Joe McMahon | Horse Racing Free Tips

Unique Partnership of Breeders Brings Mind Control to New York

Tenacious to the end, Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stable's Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) closed out his career with a win in the 2022 GI Cigar Mile, his third Grade I win and his 11th black-type victory. In a remarkable 29 starts over five years, Mind Control amassed total winnings of $2,185,834. In that race, as in all of Mind Control's stakes wins, he beat an impressive field of competitors, including favored Zandon, White Abarrio, and Get Her Number. Big numbers, indeed.

Numbers, as it turns out, will also be critical to his next career, as the Red Oak Stables homebred will stand at Rockridge Stud for a partnership that includes Red Oak and Madaket Stable, who raced him in partnership, as well as almost every New York farm invested in the Thoroughbred breeding business, including Irish Hill Farm, Rockridge, Dutchess Views Stallions, Waldorf Farm, and Hidden Lake Farm. Shareholders also include Joe McMahon of McMahon Farm, Saratoga Glen, and New Hill Farm.

Out of a fellow Rockridge homebred Feel That Fire (Lightnin N Thunder), a stakes-winning half-sister to MSW & GSP King For A Day (Uncle Mo) and a full to MSW Ima Jersey Girl, “He is probably one of the better horses, if not the best horse, that has ever come to New York,” said Michael Lischin of Dutchess Views Farms. The winning of the GI Cigar Mile is a great prep for being a stallion.”

Speaking to the TDN after the Cigar Mile, Todd Pletcher, who began training Mind Control in 2020, said, “If you like horse racing, you've got to love this horse. He's cool. He's done it consistently year after year at multiple distances. He's a great horse to be able to train. He's remarkably consistent and shows up every morning.”

“When we got the partnership together, it grew very quickly because, just like anything else, word of mouth goes very quickly,” said Lere Visage, owner of Rockridge Stud. “These are the bigger farms, all bound together to support a horse that they all think is going to be legit and that can improve the state and improve the mare base that we have. There's never been a partnership like that done in New York with any of the farms.”

The partners said they were confident in the quality of Mind Control's first book. Just before breeding season, to boost the stallion's chances, partners and prospective supporters purchased additional mares in Kentucky. And the partners' phones ring constantly, they said.

“Several trainers have booked mares to Mind Control,” said Visage. “They saw him as a racehorse. With that much heart and stamina, this horse is worth taking a look at. Nothing like Mind Control has ever stood in New York.”

In impressive New York style, Mind Control took his first Grade I in the 2018 Hopeful S. at Saratoga and his second in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S., also at Saratoga. In his first start for Pletcher, Mind Control won the GII John A. Nerud S. He won the Parx Dirt Mile two starts later, was third in the 2022 GI Carter H. Two months after that, he beat Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) in Monmouth's GIII Salvator Mile. In his last start before the Cigar Mile, he finished a neck behind the leader in the Sept. 24 Parx Dirt Mile, but was promoted to first via DQ.

“He won from six furlongs to a mile,” said Lischin. “To win a Grade I race at seven furlongs at two and three, and then continue on with stakes wins every year and closing out with a Grade I stakes race at six and over $2 million is a great race record. He beat Knicks Go, Firenze Fire, Instagrand, Zandon, and Hot Rod Charlie, amongst numerous others.”

Bringing the New York farms together as a stallion just like he brought racing fans together in his career, Mind Control has created excitement in the New York Thoroughbred breeding scene.

“He comes with a lot of credentials and that's kind of a solid beginning to a horse,” said Visage. “It is also very exciting to see, and kind of refreshing to know, that the farms can all work together and, you know, support a horse that they feel is worth supporting.”

Mind Control is will stand at $8,500 LFSN.

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NY Stallion Incentives Proposed To Reverse ‘Dangerous Trend’

With a 60% majority of New York-bred foals now sired by out-of-state stallions, the board of directors for the New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund (NYTBDF) is reaching out to the state's stallion owners to try and spark incentivization ideas that might swing that balance back toward in-state sires.

Chief among the concepts that have the most traction so far are 1) recalculating the splits of the fund so that more money flows to stallion owners; and 2) changing rules at tracks so that eligibility in New York-bred races would be based on the virtue of a sire standing in the state, regardless of where his offspring are foaled.

At Tuesday's NYTBDF meeting, board member Joe McMahon, who runs McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, articulated key points from a recent several-hour conference call he organized among 10 in-state stallion owners to “get the pulse of what they were feeling in the business.”

McMahon said that of those 60% of outside-sired foals dropped in New York, the “vast majority” were by Kentucky stallions.

“The trend is, and it has been over the last 10 years, more and more Kentucky-sired New York-breds,” McMahon said. “So that's having a bad effect on the stallion business in New York. It's having a bad effect on selling the 'get' of New York stallions in New York. It's having a negative effect on selling seasons to New York stallions.”

