MGSW Tom's Ready (More Than Ready) was euthanized on Monday, Oct. 30 at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, due to complications following colic surgery, Old Friends Farm announced on Tuesday. The 10-year old dark bay stallion was donated to Old Friends by owner Gayle Benson in November of 2020.
The $145,000 Saratoga Select Yearling amassed a career line of 21-5-4-3, $1,036,357 over three seasons and captured the 2016 GII Woody Stephens S. and GIII Ack Ack S., and the 2017 GIII Bold Ruler S. He also placed in six other graded stakes in the care of trainer Dallas Stewart.
“Tom's Ready helped Old Friends a lot,” said Michael Blowen, President and founder of Old Friends. “He was donated by Gayle Benson of GMB Racing, sending a message that a first rate breeding and racing operation trusted us to provide superior retirement and health care for their horse.”
As owners of the French luxury brand, Chanel, brothers Alain and Gerard Wertheimer are among the world's most fashionable Thoroughbred owners and breeders. According to the latest World's Billionaires List published by Forbes, they are also the richest.
According to Forbes, Alain and Gerard Wertheimer each have a net worth of $34.5 billion putting them at No. 41 on the list of 2,755 billionaires worldwide.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is atop the list with an estimated net worth of $177 billion.
Racing primarily with homebreds in Europe and the U.S. under the stable name Wertheimer et Frere, the brothers are best known for campaigning Goldikova, three-time winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile. Their current stable star is Todd Pletcher-trained Happy Saver.
At least a dozen others from the Forbes Billionaires List have been identified as Thoroughbred owners or breeders. (Note: The list does not include members of Arab country ruling families, including the Maktoums of Dubai.)
Next on the list among individuals affiliated with Thoroughbred racing and breeder is financier George Soros, whose Soros Fund Management in 2008 launched SF Racing and SF Bloodstock, now operated by Gavin Murphy and Tom Ryan. Forbes estimates a net worth of $8.6 billion for the Soros, putting him at No. 288.
Cable television magnate John Malone is ranked 316th on the Forbes list with an estimated net worth of $7.8 billion. One of America's biggest landowners, Malone owns Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Fla., and Ballylinch Stud in Ireland.
Tamara Gustavson, daughter of the late B. Wayne Hughes, is ranked 496th on the list with an estimated net worth of $5.6 billion. With husband Eric, Tamara Gustavson now operates Spendthrift, which Forbes estimated has a $400 million value. A Forbes-produced video explains how they arrived at that estimate, based on leading stallion Into Mischief, other bloodstock holdings and the farm's property and buildings.
Wayne Hughes, who died in August, remained on the Forbes list, ranked 925th with an estimated net worth of $3.3 billion. A self-made billionaire, Hughes created Public Storage, the largest self-storage company in the U.S.
Vincent Viola is ranked 807th on the list with an estimated net worth of $3.7 billion acquired in part from his electronic trading startup, Virtu Financial. Owner of the NHL's Florida Panthers, Viola co-owned Vino Rosso, winner of the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic in 2019.
Another owner of sports teams, Gayle Benson, ranks 891st on the Forbes lislt with an estimated net worth of $3.4 billion. Benson, widow of Tom Benson, owns the NFL's New Orleans Saints and NBA's New Orleans Pelicans. Her GMB Racing campaigned Tom's d'Etat, winner of the G1 Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs in 2019.
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Brad Kelley, owner of Calumet Farm, has an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion, putting him 1,205th on the list of the world's richest people. Kelley, who lives in Tennessee, made his fortune in the tobacco industry.
Gerald Ford, who races as Diamond A Racing Corporation, is 1,249th on the list with an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion. Ford built his wealth through acquisition of distressed banks.
Kevin Plank, who created the Under Armour sportswear brand and owns Sagamore Farm in Maryland, has an estimated net worth of $2 billion putting him at No. 1,580.
Charlotte Weber, an heir to the Campbell Soup Co., is listed as No. 1,833 with an estimated net worth of $1.7 million. Owner of Live Oak Plantation, Weber's homebreds have won a host of Grade 1 races, and she's won two editions of the G1 Breeders' Cup Mile with World Approval and Miesque's Approval.
Kenny Troutt, owner of WinStar Farm, founded long-distance company Excel Communications more than 30 years ago. Forbes estimates his net worth at $1.5 billion, putting him at No. 2,035 on their list.
Also having an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion is Seth Klarman, whose Klaravich Stables has developed into one of the industry's leading owners, winning Horse of the Year for Bricks and Mortar in 2019 and voted an outstanding owner Eclipse Award with William H. Lawrence, his partner on a number of runners. Klarman manages one of the financial market's largest hedge funds, Boston-based Baupost.
The Jockey Club announced Tuesday the election of six new members: Gayle Benson, Dr. Jeffrey Berk, Drew Fleming, Kevin Lavin, Anthony Manganaro, and Adam Wachtel.
Gayle Benson established GMB Racing Stables in 2014 with her husband, Tom Benson. Horses campaigned by GMB Racing include Grade 1 winner Tom's d'Etat and graded stakes winners Tom's Ready, Mo Tom, and Lone Sailor. She owns Benson Farm in Paris, Kentucky, which is active in Thoroughbred breeding and sales, having more than 20 broodmares on the farm. Benson is the only female owner to solely own an NFL and NBA franchise, providing leadership for the New Orleans Saints (NFL) and New Orleans Pelicans (NBA). Through the Tom and Gayle Benson Foundation, her sports organizations, and other business enterprises, Benson annually puts tens of millions of dollars back into the community in financial support, in-kind donation, charitable appearances, and donations of goods and services. Benson also oversees Benson Capital Partners, a multi-million dollar investment arm deploying millions to start-up businesses in the state of Louisiana and the Gulf South.
