Kirkpatrick & Co Presents In Their Care: Anne And Joe McMahon Celebrate 50 Years Of Raising Good Horses, Staying Close To Nature

McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds has grown exponentially since Anne and Joe McMahon established it with a couple of broodmares in 1971, expanding from 90 to 600 acres that nurture approximately 250 horses.

And it all started with Christmas trees.

The initial tract of land the newlyweds purchased near Saratoga Race Course was filled with Christmas trees that yielded much-needed income. They also sold eggs and pigs and raised much of their own food to bolster their fledgling horse operation.

“We didn't have much money because we spent it on the horses,” said Anne, recalling those lean early days. She is 70, three years younger than her husband.

They initially thought in modest terms, eager to start a family and indulge the passion for Thoroughbreds that brought them together.

“I never imagined in my wildest dreams it would be this big,” Joe said. “We thought we could have a small boarding operation here and raise a few horses of our own to sell or to race.”

The establishment of the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund in 1973, when combined with the McMahons' relentless work ethic and their emphasis on staying close to nature, elevated the operation to unimagined heights. It did not hurt, either, that the farm became celebrated as the birthplace of 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide.

The annual sale of Christmas trees eventually created space for pastures and more. Hay and soybeans are grown on site. The McMahons mix their own feed.

“To make this all work,” Joe said, “we had to do it on an economic scale we could afford.”

All five children – John, Mike, Jane, Kate and Tara – assist in some way. Quality is emphasized in every aspect. “If you go beyond the basics of good feed, good grass, good pasture, then you've gone a whole long way toward developing a good horse,” Joe said, adding, “We try to do the basics really well.”

Jane, a farm manager, marvels at how far that philosophy has taken them.

“The older I get, the more I appreciate what they've done,” she said. “They really had no connections in the industry and they really had to put their back into it every single day for 50 years. They didn't just walk in and buy the kind of bloodstock you need to be successful. They didn't have that kind of money.”

Great care was taken in building a 14-person staff. “We're still small enough that our employees are our friends,” Anne said. “If they're not nice people, they're just not here.”

They would prefer a larger crew. Help can be hard to find.

“It certainly is a big issue. People are making money to stay home,” Joe said, referring to substantial ongoing government payments stemming from the pandemic. “We find it very difficult. I don't know anybody in the business who is not complaining about the same thing. We cannot get help.”

McMahon of Saratoga took its cue from famed Claiborne Farm in staying close to nature. “We buy into the fact that they are animals. They need to be happy. They are not going to be happy living in a stall. That is not a natural place for them to be,” Joe said. “They need to be outside as much as they can be.”

He believes the reward for doing that far outweighs the risk.

“You put 10 or 15 yearlings together, they are going to play. They are going to fight. They're going to be tough on each other,” Joe noted. “But that's how they develop. In our opinion, that's what makes them good horses. It works. I can tell you it does.”

John, Anne and Joe McMahon with some of the young horses raised at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds

The farm stands Central Banker, New York's runaway leading sire and a son of crack sprinter Speightstown. Thirty-nine of Central Banker's first 78 runners were winners this year with earnings of more than $2.6 million.

The McMahons' claim to fame will always be that they raised Funny Cide, a son of Distorted Humor. When he was foaled on April 20, 2000, there was nothing then or in his early days to suggest he would become special. Beyond a sturdy frame, he was an unremarkable foal. He brought only $22,000 when he went through Fasig-Tipton's New York Preferred Yearling Sale.

Funny Cide made great strides after he was acquired by Sackatoga Stable, a Saratoga Springs-based partnership that turned him over to well-respected trainer Barclay Tagg.

“When they get as successful as Funny Cide, it's like your kid becoming President,” Joe said. “It's beyond anything you could imagine.”

[Story Continues Below]

Anne and Joe watched in disbelief as the gelded Funny Cide pulled a surprise in the Kentucky Derby and added the Preakness. Those thrilling moments never fade.

“When you have a horse run in a big race like that and he wins it, there is nothing like it,” Joe said. “I wish for every breeder that they would have a good horse because there is nothing like it.”

