trainer Frank Passero passes

[The_Knight_Sky]

Frank Passero, former trainer, dies - By Bill Tallon

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Frank Passero, who had saddled 2,060 career winners before retiring last year, died in a hospital Tuesday morning at age 77 following a long battle with cancer.

Born in Fort Erie and based mostly in Ontario since he began training in 1965, Passero was the province’s leading trainer in races won in 1981, 1982, 1988, 1992 and 1995.

In 1995, Passero finished in a tie with Bill Mott for leading trainer in races won at Gulfstream with 23.

The following year, Passero was in the racing headlines throughout the winter as he sent out 14 straight winners at Gulfstream and finished second to Mott with 33 wins at the meeting.

Passero and some of his grooms had been accused of rubbing cayenne pepper on the genitals of his horses with the design of getting them to run faster. The trainer stated that he used the cayenne pepper as a muscle relaxant on the legs of some of his horses.

Florida’s Division of Pari-Muutel Wagering brought a complaint against Passero, in which he faced losing his license, but he was cleared of any wrongdoing.

The story is dealt with in great detail in Passero’s authorized biography, “Winning Ways,” which was written by Joe De Falco and published in 1997.

http://www.drf.com/news/frank-passero-former-trainer-dies

[appistappis]

R.I.P. frank

[CryingForTheHorses]

I am saddened to learn of the passing of Frank..Damn he was like a father to me..From my days as a young boy going to his riding stable called Sunny Acres and mucking stalls so I could ride his ponies.Frank and I go back a long way.Here was a man who took me and my wife Lisa under his wing.We worked for him,He let Lisa ride many winners for him and we were part of the 14 in a row streak at Gulfstream.We are even mentioned in the forward of his book..Winning Ways...Lots of laughs and we did have lots of fun..He was a cheap bastard but his charisma kept us there.Great BBQ's and what a family.Sherri his wife is the best.Ill miss you Frank..RIP

[lamboguy]

it is always a sad day when we lose one of our own. my deepest sympathy goes out to his family along with lots of white light.

[offtrack]

I followed his horses when he was so strong racing on the Ontario tracks in the 70's and 80'.

I'm saddened to hear of his passing; Rest In Peace.

[joanied]

I am saddened to learn of the passing of Frank..Damn he was like a father to me..From my days as a young boy going to his riding stable called Sunny Acres and mucking stalls so I could ride his ponies.Frank and I go back a long way.Here was a man who took me and my wife Lisa under his wing.We worked for him,He let Lisa ride many winners for him and we were part of the 14 in a row streak at Gulfstream.We are even mentioned in the forward of his book..Winning Ways...Lots of laughs and we did have lots of fun..He was a cheap bastard but his charisma kept us there.Great BBQ's and what a family.Sherri his wife is the best.Ill miss you Frank..RIP

I didn't know anything about this man...but this post makes me feel very sad for his family and all that knew him...especially you, McShell...
it's hard to loose such a friend as he was to you and your wife.

My deep sympathies.

[NJ Stinks]

The man was a giant at Gulfstream - no doubt about it.

RIP, Mr. Passero.

[Valuist]

Might've been the ORIGINAL supertrainer. FOURTEEN consecutive winners. Supposedly no drugs involved; just creative use of cayenne pepper.

[magwell]

I was there for those wins and I said it then and I'll say it now, it will never be done again at a major race track. You couldn't fix 14 in a row, somebody would mess it up, btw some of those wins were by real close photos....:cool:

[RichieP]

FOURTEEN consecutive winners. Supposedly no drugs involved; just creative use of cayenne pepper.

and a placing of his charges using Jim "The Hat" Bradshaw's matchup concepts

R.I.P and condolences and prayers to his family and friends

[Trotman]

