Midwest Thoroughbreds/ Richard Papiese

Residence: University Park, Ill. & Thunder Ranch, Anthony, Fla.

• Easily Oaklawn’s leading owner in 2012 with 45 wins, Midwest broke a 38-year record by winning 501 races
nationally through Nov. 30. The previous record was 494 set by Dan Lasater in 1974.
• Originally a small outfit beginning with a handful of horses in 2001, Midwest expanded through the decade
then boomed in 2009 with the hiring of trainer Jaime Ness. They finished second nationally that year with
236 wins. Papiese’s team has since dominated the national rankings the last three years, winning 310 races
in 2010, 418 in ‘11 and more than 500 in ‘12.
• The wins come through aggressively playing the claiming game and the outsized earnings arrived despite
never winning a Graded stakes race. Papiese has also sought to vertically integrate his operation, employing
his own van drivers and signing deals for his own hay and feed. They leased Hawthorne Racecourse in
Chicago during the summer of 2012 to use as a training center for their 100 horses there.
• Midwest was a finalist of the 2011 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owner.
• Papiese and his wife Karan own and run Midwest Store Fixtures, a family business that outfits display cases,
kiosks and other custom products for retail outlets. One of their biggest clients is AT&T.