Tag: Connections

It was a perfect “circle of life” moment: breeder Christian Black watched Angel of Empire upset the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds from the foaling office at Blackstone Farm in Pennsylvania, patiently awaiting the birth of the next generation.

“I believe I ran out and jumped up and down like a 20-year-old for a couple minutes out there,” said Black. “(Trainer) Brad Cox obviously had three horses in there, and this one was the less well-meant of the three, but I was obviously a little biased so I didn't quite understand that. He's always wanted to go long; he was a horse that looked like that even as a yearling. Watching him win with my night watch person … If you don't get excited about that you probably shouldn't be in the business. It's why we're in the game.”

The aforementioned mare foaled a healthy baby about an hour after the race.

“It was a very good evening on Saturday,” Black said. “As much as this interview is happening because there's something good going on, that's not the most important thing to me. When you walk out each morning and see your babies in the fields and just see the life out there, that's when I truly appreciate everything. It's that simple.”

Born and raised in Denmark, Black became involved with horses via riding lessons. When he went to university, Black took a job mucking stalls to make extra money.

Black moved to the United States in 2006, and met his wife Christina in New York City. Christina was from Lancaster, Pa., so the couple began looking for property nearby.

There was a farm for sale in Pine Grove which was owned by Douglas Black (no relation), though the owner wasn't especially motivated to sell. Instead, Christian Black sat down with the owner and came up with a partnership. Officially, the two partnered in 2010.

Christian Black is now best-known as a managing partner in Blackstone Farm, the leading breeder in Pennsylvania since 2019. The 350-acre Blackstone operation, located about 40 miles northeast of Harrisburg, has produced horses like millionaire Tom's Ready, MATCH Series Champion Bronx Beauty, as well as Pennsylvania champion and graded stakes winner The Critical Way.

“The state has a great program that was associated with the slots being approved,” said Black, “but we decided when we came in here that we wanted to make sure that we bred mares and foals that had commercial value for any owner, whether in Pennsylvania or not.”

Angel of Empire is also a Pennsylvania-bred, though Christian Black bred this particular colt under an entity he solely owns. Black purchased Angel of Empire's dam, Armony's Angel (by To Honor and Serve), for $67,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale. She was in foal to Classic Empire at the time, carrying Angel of Empire in utero. 

The mare was included with a group of others who were supposed to have gone on to another owner, but the deal fell through and Black wound up keeping the lot.

“Sometimes we take it on the chin,” he quipped. “Of course, looking back, it's a pretty good deal now.”

Like most of the mares Black purchases for the Blackstone program, Armony's Angel wasn't classified as a top of the market, high-end broodmare prospect.

“We don't buy in the top end of the market, because we didn't want to build our broodmare band like that,” he said. “You hope to find the best individual that you can with the best gene pool you can, but you have to compromise; sometimes you buy gene pool and sometimes you buy individual.

“The way we do it, we look far down in the pedigree, looking for talent that might jump up in the next generation. Sometimes we have to build or develop that strain of the family ourselves, but I'm a big believer in that there can be very good racemares that can produce daughters that aren't so good on the track, but who then produce an excellent next generation.”

Armony's Angel is a half-sister to graded stakes winner Conquest Big E, so her page had a bit of class to it, but Black said she was purchased more on the merits of her physical type. When the colt was born the following April, Black continued to be pleased with the investment.

“We all kind of stand there and look at them and see if we can look into the future,” Black reflected. “He was kind of an immature sort, kept kind of growing and turning into a two-turn yearling, so I think his sales price reflected that. He was probably not what the main market wants, because he didn't have that big hip developed yet. But always had a big walk and big movement, and he was very straightforward as a foal. Sometimes we want to kind of reinvent the wheel, or to tell you that we knew, but he was just straightforward. When you'd walk out there to the paddock to check on him, he just looked at you and said, 'Hey, I'm good.'”

Angel of Empire brought a final bid of $70,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale from Albaugh Family Stables, and went into training with Brad Cox. Including the Risen Star, the colt now boasts three wins from five starts for earnings of $330,000.

