Lester Wander would break an average of 30 yearlings annually. He broke the fillies first, that seemed easier to train than the colts. “We don’t have much trouble with many horses,” he said. “Once in a while you get bad actor, but get a good rider who will take his time, won’t hit the horse or get angry, and the colt will ultimately do what you want him to. A horse has to have confidence in you and you in him. That’s where a good exercise boy is worth a lot of money. A good exercise boy on a yearling is more than half the battle in breaking horses or even galloping the horses once they have been trained. The horses need to gallop for exercise and to get into racing condition. Good exercise boys are hard to find. A good boy does what he is told and gives the horse a chance. He doesn’t lose his temper. I had a couple of girls working here last summer and they were really good.” The characteristics he looked for in a potential race horse were a nice way of going and good manners. He said he could not recall a single greatest thrill he has had in racing. “I get a thrill every time I get a youngster t do what I want him to do,” he said.
The farm included a half-mile training track with banked curves, and a one-eighth mile chute complete with a 4-position starting gate. The electronic gat with starting bell familiarized young hoses with the sights and sounds of racing. The barn was equipped with an X-ray machine and veterinarian on retainer. Horses used to be led across Naperville Road from th barn to the racetrack, but unfortunately, one day a horse was killed by a vehicle. To assure the safety of the thoroughbreds, a tunnel was constructed under Naperville Road, the main southern route out of Wheaton.
Former exercise rider and assistant trainer Felix Rivera remembers schooling many of Delta Judge’s offspring. He said “Mrs. Rice was a nice lady. One thing, she was always interested in every horse. She had some favorites, I guess, but she treated all her horses about the same. Danada Farm was a nice place, just beautiful.”
Lester Wander included in the training program 5 a.m. and 11 a.m. feedings of three quarts of crushed oats, and a late afternoon mash consisting of crushed oats, bran, powdered milk, salt, cod liver oil and wheat feed. Of course the home-grown hay was freely provided. The farm employed six exercise riders and had a groom for every four horses. The long yearlings, horses approaching the age of two years, would be patiently introduced to the saddle and bridle, then progress to working on a lunge line to learn how to relax and move under tack. Lester often used female exercise riders to manage the colts. Though an unpopular policy for many trainers at the time, Wander appreciated the good hands that worked with the colts, minimizing the battles that often arose during training. It generally took 40 to 45 days to get a yearling accustomed to the bridle, saddle and a rider on his back. “Thoroughbreds are unpredictable. They may go along with you good for a week or so and then explode. A racehorse is not ‘busted like a bronc’ where the cowboy digs in his spurs, throws his hat in the air and yells Yipee!” said Wander.
Lester said, “Oh, yes, I felt good about Lucky (Debonair). He was always a nice horse to handle. Sensible. But what it proves is that you know what you are doing. You want your horses to do better than those of the other guy. When they do, you feel good about it.”
