Following the race live, Brittany Vanden Berg thinks her horse My Brother Cam won the race Thursday July 23 at the Runhappy Meet at Ellis . Park.
After seeing the slow motion replay on the string, the trainer wasn’t so sure. That seemed to be confirmed when her husband, track and field athlete Chris Emigh, brought My Brother Cam back strapless and said he thought they were defeated by Unleash the power .
Whatever the official result, it’s a huge achievement for My Brother Cam, who lost his last start by 86 stages in the race he was claimed by Vanden Berg.
But in a microcosm of how Vanden Berg’s first Ellis Park encounter went, the race was declared a deadly rush to win. Vanden Berg raised her hands in joy and immediately gave My Brother Cam a passionate kiss.
Giving Vanden Berg her sixth win in the meet-up — with two seconds and two-thirds of 12 starts — a win that put her temporarily in the lead against John Ortiz, who took the lead. quickly win the sixth race to go on to the top.
Vanden Berg talks about My Brother Cam. “We were like, ‘He showed up!’ He showed the talent he showed in the morning. Very happy. This is our image race. In fact, the previous coach told me, ‘If you can find him, then you’ll have more power.’ Today everything came together and we won. ‘
“I was humbled to be here for the first time and did a great job. I give all credit to my team. My team is awesome. Chris, my husband, is the best. I have no words for him – he just couldn’t believe it. We all work together.”
Vanden Berg is in his third year of horse training after seven years as a jockey. Emigh has been the main runner at the Chicago track for 25 years. As husband and wife, Vanden Berg and Emigh say they complement each other professionally.
Jockey Chris Emigh and his wife, coach Brittany Vanden Berg, at Ellis Park
“He gave me feedback; I feed it back,” says Vanden Berg. “Chris and I think a lot of the same things, and I think that’s what ended up being with training and riding. Especially since I used to ride.
“I never told him what to do for a race. I said, ‘Go out there and have fun.’ He will make the best decisions at that time, and I know it. “
Whether she has enough horsepower to compete for the championship Ellis Park meets with the likes of Ortiz and six-time winner Steve Asmussen, both of which have more stock, Vanden Berg’s rise to the top position. How to be a coach is already important. Two years ago, she had five horses. Now she is 30.
“I never thought of that,” she says of the development. “So it was a surprise. I love it, and I only spend it one day at a time, because that’s all you can do in this business. I really want to start winning bet races. I really want to start expanding our base to selling, for 2 year olds, stock races. Things that I haven’t really been able to do while playing the rights game. “
Emigh and Vanden Berg at Ellis Park
Vanden Berg is a decent racer, starting in her native Canada before moving to Chicago, where she met Emigh.
“I love to ride, but I always say that by the time I turn 30, I want to stop riding and start training,” she says. “I’m so glad I switched to doing it, because of our owners. Being a coach is a lot more stressful; being a much more dangerous driver. Everyone has ups and downs. But as long as I’m with the horse, I’m happy. “
July 25 is Vanden Berg’s 32nd birthday as well as their first anniversary. Emigh and Vanden Berg were married in Arlington Park paddock after the races. But Vanden Berg first won with her only warm-up of the afternoon.
“I ended up showing up with pre-wedding hair and clothes and running to the winners’ circle,” she said. “Our whole family participated in (the painting), so it was really great.”
Arlington Park ran its final race two months later, with the owner Churchill Downs Inc. arranged the sale of the property to the Chicago Bears. The closure of the track brought Vanden Berg and Emigh – who won 4,290 races while driving primarily in Chicago – to Ellis Park, which has a 1/8-mile main track that shares the same circumference as Arlington.
“Very nice, big turns,” said Emigh. “I’m used to it. It’s like being in Arlington Park.”
Vanden Berg, the daughter of a farmer, also feels at home. “I said, ‘There’s soybeans in the field! ‘ she said with a laugh. “I already knew all about that.”
With most of their owners in Illinois or Missouri, Vanden Berg and Emigh weren’t sure where they would put the anchor. They will return to Chicago for Hawthorne’s fall meetup, but Kentucky is a permanent option.
“Arlington Park has been my home for 25 years,” says Emigh. “We really didn’t know where to go, and Ellis Park had a good budget. They wanted us to come and give us enough stalls. Good people here. It is very comfortable. We like it here. We’re doing well, so you’ll definitely love it. Everyone is friendly and fun.”
