From China to New Jersey

It was just a year ago that 20-month-old Cami Willinger was in an orphanage in southern China, but on Saturday, July 29, she found herself in the Meadowlands’ winner’s circle with her father, Andy, who co-owns Breeders Crown Open Pace champion Lis Mara.

Willinger and his wife, Reggie, already had five children, currently with ages from seven to 23, but made the decision to adopt a child with special needs from China. It didn’t take long for the Willingers to find Camille, who they call “Cami.”

“Last June our (adoption) agency asked us if we would consider a special needs baby,” Willinger told harnessracing.com. “Cami was the first picture we opened and we said that’s our daughter. She has some minor nerve damage from birth and we were told she would probably never be able to use her right arm. But God works in a special way. When we got her in the government office over there and they handed her to me, she squeezed me with her right arm.

“The little girl was in an orphanage lost to the world a year ago,” Willinger added. “She was in southern China and she ends up in the Meadowlands’ winner’s circle for the Breeders Crown. How can that be?”

Willinger, from Louisville, Ky., has owned horses for 26 years, and was a member of partnerships over that time that owned horses such as Sconce p,3, 1:55.3f ($189,537), who he says was his best horse until Lis Mara came along. Willinger and some other partners paid $12,000 for the son of Cambest-Lisheen for $12,000, but they opted out earlier this year when he sold 70-percent of the 4-year-old pacer to Mike Gulotta for $245,000. The horse then went on to win the $930,000(C) Canadian Pacing Derby and most recently the Breeders Crown, the latter in world-record 1:47.3 fashion.

“The other partners said it’s excellent money for a 4 year old whose 3-year-old stakes are behind him. He was a very nice horse but who would have thought he’d become what he is,” said Willinger, who owns Cummins Cumberland, a Louisville-based company that sells diesel engines. “It’s Monday morning quarterbacking to go you sold a Canadian Pacing Derby winner and a Breeders Crown winner, but sometimes you just need a change of scenery too.”

Following the sale to Gulotta, Lis Mara was sent to trainer Erv Miller, who Willinger credits a lot of the horse's success as well as driver Brian Sears.

“Let’s face it, Brian Sears is a big part of this. He is just outstanding,” he said. “You never know how drivers will get along with horses, but Brian and this horse get along well. There is something there that is better than most because he’s driven him every which way. Brian seems to be able to do anything he wants with this horse.”

As for Lis Mara’s future 2006 campaign, Willinger said, “We thought we’d race in the Des Smith and that would be the end of the season. But I think that the plan now—we managed him pretty well—we will probably go on through the Classic Series.”

Willinger said he and his family drove in two cars from Kentucky to the Meadowlands to watch the Breeders Crown.

“I wanted all six kids to be there. The airfare was a little too salty to fly all the kids,” he said.

Willinger said after Lis Mara’s Breeders Crown victory, he ribbed his children about Cami being in the winner’s circle so young.

“We went out to celebrate after the race and we talked about all her brothers and sisters and their first win pictures when they were babies,” he said. “I said, ‘OK Matthew, yours was in a race at Louisville Downs in 2:00.2.’ I went through all of them and the fastest prior to her was a 1:57 maiden win at Scioto. I said Cami’s got you guys by 10 full seconds.”

There is now one thing Willinger is hoping for: a Dan Patch Award for Lis Mara as divisional champion.

“I always thought it would be great to get one of those Dan Patch Awards. He might have a fair shot at that,” he said. “Whether I get that in Las Vegas, Atlantic City…I’d go to The Red Mile simulcast room at 8 o’clock at night for something like that.”

« Back