Armony's Angel has gone on to produce a 2021 colt by Collected, Third City, as well as a 2022 full brother to Angel of Empire. Third City brought $23,000 as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton July sale, a price Black believes belied a lack of commercial appeal at that time.

The full brother, now a yearling, is a May 20 foal, but Black is excited for his future.

“He's an absolute cracker of a May foal; you would not point him out in the field with all the other colts and say he's a May foal,” said Black. “He may go to Keeneland September or to Fasig-Tipton Saratoga. I don't think he's going to be the one to make that decision for us.”

While it may be a bit early to be looking at plans for the first Saturday in May, the 50 points earned via his Risen Star win will likely ensure that Angel of Empire has a spot in the Kentucky Derby if his connections so choose. 

When Tom's Ready entered the 2016 Kentucky Derby, Black was unable to make it to Churchill Downs to watch as the colt finished 12th. This year, if Angel of Empire should make it into that starting gate, Black will make plans to attend the race in person.

“You know, this is four years on from when we started the process,” he reflected. “There are a lot of hands they have to go through to get to this point, and everything has to go right at each step along the way. I'm very grateful for the connections that buy these horses and all the people that take such good care of them.”

 

The post Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Having Pennsylvania-Bred On Road To The Classics Is ‘Why We’re In The Game’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Near the conclusion of two-time Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl's career, the following suggestion was made to breeder Brendan Gallagher: “You want to enjoy it while it's happening, because it's never going to happen again.”

“Well, I said to that person, 'If I really thought it would never happen again, I'm not so sure I'd keep doing this.'”

Just over two years later, Gallagher was delighted to watch another graduate of Frankfort Park Farm breeding program reach graded success on the racetrack: despite a disastrous break, 3-year-old filly Cairo Consort rallied hard to win the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

The filly hasn't quite reached the same dizzying levels of success as Monomoy Girl, but her gallant win lent credence to Gallagher's strong optimism for the future.

“It's good to see that on a Saturday afternoon; that's why we do what we do,” Gallagher said. “To see a horse that you raise and can race to that level, it's really something. We've been lucky enough to breed some good ones, but I honestly believe there are more in the pipeline. I can't say where they're going to come from, but I truly believe that. All you can do is go with your hunches and do the best you can.”

Gallagher, 58, and his wife Olive have owned and operated Frankfort Park Farm off Old Frankfort Pike in Lexington, Ky., full-time since 2010. They are co-breeders of Monomoy Girl, , alongside Michael Hernon's Highfield Ranch, as well as graded stakes winners Take Charge Paula, The Tabulator, and Yuvetsi.

After graduating from the Irish National Stud Program, Gallagher made his first trip to the United States in 1983, continuing his education at the University of Kentucky and working at Gainesway Farm. Upon his return to Ireland, Gallagher spent the next eight years as the assistant manager at Coolmore's Kilsheelan Stud.

In 1993, Gallagher and his wife launched Emerald Bloodstock Services Limited, which soon grew into one of the leading bloodstock agencies in Europe.

“It was a good education,” Gallagher said. “[Coolmore] wasn't as big in my time there, you know. In fairness, John Magnier has changed the industry worldwide. For me, with the agency and everything, I'm just happier doing what I'm doing now, being hands on every day. I'm not so sure I'd be doing what I'm doing if I wasn't hands on.”

They purchased Frankfort Park Farm with a few partners in 2006, utilizing the location to quarantine horses before shipping them overseas, but quickly discovered how difficult it was to properly run a farm from across the ocean.

By 2010, the Gallaghers had sold their bloodstock agency and bought out their partners in Frankfort Park Farm. 

“Where we are situated now is, I believe, the best place in the world to raise Thoroughbreds,” said Gallagher. “Right where we are, within four or five miles, are the biggest, most successful farms in the world.”

Monomoy Girl certainly put the farm on the map very quickly. Gallagher spotted her dam, Drumette (Henny Hughes) at the 2014 Keeneland November sale. The mare's $75,000 price tag has more than paid dividends.

