PARENTS’ LEGACY OF DEVOTION LIVES ON FOR EASY BLOSSOM OWNERS

By Mike Henry —-

OLDSMAR, FL. – At the outset of the 2011-2012 Tampa Bay Downs meeting, past Oldsmar champion jockey Willie Martinez raved about the speed possessed by a 3-year-old filly named It’s Me Mom.

Already a three-time stakes winner, It’s Me Mom lived up to Martinez’s hype by winning the 6-furlong Minaret Stakes in then-stakes-record time of 1:09.68. Then, after turning 4, the Lynne Scace-trainee defeated males in the Florida Cup Hilton Garden Inn Sprint, setting the still-standing Tampa Bay Downs track record of 1:08.67 under jockey Jorge Vargas

In between those efforts, she won the Florida Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Sprint at Gulfstream under Martinez in a sizzling 1:08.85 for 6 furlongs.

It’s Me Mom, a daughter of Put It Back-She Too, by Stormy Atlantic, was bred and owned by Thomas and Jean Bosch of Holiday, Fla., who used to watch her race from ground level behind the Oldsmar winner’s circle. Married 59 years at the time, they campaigned her to 11 career victories, including seven stakes triumphs, and earnings of $560,454.

Jean Bosch died in 2013 and Thomas Bosch passed last year, but another chapter was written in their Thoroughbred legacy today when It’s Me Mom’s half-sister It’s Easy to Say (by Yesbyjimminy), bred by the Bosches in Florida, dashed to victory in the third race on the turf in 57.24 seconds for the 5-furlong distance. Shannon Uske was the winning jockey.

The victory was the first since September of 2015 for the 7-year-old mare, who is owned by the Easy Blossom Stable of the Bosches’ daughters, Pam Moreira and Susan Green, and trained by Susan’s husband Everett Green, Jr.

“To us, it means that our parents are smiling in heaven today,” said Susan, a jockey on the New York circuit 40 years ago. “They wanted to see us continue with the horses, and Dad had watched (It’s Easy to Say) run second here after a long layoff a month before he died.

“He had tears in his eyes that day because the horses meant so much to him and our mom.”

It’s Easy to Say is kept at Classic Mile in Ocala. Susan drives from St. Augustine each day, about two hours away, to work with the mare and the other horses in their small stable. “To get a victory after all the hard work we’ve put in, and the day-to-day accomplishments nobody else sees, is very satisfying,” she said.

“She ran down the stretch today like we knew she could.”

Older sister Pam was overcome by emotion after the stirring victory. Their parents’ relationship with the family of It’s Me Mom and It’s Easy to Say extends back to their great-granddam Tammy Jean, whom Thomas Bosch trained in the late 1980s. Bosch also owned Tammy Jean’s unraced dam, Funny Tammy.
Tammy Jean foaled Tammy Two, the dam of She Too. And She Too broke her maiden at Tampa Bay Downs for the Bosche’s in 2006 in her career debut.

Now, the family has another Tampa Bay Downs winner.

“We had decided to stop on It’s Easy to Say two years ago and brought her back to Florida and began working with her ourselves,” said Pam. “We wanted to take our time to bring her back to the races, because that’s the way our dad taught us.

“Winning today means many things – that our hard work with her paid off and that we’re doing it ourselves in a man’s world.”

The sisters still own the 15-year-old broodmare She Too, who has an unraced 3-year-old In Summation gelding named Pastor Raley, and the 10-year-old It’s Me Mom, who has an unraced 3-year-old filly by Corfu named Follow Me Mom who is currently in training.

“Our parents stayed with it because the next horse always gave them that spark of hope,” Susan said. “In this game, you try to do the best you can, and you always have that dream that the next one will be the best yet.”

Around the oval. Demolition, a 3-year-old son of Blame, won today’s featured ninth race, a maiden special weight affair, by two lengths from Brave Nation in 1:41.56 for the mile-and-40-yard distance. Both colts are Triple Crown nominees.

Owned by LNJ Foxwoods, SB Racing Corp. and Jason A. Litt and trained by Ian Wilkes, Demolition was ridden to victory by Antonio Gallardo. He also won the sixth race on the turf on Game Lad, a 5-year-old Florida-bred horse owned by Kathleen O’Connell and Dennis Holman and trained by O’Connell.

Samy Camacho also rode two winners today. He captured the first race on Rockaroundthedock, a 4-year-old filly owned by Ballybrit Stable and trained by Michael Dini.

Camacho added the seventh on Noshackleshere, a 4-year-old gelding owned by F and F Racing Stable and trained by Ben Colebrook.

Thoroughbred racing continues Sunday with a 10-race card beginning at 12:44 p.m. Tampa Bay Downs conducts racing each Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the exception of Easter Sunday, April 1, when the track is closed.

Otherwise, Tampa Bay Downs is open every day for simulcast wagering, no-limits poker action and tournament play in The Silks Poker Room and golf fun and instruction at The Downs Golf Practice Facility.