Tioga Downs Spotlight: Jeffrey Long

As harness racing horsemen, we tend to define victories as the number of wins on a program and the amount of purse money next to a name; however, it is often overlooked that the greatest victories are the small ones – getting a horse back to the track after an injury, figuring out the correct rigging on a horse, or even just staying flat in a race.

In this case, Jeff Long has accumulated a great sum of victories in carrying on a family tradition of harness racing between himself, his father, and his son and pursuing this passion through the life of a four-year-old colt.

Jeff Long started his stable in 2004. As said by Jeff, “I’ve been blessed to make a living doing something I truly love for a long time. I’ve won some significant stake races, developed a fair number of talented young horses, and met some great people along the way.

“It’s been great to work side by side with my dad, Paul, through all of it,” he continued. “We’ve not always agreed on everything in regard to the horses, but we’ve maintained a great relationship and are as close as ever now. In the horse business and in life, he is my hero. He taught me to have self-sacrifice, integrity, and a strong work ethic. He and my mom have been very supportive in my every endeavor and I’m forever indebted.”

Jeff currently drives at Tioga Downs while also pursuing a new chapter in life, as of December 2019, in Medical Device Sales selling implants for Spinal surgery.

One of Jeff’s weekly drives is Catello Too, a four-year-old stud colt by Conway Hall, bought out of the Harrisburg Sale for $16,000 in November of 2018.

After leaving the sale, Jeff received a call from his son, Catello. Catello had asked if he had found a colt and if so, who the partners were. He replied with yes and his longtime partners John Buettner and Scott Gottlieb along with himself. Catello asked if the colt could be his horse, too.

This ultimately lead to the naming as Catello Too combined with the original name coming from Catello “Cat” Manzi, a name which Jeff loved as a kid.

“The colt showed talent right from the start, but needed a bit more time as a two-year-old. COVID totally disrupted his three-year-old year, but we got him to the races and he made 3 starts for the experience.

“This year as a four-year-old has been his first opportunity to race consistently. He really struggles with allergies, so it’s difficult to keep him at his best, health-wise. He’s a gritty little guy that wants to trot and do his job.”

Catello Too won his first win in his first start at Vernon Downs this year. “It was really satisfying because we’ve had to be very patient with his development and it took longer than I anticipated it would,” Jeff said. “My son was there and that’s a feeling that will never get old.”

by Jessica Hallett, for Tioga Downs