Everyone who gets into horse racing dreams of having that "horse of a lifetime" who will carry them to the biggest stages, a dream that Atlantic Six Racing's Jay Briscione compared to a Little Leaguer wanting to hit the game-winning grand slam.
However, for Briscione and his five Jersey Shore friends—Frank Camassa, Jeff Resnikoff, Mark Rubenstein, James Rubenstein, and Jim Scappi—that dream became a reality greater than they ever imagined as their New Jersey-bred Book'em Danno was named the Eclipse Award champion male sprinter for 2025.
"I never dreamt that we'd be in the running for an Eclipse Award," Briscione said. "You always hope you have a nice horse, but the dreams never got to here. That's how nice he is to us. He's a horse of a lifetime."
In a five-race campaign from March-August with Paco Lopez in the irons, the 4-year-old Bucchero gelding out of the unraced Ghostzapper mare Adorabella left his mark. Starting the season with a win just .17 seconds off the Colonial Downs track record in the Boston Handicap and a neck defeat in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) when fourth over a sloppy track to Mindframe , Nysos, and Banishing—all of whom would add graded triumphs around two turns as the year progressed—trainer Derek Ryan's attention turned to Saratoga Race Course where Book'em Danno would make his mark.
"Where does everybody want to win? Saratoga," Ryan said.
The Atlantic Six team certainly would be included in that statement, Briscione saying he and his friends have made the journey north each summer for nearly two decades.
"To be there, running on Belmont day and Travers day—I can't really put into words what he's meant to us, what kind of horse he is, and how lucky we are to be involved," Briscione said.
With ongoing construction at Belmont Park shifting the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival to the Spa from 2024-2026 creating a unique opportunity, Book'em Danno seized it. Staying in top form all summer against the top sprinters on the East Coast, he completed a historic sweep of the True North (G3), Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G2), and Forego (G1) stakes in one summer at Saratoga.
"He couldn't have a better year than he had," Ryan said. "He's done something that was never done before, win (those) three graded stakes at Saratoga. Unless someone does it this year, it won't ever be done again."
Training since 1996, Book'em Danno has been a truly special horse to Ryan and his career.
"I didn't really have much stock worth talking about," Ryan said. "I was nearly ready to take a (foreign) job, so he came along at the right time."
"Derek's done a tremendous job with his physical well-being, spotting him, involving us in the decision-making," Briscione said. "It's a lot of pressure on a smaller trainer. He's done a fantastic job with him."
Bred in New Jersey by Gregory Kilka and Bright View Farm, Book'em Danno's win in the Forego was also saw him surpass Hall of Famer Open Mind as the all-time leading New Jersey-bred earner with $1,855,425 in the bank. He is the first New Jersey-bred Eclipse Award winner since Open Mind was named 1989's champion 3-year-old filly.
Briscione said that record was the most exciting accomplishment of the season.
"The fact he's a New Jersey-bred tells people: if you've been in this game and you haven't had a horse like this and you're tired of paying bills, stay in a little longer because look what happened to us," Briscione said. "If you're thinking of getting into the game and you love horse racing, get into it because you could have a horse like him."
