DOGWOOD STABLE - Tel: 803.642.2972

A lot of fun and excitement. . .

As the originator of Thoroughbred racing partnerships, Dogwood Stable has brought hundreds of people into racing. They may not all walk away winners, but Dogwood President W. Cothran "Cot" Campbell promises that the partners will get "a lot of fun and excitement" in the process.

Campbell tells prospective clients that there are three reasons to get into a Dogwood partnership. 1. It might make money. 2, You can write off any money you lose. 3, You'll have a lot of fun— and if you don't want the thrill, don't do it!

Up until 1990, most Dogwood partnerships were based on 40 shares of a five-horse package. There were 28 people who purchased the 40 shares of the package that included Summer Squall, Dogwood's 1990 Preakness winner.

Now Dogwood partnerships are closely held, four-share general partnerships. Dogwood Stable, one of the General Partners, owns a five-percent interest in each partnership. Cot Campbell acts as racing manager. There are four other General Partners, each with a 23.75 percent interest. This new partnership arrangement offers more favorable tax benefits than the old, 40-share package. Plus, with only four partners per horse, there is a much closer bond.

Paul Oreffice, the retired chairman of DOW Chemical, is a longtime Dogwood client. He takes a share in every Dogwood horse! He's the gentleman to the left of Cot Campbell in the above photo, taken after Summer Squall was declared the winner of the 1989 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga.

Buying Policy

Dogwood's buying policy continues to be the pursuit of moderately priced, young horses, offering bloodlines that can result in the highest calibre performance.

We do not agree with a program that invests high dollars in untried bloodstock. We feel that the success ratio between a $100,000 colt and a $500,000 colt may be tilted slightly in favor of the latter. But, that horse costs five times as much and the increase in expectation of success is relatively small.

With the myriad of opportunities for luck— good and bad—that await the career of a young racehorse, we disagree with the philosophy of an individual or partnership that invests in a costly, young horse. It's nice when it works out, but the exposure can be ruinous when it does not.

In a nutshell, Dogwood believes in putting our partnerships in a position to get lucky, but avoiding exposure to financial disaster.

Searching for the right horse

Dogwood purchases its new horses at the yearling and two-year-old in training sales. Cot Campbell likes to shop for his new yearling prospects at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky and Saratoga in the summer months, and Keeneland for their September sale. Two-year-olds are purchased from the Florida sales in February— Fasig-Tipton's Calder sale and the OBS sale (also at Calder). In April he will travel to Kentucky to buy at Keeneland.

"I'm looking for a horse with plenty of pedigree to where if he turns out to be a runner, it's not a great surprise," Campbell said. "I'm also looking for an athlete. I'm looking for class! I buy mostly colts because we're hoping to participate in the classics. We've been in six Kentucky Derbies and we're one of an elite group of stables to win both a Classic (the Preakness) and a Breeders' Cup."

Campbell also feels there must be some degree of forgiveness when it comes to conformation. "I'm not going to buy a horse that is back at the knees or has another major defect, but it's okay if he has a slightly offset knee or toes out a little bit. If you go into the paddock before a stake, not all the horses you see will be perfect individuals, so I'll take one with good bloodlines and a little insignificant flaw."

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