Last Mango Racing Stable
Owners of Pulaski County, a 2 year old colt by Tactical Cat out of Silver Reserve (Silver deputy)
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Last
Mango Racing Stable Hat:  $19.95 |
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The
Last Mango Racing Stable was born in a secluded bay near the famed
Stiltsville off the coast of South Beach
in February 2007 aboard The Last Mango II. As guinea pigs for Jimmy’s new creation, Landshark Beer, we gladly consumed our fair share with our good friend from Margaritaville and then, as we turned for home, the idea of bringing a little beach sand, flip-flops and pink colored boat drinks to horse racing seemed like the perfect fit. The original plan was to form a very small group at $1,000 a piece and claim an old, gritty hard-knocker, run the hell out of him in the fall meet at the Fair Grounds and then get out with little or no exposure. That plan would soon change when we got back on dry land and we came to our senses once the salt air and Landshark Beer wore off. We would soon drop the idea, as it faded away for a few months, however, the thought of owning our very own race horse was too great of a temptation. So sometime in early July, sitting in the surf at Rosemary Beach the idea of jumping into the Sport of Kings full force became too tempting. Within a few days, we formed a very formidable ownership group. We quickly joined forces with one of the top horse trainers in the game in Tom Amoss and set out on our plan. We had local New Orleans artist Peter Briant design the coolest silks in the game. And here we are today, the story of the Last Mango Racing Stable is just starting. Who knows where it will end up…hopefully in the winner’s circle…see you there. "For all the living legends we've had the pleasure of knowing, there is still so much more to be done." |
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Last Mango Stable story from the The Times-Picayune,
in New Orleans, LA. |
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| Inside Barn 12 at the Fair Grounds, a 2-year-old
named Pulaski County was taking a noon nap.
"He's probably dreaming about his favorite food, peppermint candy," said Greg Bensel, vice president of communications for the New Orleans Saints. On Thanksgiving Day, when the starting gate opens for the 10th race
of a new Fair Grounds season, Pulaski County will not be napping in
a six-furlong test for 2-year-old maidens. "Pulaski will be running," he vowed, "running to win his first race, running to make a bunch of guys happy." Among others, the guys include folks who, at the moment, would welcome good news, a football coach, Sean Payton, a quarterback, Drew Brees, and a general manager, Mickey Loomis. As for the most famous member of the Last Mango Stable, singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett, good news has been a given for the folk-rock stylist who gave us "Margaritaville" and, later, "Last Mango in Paris." As Bensel tells it, the seed was planted last February, during Super Bowl week, when Payton was in Miami to receive his award as the 2006 Coach of the Year. A longtime Saints fan, and part-time Monday morning coach, Buffett not only hosted a Saints party on his yacht, he designed a play for Payton to use the following week in Hawaii when Payton would be coaching in the Pro Bowl. Fittingly, Buffett called it "Last Mango." "The idea to put together a racing stable didn't really take shape until later in the year, during the excitement generated by the Triple Crown classics," Bensel said. "I started calling around, and within a couple of days we had a group willing to invest a small amount in something that would be fun for everyone." To use the football analogy, it wasn't long before Bensel settled
on someone to fill the twin role of coach and GM, and that would be
Tom Amoss, a Fair Grounds regular and several-times leading trainer
at the track. "Greg," it said, "I have the group's $50,000, and I'm about to make an executive decision. If I don't hear from you soon, there's a horse named Pulaski County in the third today at Keeneland. Call me. If not, I'm going to make the claim for you guys." Moments later, Bensel is calling Amoss, telling him, "Since
none of us knows the difference between a gallop and a breeze, make
the claim." He's a gray/roan colt with an A-plus pedigree who remains winless in five outings, mostly against quality opposition. When Ron Jaworski, a prominent member of Last Mango Racing Stable, heard the news that he owned a piece of Pulaski County, the onetime Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and now TV analyst was overjoyed. "Thank God we claimed a Polish horse," Jaworski said. Later, when Amoss was addressing his "owners" on the new claim, one of them posed a question he could only meet with a blank stare, and a long laugh. The question: "If you're talking about galvanizing our horse (the operative word is "gelding"), what does that cost and how long is he out of commission?" Which suggests there might be a song in there somewhere for Buffett. Think about it. Coming to you from the Last Mango Racing Stable: "The Night They Galvanized Pulaski County." "I'm having a lot of fun with this group," Amoss said. "I'm guessing, on Thursday, Pulaski County could be the most over-bet horse in Fair Grounds history. One of those 15-to-1 shots that bet down to 2-to-1 because of the people involved. I just wish Jimmy Buffett was here to join in the fun. Greg Bensel says the Last Mango Stable is planning to donate a portion of their horse's winnings to the SPCA. In horse racing, that may be a first." Amoss learned one thing in a hurry. He heard the story about the play Buffett drew up for Payton, a play Payton promised to call on the first series in the Pro Bowl. Buffett's "Last Mango" was a halfback pass thrown by Tiki Barber after taking a pitchout from Brees. So what happened? Barber threw a wounded duck. It was intercepted. Said Amoss: "I hope
Pulaski County can make up for that play."
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