Trainer shocked by horse's death in fire

Around sunrise Saturday, trainer Rick Schosberg was on Belmont Park's backstretch, anticipating the arrival that afternoon of an unraced colt with looks, pedigree and potential. Then came crushing news. The van taking six 2-year-old thoroughbreds from Florida caught fire on I-95 in North Carolina on Friday night, killing them all.

"My knees just buckled when an agent from another van company came to my barn and told me," Schosberg said. "It was devastating, the horrible thoughts that go through your mind about what happened inside that van. It's been a terrible couple of days."

Schosberg, 49, of Muttontown, would have trained the colt for a partnership led by Dave Berman, 45, of Roslyn. They met at a Syosset fitness club, where Berman and his friends watch racing in the locker room. After recognizing Schosberg on TV, Berman introduced himself and said, "Rick, I'm going to buy a horse for you to train for us."

Of Berman's nine partners, four men are Long Islanders, including his father, Robert, of Commack, and residents of Dix Hills, North Massapequa and Massapequa, whose names Berman didn't disclose. For some, it was their first racing venture.

"When Rick texted me at 7:30 [Saturday morning], I knew it was bad news," Berman said. "This was just brutal. It would have been bad enough if something had happened on the racetrack. But I can't stand the idea of a horse tied to the wall of a van with no shot."

North Carolina state troopers told WRAL.com, a Raleigh television station's website, that a cigarette thrown from a passing car might have ignited hay and blankets. The station also reported that two men were driving the truck but were unable to get the horses out, and that the co-driver suffered minor burns. State Trooper K.B. Heath did not return a phone message requesting an update on the investigation.

The trailer was owned by Lorraine Horse Transport, which declined to comment.

Berman said that when he told his wife, Helene, and their 11-year-old son, Jordan, they cried. So did a friend's wife, who had bought carrots for the colt they would never see.

"He already had a name, Malibu Key, from the sire, Malibu Moon, and the dam, Key Causeway," Berman said. "Beautiful colt, a chestnut with three white socks. Some of our people were going to come see him Saturday and some on Sunday."

As a precaution, Berman insured the colt with a company in Lexington, Ky., which confirmed the policy but would not discuss specifics. The company asked not to be named, citing client confidentiality.

"If there's any good luck in this, that's it," Schosberg said. "As far as I know, he was the only one insured."

On March 15, Berman, his father and Schosberg attended a 2-year-olds-in-training auction in Ocala, Fla., and they loved Malibu Key's conformation. "The bidding stopped at $60,000 and we thought we got a great deal," Berman said. "He looked like he'd handle longer distances easily, but now we won't get a chance to find out. This was the start of something really good, but it turned out awful.

"But we're not finished. We're going to carry on."

There's a 2-year-old sale May 23-24 in Maryland, and Berman and Schosberg plan to be there. "The story can't end on a note like this," Berman said. "We're going to Timonium with a vengeance."