"Starliner," "Laffin' Place," and Paul. February, '09.
Paul H. Rothfuss was born into a Thoroughbred racing family and has been involved with horses one way or another for more than five decades.
In the earliest part of the Twentieth Century, Paul’s dad, Dr. P.A. Rothfuss, was the ‘horse boy’ on a 600-acre family farm in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. From age seven to fifteen (1908) he was responsible for the seven horses that provided the ‘power’ the family needed for their field work and hauling. P. A. especially loved driving his speedy pacing filly, Miss Sprout, essentially ‘drag racing’ with other young men on the back country dirt roads.
In May of 1920, P. A., a freshman at the University of Maryland Medical School, was at Pimlico to watch the immortal Man O’ War win the Preakness. Then and there he vowed to have racehorses someday, and horses would carry the blood of ‘Big Red.’ He did, and they did!
Paul: “I started learning about Thoroughbreds at age three while sitting on the arm of Dad’s easy chair. On Nov. 4, 1947, Dad bagged me out of Mrs. Harris’ third grade class and took me to my first race at ‘Old Hilltop,’ the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. His colt, Gain ‘A Foot, grandson of Man ‘O War, won that day. I made my first $2 bet and won $32. Then I went to the Winners Circle where I got in a picture with jockey Al Schmidl. I was seven. And ever since!
Shorty thereafter Dad saw to it that my brothers and I spent weekends and summers on the farm, making hay, mucking stalls, foaling mares, breaking yearlings, et al. That’s how I came to know and love Thoroughbreds.”
At age seventeen Paul found radio broadcasting, and he spent fifty years in that industry. In the 1960’s and ’70’s he enjoyed great success as a top-rated radio personality in Baltimore (nom-de-plume: Paul Rodgers), and in the mid-seventies he went into radio management and ownership. Since that time Paul and his partners have owned and operated nearly one-hundred radio stations throughout the USA. Thoroughbreds were always on Paul’s mind. Often, they were in his barn.
Paul with "Overnight Fling." Ryedale Plantation, Aiken, SC, 1991
In 1986 Paul built Ryedale Plantation, a beautiful Thoroughbred facility in Aiken, SC, during which time he had the great good fortune to work with Dr. Chris Cahill, manager of Ryedale. Chris was instrumental in helping Paul organize some publicly-held racing partnerships in 1989, and they raced some very nice horses.
Paul: “I give Chris worlds of credit for what we were able to accomplish, and I consider myself fortunate to call him my good friend and confidant today. Chris has been of great help to me, and he always offers sound advice and wise counsel.
Today Dr. Cahill is a leading practitioner of veterinary acupuncture and chiropractic treatment for equine athletes, and his list of ‘patients’ is long and impressive. I hope you’ll get to meet him.”
The racing partnerships that were formed in the nineties convinced Paul that this was absolutely the very best way for people to participate as owners in Thoroughbred racing.
Paul: “Over the years I’ve discovered that many people don’t get into horse racing because they believe they can’t afford it and/or because they don’t know who to trust. I believe that our All Play Stable model fixes these problems.
We make it nigh impossible for any Partner to ever get ‘killed’ financially. In fact, anyone who can afford to buy or lease a $25,000 car can afford a share in one or more of our Partnerships.
Given the high cost of horse racing, now is probably the best time in history for the All Play Stable idea, where we gather forces and make racing more affordable and less risky for all of us. If in reflection you’ve ever asked yourself, ”How do I own a racehorse?”, I think All Play Stable can provide you with your answer.
Come along and share the Fun and Excitement as we help make each other’s dreams come true.
Robin, Sara, and I thank you for visiting our ‘cyber stable,’ and we look forward to meeting you.”