Drumette was in foal to Tapizar at the sale, and foaled out the chestnut filly who would become Monomoy Girl on March 26, 2015. Beautifully proportioned, the filly was “highly strung” and required careful handling during her formative years.

Monomoy Girl sold for $100,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale, and built a resume of 14 wins and three seconds from 17 starts, with earnings of $4,776,818. Highlights included a pair of Eclipse Awards and two Breeders' Cup victories, the second coming after a return from a lengthy layoff.

Drumette produced three more foals for Gallagher before she was sold in foal to Mastery at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed sale for a whopping $1.85 million.

Meanwhile, Cairo Consort's dam, Absolutely Awesome (Street Cry), was a $200,000 purchase from the Robsham dispersal and consignor Lane's End at the 2013 Keeneland November sale. 

“I mean it's a massive pedigree,” Gallagher explained. “She's out of a half-sister to (millionaire) Awesome Maria, her second dam produced Discreet Cat. We were delighted to have her.”

Cairo Consort is the mare's third foal, and sold for $95,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling sale. Just over a month into her sophomore season, the filly has already won four of her eight career starts for earnings of $430,449. The highlight of her resume may be a third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last fall at 19-1 odds, when conditioned by young trainer Nathan Squires. 

After the Breeders' Cup, Cairo Consort sold for $875,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall sale to Repole Stable and Town & Country Racing. Now conditioned by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the filly is undefeated through two starts in 2023.

Absolutely Awesome lost a foal last year, but is booked to Constitution during the 2023 breeding season. Gallagher has attempted to hold on to much of the family, including buying into Cairo Consort's half-sister, Tayef.

Watching the success of his program on the racetrack is a big thrill for Gallagher, who said it's afternoons like Saturday that make those frosty 3 a.m. problem foalings worth every minute. At age 58, Gallagher has been asked several times when he'll be ready to slow down.

“Well, I need to be under a bit of pressure to be really motivated,” he joked. “We foal around 35 mares, of which we own nearly 27 or 28 of them ourselves. There are around 70 horses on the farm, and it'll be just over 100 after foaling out. Of those, 75 percent or 80 percent are ours.”

Beyond late-night foaling calls, Gallagher spends most of his days working with the reproduction vet on the mares or with the blacksmith, keeping the yearlings and foals on the right track.

“It's really all the little things that make the difference,” Gallagher said. “I believe nature wants to give you its best and sometimes we do a very good job of messing it up. 

“There are definitely some things in breeding horses that are overlooked. Horses need to be happy and the lads need to love them. I know that sounds crazy, but it's really true.

“We've been lucky enough we bought mares with little issues, and you never know what you might get; they can throw very good foals. I'm hoping there's more in the pipeline.”

The post Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘More In The Pipeline’ After Monomoy Girl appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Owner/breeder Keith Abrahams was quietly confident in Kirstenbosch ahead of last weekend's Grade 3 La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita. The filly, named for a famous botanical garden in Abrahams' native South Africa, proved his confidence was not misplaced when she won by a nose. 

Kirstenbosch became the second homebred graded stakes winner to race in Abrahams' colors, quite a feat for a small-scale breeder who keeps only three to five mares at any given time.

Though the 4-year-old daughter of Midnight Lute was the third choice on the board behind a pair of Bob Baffert trainees, Abrahams believed the extra distance of 1 1/16 miles would be perfect for his filly after her third-place finish in the seven-furlong La Brea (G1).

“I thought she had a very good chance,” Abrahams said. “She's quite talented, we think, but she's one of those horses that we still think she's not quite putting out 100 percent of her effort.”

Juan Leyva, longtime assistant to trainer John Sadler, readily agreed after watching Kirstenbosch win by a nose at the wire.

“When she started running, I thought she was going to win by at least half a length, but then it looked like when she got to (runner-up) Ganadora, she kind of just hung with her and this filly just tends to do that,” Leyva explained. ”She does just enough to win, she's never been one to just pull away, so that's the only thing I was afraid of. … But she got the job done, so that's the main thing. I'm really happy for Keith because they have been longtime clients of John and they are just good people.”

