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C O N S T E L L A T I O N C O N S T E L L A T I O N 00 WinStarFarm.com Thoroughbred Idea Foundation With a mission to improve the industry for all stakeholders, the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation is eager to bring about positive change through education and collaboration. By Peter Fornatale The Thoroughbred Idea Foundation was formed in 2018 by Craig Bernick, but its roots go back much further, all the way to the 1920s. These were the days when Bernick's grandfather, Leonard Lavin, first fell in love with the sport of horse racing in his hometown of Chicago. "His father and uncle would take him to the track, and he loved it," Bernick shared. "When he was eight years old, they took him by train to the Kentucky Derby and he saw Reigh Count win." A few years later, the legendary Equipoise became Lavin's favorite horse. "He and his friends would save up dimes to bet on the horse," said Bernick. "He'd cut school to go watch him run." Lavin served in World War II and upon his return home founded a business, Alberto-Culver Corporation, that went on to become a Fortune 500 company. "He lived the American dream," Bernick said, "but his dream was to be in the horse business and when he became successful that was the f irst thing he wanted to do." Lavin bought Glen Hill Farm in Ocala, Florida, and started buying horses. Over the next three decades, he had a lot of success, winning some 194 stakes races across 32 tracks, including a Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Churchill Downs with One Dreamer in 1994. Lavin operated his business according to three principles, all of which underline the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation's mission. The first is to always pay your bills on time. The second is to be a man of your word. And the third is to never suggest an idea to someone else that you wouldn't be willing to do yourself. Bernick took over the operations of Glen Hill in 2008, under his grandfather's tutelage. "He loved the idea that the farm would keep going even after he wasn't going to be around," Bernick said. "It was something we shared together." FOUNDATION THOROUGHBRED IDEA C O N S T E L L A T I O N 08 WinStarFarm.com