And it all started with Christmas trees.

Tom Pedulla wrote for USA Today from 1995-2012 and has been a contributor to the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Blood-Horse, America's Best Racing and other publications.

If you wish to suggest someone as a potential subject for In Their Care, please send an email to info@paulickreport.com that includes the person's name and contact information in addition to a brief description of the individual's background.

The post Kirkpatrick & Co Presents In Their Care: Anne And Joe McMahon Celebrate 50 Years Of Raising Good Horses, Staying Close To Nature appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Constitution, Daredevil Join Exclusive Fraternity Of First-Crop Classic Sires

Whether they stand in Kentucky's finest stallion station or a remote outpost in Alaska, the best-case scenario for any North American sire involves having a runner from his first crop win a Triple Crown race.

History has proven this to be easier said than done, but a young sire that manages to achieve the feat is more often than not set up for a long, bountiful stud career.

This year's Triple Crown series saw Constitution become the 10th horse to sire a North American classic winner in his first crop since 1995, when Tiz the Law won the Belmont Stakes in June. In October, Daredevil became the 11th stallion to join the club when his daughter Swiss Skydiver shocked the Preakness Stakes.

It was the first time two first-crop sires were represented by classic winners since 2017, when Always Dreaming won the Kentucky Derby for Bodemeister and Cloud Computing upset the Preakness Stakes for Maclean's Music.

Of course, there are no sure-fire indicators of future success or failure in a young stallion. There are plenty of examples of one-hit wonders whose Triple Crown race winner was their only upper-crust runner of note. Some of them just have their time in the sun earlier than others.

The market has proven, though, that a stallion that hits early will get more chances to succeed, and many of the 11 horses in the “First-Crop Club” took advantage of that trend and continued to do well.

The debate over the club member with the most successful stud career depends on the metric one wants to use.

For those counting by earnings, the winner is Street Cry, who saw champion Street Sense take the 2007 Derby. Street Cry currently sits with progeny earnings in excess of $170 million.

The late resident of Darley's Jonabell Farm became an international star at stud, siring arguably the best fillies of this century on both sides of the world: Hall of Famer Zenyatta in the Northern Hemisphere, and Australian superstar Winx in the Southern Hemisphere. He's also responsible for another top filly, Australian-born Oh Susanna, who was named South Africa's Horse of Year in 2018.

Street Cry's four progeny Breeders' Cup victories tied him with fellow Darley stallion Medaglia d'Oro for the most among the club members.

Medaglia d'Oro can also stake a claim for producing the top Northern Hemisphere filly of the century, in Rachel Alexandra, who won the 2009 Preakness as part of her sire's first crop.

Like Street Cry, Medaglia d'Oro has fashioned himself into an international sire, capable of getting a winner over any ground put before his foals. His runners have made 34 starts in Breeders' Cup races, giving him the most in the club, and his 78 graded or group stakes winners is highly likely to pass leader Street Cry's 82 before long.

Currently one of North America's most reliable high-level commercial sires, Medaglia d'Oro is also responsible for two-time champion Songbird, Canadian Horse of the Year Wonder Gadot, and Breeders' Cup winners Talismanic, Bar of Gold, and New Money Honey.

Looking at the overall body of work, Unbridled has a case for being named the most successful member of the club, as well. He became the first member of the club to post a first- crop classic winner after 1995, when Grindstone won the 1996 Derby.

Since then, Unbridled rests as the club's leader by Eclipse Award winners (four) and classic winners (three) and co-leader by classic starters. This made all the more impressive considering he did it with just 10 crops – less than five of his contemporaries.

In the years that followed Grindstone's Derby victory, Unbridled added 2000 Preakness winner Red Bullet and 2003 Belmont winner Empire Maker. He had a pair of champion 3-year-old fillies in Banshee Breeze and Smuggler, and a pair of 2-year-old Breeders' Cup winners who won their respective Eclipse Award categories in Half- bridled and Anees.

Of course, any conversation about the impact of Unbridled on the racetrack and beyond can't take place without Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and leading sire Unbridled's Song, as well.

