Paul Pompa Jr.

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Born: August 19, 1958 in New York City, N.Y.
Residence: Warren, N.J.
Family: wife, Elisa; children, Paul III and Michael
Education: A graduate of Kings College in Pa.
Professional Background: President of Truck-Rite Corp. in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Racing Background: Pompa bought his first horse, Textbook Method, in 2000 and she became a New York-bred stakes winning filly... “I’m a competitive guy who likes to win,” Pompa said. “I became involved in horse racing because I thought it would be a lot of fun.”
Racing Career: Pompa has built his stable from claimers, as well as from purchases at yearling and 2-year-old sales. He has been an active pinhooker the last several years working in tandem with the Hidden Brook team of Jack Brothers, Dan Hall, Mark Roberts and Sergio de Sousa ... Pompa once claimed a colt out of Mien, a daughter of Nureyev. That colt was claimed back, but when his half-brother was offered at the 2007 Keeneland April sale, Pompa bought him for $190,000, his only purchase out of that sale. The colt, by Boundary, was named Big Brown and he provided Pompa with more excitement and success than he ever could have imagined ... After Big Brown broke his maiden at first asking on the turf at Saratoga in 2007 by double digits, IEAH Stables bought a 75 percent stake in Big Brown from Pompa for $3 million ... Pompa originally had turned down an offer from Sheik Mohammad bin Rashid al Maktoum because he wished to retain an interest in the colt ... The colt was transferred to the barn of trainer Richard Dutrow Jr., and, following a victory in the 2008 G1 Florida Derby, he went on to take the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in decisive fashion before his Triple Crown hopes were crushed when he was pulled up in the Belmont Stakes ... Big Brown returned to the races in early August with a victory in the G1 Haskell ... Five weeks later, he won the $500,000 Monmouth Stakes against a field of proven older turf runners ... Monmouth Park created the new race after Big Brown's connections said they wished to prep their horse for the 2008 Classic on turf some time in mid-Sept. While training for the Classic on Oct. 13 with stablemate Kip Deville, the 2007 Breeders' Cup Mile winner and 2008 Breeders' Cup Mile third place finisher, Big Brown suffered a career-ending injury. Despite missing the Breeders' Cup Classic, Big Brown was voted the 2008 Eclipse Award winner as three-year-old Male ... “He was a tremendous horse,” Pompa said. “Dutrow did an amazing job of training him and managing him. The way he won the Derby so easily is a thrill I’ll never forget.” ... Pompa named Big Brown in appreciation of his company's renewing of a contract with United Parcel Service (UPS) ... UPS, in turn, entered into a sponsporship deal with Big Brown's connections prior to the colt's victory in the Preakness ... Big Brown entered stud duty in 2009 and stands at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky...Among Pompa's best horses this year is two-year-old colt and Breeders' Cup Juvenile contender D'Funnybone, who also is trained by Dutrow. The colt won back-to-back G2 stakes at Saratoga going away, and after D'Funnybone captured the Saratoga Special by 10 1/2 lengths, Daily Racing Form called the performance the most impressive by any juvenile colt during the 2009 Saratoga meet. In his next start, he won the G2 Futurity Stakes by multiple lengths. D'Funnybone skipped the G1 Champagne Stakes to train up to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile...Pompa also owns Stardom Bound, the 2008 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filllies winner and Eclipse Award-winning two-year-old Filly, in a partnership which includes IEAH Stables. The partnership purchased the multiple Grade 1 stakes winner for $5.7 million when she went through the auction ring at Keeneland in November 2008 and Dutrow is pointing Stardom Bound to the 2009 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic...Another horse Pompa owns in a partnership is 2009 G2 Swale Stakes winner This One's for Phil, who also captured the Sunshine Million Sprint at Gulfstream. His next target is the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile... Pompa currently has 27 horses in training with Dutrow, Todd Pletcher, and John Terranova... Among that group is now four-year-old filly Backseat Rhythm, who in 2007 was third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and second in the Frizette ... Pompa’s lone Breeders’ Cup starter to date, Backseat Rhythm, won the 2008 G2 Lake Placid and the G1 Garden City to earn a spot in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf ... Pompa’s stable also includes Fearless Vision, who was second in the 2007 G2 Peter Pan, Unspoken Word, and Mary's Follies ...Past stakes winners include Zakocity (2004 Discovery, 2005 William D. Schaefer), Watchmon (2005 Jamaica) and Lost Etiquette (2007 Salem County).