It would be an understatement to say that Lou Gurino and Sandy Oroski love horses.  Gurino has been a licensed Thoroughbred trainer for 15 years and has always loved animals. Oroski has more than 20 years of experience in the competitive world of showing horses.  But their passion for the Thoroughbred industry and their different talents has opened a world teeming with possibilities.

Gurino arrived in central Florida in 1985 and established Lou-Roe Farm. The 100-acre facility is located in the Starting Point Horse complex in Morriston, and has an entirely different feel from Queens, N.Y., where Gurino was first bitten with the racing bug.

"I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was growing up" Gurino said.  "I had chickens, ducks, rabbits, ferrets, birds, caimans, dogs and cats. My father owned racehorses, and I started hanging around the barn at age 12.  I began hot walking horses at the New York tracks at age 16.  I worked for James Picou and Alien Jerkens.  I loved Thoroughbred racing so much I used to pay $140 in taxi fare each week, while only earning $120 at the track.  I would walk horses all morning, and then walk to the bus stop.  I loved it, it was a great experience."

An opportunity to ply his trade took Gurino to the Mid-Atlantic, to Bensalem, Pa., where he based his training operation.

"I moved to Ocala in 1985 when I was 19 years old.  I took out my trainer's license in 1988 and trained a string of horses at Philadelphia Park.

Gurino established Lou-Roe Farm in 1985.

"Lou-Roe was the name of my father's racing stable," Gurino said.  "The Farm is actually named for my grandparents."

And like Gurino, Oroski, a native of Warren, Ohio, came to central Florida in 1985. Oroski's Celebrity Farm specialized in the breaking, training and showing of palominos and quarter horses.

"I grew up around show horses and I didn't have any racehorse influence in my background," Oroski said.  "I worked for a trainer who broke horses for the show ring at a prominent show horse farm.  I was grooming horses and cleaning stalls at the farm. The trainer's wife was high point amateur in the nation and the owner of the farm knew that I was doing an outstanding job riding and training and gave me the opportunity to ride some very good young horses, some which hold titles to this day."

Gurino's thirst for knowledge about the Thoroughbred industry served as the impetus to increase the breadth of activities he has become involved in.  It has been through careful planning that he's been able to succeed in a competitive environment.

"I chose the Thoroughbred industry as a lifestyle," Gurino said. 'My, experience in different facets of the industry has played a role in my success.  It takes a while for things to come together. It's a roller coaster ride and there are a lot of ups and downs. When you have had some success you should enjoy it. There are so many different pitfalls."

Sandy Orosky and Lou Gurino

Gurino also bred Big E E, a half-brother to Hesabull, by the grade-one winning millionaire Jolie's Halo.  Big E E won the Withers Stakes (G3) en route to bankrolling $380,154.

"My diverse experience in the industry has helped me tremendously, and helped to give me an idea in what it takes to succeed,"  Gurino said. "I've had some breeding success with horses that have been able to run at the highest level. It's been a gradual process. I've paid my dues. I've seen things differently over the last four or five years. I've made more sound and educated moves."

A farm steeped in history also played an integral role in Gurino's life.

"I once toured Calumet Farm and had an opportunity to meet Mr. Lundy," Gurino said. "I wrote Mr. Lundy a letter thanking him for showing us around the farm and asked him if I could be of service to him in Florida.  He sent me 27 horses. I was ecstatic. It was the highlight of my young career. I foal shared with Calumet Farm on Secreto. I broke horses for Calumet Farm for two years before they changed ownership. It was a very rewarding experience. I broke Senor Speedy and Sound of Cannons. It was great to break horses like that and follow their careers."

Celebrity Farm has made an impact at the sales, selling the sales toppers at the 2002 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's August Select Yearling Sale, the 2002 OBS Fall Mixed Sale (weanling), and the 2003 OBS October Fall Mixed Sale, selling both the top selling weanling, and top selling mare.

Gurino and Oroski have achieved their objectives as a team.  Gurino had sold some horses at the sale previously through other consignors.

"Sandy owned Celebrity Farm, and was doing as good, if not a better job selling the horses," Gurino said. "We decided to prep the horses ourselves and we've had three sales toppers in five of the sales we've participated in. You have to be able to bring the right horse to the sale and it has to be in peak condition. Sandy already had some signs for Celebrity Farm and that's why we kept the name.

The sales have given Gurino and Oroski an opportunity to emerge with greater synergy, focus and effectiveness.

"I had better pedigree horses, but Sandy works extremely hard in preparing the horses," Gurino said.  "We want to bring the horses to the sales in the best condition possible. Sandy puts a lot of work into preparing the horses. They really shine. We've received a lot of compliments from our peers. We haven't been an overnight sensation. We do the best we can, but our ultimate goal is to be able to bring the best horse to the sale."

Celebrity Farm was the consignor of Cooperation, a two-year-old Florida-bred colt by Halo's Image, who now finds himself part of Eclipse Award winning trainer Bob Baffert's barn. The colt sold for $200,000 at the 2002 OBS August Select Yearling Sale. J. B. McKathan signed the ticket for James Mclngvale, and was most impressed with Cooperation.

