BY SARAH WELK BAYNUM

A chance encounter through their children’s high school romance unexpectedly launched Don and Jackie Duppenthaler into Thoroughbred breeding and racing.

“We got started in the horse business about 15 or 20 years ago with the same partners we still have today,” Jackie Duppenthaler said. “We first met them because my daughter was dating their son back in high school. That’s how it all began—we’d go over to visit [the late Donnie Graham and his wife] and we were introduced to their horses. We’d spend time around the horses just learning everything we could—especially my husband, who soaked up all their knowledge. Eventually, we decided to take the leap and go into the horse racing business ourselves. We partnered with their daughter, Donna Russell, and her husband, Wade Russell.”

The Duppenthalers immersed themselves in the Thoroughbred industry, balancing their newfound passion with the demands of family life and careers. Their dedication to the craft was evident in their rigorous schedule.

“We were raising our kids, working and juggling everything. At one point, my husband was working nights, and as soon as he woke up, we’d drive to Ocala to train horses. Then he’d head back to work another night shift, get a little sleep, and we’d do it all over again. At the time, we were living in Windermere, Fla., and making that daily drive to Ocala. We had broodmares, weanlings and we were green-breaking the foals. Sometimes we’d buy weanlings ourselves, all while continuing to learn as much as we could about the 2-year-old pinhooking side of the business.”

Despite their enthusiasm and hard work, economic realities eventually forced a hiatus from the business.

“At that point, everyone was selling, so we were fortunate to leave the business without taking a loss, which was a relief,” Duppenthaler said.

Their passion for horses, however, never waned. After several years away, the call of the track proved too strong to resist, and the Duppenthalers found themselves drawn back into the Thoroughbred world.

“About three years ago, we started talking with our former partners, Donna and Wade Russell, about getting back into the horse racing business. By then, they had moved to a 20-acre farm in Morriston and were also starting to get involved again. We all decided to give it another shot. And now we’re in our fourth year back in the business. They keep us updated, and the way we describe it is that we’re the financial partners, while Wade and Donna handle the day-to-day care and operations. They do the hands-on work, and we cover the expenses. The arrangement works well—when we sell a horse, we recover our investment first, they get theirs, and then we split any profit. It’s been a system that works for all of us,” said Duppenthaler said.

 

 

This second chapter in their Thoroughbred journey came with a more formal business structure, complete with a name that celebrates their family heritage.

“When we got back into the business, we decided to make it official this time around—we didn’t want any confusion with the IRS about it being just a hobby. We named it Rock N Horse LLC. The name is a nod to my husband’s background. Many years ago, his family was lucky enough to purchase an emerald mine in North Carolina, and it’s still in the family today.”

Armed with experience from their first venture, the Duppenthalers have returned to breeding with a refined strategy and are now venturing into racing their own horses.

“We’re focused on making smarter decisions this time around. We know that to compete at a higher level, you’ve got to step things up and invest in higher-quality horses and stallions. Our theory is to buy quality and not have as many horses. When we first got back into the business, we went to Pleasant Acres Stallions and we ended up buying a lifetime breeding right to Magic On Tap. Right now, we have three broodmares—we’re a small operation, but we’re building with intention. We’ve made mistakes along the way, but we’ve also made some good decisions. And with every experience, we learn something new. One thing we’ve come to understand is that you never stop learning in this industry. The moment you think you know it all, you’re setting yourself up for a fall—there’s always more to learn.”

The couple’s evolution now includes racing their own Thoroughbreds, a new frontier for them.

“We’re also dipping our toes into racing our horses— this is something new for us. We’ve never raced one that we own. We have a very well-bred filly named Kintap, [by McKinzie out of Diamond Tap, by Tapit] that we’re excited about. She started her career at Gulfstream, racing just two times before she developed a chip, requiring surgery. She’s fully healed now and is down with trainer Mario Lopez, who’s working on getting her back into condition.”

For the Duppenthalers, the true reward comes from seeing their equine investments mature from foals to competitive racehorses—a journey that brings both pride and emotional fulfillment.

“When you breed a foal yourself or even buy a weanling and get them all the way to the racetrack, that feels like something really special. You know you’ve made the right decisions for that horse, and now it’s their time to shine, doing exactly what they were bred to do. Watching them race—whether in person or on TV—gives you chills. It’s like, I had a part in this, and now they’re finally doing what they were born to do. That’s what makes this business so amazing.”

Jackie concludes with a sentiment that captures the profound connection that keeps them dedicated to the Thoroughbreds:

“There are days when you’re in a bad mood or feeling down, but you can go out to the barn, brush the horses, and just love on them. I always tell my husband that when I look into their eyes, it feels like they’re looking into your soul. I get emotional just thinking about it. They have a way of listening to you, and spending time with them can completely change your mood. They do something for me that I can’t quite explain.”

Return to the May 13 issue of Wire to Wire