Unbridled is one of three sires in the club to have another classic winner after their initial success. Maria's Mon punched his ticket when Monarchos won the 2001 Derby, then Super Saver won the same race nine years later.

Distorted Humor saw Funny Cide claim the Derby and Preakness in 2003, making him the only first-crop sire since 1995 to take two legs of the Triple Crown with the same runner. In 2010, Drosselmeyer scored the upset in the Belmont Stakes to give him another classic triumph. A year later, Drosselmeyer shocked the world once again winning the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Distorted Humor is the most experienced member of the club, with 19 crops of racing age through 2020, and more to come. The WinStar Farm resident's 167 stakes winners is the most of the horses in this group, and his 30 Breeders' Cup starts is second. He is also tied for the club's most classic starters, with nine.

Birdstone's admission into the club was unique, being the only sire in the group to punch his ticket with two different classic winners. In 2009, Mine That Bird skimmed the rail to upset the Kentucky Derby, then Summer Bird won the Belmont Stakes en route to securing that year's champion 3-year-old male honors.

Getting two classic winners and a champion out of a first crop seems like it ought to project to a massive stallion career, but Birdstone was never quite able to follow up on that early momentum. Noble Bird became a Grade 1 winner for his sire, and Swipe finished second in the 2015 Breeders' Cup Juvenile by just half a length, but Birdstone never had another classic starter after his first crop. Though he had a stud career that many stallions could only strive to attain, it lagged behind his breed-shaping contemporaries who entered the club around the same time.

After Birdstone and Medaglia d'Oro punched their tickets into the club, there was a seven-year gap before another stallion joined them, but that newcomer proved to be worth the wait.

With just six crops of racing age, Ashford Stud's Uncle Mo is on pace to compete for the mantle as the club's most successful member. After his first crop of juveniles set the earnings record for a freshman sire, led by champion 2-year-old male and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Nyquist, the same horse won the 2016 Derby.

Uncle Mo is already tied for the group's most classic starters, with nine, including three in his first Derby. His 69 stakes winners is the fourth-most among his contemporaries, and his 41 graded/group stakes winners is in the top four. With blazing speed, Uncle Mo proved himself as a sire of the highest-quality runners, and his reward was a place in the upper echelon of today's commercial sires.

A year after Uncle Mo punched his ticket, Bodemeister joined the group with Always Dreaming in the Derby, and Maclean's Music earned his place with Cloud Computing in the Preakness.

Despite entering stud as one the more lauded prospects in his class, Bodemeister never caught the same spark after Always Dreaming's high-level run in the spring of 2017. He has no Breeders' Cup starters through his first four crops of racing age. The grandson of Unbridled through sire Empire Maker was sold to stand in Turkey at the end of the 2019 breeding season, which means time is running out for him to sire another significant top-shelf U.S. runner.

Maclean's Music, a resident of Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, has high-level results almost in lockstep with Bodemeister, with about half the starters. The son of fellow club member Distorted Humor has been on the upswing heading into this year's Breeders' Cup, with multiple Grade 1 winner Jackie's Warrior pointing toward the Juvenile and Grade 1 winner Complexity contending for the Dirt Mile.

Much like the last two stallions to accomplish the feat in the same year, Constitution and Daredevil are on different trajectories, even though they started in the same place at WinStar Farm.

Constitution, a son of Tapit, appears destined for stardom at stud. In one of the deepest sire classes in recent memory – one including Triple Crown winner American Pharoah – Constitution has stood out as the kind of stallion that will aim to compete for a spot on the top shelf as a sire of runners and top-dollar horses. He had several buzzed-about runners on this year's Triple Crown trail, including Grade 3 winner Independence Hall and multiple Grade 1-placed Gouverneur Morris. He's also responsible for a pair of Group 1 winners in Chile.

Like Bodemeister, Daredevil was sent to Turkey after the 2019 breeding season. Because the pipeline of new foals was already at a trickle before he was exported, the son of More Than Ready's mission to carry on the momentum set by Preakness winner Swiss Skydiver and Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil will be more of an uphill climb than his contemporary. However, that positive momentum on the racetrack earned Daredevil a ticket back stateside, following the announcement that he'll stand at Lane's End in 2021 as property of the Turkish Jockey Club. The race, it appears, is far from over.

