Episode 2-2: The Love Of The Game Never Leaves You – Bing Bush & Abbondanza Racing
Bing Bush, owner and manager of Abbondanza Racing, is well-known for his electric personality and the positive vibe he brings to the sport of horse racing..
When tragedy struck his friends and in his own personal life, Bing turned to the game to see them through and bring back his spirit.
Here’s how a kid from Kentucky went from breaking and galloping horses after school to starting a California law practice in Del Mar, empowering women in horse racing, and managing a successful racing syndicate.
In our interview with Bing, we uncovered the inspirational story of Abbondanza Racing.
Bing Bush’s Start in Lexington
Some kids are into cars, some are into motorcycles, and some love horses. Bing was one of the ones that loved horses. And it’s his love of horses that still drives him today.
“I was just a kid, like a lot of kids, that happened to love horses.” – Bing Bush
Bing grew up near the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington on a small 5-acre farm. He started with pleasure horses and moved up to jumping and eventing in the local Keeneland Pony Club. His life was focused on going to school and riding horses.
He got his start in the industry by galloping horses for John Ward then breaking yearlings in high school for Jonabell Farm.
Bing’s love of horses followed him after high school. He moved to California in his first year of law school where he began galloping horses and giving riding lessons. He also fell in love with the area.
After riding 20+ horses a day for a while, Bing felt he needed to focus on law school. After graduation he became a law clerk, passed the California bar, and went from an associate to partner at another firm before starting his own law firm. His office was opened in the heart of Del Mar near the track. His love of the game followed him and he started representing people in the racing industry.
In an industry where everything seems to be done with a handshake, Bing encouraged people to get it in writing. He’s helped jockeys and other individuals as well as various organizations like the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) with his legal services. Bing represents and helps his clients with everything from agreements and contracts to business formations.
His involvement at the track led him back to horse ownership and his most recent venture – Abbondanza Racing.
The Start of Abbondanza Racing
‘Abbondanza’ means ‘abundance’ in Italian.
The name is a nod to the Italian heritage of Bing’s wife, Jewels. It’s symbolic of the abundance of joy that the racing partnership has brought to everyone involved.
“It’s definitely a glass half-full kind of partnership – that’s for dang sure.” – Bing Bush
Abbondanza Racing has evolved with a close-knit group of friends, but it all began with a tragedy.
Bing had represented a couple in a wrongful death action. He refers to the couple, Eddie and Lisa Villapondo, and their daughter, Erica, as beautiful people. The couple lost their son, their daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren, in a terrible accident.
After winning their case, Bing had the opportunity to buy a 3-year old English Channel filly by the name of Changethechannel trained by Sean McCarthy. He pulled in some other friends and offered the couple a chance to get involved. They had no way of knowing that Changethechannel would be the game changer that they needed.
The Game Changer: A Filly Named Changethechannel
Eddie and Lisa were excited about her and loved being around the horses from the start. They got to see her in the barn and watch her gallop in the mornings. It gave them something fresh and different to do.
But it was her first win at Del Mar that changed everything.
They couldn’t believe it when she won. The couple just lit up. She wasn’t the favorite that day, but her win changed everything. She Changed the Channel – just like her name.
The group gained momentum from there. More friends and more horses were brought in. Abbondanza Racing grew into a good energy group of friends, and friends of friends, that just enjoy going to the races together.
Whether they win or lose the Abbondanza Racing group always has a great experience.
The Next Level: Free Rose Wins the Del Mar Derby
Nathan McCauley, a previous co-manager of Abbondanza Racing and current investor in some partnerships, bought Changethechannel from Bing as a broodmare and bred her to Declaration of War. The two got along well and it was Nathan that introduced Bing to another great horse – Free Rose.
Free Rose was a gelding that wasn’t doing well. At one point, Nathan got a call from the jockey’s agent while he was in Africa on a humanitarian mission. Nathan’s brother and the colt’s trainer, Tevis, was going to put Free Rose in a $5,000 claiming race at Mountaineer Park.