"Cooperation was a really fast looking colt," McKathan said. "Most of the foals out of Proud Clarioness are runners. I had an opportunity to see Hesabull and Big E E when they were yearlings and was very impressed. I've known Lou for a very long time.  He's a heck of a guy. Lou loves the horses and the business, and when you're passionate about what you're doing you tend to have a lot of success."

Cooperation has found himself competing against the best of his generation and has run in several stakes.  Cooperation was a seven-length maiden winner at Del Mar in August in his second career start.

And even though Oroski's background is with show horses, she found herself consigning a couple of Thoroughbreds each year, and like Gurino, she has a strong passion for the breed.

"I love being around horses and I really love Thoroughbreds," Oroski said.  "I used to show horses and it was through my experience with palominos and quarter horses that I developed a disciplined approach and application in making the horses look their best so that they'll stand out at the sales."

Gurino and Oroski have developed a distinctive approach to their business. Their operation is research intensive and has produced definitive results.

"I analyze every single pinhook, from weanling to yearling, and I try to identify needs," Gurino said. "Sandy loves nicking and loves to provide in-depth analysis on the horses. She does a tremendous amount of research.  Homework plays a large role in our success. We get mare information sheets from both the local breeders and farms based in Kentucky. We use Werk Thoroughbreds to do our nicking. Our success has been based on a number of factors. We've been able to breed better horses because of a number of variables."

Lou-Roe Farm will be the home to three new stallions for the 2005 breeding season. Graded stakes winners Pure Precision and Skip to the Stone, and stakes placed Gulf Storm make up the roster.

"We're very excited about the stallion venture and even more so about our stallion roster," Gurino said.

The precocious Florida-bred Pure Precision won the Sapling Stakes (G3) and the Tyro Stakes at Monmouth Park during his juvenile campaign. The bay colt by Montbrook, out of the Distinctive mare Al's Helen, broke his maiden in his first start at Calder Race Course in July of 2001.

Pure Precision was trained by John Tamarro III, was bred by George Steinbrenner's Kinsman Farm and raced in Kinsman Stable's colors. Pure Precision's dam, Al's Helen, possessed brilliant speed during her racing career and established a track record at Hollywood Park. Pure Precision won four races from eight starts, and retired with earnings of $186,550. Pure Precision will turn five in 2005, and will stand for $4,000.

Gulf Storm is another exciting young stallion on the Lou-Roe roster. The $1.4 million Keeneland July sale yearling scored back-to-back allowance victories at Saratoga. Gulf Storm is by Storm Cat, out of the Turkoman mare Miss Turkana, who won the California Oaks and Providencia Stakes en route to bankrolling $198,750 during her racing career.  Gulf Storm won five races from 17 starts for earnings of $194,747. Gulf Storm will stand for $3,500 in 2005.

"Someone had e-mailed me photographs of Gulf Storm and within 24 hours I had purchased the stallion," Gurino said. "He was the highest selling Storm Cat colt of his crop."

Florida-bred Skip to the Stone who raced in the colors of former San Diego Padre Kevin Ward and his Greystone Racing Stable and Vincenzo Lo Verso, rounds out the Lou-Roe stallion roster. The son of Skip Trial was bred by Brambly Farm, and is out of the Jolie's Halo mare, Winner's Ticket who is a half-sister to German Group 3 winner Theophanu.  Oxford-based Ricky and Stacy Leppala's Woodfield Farm consigned the horse, as agent for James Chapman, at the 2000 March Barrens Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale, and Ward and Lo Verso purchased the horse for $100,000.

Skip to the Stone was a multiple graded stakes winner, capturing graded stakes on both coasts, including the Baldwin Stakes at Santa Anita (G3), and the Bay Shore Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct. In four seasons of racing Skip to the Stone won four races from 18 starts, bankrolling $270,829.

Lou-Roe Farm's foray into the world of stallions has Gurino and Oroski brimming with optimism and their enthusiasm is palpable.

"I always wanted to be involved with the stallion business but I wasn't actively looking," Gurino said.  "Everyone's been very impressed with the stallions.  We've received a lot of positive feedback from the stallion advertisements. We're very supportive of the local breeding scene.

"Our stallions are all good individuals with great personalities," Gurino added. "We are going to use a number of tools to assist us with our analysis on whether or not we should increase or decrease a stallion's book, so we get a higher conception rate. Our goal is to help get those horses in foal. We intend to try to see as many of our stallions' foals as we can. The ultimate goal of Lou-Roe Farm is to develop stallions and to keep them here in Florida. I believe breeders will support stallions in the $10,000 to $15,000 range, or even the $20,000 to $25,000 range."

The employees at Lou-Roe Farms also play an integral role in the farm's operation.

"We're very hands-on, we foal out every mare," Gurino said. "We're also very fortunate that we have a great crew. Miguel Chavez, our barn foreman, who will also be one of the stallion handlers, has been with us for nearly a decade. Mary Schettler, our broodmare manager was Mockingbird Farm's broodmare manager."

In addition to their commitment to the Thoroughbred industry, Gurino and Oroski also own Bits and Pieces, a retail store in Ocala's Paddock Mall.

"A big part of my success has been Sandy's working with me," Gurino said. "We've worked well together as a team and have been successful from the start, whether it be in the retail store or the farm. Everything has become better. Sandy is the most important part of Celebrity Farm. We make a perfect team."