The post Constitution, Daredevil Join Exclusive Fraternity Of First-Crop Classic Sires appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Kirkpatrick & Co Presents In Their Care: Smullen Is The Glue That Holds Tagg Operation Together

Robin Smullen was 17 years old when she was preparing Barnabas, her finest horse, for a show. He was as responsive as ever to her cues – until he could respond no longer.

Barnabas collapsed beneath Smullen due to an aneurysm. Nothing could be done except to comfort him. He died in the arms of a teenager with whom he had enjoyed such a wonderful connection, his head nestled in her lap.

Smullen was devastated. She remained in her bedroom at her family's Oxford, Pa., farm for three days. She sold her three or four remaining show horses. She did not know how she would go on.

“At that point, I was thinking I wanted to give up on horses completely,” she said.

She soon realized how strong a hold horses can have on someone who had been around them for as long as she could remember. There is a pull that is undeniable. And perhaps inescapable.

“I was born into horses. That is all I ever knew,” said Smullen. “A lot of people who get into horses and leave, they always come back.”

Come back she did, and Thoroughbred racing is so much better for that. As an assistant to Barclay Tagg and his life partner, Smullen has been instrumental in the development of a pair of outstanding New York-bred 3-year-olds for modest Sackatoga Stable.

The gelded Funny Cide swept the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 2003. Tiz the Law looms as a prime contender in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7 at Keeneland Race Course. He could emerge as Horse of the Year if he adds his first test against older horses to his authoritative Florida Derby, Belmont and Travers triumphs.

Smullen aboard Funny Cide. Photo courtesy Robin Smullen

“Robin is really the glue that holds Barclay Tagg Racing Stable together,” said Jack Knowlton, who has overseen Sackatoga since he established it with five high school friends in 1995.

Tagg and Smullen have shown they can accomplish a lot with relatively little. Funny Cide was purchased privately for the comparatively meager sum of $75,000 as a 2-year-old in training. Tagg made a winning bid of $110,000 to bring home Tiz the Law as a yearling at Fasig-Tipton's 2018 Saratoga Sale.

Smullen is proud of the keen eyes they bring to sales.

“We've picked out so many good horses and people don't realize,” she said. “A lot of people could have bought Funny Cide, but we did. You can't see that he's going to win the Derby, but you can see that a horse can run.”

Confrontation, a $35,000 purchase as a 2-year-old, and Realm, a $75,000 yearling, provide two more examples of diamonds in the rough that the tag team of Tagg and Smullen discovered. Each horse surpassed half a million dollars in earnings.

Smullen has been aboard tractable Tiz the Law throughout his development, just as she was the headstrong Funny Cide. When she talks, Knowlton and Tagg listen.

“That is invaluable to have somebody with her knowledge,” Knowlton said. “If there is one little thing that is maybe bothering him, she'll identify it. She may know what it is or, if not, she will work with the veterinarian or the blacksmith or the chiropractor or the masseuse.”

When Smullen detected upper body stiffness in Tiz the Law following his loss to Authentic in the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby, she showed her unwavering commitment to always putting the horse first by urging that the colt skip the $1 million Preakness, the final leg of this year's Triple Crown due to the pandemic. Knowlton abided by that advice. He also was on board when she and Tagg opposed shipping the colt across the country to Santa Anita for last year's Juvenile despite a fees-paid berth in the demanding $2 million race courtesy of a Champagne romp.

Smullen and Tagg have long enjoyed a relationship most couples would envy.

“We went to dinner,” Tagg likes to say, “and she never left.”

One of the keys to their staying power is their ability to leave work behind once long days at the barn and the track are done. They currently oversee approximately 20 horses.

“The good part about Barclay is he leaves the barn at the barn and then home is home,” Smullen said. “If you don't get along with the way you make a decision on a certain horse or a certain race, you leave that at the barn.”

Doswell, a quirky 5-year-old that is fairly new to their stable, represents a constant source of disagreement.

