‘Dunn’ Right: Steve and Allese Live by the motto

Steve and Allese Dunn have spent their lives together, around horses, and racetracks, and it’s something the couple never regretted. They met while doing admissions work at Belmont Park, where Steve got his second job after galloping in the morning. Allese has just graduated from high school, following in her father’s footsteps as a salesman.

From galloping future Hall of Fame mares to training the winners, Dunns has seen the highs and lows of the industry and has surpassed them all. “We’ve worked together all our lives,” says Allese. “He rode them, and I massaged them, as they say.”

Together, the two have built a family and maintained a successful small organization focused simply on doing better — every day.

MarketWatch: What drew you to the racing industry?

Steve Dunn: My father, John Dunn, was a horse trainer and a ranch manager. I guess you can call me a race kid. I grew up walking in the summer and wanted to be a jockey. So I started galloping at Keeneland when I was 12 or 13 years old. When I was too old to ride, I decided I would try to train a few winners. I’ve been on that road for a while. I just want to get out of Lexington; I want to go and see places I’ve never been. I want to see Allen Jerkens and Belmont and Saratoga. I arrived in cold New York, without a job and without knowing anyone. I got a job there and was planning to go to Florida, but I was on a second job, and I met Allese and stayed for six years. We have been married for 38 years.

Allese Dunn: I’ve never met anyone like (Steve). I’m from Flushing, Queens, New York. The horse business is new to me. I’ve always been an animal lover, but it was a culture shock.

MW: Where did you go from New York?

SD: I’m still riding in New York. I worked for Jeff Lukas the first year he came to New York and galloped on Life’s Magic for him the year she won Eclipse (3 year old junior champion in 1984 and older mare champion) in 1985). I also galloped by Lady’s Secret at her age of 2. She then broke her maidenhood in a deadly heat and was transferred to Santa Anita for D. Wayne Lukas to enter a stake race.

[Lady’s Secret became the 1986 Horse of the Year and champion older mare.]

Those horses helped me land a spot as Mark Casse’s assistant trainer, and we went with him when he took the job for Calumet. We did that for a few years, working at Hialeah Park and Belmont for a few years, and then Mark opened a public stable in Churchill Downs after Calumet disbanded. We started with five or six horses at Churchill, and by the end of the meeting we had 40 horses. Mark is in the Hall of Fame and deserves it. He is an outstanding horseman, man and businessman. I stayed with Mark for a few years and then moved out.

MW: What have you learned from working with Lukas and Casse?

SD: Attention to detail, attention to the little things, and organization. Wayne taught me about just putting the horse first. (Wayne) is very, very motivated, one of the most motivated people I have ever met. Maintaining the intensity every day was tough, but he did it. This business is tough because you work seven days a week, 365 days a year, 10, 12, 14, 16 hours a day and it’s hard to maintain that intensity, but he never had a hard time. with it. He really couldn’t believe it. But he raised the bar, and he raised the bar for you because he made you better. Good coaches make you better. They make you do things you didn’t think you could do.

MW: You and Allese have two children, Katie and Austin. Do you find it difficult to manage a family and manage a racing stable at the same time?

SD: Sure. That is a challenge. We had some clients that we were going to travel to the Fair Grounds in the winter and then back in the summer, and to the point where I quit traveling. It didn’t work — too much time left and Allese was alone. We lost all our horses and got off both ends. I went back to galloping for someone else, and Allese got another job. But that doesn’t matter because you have to take care of the children and the marriage. Our marriage and children are more important than the horses and the equine business. Divorce attorneys love the horse business.

It is very difficult. It’s not for everyone; It’s a way of life; it is all in. It wants every ounce of your energy; it will lose everything if you let it. It’s hard to find that balance. We struggled with ambition and balance. But we’re fine. I will never regret a moment spent with our children as they grow up. The horse business allows us to spend a lot of time with the kids. We were the only parents there because it was daytime, and the others would be working. Many times, we’ve been there, whether it’s a practice session, a game, or a high school performance.

ADVERTISEMENT: We got dirty, but we were there. We had poultices on hand, but we were there.

MW: What would you say to a young couple trying to get ahead?

SD: Required entry. It’s hard. It’s hard to do that anymore with young children. It used to be a family affair where everyone’s kids came to the track, and you had two or three horses, but that’s all changed.

MW: How do you try to get the most out of your little chain that you can?

SD: Take the best possible care of the horses and owners, and be realistic and put the horses in good positions. I always say the horses run, so if they’re happy, we all have to be. But if the horses are not happy, then no one else can be. You have to make sure you get them in good positions where you can win and compete. It makes people more interesting and it also covers the costs. I don’t think anyone has the illusion of winning the lottery in the horse business; they are trying to enjoy the whole experience. It is very difficult to win races, so when you do, you will be very pleased.

MW: Do you find “little guy” easier to win in one power than another? And, if so, is there a way to help the “little guy” no matter where they’re racing?

SD: Sure. At Keeneland and Churchill, it was hard for a small outfit to win. It is very competitive and difficult. I do not know. The main thing is to try to keep the intermediate and lower owners in the game. A lot of what happens is that costs tend to go up. Given the current situation along with the inflation and the HISA fees they can pass on to the owner, it’s hard to break even. I think the first to go will be the people who don’t have a spendable entertainment dollar. Better wallets at smaller tracks will help, and better wallets everywhere will help, but it’s hard to win them.

I worry about the cost of running many out. There’s a breaking point, and I think at some point we’re all going to hit that wall and say that’s enough. As for us, we are getting old. I’m 65, and it’s a young man’s sport. It has changed dramatically and will change even more dramatically over the next five years. There will be some contraction with rails, horses and trainers… in general, there will be a broad contraction in the industry.

MW: What do you predict for the future for you and Allese?

SD: I do not know. It’s a bit troublesome. We have some nice ponies at the moment and some we’re going to sell in September, but I don’t see us having 20, 25 horses anymore. The game is changing, we are getting old and we are running out of customers. I guess we cut things down and wanted to make it easier to manage. We just want to enjoy the horses and our time together. We are empty nesters. It was just Allese and me and our cat, Binky.