Loyalty in his business relationships is one of Abrahams' key tools to success, both in his real estate work as co-founder of the Brentwood Real Estate Group, and in the racing industry. Originally a CPA by trade, Abrahams figured out early on in the business realm that having the right people around him was paramount to success.

Abrahams' relationship with Sadler dates back 20 years, while his work with bloodstock agent Kathy Berkey traces back more than 30 years. He's kept his small band of broodmares at the same Kentucky farm (Columbiana) for nearly 20 years as well.

“I learned in business that you should always try to surround yourself with good people,” Abrahams said. “You hire them to do a job, and then that's their expertise so you let them do it. John Sadler and I always sit down and discuss the race options, but ultimately it's what he thinks we should do. 

“I'm very involved in the breeding, where I like to make decisions; my agent Kathy provides me with information, then I do my own research as well and we come to a decision.”

Abrahams' passion for the bloodstock side of the business, albeit on a small scale, has led to strong results on the racing side of the industry. 

“I love the breeding, the challenge,” he said. “That's pretty much 95 percent of all the horses I've ever run are all horses I've bred. That whole challenge of finding the right crosses, making those decisions, and seeing them come to the track and do something with it, whether it be a low-level race, or we've been fortunate to have some good runners at the higher level.”

One of his earliest breeding successes came in the form of Taste of Paradise, a horse on whom he is listed as co-breeder with his father-in-law. Berkey helped him select that horse's dam, Tastetheteardrops, at the 1997 Keeneland November sale, for $60,000. Taste of Paradise was foaled in 1999 on a breeding to Conquistador Cielo, and won the G2 San Diego Handicap for Abrahams in 2003 before selling for $425,000 at the 2004 Barretts January sale. Taste of Paradise would go on to win the G1 Vosburgh in 2005, retiring with earnings over $1 million.

The next major success came with Get Funky, a colt Abrahams acquired via a $62,500 claim from a maiden race in 2006. The colt would go on to win 11 of his 45 career starts, including the G2 Del Mar Derby, before retiring with earnings of $781,675.

Also in 2006, Abrahams and Berkey bought a mare named Azure Spring for $32,000 at the Keeneland November sale. Her most successful offspring was Selcourt, named for the small town in South Africa in which Abrahams was raised. The 2014 filly by Tiz Wonderful won the G2 Santa Monica Stakes in 2018, and retired a multiple graded stakes winner with earnings of $393,160.

Kirstenbosch, the latest in a stream of homebreds named for South African landmarks, is actually a second-generation homebred for Abrahams. Berkey helped select the filly's granddam, And Guess What (Kris S.) at the 2001 Keeneland January sale for $24,000. A 2010 cross with Belong to Me led to Llandudno, a graded stakes-placed mare, who in turn would foal Kirstenbosch in 2019 on a cross to Midnight Lute.

“I love the game, and it's so fun to have the highs because we all know how tough this game can be,” Abrahams said.

In fact, his first foray into U.S. racing could hardly be described as a profitable one.

Though Abrahams had some exposure to horse racing while growing up in South Africa, courtesy of his grandfather, a rural hometown meant the young Abrahams was more involved with riding horses and working with farm animals. 

Following a mandatory two-year stint in the South African army, Abrahams had a last-gasp chance to follow his family to the United States; he could get a green card if he arrived before his 21st birthday, which was just 10 days away when he learned of the opportunity. Taking the risk, Abrahams fell in love with California and decided to stay, eventually graduating from USC and beginning his journey as a CPA.

“I was just out of college and working for a big accounting firm when a friend's family, who was involved in a very small way in breeding a mare of two, had one foal they needed to find a home for,” Abrahams recalled. “Two of us decided that we'd take the foal and try to race it.”

It would have been a perfect Hollywood ending had that filly had any success. Instead, she never made it to the race and became Abrahams' personal riding horse before passing away at the ripe age of 35 just a couple years ago. Despite the perceived failure, Abrahams had been fatally bitten by the racing bug.

“I ended up taking over a layup facility in Bradbury, Calif, right near Santa Anita,” Abrahams said. “I was working in the office during the day and trying to run a boarding facility at night, so that I could pay my way to get into the business. I made a lot of bad breeding decisions on my own early on, until I met Kathy and started breeding more seriously in Kentucky a few years later.

“The industry is a fun one to be in, but I also love being around the horses. I pretty much go out to the track every week to see them work, and I try to be in Kentucky as much as I can to see the mares and babies.”

The post Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Kirstenbosch No Garden Variety Homebred For Keith Abrahams appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Kyle Hampton, a 20-year-old Louisville native and full-time college student, is currently mastering the act of balancing homework and a new career as a jockey agent for British newcomer Tyler Heard. The two celebrated Heard's first stateside win the night of Jan. 12 in the sixth race at Charles Town in West Virginia aboard Baytown Frosty in only Heard's second mount since making the move to the United States. Heard finished second with his first ride at Turfway Park in northern Kentucky on Jan. 6.

A longtime horse racing fan, Hampton is currently a junior at the University of Louisville pursuing two Bachelor's degrees in Accounting and Equine Business. He takes all of his classes online to be able to better balance school with his career. Since starting college  he has held positions as a hot walker, an intern with Fox Sports, and as a college ambassador for Keeneland. 

“When I was growing up I rode horses on my cousin's farm and I would always be reading the Racing Form in class,” Hampton said. “I've always had a huge passion for the industry. When I was a kid we would always go on field trips to Churchill Downs. During my senior year of high school I decided it was now or never to start trying to pursue a career in the industry. While I was at the University of Louisville my first job was as a hot walker. Then I got in contact with Fox Sports and America's Day at the Races and took an internship with them.”

It was during Hampton's internship with Fox Sports and America's Day at the Races that he was introduced to the jockey agent career path through on air analyst Frank Lyons. Lyons is also currently an agent for two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Julien Leparoux. Once Lyons sparked his interest in becoming a jockey agent, Hampton got in contact with agent Jose Santos Jr., who represents nine jockeys at different tracks  including Adam Beschizza and Reylu Gutierrez, and began helping Santos in the mornings while still working for Fox Sports in the afternoons. 

While his career endeavors have been met by support from Hampton's mentors and fellow agents, he still faces some challenges as one of the youngest agents on the Kentucky circuit. Hampton remains optimistic, though, and even views his age as an advantage in some cases. 

“Knowing every single trainer (has been a challenge) because I haven't been around the race track as long as some of these other agents. I don't see it as a huge barrier though because I'm a pretty friendly person and I get along with people well. I think (being younger than most of the agents) gives me an opportunity to try new techniques and tactics to be able to do the best I can for Tyler and me.”

Hampton and Heard got connected through mutual friend Jake McEntee who works as an assistant to Kenny McPeek. McEntee knew that Heard was wanting to pursue his goal of riding in the U.S. and Hampton was looking for someone to represent so the introduction was made. 

“The main reason I chose Kyle was because he's younger,” Heard said. “I knew he wanted to make a career for himself so it was just as important to him for me to do well as it was to myself. Kyle is just as hungry as I am so I knew he would put the work in and be enthusiastic, so that was the driving factor.”

Heard, also 20 years old, began riding in pony races at the age of nine. He moved to Lambourn, England, at age 16 to work for well respected Irish jockey turned trainer Richard Hughes and rode his first race in 2019 at age 17. Since then, Heard has had 796 starts and 57 wins including his two starts in the U.S. 

Heard has joined the Turfway jockey colony for the winter meet and plans to ride at Keeneland in the spring. For now he is breezing horses in the mornings and meeting with trainers to secure future mounts. 

“Through the Turfway meet, you want to be riding every (day of racing), and just get as many winners as you can,” Heard said of his goals for the near future.

The post Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Hampton, 20, Balances Studies With New Role As Jockey Agent appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post