Jesse Cruz has grown up at the racetrack since his toddler years. According to Jesse, he didn't enjoy being there in his younger years but became more interested by a horse named Russell Road. Initially he wanted to pursue being a jockey. This dream was derailed by a growth spurt during his teenage years. After high school he spent time at Gulfstream Park and Saratoga as an exercise rider for Billy Mott and Mike Maker. He also worked for Ollie Figgins III as an assistant trainer. In December 2016 he earned his trainer's license in Maryland. Slightly more than three months after that he gained his first win. Since then, Jesse has earned over $1.8 million and is a multiple stakes winning trainer. Jesse's stable is based in Lexington, Kentucky. You can follow him on Twitter at @Cruz_Racing.
Mark Salvaggio started as a groom at Thistledown during high school. After high school he moved to Ocala and started galloping there. Mark moved back to Cleveland and became a jockey at Thistledown in 1980. He worked in that role for twenty-three years. During that time, he had a number of accomplishments. In 1990 he was second in the nation for wins as a jockey. He also won at three racetracks in the same day: Parx, Delaware, and Penn National. In 2003, Mark left his career as a jockey and began working for his brother, Michael, starting in the roles of groom and exercise rider. He earned his trainer’s license in 2011 and has been working on his own since then. His stable is located at Penn National.
Growing up in Idaho, Zoe got her start in horses by first starting out in the hunter jumper world. But by the age of 8, she discovered pony races and has been in the racing world ever since. In 2011, Zoe acquired her first steeplechaser who wasn’t showing any promise for his connections and took him to the winner’s circle for hurdles multiple times and won the Virginia Steeplechase Association (VSA) Hurdle Horse of The Year award. Zoe was gifted a New York bred horse deemed “untrainable due to behavior” and won the VSA Flat Horse of The Year award in 2012. The day after she turned 16 and was legally allowed to ride races, she won her first flat race and came third in her first ride over hurdles. Those achievements were even sweeter since the horses she ran were ones she owned and trained herself. 2012 continued to showcase her talent when she won her first sanctioned NSA race on a horse she trained and was owned by her mother. She was then asked to represent the United States in the Fegentri International Amateur Jockey series that ran races in, Australia, France, Oman, Qatar, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Abu Dhabi, Germany, and Italy. For five years, Zoe rode in Thoroughbred and Arabian races across the world for Fegentri and ARCA, as well as two all-women’s amateur jockey series including H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship. While continuing her riding and training career, Zoe rode out for leading NSA trainers including Janet Elliot, Doug Fout, and Neil Morris and exercise rode for Timothy Keefe at Laurel Park. In 2016, Zoe started training steeplechasers and the occasional flat horse for a private farm in Middleburg, Virginia. Then in 2018, Zoe opened her own barn for outside clients. She continues to train Thoroughbreds and Arabians and takes a special interest in breaking yearlings to give them a great start to their future racing career.
Adam was born and raised in Buffalo New York and moved to Florida in 1981 to attend the University of Florida (Go Gators!). His key areas of study were large animal/equine science oriented. After graduating, his journey continued as the night time "foal watch" attendant at T-Square Stud. Their operation served local breeders, and they regularly foaled between 80 and 100 mares each season. He soon moved to the training barn as foaling season ended just in time for breaking season. Mixed in were yearling, mare, weanling and training sales at the nearby Ocala Breeders' Sales Company venue. Eventually he served a stint in the breeding shed and really found his passion. He was fortunate to learn from an experienced stallion handler and took his position as stallion manager. At their peak they stood nine stallions and, along with the Greyfields annex, teased 60 mares each day. When their farm trainer retired, he was offered the opportunity to build on his skillset. He had handled most of the horses they started, as many were client borders that he had also foaled (because that position never ended). So, for the past 35+ years, he's continued on this trajectory (minus the stallions) having foaled over 1,200 mares, graduating 4 millionaires and more than 50 stakes winners from their training ranks. He continues to foal 10-15 mares each year, raise and train a few dozen yearlings for himself and a handful of great owners. He lives on his farm with his wife, youngest son, and a few chickens. They are an "all hands on deck" operation, meaning all family members contribute at some level, caring for and appreciating the gifts they are surrounded by every day, our horses.