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May 05, 2008

Mushroom Matrix Equine Team Member Carl Nafzger Collecting Many Honors in 2008 Including Induction into Racing Hall of Fame

Mushroom Matrix Equine Team member and leading American horse trainer Carl Nafzger will be inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame this summer. And the honor is just one of many recently bestowed on Nafzger.

A Texas native who trained Kentucky Derby winners Street Sense and Unbridled, Nafzger has received several honors in the past few months - induction into the Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame, the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Professional Bull Riders' Ring of Honor and he received his second Big Sport of Turfdom award.

Although widely known for his success as a racehorse trainer, Nafzger was first one of America's leading bull riders. He qualified for the National Finals Rodeo three times - from 1963 to 1965 - and in 1963 he was the number three-rated bull rider in America. He got into the Thoroughbred racing industry in 1970 when he and his wife, Wanda, joined with family members in pooling their money to buy their first Thoroughbreds at Keeneland's fall sale. The rest is racing history.

Over the next four decades, Nafzger became one of America's most successful racehorse trainers. He shared his philosophy and approach in his book, Traits of a Winner: The Formula for Developing Thoroughbred Racehorses in which he stated that success comes from the ability to understand each individual horse. This has clearly been the key to Nafzger's own success. He not only has a sincere love for horses, but also a unique ability to connect with them.

The Mushroom Matrix is honored to have Carl Nafzger as part of its Matrix Equine Team and congratulates him on earning these many well-deserved honors these past few months. Throughout his career as a trainer, Nafzger has promoted a natural, holistic approach to equine nutritional health and the Matrix fits his philosophy. Nafzger started feeding the Matrix to horses in his barn more than a year ago, including to Street Sense prior to his Kentucky Derby win. He now has more than three dozen horses in his barn on the Matrix and has said it has contributed to improving the overall health of his horses.

"The Mushroom Matrix isn't about looking for a quick fix. It's about overall health," Nafzger said. What I look for in a nutritional product is that it helps the horse stay healthier because a healthier horse performs better and rebounds faster. This product doesn't make them run faster, but a healthy horse runs more consistent and recovers quicker because the horse's system is not as stressed.