It’s a patrol judge-eye view at the top of the stretch

Old school was no specialty school when Sue Brent broke into the seasonal career of Southern California horse racing more than three decades ago.

Brent began as a walker and along the way she worked for trainers, veterinarians and jockey’s agents before settling in as one of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club’s patrol judges.

“I would think most people don’t know it exists,” said Brent about the uniqueness of her mid- to-late summer job.

“I’m at the top of the stretch where they start coming down the lane,” she said about her view of the racetrack. “I’m almost aligned directly with the very end of the grandstand, and I’m right on the outside rail of the fence.

“Other racetracks have the patrol judges on the inside, but we’re on the outside,” she said, “so the racetrack is on one side and the grandstand tarmac is on the other.”

Brent came to Del Mar 25 years ago this summer when she got married and moved to San Marcos with her husband, a high school wood-shop teacher.

“I’ve worked in racing all of my adult life, so as doors opened I just kind of went through them,” she said because, “most girls love horses. “It started for me during a summer break from college,” Brent said. “I started walking horses for a trainer and kept working at the race track and taking opportunities to learn new things and move my way up.

“Before I worked in the racing office, I was the administrative assistant to the state vet. I used to work the whole circuit,” she said, referring to Hollywood Park, Santa Anita, Pomona Fairplex and Del Mar. “I went back to work for the state vet in the summers, then the (Del Mar) racing office offered me an opportunity to come work for them.”

Thirty years ago this was the way many people got into the business - a season and an odd-job at a time.

“I would say go to school,” Brent advised young horse-lovers. “Now they have the industry program at the University of Arizona, the Race Track Industry Program. They also have one through the University of Louisville.

“I did it by working my way up and they may not have even had those programs when I started,” she said.

Brent was correct.

According to the University of Louisville’s Website, “The Racing Officials Accreditation Program for Stewards, Judges and Officials had its genesis in 1987 when several representatives of the University of Louisville, The Jockey Club, the Association of Racing Commissioners’ International and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations began meeting to plan such a program.”

The Racing Officials Accreditation Program is represented by an alliance of industry representatives that joined forces with the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program and the University of Louisville Equine Industry Program to oversee the accreditation of racing officials. Its mission is to accredit and provide continuing education to all racing officials, stewards and judges in the horseracing industry.

The Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona offers two paths based on student interest. The Business Path prepares students for employment in the areas of race track management, regulation and pari-mutuel racing organizations. The Equine Management Path prepares students for employment in areas dealing with racing and breeding animals.

About her atypical gig, Brent said, “I go back for the summer and try to do a really good job.
“Doing my best to make sure that it’s fair to the bettors and always trying to keep it honest,” she added, gives her the most satisfaction.

“I hope I make a difference, but that sounds like it’s a lot more than it really is,” Brent said modestly. “The stewards are the one’s that have that responsibility. They listen to what you have to say, but basically they look at the films, and they look at what you’re looking at and they’re the one’s that make the decision.

“Anything I do, I always do the best I can and I hope Tom Robbins, Joe Harper and the stewards are always happy with what I do. They asked me back, so I guess that’s a good thing.”

A unique feature on the Del Mar Racing Website is the Patrol Judge Report (formerly Horses In Trouble) that is updated daily. As the site states: “If anything unusual happens during a race, it’ll show up in this section.” The direct link, when racing season begins, is here.

Tags: Del Mar, Del Mar Racetrack, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Racing Officials Accreditation Program, SDNN, Sue Brent

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