“He's a little bit of a head case, but I try to get along with him and compromise on things,” said Smullen. She gallops Doswell each morning; she is the one aboard for his antics once his training is done. Tagg would like to see the veteran walk back to the barn. The gelded son of Giant's Causeway, bred and owned by Joseph Allen, has other ideas.

“He doesn't like to walk off the track,” Smullen said. “He's jigging and carrying on the whole time, so I just jog him home.”

Although Tagg is routinely dismayed by that unusual sight, Smullen's willingness to live with that idiosyncrasy appears to be reaping rewards. After going winless through his first five career starts, Doswell is perfect in two turf starts for Tagg and Smullen. He led at every call when he finally broke his maiden on Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course. He displayed the same front-running command in capturing  an allowance race on Oct. 2 at Belmont Park.

With each of those victories, Smullen is reminded of the rewards that working with horses can bring. And she is grateful she persevered long after the beloved Barnabas took his last breath.

Tom Pedulla wrote for USA Today from 1995-2012 and has been a contributor to the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Blood-Horse, America's Best Racing and other publications.

If you wish to suggest a backstretch worker as a potential subject for In Their Care, please send an email to info@paulickreport.com that includes the person's name and contact information in addition to a brief description of the employee's background.

The post Kirkpatrick & Co Presents In Their Care: Smullen Is The Glue That Holds Tagg Operation Together appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Tiz The Law’s Only Loss Came At Churchill Downs, But Knowlton Says His Problem Wasn’t The Track

As Tiz the Law prepares to go to the post as the 3-5 favorite in tomorrow's Kentucky Derby, it's hard not to notice that his lone career loss came at Churchill Downs. If anything, Sackatoga Stables co-founder and operating manager Jack Knowlton says, he's feeling a little better about that this week.

“In many ways I think there's enough pressure now at the 3-5 favorite, but if you go into this race as an undefeated horse seven races in, that would be a little too much to bear,” Knowlton told media Thursday. “If you're going to lose one that was the one to lose.”

Knowlton referred to the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, in which Tiz the Law came third behind Silver Prospector and Finnick the Fierce. There was a lot going on for Tiz the Law in that race last November – he didn't break well and was stuck behind a slow pace, jammed in at the rail for most of the race.

“The jockeys here were race riding,” Knowlton. “They were doing what they were supposed to do, giving themselves the best chance to win.

“After the race, Manny Franco said it wasn't the track, it was the trip.”

Knowlton hopes that if anything, experiencing a trip that didn't go as planned has made the colt even tougher. It's safe to say most of this racing season has not gone as planned for horses or humans. One of many concerns for Tiz the Law's connections was the drawn-out nature of this year's road to the Derby, and whether he could remain in peak form long enough to make the Derby. Now, after a decisive Travers win and a Belmont Stakes victory, Knowlton thinks it's possible the longer timeframe makes Tiz the Law's accomplishments all the more impressive.

“Some people were concerned because it's only four weeks between the Travers and Kentucky Derby this year,” said Knowlton. “You look at the two works he had up at Saratoga and I think that question was answered. He's as sharp as he's ever been.”

If Tiz the Law is good enough to win both the Derby and the Preakness, Knowlton points out he will be just the second horse in Triple Crown history to win all three races plus the Travers. Whirlaway is the only one to manage it in 1941. Only American Pharoah and Affirmed have tried.

Having a good horse in this strange year has its drawbacks, though.

“Everything is different,” said Knowlton, who noted Sackatoga partners had to watch their G1 Florida Derby win from home. “It's frustrating to have a horse that's this kind of horse and turned into what he's turned into, and not be able to go to the race.”

In a small semblance of normalcy however, Knowlton said Funny Cide fans can again expect to see Sackatoga partners pouring out of a yellow school bus. In fact, to allow for social distancing, they're making the trip to Churchill in two of them.

Thanks to the National Turfwriters and Broadcasters Association (NTWAB), which has assembled a group of pool reporters providing independent reporting to members unable to be on the Churchill Downs grounds this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The post Tiz The Law’s Only Loss Came At Churchill Downs, But Knowlton Says His Problem Wasn’t The Track appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights