The Name Azpurua

One of horse racing's leading families has a long legacy in the Sport of Kings.

By Terry Temple

The youngest generation of Azpurua brothers operates a breaking and training facility in the middle of Ocala, Florida’s finest horse farm country. They have two clean white block barns which are occupied by upwards of 60 yearlings and two-year-olds in high season. The youngsters are prepped there to make their public debut, whether it’s at the track or one of the many public auctions that take place each year in Ocala. These young kids – and they look every inch their tender age – build their training skills and racing-caliber muscles under the Azpurua’s skilled tutelage.

A day in the life

The barns awaken before dawn as grooms prep their charges for ground and track work. Each barn has an enormous round pen, objects of envy to me for their size, footing and solid rubber wall construction. It is here where the babies begin their schooling, learning the basics on the ground and under saddle. Each step in the training plan is completed and mastered thoroughly before the trainer goes on with his pupil.

Eduardo Azpurua Jr. carries on his family’s long legacy of producing thoroughbred greatness.
Photo by Terry Temple

“It’s building a foundation with patience,” Eduardo Jr. said more than once in our interview. “It’s all about the horse. We work with them slowly, step by step, building them up to become the best they can be.”

When the horses have accepted the rider and are thoroughly schooled in their groundwork, they move to the training center’s 5/8 mile track that lies adjacent to the Azpurua Brothers’ training barns. The two-year-olds follow a set routine of interval training, six days a week, and depending on the individual horse, a typical workout begins with an experienced exercise rider, and would include a half mile jog, then gallop a mile and a quarter one day, two miles the next.

“Of course every horse is different,” says Eduardo. “Some progress faster than others, but they dictate their own pace. We never push – that doesn’t work anyway.”

Azpurua usually has the youngsters for at least 90 days before sending them on to a trainer at a track. Or they bring them to a public auction, where they sell as two-year-olds-in-training.

Run for the Roses

Their success is building, as the past two years have garnered them the trips of a lifetime for a Thoroughbred trainer or owner…The Kentucky Derby.

“Back to back Derbies has put us on the map.” Eduardo shakes his head and smiles. “We’ll have to see if we can make it three.”

Does he see anything special in his current crop? “It’s hard to tell at this age. You think you might have something and then you get them to the track to stack up against 80-100 other horses…Or it can go the other way – a horse that doesn’t stand out at the barn can catch fire in front of the competition.”

Recent Honors

Most recently, the Azpurua Stables and Family became the recipients of two of the most prestigious awards in Florida Thoroughbred Racing, the Joe O’Farrell Memorial Award and the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association Champion 3- Year-Old.

Founded in 1945, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association (FTBOA) has over 2200 members. Over 300 guests attended the 47th Annual FTBOA Annual Awards Dinner and Ceremony in February, where the Azpurua family had reason to celebrate.

The Joe O'Farrell Memorial Award is presented annually to the original consignor of the year's best Florida-bred racehorse once offered for sale at auction in Florida. This year, Azpurua Stable won it for consigning Buzzards Bay as a two-year-old. The colt received his foundation training and sales prep at Azpurua.

The strapping Florida-bred went on to a spectacular and ongoing career. His win in the Santa Anita as a three-year-old earned him a spot in the Kentucky Derby, where he ran fifth. As a four-year-old, he won the Oaklawn and All-American Handicaps on his way to becoming a millionaire. Bred by Jay Shaw and now owned by Gary and Wendy Broad, the big bay colt banked $503,036 on two wins in four starts for the 2006 season. His career earnings at the end of 2006 totaled $1,157,507.

The award commemorates Joe O'Farrell, who was the general manager of Ocala Stud when it was founded in 1956. The farm soon was the nation's leading breeder and largest stallion center outside Kentucky. O’Farrell was the prime mover behind the concept of selling two-year-olds in training.

Azpurua also takes pride in the FTBOA Champion Three-Year-Old Sweetnorthernsaint, who was bred by Eduardo Azpurua Sr and initially trained at Azpurua Stables. The fiery gelding accumulated the most points in the three-year-old division based on the FTBOA Chase to the Championship Point System. In 2006, he had five first place finishes in eight starts, and was favored to win the Kentucky Derby over Barbaro at post time.

Now a four-year-old, Sweetnorthernsaint continues to be the heavy favorite wherever he races.

The senior Eduardo bred and the family raced his sire, Sweetsouthernsaint, who was a Derby hopeful in 1998 before bowing out with an injured tendon. The Azpurua family attended the Kentucky Derby hoping for vindication on their missed opportunity eight years previous.

“It was exciting,” said Eduardo Sr., “but not in the good way. The horse had troubles throughout the race and it was hard to watch.” He ended up finishing seventh. After sitting out the Belmont, he was runner-up at the Preakness.