Autrey Articles

Texas native Cody Autrey, currently leading the Fair Grounds trainer standings, was profiled twice in major publications this week, first by Marcus Hersh in Daily Racing Form (read it here), then by Bob Fortus in the New Orleans Times-Picayune (read it here).

Yours truly may have been the first writer to ever quote young Cody, back in 2002 when he was Bubba Cascio's assistant and I was just a few weeks into my first real job. Cascio's gelding Lights On Broadway, the 2001 Texas Horse of the Year, was preparing to run on opening day of the Lone Star meet with Jerry Bailey set to ride...

Lone Star Park Press Notes April 2, 2002

I've written about Cody for the Lone Star press notes many times since. Here's an article from 2004, when Cody first started to really turn heads...

Lone Star Park Press Notes June 12, 2004

And another from this year, when he undoubtedly secured his place as one of Lone Star's premier conditioners...

Lone Star Park Press Notes April 19, 2006

Every time I interview Cody he gives me way more material than I can ever fit into one piece. Ambition and enthusiasm just pour out of him, like he couldn't stop talking about racehorses if he tried. As early as 2003 people were calling him things like "D. Wayne Autrey" and "Little Baff." Even then I remember thinking that this guy is going to win a Derby someday, and I still believe that.

One aspect of Cody that I never got around to writing about is the steel trap that is his mind. In 2004 when he was telling me about how he remembers every horse we got onto the topic of memory. When Cody spots a nice horse in the morning, he identifies some marking or other trait and commits it to memory until he can eventually find out its name. At any given time Cody can recognize hundreds of horses on the backstretch. Even if he doesn't know them by name, he has a mental file on all of them and will take the time to learn more if he thinks he might want a particular one in his barn.

The crazy thing is, Cody doesn't take notes on anything. He told me excitedly about how most people aren't using anywhere near their brain's potential. Growing up Cody taught himself to remember phone numbers by heart and to this day he only has to hear one once and he'll never forget. That is, if you're a potential owner or somebody else he can do business with.

In addition to being a solid horseman, Cody plays the game better than anyone in Texas. By that I mean he understands the condition book and spots his horses with far more confidence than his competition. While most trainers are thinking about the next few races for each horse, Cody seems to operate in accordance with a year-long strategy mapped out in his mind that will maximize both his profits and publicity.

Like the card shark he is, rival trainers never know if he's dropping for an easy win or trying to get rid of a cripple. Unfortunately, neither do handicappers.

Have you noticed that his best streaks always come early in a meet? I think he figured out long ago that if he loads up for the first condition book, he can lead the standings with a high percentage and people will talk about him. The more articles and buzz, the more likely a new owner will contact him and help finance the continuous upgrade of his stock.

You really get the feeling that Cody owns the other Texas trainers. With the exception, of course, of the ones that he has either a friendship or an arrangement with. It might be too late for Fair Grounds horsemen, but as Cody tries new tracks in the future, my advice to other trainers would be to make friends with him quick, so you can agree not to claim off each other.

Anyway, the dude's a genius and he fully deserves whatever success he finds. It's awesome to watch a person focus on his passion and reap the rewards of such unwavering commitment.