The crowds have disappeared and the routine has returned at Racecourse Saratoga after the end of its 40-day meeting, though normalcy has not yet fully returned to Dr. Edward Messina.
At the age of 86 and for the first time in decades, Messina entered this year’s races without his wife, Tina.
“She passed away last July and if she is alive it will be our 60th year of racing at Saratoga together as a couple,” Messina said.
Concetta “Tina” Messina died July 12, 2021 at the age of 82, just three days before the start of the 2021 Saratoga meeting.
Stand in the winner’s circle after his hybrid Sanctuary City won an optional pension race on 3 September at Spa, Messina giving the victory to his late wife.
The son of Temple City hadn’t crossed the first rope since before Tina’s death.
“When Sanctuary won here… It was such an emotional event for me that I was a little bit down,” Messina said. “It meant a lot to the two of us… She never saw Sanctuary run because she was sick.”
Sanctuary City wins an optional claim race at Saratoga . Racecourse
Messina recalls growing up near Coney Island, where he fell in love with Tina and the Thoroughbreds.
“We met, we fell in love, and we never stopped loving,” Messina said. “I don’t know if you’ve met many 80-year-old couples or combined sitting in front of the TV and holding hands or cuddling. That’s how we used to be. We were meant for each other.”
Although Messina’s relationship with Tina dates back to high school, his feelings for horses were identified much earlier.
“I’ve loved horses since I was a kid during World War II. I guess I was about 9 or 10 years old. I saw a pair of horses, one was a Borden horse, and I fell in love with it because it pulled carts,” Messina said. . “The dairyman comes in and out and this horse knows the route, never the reins.
“There is a second horse that I love named Tony, because I know the man (who is also Tony)… This is the so-called scrap horse. Because during World War II, they were fighting. collect aluminum for airplanes.”
Once Messina’s father discovered his interest in horses, he would take him horseback riding on Coney Island, which eventually evolved into regular horseback riding and later spending time at the racetrack.
“My father took me to the Jamaican racetrack,” he recalls. “I thought my dad worked every Saturday, but I didn’t realize he was a horse fan. That’s how I became a fan of Thoroughbreds.
“When I put my face against that tornado barrier and listened to the hooves hitting the ground and (seeing) the movement in the air these horses make, I fell in love instantly. The things that I was riding at. hack stables are incomparable in luxury, beauty and speed. I describe myself as a dark horse.”
Doctor Messina and his wife Tina at Spa
Messina dreams of becoming a jockey but realizes the lifestyle won’t suit her. Instead, he pursued an education, earning a doctorate in medical science with a major in physiology from the New York Medical College in 1973.
He continues to teach physiology at his alma mater, while using his medical knowledge to work as a genealogist and thoroughbred consultant on the side.
“I have always been fascinated with the exploratory component of life and I ended up earning a PhD in medical science with a major in physiology,” he said. “With a specialization in physiology, I studied genetics, and I use it in my genealogical methodology.”
Trainer Jimmy Ferraro, who has worked with Messina’s horses for many years, noted the doctor’s intelligence.
“I’ve known Dr. Messina since I was a child… He was a brilliant person. When we were kids, they used to call him ‘Genius’,” Ferraro said. “He’s a professor, he’s been teaching people how to be doctors for over fifty years. The government used to give him funding to do their research and everything… He perhaps as smart as Dr. Fauci and perhaps smarter.”
Early in his career, Messina was mentored by Hall of Fame coach PG Johnson, who helped develop many of the methods he now uses.
“He’s always said there’s a male component and a female component. Meanwhile, in this industry, you hear people always talk about stallions or that it’s just the female side. Well, it turns out from genetics. school and medical school, that’s what Messina said normally.
“You have to determine who is dominant in the equation and who is recessive. Once you can determine that to some extent, it’s not perfect, you can get a dominant stallion and a diving mare doesn’t have many qualities, but if she is consistent in racing and some of her offspring are consistent in racing in terms of health and reproductive consistency, sometimes if you match Mixed properly, quality will come out.”
Finally, after years of working for others in the industry, Messina decided to start her own breeding and horse racing with the encouragement of his wife.
“One night, my wife looked at me across the table and said, ‘Hey, you’ve made a lot of money for a lot of people. Why don’t you start doing it for us?’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ She said, ‘Let’s buy a horse and race it, see if we can have a little fun.’ I said, ‘I’ll do it, honey. If you want to, I’ll do it.’ And I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Notable runners that Messina’s show has produced include Doremifasollatido , 2008 Matron Stakes winner (G2), lucky Damsel who succeeded in 2004 Pebbles Stakes (G3), and Considerate Dam, Sanctuary City. All three horses are no longer Messina’s mares. It’s the one he bought for $42,000 at Keeneland’s November 2000 Breeding Stock Sale.
Doremifasollatido won the 2008 Matron Stakes at Belmont Park
“I was fortunate enough that the method I developed under the guidance of PG Johnson became more and more accurate,” says Messina. “I can breed $2,500 stallions, buy $5,000 mares and breed $5,000 stallions, that’s what I paid for ‘Sanctuary’, that’s it.”
Next, Sanctuary City is likely to start in a New York-induced equity race, according to Ferraro. His record currently sits at 5-7-3 from 23 starts and he has accumulated $456,170 in earnings.
What follows in the cards for Messina, however, may not be so clear-cut.
“I’m like every other freak owner; I say it. I want to win the group 1 race and of course I want to win the (Kentucky) Derby. I want that to happen,” Messina said. . “My family is very grass-oriented at the moment so that’s not a problem for me and I’ve been trying to breed to avoid the effect of grass and I’ve paid the price for that… Who knows… okay, I can be like Fred Hooper at 99 and go buy some mares and try to win the Derby.”
However, Messina’s favorite dream is the one he lived; a place where he spends time with his horse and his favorite in the world come together in a wonderful way.
“She knew about (racing) but when I got into it she became enamored with it because it was us, it became personal,” Messina said. “She loved it as much as I did. It was the greatest thrill; going to the track to see our horses race.”