Nathan protested. He wanted to see him run on the grass in an allowance race at Keeneland. Free Rose was already entered at Mountaineer, but fortunately he was an extra and didn’t get in. So he went to Keeneland instead.
He was 55-to-1 at Keeneland and broke a track record on the grass. Nathan’s instincts were right for the horse and it was a game changer. Free Rose next ran 3rd at Churchill Downs in an allowance race won by Monster Bea before shipping West..
Bing ended up buying Free Rose with Nathan keeping a share. They tried to enter him in the Oceanside Stakes, but he didn’t get in. Monster Bea, the horse that raced so close to Free Rose at Churchill Downs, won the Oceanside Stakes. That’s when Bing realized that he had a good horse and entered him in the La Jolla Handicap.
Bing’s father and sister were in town for the family’s first time at Del Mar together. They got to watch Free Rose win the La Jolla Handicap at 28-to-1 odds.
“It was absolutely surreal.” – Bing Bush
A few weeks later, he was 11-to-1 when he won the Del Mar Derby. The gelding just went out and knocked everyone’s socks off. By then, the little Abbondanza Racing crowd had turned into a pretty big crowd.
A Good Trainer: Richie Baltas
Richie Baltas has had a significant impact on the racing group as a trainer. When Changethechannel was racing, Melanistic was one of her biggest rivals. She was a great filly and in some ways quicker than Changethechannel. Richie was Melanistic’s trainer.
When Bing got the chance to buy Melanistic he kept Richie as her trainer. The filly consistently hit the board in allowance and claiming races. She earned over $375,000 in her career until she retired at age 8. Melanistic was the start of Richie as a trainer for Abbondanza and he’s continued to successfully train horses like Goodyearforroses, a mare that ran in the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar.
Jewels Bush and the Abbondanza Femme Group
In the past year, Bing lost his wife of 11 years to cancer. Jewels was a big part of what made the racing group so special and Bing was devastated without her.
Jewels helped start the Abbondanza Femme group, a racing group comprised of all women. She got a group of about 25 women together with a $5,000 buy-in and the intent of empowering women in horse racing. The group was a success thanks to Jewels.
When his wife passed away, Bing couldn’t go to the racetrack. Ultimately, the love and support from friends and family within the industry and his community got Bing through one of the most difficult times of his life.
Returning to the backside in the mornings was therapeutic for Bing. He loves the animals first and foremost and being around the grooms, trainers, jockeys, farriers, and vets again was just what he needed. It’s the world that he loves and thrives on.
Just three weeks ago, Bing invited some friends to the track that had never been to the races before. The group’s filly, Excellent Sunset, ran second beaten by a nose as he even money favorite. Bing felt a sense of joy and fun watching the race that he hadn’t felt since Jewels died.
The sport, the friends, and the experiences are everything to him.
A Bright Future for Abbondanza Racing
Abbondanza has been successful with fillies and mares on the turf, but the group has also expanded past this specialization. They now have a group of promising yearlings and a newly acquired filly named Motion Emotion.
While they usually try to buy fillies and mares in November to race the next year, Motion Emotion was a special case. She’s nicely bred and has a real presence.
Unlike many of the mares that have successfully raced for Abbondanza, Motion Emotion is a dirt filly. She ran in this year’s Kentucky Oaks and is primed to do well at longer distances. The group is considering taking her to Keeneland – what promises to be a fun trip for the Abbondanza group.
Abbondanza Racing was the first syndicate that Horsebills did the books for. Working with Bing helped both Horsebills and Abbondanza Racing become what they are today.
When asked about Horsebills, Bing had this to say:
“It’s been a godsend.” – Bing Bush
Here at Horsebills, we wish Abbondanza Racing many more years of success and look forward to seeing Bing at the Breeders’ Cup in November.