Nov 30th was a very sad day and the few days that followed. But Frank would have wanted all to go forward. The guy was the friend of the small guy the $2 bettor and as flamboyant as he was he was still Frank. Guys like Andy Beyer should be ashamed for what they put Frank and his family through just be cause their numbers did'nt add up. If Frank was guilty of anything it was he placed the horses where they could win. I have bit my tongue since 96 and this being a horse racing forum I thought why not speak my mind and get it over with. I was there for the amazing 14 race streak and I rode that streak till Looksgreatincourt ran second and the streak was broken on Feb 4th and the whole race track congratulated with applause to Frank. RIP Frank It's been a tough year for me watching many friends and family pass. To Sherrie and Lisa you had one hell of a good husband and Dad. :ThmbUp:

[Dahoss9698]

This hardly seems like the right thread to take shots at Beyer. But since you did, correct me if I am wrong, didn't a groom admit to misuse with the cayenne pepper?

[Dahoss9698]

Nevermind, I just looked it up and saw the admission was deemed inadmissable because of a miscommunication. Not sure why those you mentioned were responsible. Unless they were working for the State of Florida.

[Trotman]

Dahoss9698 it is all on public record if you would care to look it up and then you decide

[Dahoss9698]

Dahoss9698 it is all on public record if you would care to look it up and then you decide

I did. My decision is you're mad at the wrong people and you chose the wrong thread to take out your anger.

[Trotman]

Dahoss9698 Beyer wrote the story in the Washington Post which questioned how Frank was winning. Then his clone Mark Hopkins and Frank Carlson took it to Walter Blum the State Steward and got the ball rolling. And is'nt that another story Blum, how he passed to become the State Steward with his shady criminal background. And all the lab tests and everything came up negative. This was a public lynching of a trainer that started from a newspaper story by a man who should be a billionaire if his numbers were so right.Frank started in claimers and stayed with claimers and read the condition book inside out and placed them where they belonged. In fact when the streak ended the horse that Frank had Looksgreatincourt was claimed by Frank for 10K and dropped to 7-8 claimer and finished 2nd and was claimed back by the original owner. The horse had more problems than Frank wanted to deal with so he jammed him in for 7 hoping to lose it.

[lamboguy]

numbers are all about perception. looking at any type of number in the racing game is not going to help you either spot your horse in the right spot, or help you to win a bet. it is nothing but a subjective stance to categorise the performance of a horse in past races. it is not that easy to get the same performance from a horse from one race to the next. often times there are many things that could have happened beyond the control of a number, like weather, track bias, health of the animal.

[Trotman]

lamboguy in all my time handicapping I've never used a Beyer number in my work and I've been capping over 40 years. The bottom line here is that not only Frank but other trainers as well saw that Gulfstream done away with the 25% hike after the claim you could run them where you wanted to and Frank liked this. Lets not forget Frank owned most of his horses for this fact and others had shares in them. This way he called the shots. There are many so called experts in this game that can't read a condition book or tell the difference between one end of the horse or other. I agree totally with what you say about relying on a number because there is a hole in the pressbox wall at Gulfstream to prove that when you live by the number you die by the number.

[Relwob Owner]

lamboguy in all my time handicapping I've never used a Beyer number in my work and I've been capping over 40 years. The bottom line here is that not only Frank but other trainers as well saw that Gulfstream done away with the 25% hike after the claim you could run them where you wanted to and Frank liked this. Lets not forget Frank owned most of his horses for this fact and others had shares in them. This way he called the shots. There are many so called experts in this game that can't read a condition book or tell the difference between one end of the horse or other. I agree totally with what you say about relying on a number because there is a hole in the pressbox wall at Gulfstream to prove that when you live by the number you die by the number.



I dont know him and dont know what really happened regarding the past and the people you have mentioned. I do know that this thread was started to honor his passing and it seems as if you have turned it into a way to bring up very negative things and bring up issues that you personally have with others on and off this forum......that doesnt seem like a very classy thing to do.

