About Me

Hey guys! I'm Madison, owner of Retama Ruffian. So I'd like to start off my saying that I came up with the name 'Retama Ruffian' because Retama Park is my home track and, honestly, it could be my home. But Ruffian came from the fact that I'm a girl and she was a filly and her name started with an R, same as Retama. I'm probably boring you with this back story, so let's move on.

I got into the emotional roller coaster we call horse racing in 2012. I had little information about the Kentucky Derby or any other race for that matter. So I picked Daddy Long Legs because I thought he was pretty. When the race was over I was like, "DISQUALIFED?! What does that mean?!" When the Preakness came around I was suddenly I'll Have Another's biggest fan. To this day I'll Have Another remains one of the most important racehorses of my time with the most important being Smarty Jones.

This summer I went to my local racetrack, Retama Park, and had my mom place a bet on Samratt ($4 to win), Ride On Curlin ($2 to show), and Wicked Strong ($2 to show). My original choice was Tonalist but I heard about a very slight leg injury he had and turned my cheek as quickly as possible. I cannot begin to describe how upset I was that I lost the Belmont Stakes to my dad. MY DAD! That same day I saw my first live-and-in-person horse race which happened to be a 350 yard Quarter Horse sprint...

Here's me on Belmont Day

My first taste of in person Thoroughbred racing came on Sept. 6th when I went with my close friend Patricia. She was really the only one who put up with my constant talk about the upcoming race and how I was going to deal with the handicapping and my homework.

Currently I am an avid racing photographer and a handicapper/blogger. If you wish to check out some more of my photography please check out my photography Instagram, @retamaruffian.