EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally appeared in Heart of Ohio Magazine in 2014. It is being republished through a cooperative agreement with Richland Source. To read more stories on Heart of Ohio Magazine log on at www.heartofohiomagazine.com.
MANSFIELD -- If I gave you the name Tony Tambasco and asked you to guess how he makes his living based on the five syllables that comprise his moniker, some would likely say, “He’s a made man, perhaps a consigliore in Tony Soprano’s family.” Actually, that guess would put you in the correct career category, except Tony “T” is on the other side of the law from the fictional Tony “S.”
Tony Tambasco is Director of the Mansfield Police Forensic Science Laboratory. You might say he is to his city what Mark Harmon is to his in the hit TV series, NCIS. Tambasco has been involved in almost every Crime Scene Investigation in Mansfield since he started with the department on the first day of 1983. He came out for his job interview on Halloween weekend of 1982 after graduating from the State University of New York at Buffalo. His degree was in criminalistics, which combined studies in chemistry and criminal justice, and he was hired as a crime lab apprentice.
Tony Tambasco photo gallery
Tony Tambasco in the crime lab
Tony Tambasco at work in the Mansfield Police crime lab. (Photo courtesy Heart of Ohio Magazine)
Sunrise at Saratoga
Pictured here is a sunrise scene at Saratoga, where Tony Tambasco learned to love horse racing. (Photo by Tony Tambasco/Courtesy Heart of Ohio Magazine)
tambasco horse racing art
Boulder Creek in action. (Photo by Tony Tambasco/Courtesy Heart of Ohio Magazine)
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Marina and Tony Tambasco
Marina and Tony Tambasco. (Photo courtesy of Tony Tambasco/Heart of Ohio Magazine)
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You should know that Tony Tambasco is not a regular viewer of the various investigative shows that can be found on the tube each week. In fact, about the only episode he did see from start to finish was the original NCIS pilot. He saw it while taking a course at the FBI Academy. One of the instructors, a consultant by the name of Harry Klann, used it as a teaching tool because he felt some of the methods used were right on the money and should be adopted by real law enforcers. But I digress; let’s get back to Tony Tambasco.
I could spend a couple of thousand words describing Tony’s professional accomplishments. Suffice it to say that he is highly regarded nationally in his field. He teaches innovative CSI techniques and consults with law enforcement departments around the country. It’s what he does when he’s not testing DNA or delving into his department’s cold case files that I want to share with you.
Tambasco was born and raised in upstate New York; Ballston Spa is the name of his hometown. His father had a love for the ponies; that is, he was infatuated with horse racing and since the Saratoga Racetrack was not far from Ballston Spa, he was able to indulge his passion on a regular basis.
The elder Tambasco has owned two seats for every racing session at Saratoga for decades, and from an early age his son would accompany him there. Being around the sport also gave young Mr. Tambasco an opportunity to wager some of his allowance, Christmas money, or other earned income on his thoroughbred hunches. He placed his first bet at the age of 14.
As the years have gone by, Tony Tambasco’s love of the Sport of Kings has not just deepened; it has turned into an interesting avocation. He still goes back home every year to attend the Traverse Stakes with his father and friends. About six years ago, he decided to get financially involved in the sport and became one of the over 400 investors in the West Point Thoroughbred Racing Partners. West Point manages a stable of over 80 horses with different partners, sharing the risks and rewards through the various ownership syndicates.
Terry Finley is the President and CEO of West Point and has the final say on which horses are purchased. He is a 1986 graduate of West Point, thus the name of his equine organization. Tony Tambasco liked the track record (please excuse the pun) of West Point Thoroughbreds and that, combined with other factors, convinced him to join the group. The thoroughbred he first bought into was named Merus Miami. Shortly after investing in Merus, Tony hopped a plane to California to watch his new best friend, win his first race.
I asked Tony if there is anything in his crime-solving background that can be applied to selecting a winning investment in horse flesh; i.e., can he test for winning DNA before committing to invest in a West Point equine? He said that there are people out there who believe that to be the case. Tony said if the gene for a thoroughbred’s speed could be found, you or he could make a killing. However, there isn’t and he hasn’t.
Since Tony spends his working hours examining evidence from sometimes grizzly crime scenes, you might think his emotional makeup has to be fairly serene and contemplative, that it should take a lot to rattle him after all he has seen in over 30 years of forensic law enforcement. But, if you shadowed him to the track to watch one of the horses he is partnered on race, you would see a man more nervous than any criminal awaiting the verdict in any courtroom. In other words, Tony is a complete “basket case.”
To date, Tony Tambasco has partnered with investors in five of West Point’s stable of horses, the most recent being She’s Justified. She made Tony and the rest of those who invested in her justifiably proud when she picked up her first win (by a nose) at Gulfstream Park in Florida on Feb. 3, 2014. Tony watched the race on a thoroughbred dedicated cable channel at home with his wife. While there are no pictures of the post-race celebration at the Tambasco household, I’m sure it was something the two of them will long remember.
He reads the Racing Forum every day, as well as other publications having to do with the sport that has and will continue to define his blood lines. I asked Tony which of these accomplishments is more rewarding — solving a case or winning a race. Without hesitation, he said watching a horse, in which he is invested both emotionally and financially, win a race is more thrilling for him at this stage in his career.
So this CSI Guy, as some of his fellow West Point partners refer to him, is certain that when he walks away from his forensic work he will be able to devote more time and attention to the Sport of Kings. He might even get into developing and breeding his own stable of thoroughbreds.
Who knows, sometime in the future we may see a 3-year-old owned by Tambasco Farms charging down the backstretch at Churchill Downs. And wouldn’t that be something for an owner who had never even ridden a horse until age 35.