[lamboguy]

i didn't know frank paccero at all. i might have seen him in gulfstream one year. what he did was quite an accomplishment back then. he was most certainly a good horseman. in the past and today when a trainer wins at a very high percentage, or improves a horse off a claim everyone is screaming dirty larceny. meaning that the trainer had to be using some type of drugs that are non-detectable, and they work like rocket fuel. to date i have not seen this rocket fuel or what ever they want to call it. i know there are things that cheaters use to enhance the performance of a horse like snail or snake venom, or a breathing medication that can be undetectable with lassix. when a trainer wins a bunch of races they get watched like a hawk. secrets around a race track are never secrets. if someone is doing something out of the ordinary they get caught. so when someone tells you that a trainer is using something, and you ask him what is the guy using. they always answer the same way, he has to be using something. don't listen to that guy, he doesn't know any more than any of us.

[Horseplayersbet.com]

Here is a news article from 1996:
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-03-17/news/9603160390_1_substance-frank-passero-horses

[Trotman]

Relwob Owner this incident was in the very first post by KnightSky and before things came out that were not true I gave a little background that's all. Frank Passero was good for racing and this is only my opinion and if some did'nt have a vendetta for the man it would have been even greater for Gulfstream. Heck even back when Bobby Frankel started claiming horses and winning bunches of races there were people who said he was up to something and he went on to being one of the greatest trainers. Frank was a great trainer as well but stayed with the claimers. They are probably sitting at some track kitchen up above looking for their next claim in the form, may both of these gentlemen rest in peace.

[Relwob Owner]

Relwob Owner this incident was in the very first post by KnightSky and before things came out that were not true I gave a little background that's all. Frank Passero was good for racing and this is only my opinion and if some did'nt have a vendetta for the man it would have been even greater for Gulfstream. Heck even back when Bobby Frankel started claiming horses and winning bunches of races there were people who said he was up to something and he went on to being one of the greatest trainers. Frank was a great trainer as well but stayed with the claimers. They are probably sitting at some track kitchen up above looking for their next claim in the form, may both of these gentlemen rest in peace.


Yes, the incident was mentioned but you did much more than "give a little background".....in your first post, you specifically mentioned someone who should be ashamed for their actions and went on to add people to the list in later posts, showing you clearly have an agenda....much more than "giving a little background", no?

Again, not very classy in this thread and that is just my opinion.

[Trotman]

Relwob Owner how can you tell who's running unless you have the form or the program. The other names all had their part in this, no agenda by me.

[Relwob Owner]

Relwob Owner how can you tell who's running unless you have the form or the program. The other names all had their part in this, no agenda by me.


I already stated that I didnt know him or the participants and simply thought you interjecting something that happened years ago was inappropriate and not classy. Re-read your posts, evealuate if you had an agenda,,,,you clearly took shots at specific people and if you cant see it, we just agree to disagree, thats all.

[Dahoss9698]

Dahoss9698 Beyer wrote the story in the Washington Post which questioned how Frank was winning. Then his clone Mark Hopkins and Frank Carlson took it to Walter Blum the State Steward and got the ball rolling. And is'nt that another story Blum, how he passed to become the State Steward with his shady criminal background. And all the lab tests and everything came up negative. This was a public lynching of a trainer that started from a newspaper story by a man who should be a billionaire if his numbers were so right.Frank started in claimers and stayed with claimers and read the condition book inside out and placed them where they belonged. In fact when the streak ended the horse that Frank had Looksgreatincourt was claimed by Frank for 10K and dropped to 7-8 claimer and finished 2nd and was claimed back by the original owner. The horse had more problems than Frank wanted to deal with so he jammed him in for 7 hoping to lose it.

This a hell of a way to remember your friend. Correct me if I'm wrong, but according to all of the stories I have read, a groom was seen applying the pepper to a horses genitals. Then the complaint was filed. Honestly, why even bring this up? You were tired of biting your tongue, so you took to a message board, in a RIP thread, to get it all out? Classy.

I'm glad people like Beyer write stories about racing that no one else can or will. It's unfortunate Mr Passero passed.