For Ollie Figgins and Dance to Bristol, routine doesn’t just bring success; it forges connections across the generations.
Racing is a competitive business, but some of Dance to Bristol’s biggest fans are other trainers at the Bowie Training Center.
“My whole family has been involved” in his training career says Ollie Figgins, III. That makes Dance to Bristol’s meteoric rise something of a family affair.
Susan and David Wantz treat all their horses like “our children,” they say. One of those kids — Dance to Bristol — looks to be an honors student.
One horse is “sort of like a fish.” The other has a hard-to-say name. Both delivered the goods — and plenty of smiles — Saturday at Charles Town.
Rider Xavier Perez has a tattoo in honor of what he calls “my big horse.” That it’s not of Grade 1 winner Dance to Bristol points out what’s enabling him to succeed.
Trainer Ollie Figgins and Dance to Bristol have done just about everything right so far during a magical season that has them on the brink of a Breeders’ Cup trip. Our new weekly series will follow them from here to there.
Bridge jumpers have hit Charles Town hard this spring and summer. But net pool pricing makes their presence more of an opportunity for other bettors than ever before.
For Maryland-based trainers, the short stand at Timonium, which begins on Friday, is more than just another race meet. It’s a homecoming of sorts, and a new beginning.
In what may be the twilight of Bowie’s existence, Dance to Bristol and Immortal Eyes are continuing an honored tradition: using the old facility as a springboard to greater fame.