No matter what corner of the Thoroughbred industry one chooses to occupy, the wins are so euphoric because most of the time is spent dealing with defeat. Those wins, and the feeling they provide, are what keep us all in the business.
On Sunday night, Robert Chasanoff got a win.
Hip 364, a Liam's Map filly from Chasanoff's small breeding program, climbed up to $260,000 before hammering to Joseph Migliore, agent, and finishing the night as one of the top offerings of the opening session.
Chasanoff, a semi-retired Long Island-based real estate developer, has sold yearlings for more money in the past, but there was something special about Sunday's transaction beyond the fact that it paid for the mare, the filly's stud fee, and more. It was a public “attaboy” from an often fickle marketplace for his way of doing things.
“We really were just enjoying the experience,” he said. “I'm really not in the business for the money, per se. It's just really being around the animals. It's extremely gratifying to breed a good horse that's well received in the market. It's fun to be popular. We've all bred horses that when they go to the sale, they're not popular, or people walk by the stall and you know it's not going to be good. You really have to enjoy the few and far between experiences when you have a good product and it's popular. I swear to God, that's as gratifying as the money to me.”
The filly that sold on Sunday was the second foal out of the stakes-winning Red Giant mare Catcha Rising Star, who Chasanoff purchased as a racing or broodmare prospect for $85,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.
He was advised in the purchase by Kentucky-based bloodstock agent Tom Bozarth of Arch Bloodstock, a trusted guide for Chasanoff's broodmare interests for two decades.
“I always look to buy maiden mares.” Chasanoff said. “I like to make my own choices. They're not always right, but I at least like to implement my own thoughts into breeding. I look for maiden mares, and I look for some familiar race record. If you're trying to buy at a reasonable price, something has to be sacrificed, and that usually means to me being a little lighter on the pedigree.”
Catcha Rising Star joined Chasanoff's broodmare band, which typically hovers around four members. They're boarded at Blue Chip Farm in Wallkill, N.Y., between trips to Kentucky to meet stallions during the breeding season.
The mare's commercial breeding career started rather unceremoniously, with a Congrats filly who sold as a short yearling for $2,000 at the 2020 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.
With Bozarth's blessing, Chasanoff went to Lane's End resident Liam's Map for the mare's second mating. There's rarely just one reason that a mating is decided upon, and this one was based partly on past performance, and partly on aesthetic.
“This is not professional, but I have a huge affinity for grays,” he said. “If I could, every mare of mine would be gray. I love them. I think there's a higher percentage of good gray horses for the amount that there are, and I aesthetically like them.
“I was a fan of Liam's Map and Unbridled's Song,” he continued. “I think they throw beautiful horses. I'd sold a filly for $190,000 that's now three years old and a winner named Liam's Light, and I've done some good with Liam's Map, and I just wanted to breed back.”
Chasanoff's reasoning might have been a little unusual, by his own admission, but don't mistake him for a wide-eyed neophyte in the racing business. His roots run deep in the Standardbred realm, led by his late father, Michael “Mickey” Chasanoff, and uncle Alan Chasanoff, who owned and bred horses with Robert under the name Alnoff Stable.
The Chasanoffs were national-level competitors in standardbred racing, with 1979 Trotter of the Year Chiola Hanover among their stars. They owned stallions, and won major races in New York and beyond. Then, around the turn of the century, they left the game.
“We had a lot of luck, and then we left the business about 20 years ago,” the younger Chasanoff said. “The medication issue, some of the things the Thoroughbred business is dealing with now, we thought was prevalent in the Standardbred business about 20 years ago. That wasn't something we wanted to be associated with.”
In listing his associates in the Thoroughbred industry – Bozarth, Blue Chip Farm, and consignor Mill Ridge Farm, which handled the filly that sold on Sunday – Chasanoff stressed the importance of character and acting above-board in their dealings. That group also includes trainer Brendan Walsh, who conditions the occasional Chasanoff homebred when the auction ring isn't the right fit.
“I want to be associated with the best people, just honorable, good people,” he said. “That's part of the enjoyment during the other 364 days of the year.
“They deserve all the credit,” Chasanoff continued. “I sit in an office in Long Island, and they do all the work.”
Even if he's quick to credit others for his success, Chasanoff's own respect for the horse is apparent, even in a simple conversation. Wins are always hard to come by in this business, but they mean a little more when they're done the right way, which Chasanoff has made a stated priority.
Just like a win on the racetrack, he hoped his success at the New York-bred sale could help him share that one-of-a-kind feeling.
“Get in the horse business,” he said. “Own a piece of a horse, own a piece of a racehorse or broodmare. It's just great to connect with the animals. It's a great business, and it will improve your life to be around the horses and the farms. I can't emphasize it enough: win, lose or draw, it's good for the soul.”
The post ‘Win, Lose Or Draw, It’s Good For The Soul’: Chasanoff Excels At Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Sale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
