THERE ARE THOSE WHO DARE TO DREAM
Connie Pageler has never wanted the limelight. So it wasn’t surprising that when her fi lly Fun to Dream won the Betty Grable Stakes at Del Mar recently and a television reporter approached her for a post-race interview, she politely demurred.
Connie Pageler with Fun to Dream’s co-breeder Bob Baffert, who also
trains the filly
Fortunately for Pageler, the big gray 3-year-old California-bred daughter of champion Arrogate is trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Bob Baffert, no stranger to post-race interviews. Baffert also bred Fun to Dream in partnership with Pageler, and Baffert’s wife, Jill, is the co-owner.
“I don’t like to be in the spotlight—I prefer being in the background,” Pageler said. “I don’t like doing interviews. Britney (Eurton) wanted to interview me (for FanDuel TV), and I told her no, please interview Bob instead. I’m always afraid I’ll say something stupid.”
Baffert took over from there. But if Fun to Dream—now a two-time stakes winner with four victories from five lifetime starts and earnings of nearly $250,000—continues her present trajectory, the 67-year-old Pageler will likely have to come up with a sound bite or two of her own in the future.
“I’ve always just been along for the ride,” the longtime Arizonan explained. “I just cheered for our horses and enjoyed the races.“
That changed when her husband, Mike, who owned an electrical business near Scottsdale, died of throat cancer four years ago. The couple were high school sweethearts, married since 1974. Connie made a promise to Mike to keep their small stable going.
Fun to Run’s dam, Lutess, was in foal to Arrogate at the time of Mike’s death.
The challenge of horse ownership could have been a daunting one, Pageler said, but for Baffert’s involvement.
“He’s so kind and patient with me,” she said. “I really know nothing about horses. He knows what he’s doing, so I don’t have to worry about it. He makes all the decisions. He calls me all the time with updates on (Fun to Dream); he’s been great to me.”
Mike and Connie Pageler were high school sweethearts
The story goes back more than 10 years. Mike, an avid handicapper and fan, connected with Bob Baedeker and the Live Your Dream Racing syndicate, and the first horse they claimed together was Lutess, trained by Baffert. Having won or placed in 16 of 19 starts and earned $82,720, the daughter of Maria’s Mon was retired in 2012 and wound up with Pageler, who recognized her broodmare potential.
He bred her a couple of times to Acclamation, and one of those matings produced a strapping dark bay Cal-bred colt named Heck Yeah. Owned in partnership with Baedeker and Michael Sigband and trained by Baffert, Heck Yeah became a multiple stakes winner with six victories in a 13-race career. He was retired in 2021 after earning nearly $400,000.
“We were at the workouts one morning, and Bob (Baffert) and Mike were talking about Heck Yeah, who was doing pretty darn well at the time,” Connie recalled. “He was a pretty nice-looking horse, too.”
Baffert wondered how Lutess would do with a sire such as Arrogate, the champion 3-year-old male of 2016 Baffert trained. Baffert had a breeding share to the stallion.
“He asked Mike if he’d be interested in breeding her to him,” Connie said. “Well, yeah! Mike couldn’t believe it.”
Baffert picked up the story from there.
“I really liked Mike,” he said. “He was Arizona, you know, a down-to-earth kind of guy. We really hit it off. Lutess was running in claimers, but she was bred by Jerry Moss, so you know there was quality. And there was just something about Mike; he was a lucky guy.
“So I could have sold that breeding share for $70,000. It was Arrogate’s first year at stud (at Juddmonte), and there’s always a concern with who you are breeding a new stallion to. That first crop is so important. But I told Garrett (O’Rourke, Juddmonte’s general manager), ‘Don’t look at her; don’t look at her record. I’ve got a gut feeling about this one.’ What do you know? It looks like I got one right.”
She’s (Fun to Dream) sweet, a very nice flly. She has a good personality. We just want her to keep (racing) for as long as she can do it. Our whole family, we all love racing. It’s a lot of fun to dream…” — Connie Pageler
Baffert added, “(After Mike’s death), it was very tough. But I think the filly helped keep Connie going. And one day I mentioned to her, ‘It’s fun to dream.’ I’ve always believed that horses are great therapy for people.”
Connie also has a 2-year-old colt sired by Smiling Tiger out of Lutess named Cowboy Mike for her husband. Cowboy Mike has resumed training with Baffert’s assistant Mike Marlow at Los Alamitos after taking some time off with some inflammation.
She has since sold Lutess privately, once again in foal to Smiling Tiger.
“I thought it was better for me (to sell her),” Connie said. “That may sound kind of selfish, but people don’t realize how much money it takes to breed horses. And it takes a long time (to get them to the races). It feels like you are constantly signing checks and there’s nothing coming in.
“It’s a rich man’s hobby. I don’t mean to complain—I’m not complaining—but I never realized the expense involved. It was always Mike’s money, and after all, he earned it. So he had the right to do what he wanted with it, especially doing something he loved as much as horses.”
Pageler spends a quiet, personal moment with the star of her stable, Fun to Dream
Pageler lives alone on their five-acre spread in the small Maricopa County community of Fort McDowell, 23 miles northeast of Phoenix. They raised three sons—Mick, Nathan, and Jacob. In addition, there are five grandchildren. Connie was a stay-at-home mom, raising the boys.
“I’m very independent; I can do a lot of things guys can do,” Connie said. “Mike taught me a lot of that. And if there’s something I can’t do, I can hire someone, or there’s my sons. But I can take care of myself pretty good.” She’s always enjoyed sports, following their sons and now grandchildren in youth sports, as well as the Kansas City Chiefs.
As for Fun to Dream, she said “We’re seeing where she takes us. Bob makes the judgment calls. We’ll just take it a day at a time.
“She’s sweet, a very nice filly. She has a good personality. We just want her to keep doing it (racing) for as long as she can do it. Our whole family, we all love racing. It’s a lot of fun to dream—for Mike—at least a little bit.”