vitofuoco

The Claiming Game....Series One
Vito Fuoco Likes Its Quick Return
3/28/10 By Kenneth W. Terpenning for www.kyharnessracing.com

Claiming a horse from a race can be a tricky way to buy a horse. A lot of work goes

into the process for

many trainers and owners in the business. Some trainers are more

successful

at the game

than others.

One of those successful trainers can be found at Pompano

Park.

Vito Fuoco, 62, was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, but now calls Fort Lauderdale,

Florida and Pompano

Park home. Why Pompano? “I grew up in South Beach in the

winter months making Pompano like

home”, replied Fuoco.

When asked what got him into the claiming game, he replied, “I got into claimers

because it was the

easiest way to buy and race a horse immediately.” He went on to

say, “I

have

always liked claiming

because it gives you the quickest possible return on your

investment.”

Apparently, Mr. Fuoco must be doing something right since he has been doing it for

approximately 30

years.

What is Vito’s formula for success?

Looking for a horse to claim can be tough, but he believes his system works to meet

his needs.

“I look

for class, number of starts the past two years, lifetime money won, who is

training the horse

currently

and whether or not I can help the horse improve its

performance”, Vito said.

Following

winning

claim, Vito will have his veterinarian examine the horse to find any

issues that he or

she may be experiencing. Then a

wormer will be administered as a

preventative measure, in case the

horse has any parasites. Finally, a dentist will come

in and examine the horse’s teeth and fix any issues

to make the horse feel better.

Once all this is complete, the horse is ready to drop into the entry box

start earning

back the

investment.

This is where the soundness of the horse and the proper

classification comes into play. Put the horse in

too tough and he makes no money. Put

the horse in too cheap, you risk losing him to another claim.

The final piece of the

puzzle is the driver. While Fuoco has no favorite driver, he admits it can be tricky.

Ultimately, the decision of who he uses comes down to what attributes the driver has

that will fit the

horse best. Once he picks the driver he wants, the waiting game begins

until programming time when

the drivers have to choose what horses they want to

drive.

He added, “Drivers think it is fine to pick off your horse, but then they get mad

at you when you don’t

put them down. Drivers have their reasons to

hat horses they pick

.”

When asked what he dislikes about claiming, Vito replied, “Nothing really. The only

thing I worry about is

what medicines were given to the horse by the previous trainer.”

Through March 20, 2010, Vito Fuoco had 150 starters with 33 finishers in the money.

Going forward,

Mr. Fuoco hopes that harness racing will be okay through its toughest

period in time.

While casino gaming in racetracks is a temporary fix for cash flow that

goes toward purses, Vito sees a

bleak future where casino managers and owners will

try to phase out the racing end of their business

and have only casinos.

Vito adds,

“There have been lots of tried and proven methods for casinos to make a profit.

Unfortunately, most casino operators do not have expertise in harness racing.”

Only time will tell the outcome of racing’s future. In the meantime, Vito Fuoco will

continue training and

racing horses at Pompano Park and playing the claiming game.

Our next article regarding “

The

Claiming Game”

will be a conversation with

another

uccessful claiming

trainer

Until then…happy racing!

Thank you for visiting FloridaHarnessRacing.com

Road Wolf Boots