New York-Based Noda Heads to Kentucky for Races

At the start of the year, owner/trainer Orlando Noda never envisioned shipping the bulk of his horses to Kentucky and racing them at Churchill Downs. 

But in a world gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic, it became a necessity.

Like many other small-stable trainers based in New York on a year-round basis, Noda has seen his finances drop perilously close to zero during the course of the past two months as racing at New York Racing Association tracks has been on hiatus since March 15.

"All of my earnings have gone out to my employees and workman's compensation payments," Noda said.

With a stable of just 15 horses, Noda was enjoying a solid winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack with eight wins and nine seconds from 38 starters with earnings of $377,172. But with no income from racing for two months, coupled with the double sting of owning a share of most of his horses with his brother, Jonathan, as well as no firm date for the resumption of racing at Belmont Park, Noda made a difficult decision. He elected to send nine of his horses to Kentucky, where two of them will race this weekend at Churchill.

"At the end of the day, with no income, I can't support the horses. So I have to move them," Orlando Noda said. "People in New York kind of got a little ticked off, but what can I do? No one seems to know when racing will resume."

Noda said without the help of a bonus check from finishing fourth in NYRA's Under 20's Claiming Challenge and a small business stimulus check, he would have been unable to stay afloat financially.

"If it wasn't for the $11,000 bonus I received for finishing fourth in the Aqueduct contest and a $10,000 stimulus check, I'd be broke," Noda said. 

The 30-year-old Miami native, who said he moved the horses even though he faces the likelihood of forfeiting stall space at Belmont Park, will receive another financial boost from the significantly lower cost for workman's comp in Kentucky.

"In Kentucky, I paid $700 for two months of workman's comp. In New York, I'm paying $28,000 a year," he said.

Noda's two Churchill Downs starters under the Noda Brothers ownership banner this weekend are Danny California in the eighth race May 16 and Scarf It Down in the third race May 17. He entered three horses for the Saturday card, but only Danny California made it past the entry box.

Danny California is a 5-year-old Afleet Alex  gelding, who, like several of Noda's horses, is a New York-bred facing open company. After winning a $50,000 starter allowance race Feb. 23 at Aqueduct in his most recent start, he may seem out of place in an $81,000 first-level allowance test on turf, but Noda believes his gelding will turn in a good effort.

From three starts on turf, Danny California was second in a $30,000 claiming race. 

More helpful would be forecasts calling for scattered thunderstorms Saturday. In eight starts on a wet dirt track, Danny California has two wins, including one in an off-the-turf race.

"The bad part is that I have a lot of New York-breds that are jumping conditions like 'Danny,' but we have to put them where they can win," said Noda, who started training last year and has 18 wins from 94 starters with $886,185 in earnings. "It might rain, but he finished within a length of the winner once on turf. I'm sure he can run well. He's fit. If it comes off turf, good. But if it doesn't, we got a top jockey (Joel Rosario), so we'll give it a shot."

Scarf It Down, a 7-year-old Twirling Candy  gelding who was bred in Kentucky, will be running for a $16,000 claiming tag Sunday. A Jan. 1 claim for $10,000 two starts ago, he is exiting a third-place finish in a $10,000 claimer Feb. 17 at Aqueduct.

As a sign of the times, he is one of four entrants in the field who raced at Aqueduct during the shortened winter meet. The others are La Marca Stable's Blinded Vision and Vincent Scuderi's Deep Sea, both for trainer Rudy Rodriguez, and Daniel Feiss' Fuel the Bern for trainer Danny Gargan.

For Noda, this marks his first trip to Kentucky, and it is already bringing back memories of his initial visit to Saratoga Race Course.

"I won with my first Saratoga starter, who was T Loves a Fight," Noda said. "She was No 5 in that race. Danny California has No. 5 in my first Churchill start. Hopefully, five is a lucky number."