Tampabay downs media guide 16-0273-JK2

Owner Profiles
Savoy Stable
Owner: John D. Santina
Born: November 13, 1943
Birthplace: Lucca, Italy
Family: Wife, Elaine; three children; 10 grandchildren
Residence: Harwood Heights, IL
Tampa Trainer: Dale Bennett
Savoy enjoyed another successful Oldsmar campaign last season, winning 11
races from 37 starts to finish third in the owner standings. Santina moved from
Italy to the United States with his parents when he was a teenager. Soon after
graduating from Loyola of Chicago, he joined Milton Industries, a company
which manufactured gas station supplies. He became CEO 12 years later
and held that position for almost 30 years before retiring in 2012. Savoy has
about 12 Thoroughbreds in training and keeps a handful of broodmares and
yearlings at Brent and Crystal Fernung’s Journeyman Stud near Reddick, Fla.
Brent Fernung paid $110,000 for Cool Cowboy, a Kodiak Kowboy offspring, on
behalf of Santina and Savoy Stable at the 2012 Keeneland September Yearling
Sale. Under the capable tutelage of long-time Tampa Bay Downs trainer Dale
Bennett, Cool Cowboy won the 2013 Inaugural Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs
and finished second four weeks later in the Pasco Stakes in his first start as
a 3-year-old. After subsequent victories in the Golden Circle Stakes at Prairie
Meadows and the Sophomore Sprint Championship Stakes at Mountaineer,
Cool Cowboy was sold privately and sent to Dubai, where he developed into a
Group III winner for his new connections. Among Savoy’s top runners is Unique
Type, a champion Illinois-bred older handicap mare.
Bruno Schickedanz
Born: March 2, 1947
Residence: King City, Ontario, Canada
Family: Wife, Elizabeth; two children
Started Ownership: 1981
Tampa Trainer: Aldana Gonzalez
Schickedanz is CEO of B.G. Schickedanz Homes, Inc., builders of homes all
around Ontario. He entered racing in the early 1980s as a way to promote a
sales competition within his multi-branch real estate company. The promotion
offered a 10% interest in a Thoroughbred to the top producer at each branch.
“I went out to buy a racehorse for my employees, and realized that I didn't
have one, so I bought myself one too,” Schickendanz told The Blood-Horse.
Since his first purchase, Schickendanz has acquired about 200 horses, 60 of
which are of racing age, with about half of those being 2-year-olds. He owns
Schickedanz Farm near Berry, Ontario, as well as Rising Sun Stables near
Ocala, Fla. His uncle is Gustav Schickedanz, who has raced Sovereign Award
winners Langfuhr, Glanmire and 2003 Canadian Triple Crown winner and
Horse of the Year Wando. Sermon Time was the first stakes winner for Bruno
Schickedanz as an owner. Sermon Time produced Wake At Noon, a multiplegrade
III stakes winner who earned more than $1.6 million and was Canadian
Horse of the Year in 2002. Schickedanz has also raced stakes winners Big
Ruckus, Big Virg, Effective Gal, My Heart Sez, Salty Note, Whomsoever Proud
and 1995 Canadian champion 3-year-old filly and champion sprinter Scotzanna.
He raced Canadian champion One Way Love, champion older horse and
sprinter in 2000, in partnership with John Hillier. Schickedanz was leading
owner at three meets in 1999: Gulfstream Park, Woodbine and Fort Erie.
55