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Trainers
& Jockeys
OUR TRAINERS
 Mark Shuman
Mark was born in Akron, OH an currently lives in Maryland. A second-generation trainer, his father, Joseph Shuman, currently trains in Ohio at Thistledown and at Penn National Racecourse.
A graduate of the University of Miami (Ohio) with a degree in exercise physiology, Mark said he decided after two years of studies that his heart was following his father into training racehorses. He learned the trade from his father and through more than eight years on the New York circuit as an assistant to Tom Skiffington, Howard Tesher and H. James Bond. At the end of 2000, he set out on his own and took out his trainers license.
Mark's career took off quickly and in 2003 he shattered Gulfstream Park's single-season victories mark by a trainer when he saddled 87 winners during the winter-spring meeting. Some of Mark's top horses are: Xchanger, Talent Search, Tasting Champagne, My Girlie, Echo Quest, Tsarmina.
Bret Calhoun
Bret is the son of former school teacher and thoroughbred trainer, William (Buddy) Calhoun, who used to train at Louisiana Downs. Bret began training horses in 1993 and notched his first victory in April of 1994. His career has really taken off since those early days. He reached the national scene in 2003 with undefeated graded stakes-winning 2-year-old colt Cactus Ridge, who was considered one of the prime prospects for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile before going to the sidelines with a knee injury that ended his racing career. Cactus Ridge was owned by country superstar Toby Keith's Dream Walkin' Farms.
Bret's ascent to the top of the training hierarchy was just getting started. Bret saddled his 1,000th winner July 12, 2007 at Louisiana Downs. In 2007, the Calhoun barn had 182 winners from 822 starters, earning $4,188,379, to rank in the top 25 trainers by earnings. He tied for sixth nationally with number of wins with Tony Dutrow. In 2008 he finished 4th in total wins amongst all trainers in the United States. Bret's horses visited the winner's circle 228 times, with total earnings of over $5,000,000.
Larry Rivelli
One of the sharpest young trainers in the country and already a master of the claiming game, Larry cut his teeth at the race track following in the footsteps of his Grandfather, Chicago training legend, Pete DiVito and his Uncle, Jimmy DiVito (famous of late for his top notch sprinter, Coach Jimmy Lee). Energy, enthusiasm and wins all come in bunches for the young gun of the Chicago backstretch. Larry's win % has been solidly over 20% for his career.
The addition of Larry to the Dare To Dream trainer roster in July of 2003 was a key move in positioning our stable for growth and success in the future. Larry trains for us primarily on the Illinois, West Virginia and Florida circuits.
For a lot more on Larry, click "here" to read on article that appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times on July 24, 2003
 Ingrid Mason
A former jockey, Mason uses this experience to her advantage, “getting on each horse at least once a week” and providing her owners with valuable feedback. Her first exposure to horses came at age three when her mother put her on her first horse at the Buck Norred Stables in San Jose and by the time she was a teenager, she was heading up the stable’s front sales office. However, she always knew she wanted to be on the racetrack and started walking horses for free just to learn the business.
Mason became a jockey in 1992 and spent 13 years in the irons, riding all over the country and even spent two years in Dubai. She took out her first trainer’s license in 2004 and spent stints in the barns of such respected horsemen as Brian Koriner, Jerry Hollendorfer and Steve Asmussen. Her big break came when she started training on her own at Arlington Park Race Course in 2009. Her first stakes win came several months later when she sent Crooks Bodget, a former $5,000 claimer, to win the $100,000 Star of Texas at Sam Houston Race Track in December 2009.
"I've always been confident in my abilities as a trainer because I know where to run my horses," said Mason. "The key is to run them in the right spot, and I have the advantage of getting to know exactly where they belong and what they are capable of doing because I'm the one who gets on them in the mornings. I get a feel for them that way, and if there's a problem I like to nip it in the bud. That way I know when to make my decisions about how they are doing.
"It's not easy to win any horse race, even if you have the best horse," said Mason. "There are so many things that can go wrong. But I am good at reading exactly how my horses are getting along. It's my passion to get on my own horses to work them and know exactly what I've got.
"I've been very fortunate because I've been blessed with very good owners who listen to what I have to say and respect my opinion. I like to cross all my ‘T's' and dot all my ‘I's', but this game also requires a lot of luck. If I didn't have the kind of owners I have I would still be mucking stalls. I feel blessed to have the opportunity I've been given, and nothing means more to me than the fact that my owners gave this chance to me."
Chris Englehart
A native of Canandaigua, New York. Chris took out his training license as a teenager in 1973, and has been training ever since. He has been a fixture atop the trainer standings at Finger Lakes, in upstate New York. He has won 9 consecutive training titles at the small upstate oval. Among Chris's career highlights was the 1989 campaign of Frattare, who dominated the Finger Lakes Breeder's Cup Sprint and became the first local horse to win that Grade III event. A couple of other noteworthy stakes winners that were trained by Englehart are Smokin Hero, a multiple stakes winner of over $325,000 and Be Bullish, a stakes winner of over $615,000.
After his success at Finger Lakes, Mountaineer, and other regional tracks, Chris looked to duplicate his winning ways on the NYRA circuit. In 2010. Chris found good success winning 16 races, between Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga, including winning an astounding 7 races in a row during a 4 day period at Aqueduct. That happened to be one shy of tying the modern day record.
In 2011, Chris won 236 races from 936 starters for a 25% win rate, and an ITM percentage of 59%. He had earnings of $3,540,592 for the year, his best ever. Included in those triumphs were an impressive 44 winners on the NYRA circuit. He had 20 winners at Aqueducts winter/spring meet which landed him in the top 10. He had 3 winners from a small sample at the ultra tough Saratoga meet, with only 20 starters. He also had 8 winners at Belmont's Fall championship meet landing him in the top 10 as well. With Chris's recent success over the last year and a half, he looks to be a mainstay on the list of top trainers in New York.
Racing is a family business for the Engleharts, as his brother Steve, and his son Jeremiah also train horses. Dare To Dream Stable is proud to add Chris to our trainer roster, and look forward to continuing his success in New York with our horses.
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