenneth Hart should have ended at Los Alamitos Race Course--a blare of trumpets and one last stakes victory--did not come to pass.

It wasn’t even close.

Rather, it ended with a brief mention in the course’s publicity notes and a scratch of a long shot named Satin Steele in the featured Kindergarten Futurity.

And that was it.

Since 1976, when Hart became Schvaneveldt’s preferred rider, the pair had dominated racing at Los Alamitos. Schvaneveldt has been the course’s training champion for the past 10 years. Hart has been the winningest jockey for five of those years. In 1980, Hart set a course record by riding 126 winners, a majority of them Schvaneveldt horses.

Schvaneveldt holds the course record with 160 stakes wins--the majority with Hart aboard. And Hart’s 111 stakes wins--the majority aboard Schvaneveldt horses--is just three shy of the course record held by Robert Adair.

But after Satin Steele, a 20-1 shot, was scratched from the Kindergarten, all that ended.

According to Hart, he wanted the change because he wanted to save a friendship.

“Blane is too good a horseman and too good a friend,” he said. “I just didn’t think it was worth risking that for horse winnings.”

Though they have been wildly successful in the past, some hard times have made their way into the Schvaneveldt barn.

Schvaneveldt’s 10-year streak is in jeopardy this year. Caeser Dominguez has 28 wins compared to Schvaneveldt’s 19.

“We haven’t had the success we’ve had in the past,” Hart said. “That can get people nipping and picking at each other.”

Schvaneveldt acknowledged the hard times, but said that was not the reason for the breakup.

“I just thought I’d like to try different riders,” he said “You go with one rider for too long and you get yourself and the rider in a rut.”

Considering Schvaneveldt’s success, that’s not a bad rut to be in.

Schvaneveldt says that he and Hart never really had an exclusive relationship, pointing out that jockey James Lackey rode Schvaneveldt’s top horse, world champion Cash Rate, last year.

“I’ve never depended on just one rider,” he said. “And this doesn’t necessarily mean Kenny won’t do some riding for me in the future. It just won’t be as much.”

Hart said he sent his agent, Tim Mowry, to meet with Schvaneveldt on May 28. Mowry informed Schvaneveldt of Hart’s wishes to ride much more often for other trainers. Hart said Schvaneveldt told Mowry that he also thought that was a good idea.

Coincidentally, the meeting between Mowry and Schvaneveldt came a day after Hart and Schvaneveldt’s horse, Proudest Effort, had been left standing in the gate during the Kindergarten trials.

Proudest Effort had been an overwhelming favorite, going off as a 1-5 shot. But when the gates opened for the race, the horse did not move.

“I was really ready to go,” Hart said. “We had had great success with that horse. I couldn’t wait for the starter to hit the gate. But when he did, we’re still sitting in the gate. It was one of the strangest feelings I’ve ever had here.”

As will the names Hart and Schvaneveldt apart.

Quarter horse notes: Entourage, ridden by Kip Didericksen, won the Kindergarten Consolation Saturday night. Entourage ran the 350-yard race in a time of 17.91 and paid $7.20, $4.60 and $2.40. Cavi Tron, with Bruce Pilkenton aboard, was second and paid $9, $3. There was a dead heat for third between Fols Dynasty and Victoryforth. Fols Dynasty, with Danny Cardoza aboard, paid $2.40. Victoryforth, with James Lackey riding, paid $2.20.