Borell Says Runhappy Owner Owes Purse Money

After Runhappy's owner and stable manager decided to remove Maria Borell as the colt's trainer the day after winning the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I), Borell issued a statement through a lawyer Nov. 3 requesting compensation from owner James McIngvale.



"If the decision to discontinue my training of Runhappy is set in stone, I simply want to move on and be fairly compensated for my efforts," the statement read. "I have asked the McIngvales and Gallery Racing to pay me what is due and owing consistent with industry standards and I am hopeful that the matter will be resolved privately and amicably. I have no desire to be engaged in a dispute with Mr. McIngvale and hope that he will recognize my contribution and pay to me what I am owed."

BALAN: Borell Out as Trainer for Runhappy



McIngvale's racing manager Laura Wohlers, however, contends that Borell was a private trainer, and no commission based on winning races was in their agreement. Wohlers did admit that the agreement regarding Borell's services was verbal and that there was no written contract.



"She was a private trainer," Wohlers said. "Probably because this is in litigation now, all I would like to say at this time is that we don't pay the 10% (commission) to private trainers."



Borell's lawyer, Richard Getty, said the trainer is due $124,500 from McIngvale for Runhappy's victories in the Sprint, Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (gr. III), and NYRA.com King's Bishop Stakes (gr. I). The lawyer also said the McIngvales gave Borell a $10,000 check after the King's Bishop, which she did not cash.

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"She's not been compensated in any respect," Getty said. "I've written a letter to Mr. McIngvale and we're very hopeful that the matter will be resolved promptly, reasonably, and amicably.



"She gets a stipend and they pay for feed, tack, everything else, which is industry standard. She always understood she was to get 10% if she wins a graded race, which is also industry standard. At one point in time they may have proposed that (she only get a flat fee), but she never agreed to that. She's also trained other horses at the same time she's trained for them."



At the end of her statement, Borell indicated she intends on training in the future, most likely in Florida.



"It is my desire to concentrate on my training efforts," the statement read. "I expect to continue training, most likely in Florida in the near future, and certainly wish the McIngvales continued success with Runhappy."

Standard practice for distributing purse money at Keeneland, and for the Breeders' Cup World Championships, is to first wait for the results of all drug tests to be returned, which typically takes several days, according to Connie Hale, a vice president and chief financial officer for Keeneland.

Once the purse money is released, the racetrack will pay the owners and the jockeys. The split for riders is 10% of the purse to the winning jockey and 5% to riders who finished second through fourth place. Beginning with fifth place, the jockeys are paid a flat $110 fee.

"The only ones we pay are the owners and the jockeys, and it is up to the owners to pay the trainers," Hale said.

Claire Novak and Eric Mitchell contributed to this report.