From the Field to the Office
Longtime LTBA Inspector Mike Whitler is ready to take on the added role of assistant director of the association
By Denis Blake
If you’ve foaled an accredited Louisiana-bred over the past 16 years, chances are you know Mike Whitler. Over that period, Whitler has worked as the inspector for the LTBA, ensuring that the rules are followed by breeders. But don’t think of him as a cop hiding behind a tree trying to snare drivers in a speed trap. While he certainly does report violations, with the LTBA board of directors being the one to hand out any sanctions, he also sees his part of his job as a liaison between the members and the LTBA office. Now, he’s set to expand his role as the LTBA’s assistant director.
“My busy times as an inspector are after breeding season in the summer and toward the end of the year when we have some time-sensitive deadlines,” he said. “Mares can go out-of-state every other year to breed, but they have to be back by August 1, so I check all the ones in August that left the state. And then there’s some that have to stay until the end of the year, so I’m checking those in November and December, but I’ll the alternate time in the LTBA office and in the field.
“Probably 95 percent of the time, everybody is where they’re supposed to be,” he added. “We have some folks that we have to kind of remind them what the rules are, and sometimes there’s infractions that we put on them.”
Enforcing the rules is important to maintain a level playing field for breeders, as well as ensuring that the state of Louisiana gets the full economic benefit from the accredited Louisiana-bred program. That is more important than ever considering the recent efforts in Florida to decouple horse racing from casino gaming at Gulfstream Park. If that happens, the Miami-area track could potentially operate its casino without running any live racing.
“That’s the whole reason behind my job as the inspector, to ensure that that economic impact is occurring in Louisiana,” Whitler added.
Anyone who has bred a Thoroughbred knows how much money and labor goes into producing and raising each foal, and it’s vital to show legislators how the industry positively impacts the state’s economy. Every horse creates employment for veterinarians, grooms, farriers and more, plus farm owners need to purchase tractors, trucks, tack and feed, to name just a few things, in order to keep a breeding operation running. All that creates tax revenue and economic impact for the state.
“That’s the whole reason behind my job as the inspector, to ensure that that economic impact is occurring in Louisiana.”
Mike Whitler
Whitler is going to continue to work as the inspector for the LTBA, so he’ll still be on the road making farm visits, but he and his wife are in the process of selling their home in Shreveport and moving to New Orleans, where the LTBA office is located at the Fair Grounds.
LTBA Secretary-Treasurer and acting Executive Director Roger Heitzmann III and Mike Whitler at the 2013 Louisiana Cup Day at Louisiana Downs.
In the LTBA office, Whitler will work with LTBA Secretary-Treasurer and acting Executive Director Roger Heitzmann III and newly elected President Keith Hernandez.
“I’ve worked with Roger over the past 16 years, and we have a good relationship,” he said. “I really want to thank him and the board for having the trust and belief in me that I’m capable of doing the job.”
As for his new duties for the LTBA, Whitler said he plans to “really do a deep dive into all the information, how the office is run, how the breeders awards are paid out, and the types of races that we categorize.”
He also sees himself as a link between the LTBA office and breeders at the farms. That’s something he’s always been to an extent, but he’ll be even more effective now that he’ll be in the LTBA office more often.
“The thing I enjoy the most is the people at the farms that I interact with throughout the year.”
Mike Whitler
“I’ve really been on the front line out there with the breeders face-to-face,” he said. “We have a new software system that we are rolling out. And we are currently rolling out direct deposit of the breeders awards. Some of our seasoned veterans are still on flip phones, so I try to help them out help them as much as I can with filling out forms or anything new. It’s sometimes easier to educate them and help them while I’m with them face-to-face.”
In addition to 16 years of experience as an inspector for the LTBA, Whitler counts himself as lucky enough to have learned from legendary Louisiana breeder and owner John Franks.
“I was in high school in 1980, and I didn’t know a horse from a cow, but I got a job working at John Franks’ thoroughbred farm in Shreveport,” he said. “At the time, he had about five broodmares. I worked for him for seven years off and on in high school and college. That’s where I caught the fever, doing every aspect from foaling mares to sale prep. When I left, there were probably 200-plus mares in his program, so I was there for that big surge.”
Franks passed away in 2003, but his legacy lives on in the pedigrees of horses today and in the people who worked at his operations in both Louisiana and Florida.
As a teen, Mike Whitler developed his interest in the horse industry while working at the legendary Franks Farms.
“I worked in the foaling barn at night, and he would come down from his house and see the mares and babies, so I got face-to-face time with him that a lot of people didn’t get,” Whitler said about the four-time Eclipse Award winner as outstanding owner. “I told Mrs. Franks before she died that it was a source of pride be able to say you worked there.”
Whitler saw some tremendous horses come through Franks’ operation, including the popular Louisiana-bred mare Monique Rene, who won 29 races from 1981 to 1984, and millionaires Heatherten and Dave’s Friend.
While Whitler is looking forward to being in the LTBA office, he’s glad to be continuing as inspector.
“The thing I enjoy the most is the people at the farms that I interact with throughout the year,” he said. “They are always excited about their foals and telling me, ‘Hey, you gotta see this one.’ And that this foal is going to be the next Louisiana Champions Day winner. It’s fun to see people excited about that.”
Whitler is also excited about the future of breeding and racing in Louisiana.
“I truly think we have one of the best breed programs in the country,” he said. “We have year-round racing and pay 25-percent breeders awards on foals by in-state stallions, which really incentivizes breeders.”
Whitler also mentioned the strong stallion roster in the state, which is gaining even more attention now that Coal Battle is one of the early favorites for the Kentucky Derby. Although the colt is a Kentucky-bred, his sire, Coal Front, stands in Louisiana at Red River Farms. Coal Battle also highlighted the strength of the state’s racing program, as he broke his maiden at Evangeline Downs and won the Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs last year before bursting onto the national scene with wins in this year’s Smarty Jones and Rebel (G2) Stakes at Oaklawn.
Coal Battle is conditioned by Louisiana trainer Lonnie Briley, who also worked for John Franks, although Whitler said they never crossed paths much as they were involved in different parts of the Franks operation.
Whitler hopes to be residing in New Orleans later this year so he can spend more time at the LTBA office. Until then, he’ll be traversing the state and continuing to catch up with old friends and make new ones as he adds to his responsibilities.
“I’ve made a ton of friends over the years, and that’s been the best part,” he said. “I’ll be kind of back-and-forth from Shreveport to New Orleans for now, but when I get settled in then I’ll be in the office more. I’m really excited about it.”