Camarillo man's horse wins big in Kentucky
Intangaroo takes Humana Distaff in photo finish
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

Photo Courtesy of Audrey Adams FINAL STRIDES- Intangaroo, No. 3, came from seven links behind to win the Humana Distaff race in the final strides during the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday. The 4-year-old filly owned by Tom Grether Farms in Camarillo, seen above in a race earlier this year at Santa Anita Park, won the $201,000 first-place prize in the Saturday race that came down to a three-horse photo finish.

Come the World Championship Breeder's Cup at Santa Anita Park this October, odds are Carl Grether 's 4-year-old filly Intangaroo will have traded the label of "long shot" for that of "favorite."

But Grether, a 51-year-old Camarillo resident, always believed his young horse was far better than the 14 to 1 odds she was given to win the Humana Distaff race at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Intangaroo, dubbed a long shot in the eight-horse contest, came from seven links behind in the final strides of the seven furlong race to claim first place and the $201,000 purse.

Photo courtsey of AUDREY ADAMS BORN TO RUN- Intangaroo is expected to race in the the A Gleam Invitational Handicap at Hollywood Park in June.

Her win came down to a three-horse photo finish.

"When she went by us, she wasn't in the lead yet," said Grether, who watched the race with his wife and daughter among the more than 153,000 spectators at the storied Churchill Downs racetrack. "She was still chasing those horses, but when I saw the replay, I knew we had it, and we were going nuts."

Making her first appearance on a dirt track- Intangaroo had run her 10 earlier races on synthetic surfaces- she has now taken first place in three of her four starts this year and earned more than $400,500 in winnings.

In February, Intangaroo won the Santa Monica Handicap at Santa Anita in much the same manner as she did the Humana Distaff. A 26 to 1 long shot in the earlier race, the filly came from behind in the final strides to win by a nose.

"I think she was underestimated," said Intangaroo's trainer Gary Sherlock of the odds given the young horse in her recent races. "This race just legitimizes her."

Sherlock said jockey Alonso Quinonez rode Intangaroo flawlessly on Saturday by holding her back in the first threequarters of the race and then letting her go all-out the last quarter.

"He rode her perfect," Sherlock said of the 24-year-old jockey who has ridden Intangaroo since January 2008.

Last month, Intangaroo took third place in the Las Flores Handicap at Santa Anita, earning $18,000.

Building a stable

Born and raised in Pasadena, Grether recalls working on his uncle's farm in Somis during summer vacations and spending time with his father, Tom Grether, at the Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia, Calif. It was there that he was introduced to the art of horse racing.

After graduating with a degree in agriculture from Cal Poly Pomona in 1979, Grether spent a decade working as a nursery wholesaler but eventually took a job helping manage his father's lemon and avocado farm in Somis.

Grether said his grandparents originally bought the 55-acre Somis property in the 1920s, and it has since been handed down two generations.

In the late 1980s, Grether said, his father began buying thoroughbreds and established the stable of racehorses that now make up Tom Grether Farms.

Grether said his father, who died in 2007 from complications of Parkinson's Disease, built a successful stable of horses that included Crafty C.T., a colt who placed third in the 2002 Breeder's Cup Sprint race.

Coincidently, Orientate, the horse that won that race, is Intangaroo's father.

The farm, purchased by Grether from his father three years ago, has grown to 120 acres, and the once modest stable of 12 horses now has 30. Grether lives in Camarillo with his wife of 22 years, Lori. They have three daughters.

Grether said he established the stable with the help of his friends Bill and Terri Hickey of Somis.

It was a big investment of both time and money that has now begun to pay off for Grether.

"I had to support the stable at the beginning just to get it off the ground floor, but now I'm going to show profits for sure this year," he said.

Grether admits he does become attached to the horses but said he has to look at the buying and selling of horses as a business.

As for Intangaroo, Grether said he has no intentions of selling his prize filly in the coming months.

"There are people who want to buy her," he said. "But she's not up for sale right now."

Intangaroo is expected to race next in the A Gleam Invitational Handicap at Hollywood Park in June.

Odds are she will be a favorite. For Grether and his family, she already is.