Dr. Jeffrey Berk is a past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and current chair of their Racing Committee. He began his career as an attending veterinarian at Thistledown Racetrack near Cleveland, Ohio, before starting his own practice in Ocala, Florida. He ran the practice for 19 years before merging with and becoming a partner in Ocala Equine Hospital in 2000. In 2010, he joined Equine Medical Associates PSC in Lexington, Kentucky, where, in addition to his sales work, he does pro bono work for New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program.
Drew Fleming is the president and chief executive officer of Breeders' Cup Limited. He spearheads the general day-to-day operations of the company, including host track relations, long-term planning and business growth, finance, sponsorships, marketing, and legal. Prior to joining the Breeders' Cup, Fleming practiced corporate law, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. Fleming serves on the board and executive council of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, the board of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and chairs its Governance Committee, and the board of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition.
Kevin Lavin is a partner and the director of Equine Insurance at Sterling Thompson Company. He also serves as vice chairman of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. He was a past director of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, Kentucky Derby Museum, Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs, Thoroughbred Club of America, Longfield Farm, and Lavin Bloodstock Services.
Anthony Manganaro founded Siena Farm, located in Paris, Kentucky, with partners Nacho Patino and David Pope. He is the founder of Siena Corporation, a real estate development company based in the Baltimore/Washington corridor, and Boston Medical, an international medical supply company based in Columbia, Maryland. Horses raced by Siena Farm alone or in partnership include Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming; Travers Stakes winner Catholic Boy; Grade 1 winners Angela Renee, Bal a Bali (BRZ), and Dayoutoftheoffice; Grade 2 winners Isabella Sings and Royal Ship (BRZ); and Grade 3 winner First Captain.
Adam Wachtel is a longtime owner and breeder, racing under Wachtel Stables. Top horses he has raced in partnership include Breeders' Cup winners Tourist and Vequist and Grade 1 winners Bolo, Channel Maker, Exaggerator, Ron the Greek, Sharla Rae, and Spiced Perfection. Outside of racing, he is involved in private equity investments.
The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club, directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms. It founded America's Best Racing (americasbestracing.net), the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing, and in partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, operates OwnerView (ownerview.com), the ownership resource. Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.
Six new members have been elected to The Jockey Club, it was announced Wednesday: Gayle Benson, Dr. Jeffrey Berk, Drew Fleming, Kevin Lavin, Anthony Manganaro and Adam Wachtel.
Gayle Benson established GMB Racing Stables in 2014 with her husband, Tom Benson. Horses campaigned by GMB Racing include Grade I winner Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike) and graded stakes winners Tom's Ready (More Than Ready), Mo Tom (Uncle Mo) and Lone Sailor (Majestic Warrior). She owns Benson Farm in Paris, KY, which is active in Thoroughbred breeding and sales, having more than 20 broodmares on the farm. Benson is the only female to solely own an NFL and NBA franchise, providing leadership for the New Orleans Saints (NFL) and New Orleans Pelicans (NBA). Through the Tom and Gayle Benson Foundation, her sports organizations, and other business enterprises, Benson annually puts tens of millions of dollars back into the community in financial support, in-kind donation, charitable appearances, and donations of goods and services. Benson also oversees Benson Capital Partners, a multi-million-dollar investment arm deploying millions to start-up businesses in the state of Louisiana and the Gulf South.
Dr. Jeffrey Berk is a past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and current chair of their Racing Committee. He began his career as an attending veterinarian at Thistledown Racetrack near Cleveland, OH before starting his own practice in Ocala, FL. He ran the practice for 19 years before merging with and becoming a partner in Ocala Equine Hospital in 2000. In 2010, he joined Equine Medical Associates PSC in Lexington, KY, where, in addition to his sales work, he does pro bono work for New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program.
Drew Fleming is the president and chief executive officer of Breeders' Cup Limited. He spearheads the general day-to-day operations of the company, including host track relations, long-term planning and business growth, finance, sponsorships, marketing and legal. Prior to joining the Breeders' Cup, Fleming practiced corporate law, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. Fleming serves on the board and executive council of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, the board of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and chairs its Governance Committee and the board of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition.
Kevin Lavin is a partner and the director of Equine Insurance at Sterling Thompson Company. He also serves as vice chairman of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. He was a past director of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, Kentucky Derby Museum, Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs, Thoroughbred Club of America, Longfield Farm and Lavin Bloodstock Services.
Anthony Manganaro founded Siena Farm, located in Paris, KY, with partners Nacho Patino and David Pope. He is also the founder of Siena Corporation, a real estate development company based in the Baltimore/Washington corridor; and Boston Medical, an international medical supply company based in Columbia, MD. Horses raced by Siena Farm alone or in partnership include Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming (Bodemeister); Travers winner Catholic Boy (More Than Ready); additional Grade I winners Angela Renee (Bernardini), Bal a Bali (Brz) (Put It Back) and Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief); Grade II winners Isabella Sings (Eskendereya) and Royal Ship (Brz) (Midshipman); and Grade III winner First Captain (Curlin).
Adam Wachtel is a longtime owner and breeder, racing under Wachtel Stables. Top horses he has raced in partnership include Breeders' Cup winners Tourist (Tiznow) and Vequist (Nyquist) and Grade I winners Bolo (Temple City), Channel Maker (English Channel), Exaggerator (Curlin), Ron the Greek (Full Mandate), Sharla Rae (Afleet Alex) and Spiced Perfection (Smiling Tiger). Outside of racing, he is involved in private equity investments.
