For five consecutive years, thanks to a work conference that lined up on the right days, Dave Bushey stood above the Gulfstream Park paddock and watched horses get saddled for the Claiming Crown. During that time he envisioned what it would be like to see the silks of Bush Racing Stable, which was started by his father Bryan, as part of the event.
"It's bucket list for us," Dave said. "For people that do what we do, (the Claiming Crown) is like the Breeders' Cup. We're blue-collar owners; we're never going to have a horse in the Breeders' Cup. Having a horse who is in the Claiming Crown and on the big stage is really important to us. It's what we work for."
That dream will become reality Nov. 15 as Point Dume will carry the Bush Racing silks in not just any Claiming Crown race, but the day's featured $200,000 Jewel. A day prior, Dave, Bryan, and their friends and family arrived on the Churchill Downs backstretch with smiles at the fact that they had made it.
However, simply accomplishing the dream was not the focus of their joy, but rather that they were all together for the experience. In the spring of 2024, Bryan was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and given about five months to live.
"I'm on borrowed time, and I'm loving it," an emotional Bryan said of the Claiming Crown as he stood in a barn at Churchill Downs a year and a half after his diagnosis. "It's one of those deals, I thought the days were over, and here we are. It's a big deal for us. Being here is a win."
The road to Churchill Downs since the diagnosis has not been easy. A few months after, Bryan was bleeding and taken to the hospital. He died on the operating table, but was resuscitated.
"They brought me back to life," Bryan said. "I spent three days in intensive care, spent two weeks in the hospital. I went home and had to learn to walk again."
Yet, through all the trials, Bryan's love of horse racing persevered and helped him get through it.
After his diagnosis, Dave would come in to his hospital room and set up a pair of laptops and his phone to watch races and research potential claims. The hospital staff would join them and cheer on their horses while donning Bush Racing gear.
Racing had been a longtime passion of Bryan's, spending many nights at Penn National Race Course near his Mechanicsville, Pa., home to fill a void left by his kids no longer participating in local sports after they left for college.
"I'd go out every night to the track," he said. "I started to sit with some of the owners, trainers, jockey agents, and got to know them; get a feel of what goes on."
The passion quickly spread to his friends and family after claiming his first horse, Golden Nicolas, in 2004. Upon sharing the news, many of them wanted to get involved and partner on the horse, leading to Bush Racing Stable. Golden Nicolas would get them off to a quick start, winning his first two starts in their colors.
The Busheys have stuck to claiming, enjoying the instant action and lower purchase prices than one would expect to find at the sales. Once self-promoted as a 'one-horse stable,' the barn has now grown to about 15 horses. Dave credits their success to constant communication—he and Bryan speaking over the phone daily to discuss racing—and knowing the condition book.
"That's one area we excel, knowing options where horses can run," Dave said. "We're constantly watching replays, talking to people, getting information. We're watching horses come back after races, keeping an eye on them for where they might run next and what possible options they have."
Among their accomplishments is campaigning Persie, who won 10 races in 2018 and was the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association Claiming Horse of the Year. Always looking to make sure their horses retire to good homes, the Busheys were honored to be given a spot for Persie at Old Friends by Michael Blowen.
A horse with plenty of early speed, Point Dume was claimed for $40,000 at Penn National Race Course in July—the track's highest claiming level. They saw him as a candidate to continue running back to that level in his next few starts, but the 4-year-old Into Mischief gelding continued to develop. A former $450,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale out of dual grade 1-placed Maya Malibu, Point Dume showed his growing potential by winning the M.P. Ballezzi Appreciation Mile Stakes at Parx Racing Oct. 21.
"We never dream when we claim horses that they're going to be stakes horses," Dave said. "We let (trainer) Tim (Kreiser) get and work with him, and Tim says, 'You might want to think different about this horse.'
"It just shows that every horse, when given the right situation and put in the right spot, can be a star. That's the beauty of the Claiming Crown. That's why we love claiming horses, because every horse has that in them. It's just bringing that potential out of them."
That potential was brought out by Kreiser and his team, who were all excited to make the trip to Kentucky. Point Dume was accompanied by his groom Isidro Rivera and exercise rider Jorge Tipa, a retired jockey who rode Golden Nicolas to Bush Racing's first victory. Tipa made the nine-hour drive just to ride Point Dume for one gallop Nov. 13.
"You can see how important it is for us to have our team here, have our people to celebrate this kind of experience," Dave said. "Win, lose, whatever we do, it's about the experience of being here."
Tending to the staff is an important part of the racing experience for the Busheys.
"We just pay the bills; it's these guys that show up every day," Dave said. "We believe that it's really important to treat the people that work for you right. Make them know that you care and appreciate the work that they do every single day."
On frequent occasions, especially after successful racing days, Bryan grills up about 40 sausages and hosts 'Sausage Saturday' at Kreiser's barn for all the team members and anyone else from the backstretch who comes.
"The key thing is we have a lot of great people around us," Bryan said. "The grooms, we believe to treat them special."
Even as he battles cancer, Bryan has continued that tradition and the habit of inviting racegoers into the winner's circle with him.
Although he is not at the racetrack every night like he used to be, Bryan still makes sure to be present a few times a week. He continues to remain upbeat and positive, happy to carry on a conversation about his horses. Earlier this year, two of Bush Racing's horses finished in a dead heat for the victory of a race at Penn National. The owner then won two more races on the card. It's experiences such as that one, and events like the Claiming Crown, that have continued to uplift everyone involved.
READ: Same Owner Dead Heat Win 'Once-in-a-Lifetime' Thing
"It's been an emotional rollercoaster not knowing, but you see him now," Dave said. "The cancer diagnosis gave him the perspective that family is first. Win or lose, it's a blessing to be there. We used to get so mad when we didn't win, that's changed. Being there is more important. You win, great. You lose, it's not the end of the world. You wake up tomorrow, it's more important than winning or losing.
Bryan's cancer number has dropped significantly since he was first diagnosed, but has seen an increase recently. He recently underwent two MRIs to discover the increase's location.
But for this weekend, the focus is on the racetrack and Point Dume attempting to give Bush Racing a victory on their dream stage. Dave said hopes his dad's story will encourage other cancer patients to keep battling.
"It's important for every person that's fighting it to know to keep fighting," he said. "Keep fighting. Never give up. It's not the end. Fight, there's living proof."
Bryan shared his appreciation for his family, friends, and racing community.
"A lot of people are praying for me," he said. "It's working."