McMahon said the issue that repeatedly got hammered home during the conference call was, “What can we do to help change that, because it's a dangerous trend? If it continues to go up like that, it's going to be very hard to fund a stallion business in New York if only 30% to 40% of the mares are willing to breed to a New York stallion.”

In the brainstorming session, McMahon said the stallion owners tried to limit the scope of what could be done to things that do not require the cumbersome process of changing the state's breeding laws via the legislature.

One suggestion on the restructuring of fund payments involved changing the owners' awards so that the fund would not pay owners' awards in open races at New York Racing Association (NYRA) tracks. McMahon said that change would not apply to Finger Lakes, because its use of that bonus system is an integral part of the racing program there.

Regarding changing the eligibility status, McMahon said such a move would bring New York in line with programs in other states and in Canada.

“We could change that, and get more field size, and get more New York-sired product running in New York races,” McMahon said. “That would be a real incentive for people to use New York stallions, because they would have dual eligibility. They would be eligible for races in New York, and they'd be eligible for races in their own state, wherever they happen to foal.”

McMahon added that the owners of those horses sired by a New York stallion but not foaled in the state would not garner award payments from the fund. It's strictly a way to make them eligible for races.

“The racetracks are desperate to increase entries,” McMahon said. “They are in a terrible situation, and it's going to get worse, because the purses all around the country are getting higher and higher…. As it is right now, they are in a real fight to keep horses racing in New York…

“There's an opening for discussion with NYRA on this thing. It would benefit NYRA by virtue of adding more horses into their eligibility program, and it would certainly incentivize New York people to breed to New York stallions.”

McMahon termed the eligibility-tweaking idea as having “zero impact on the industry from the point of view of taking money from somebody or redistributing money” while also providing “significant value” to the progeny of those New York stallions.

NYTBDF board member Najja Thompson, who serves as the executive director at New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc., said the conference call was “a good first step in meeting with stallion owners to hear their utmost concerns, and now we want to take the steps to get into the research” and seek additional commentary from other stakeholders.

Separately, Adam Lawrence, the NYTBDF's registrar, gave an update on the October 2020 rule amendment concerning mares who sold at public auction for $50,000 or more coming into the state to foal.

Lawrence explained that rather than being required to be bred back to a New York stallion to maintain the eligibility of those foals, those mares are now allowed to leave the state to be covered elsewhere. They can return within 120 days and eventually drop that second foal in New York, with both offspring eligible to be registered as New York-breds.

“We did this to increase the number and quality of mares in the state,” Lawrence said.

In 2021, Lawrence said, 115 total new mares entered the state after being purchased at public auction, with 42 of them having hammered for $50,000 or more. Eight were bred back to New York stallions.

In 2022, 80 auctioned mares came into the state, with 32 of them having sold at $50,000 or above (breed-back numbers for this season are not yet complete).

“I think this is around what we were expecting. We were hoping for maybe 50 or so $50,000-sale mares,” Lawrence said. “We're a little bit below that, but it's still definitely a big difference–[195] new mares in the state from public auction in the last two years, with 74 total above $50,000.”

McMahon asked Lawrence if the NYTBDF was compiling data on who bought those mares. Lawrence replied that he didn't have those details, but that he could get them prior to the next board meeting.

McMahon said it's important to know, because it was his belief that “the stallion farms bought most of the mares. Of the 115 that were brought in '21, the number was extremely slanted towards people who owned stallions who bought those mares. So I'm just wondering if that's a trend. I think it's something we should be tracking.”

The NYTBDF is a public benefit corporation that oversees the registration process for foals and stallions and distributes incentives in the form of awards. The money provided by the fund comes from a percentage of the state's Thoroughbred racing handle, plus video lottery revenues at Aqueduct and Finger Lakes.

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Q&A: Breeder Joe McMahon On Central Banker’s Successful 2021 And The New York Breeding Program

Just two live race days remain in 2021 to complete a remarkable year of racing action on the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit. The NYRA Press Office checked in with a selection of New York-based racing personalities to get their reflections on a memorable year.

Joe McMahon owns McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds along with his wife Anne. Raised in Saratoga Springs, McMahon has been active on the board of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. since its inception and he now serves as an appointed Breeder Member of the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund Board.

McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds is located on Fitch Road just five minutes away from the prestigious Saratoga Race Course and is home to Central Banker, the 2021 leading sire in New York who was also the leading first, second and third crop sires in the previous three years. The farm is also home to Teuflesberg as well as Solomini and Redesdale.

Describe the journey bringing Central Banker to prominence?

McMahon: “When the first 2-year-olds sold, a couple of them sold really well. The pinhookers in Florida just raved about how much they liked him and that they had great mental attitudes and were good looking. They trained well, liked to train and people noticed that.

“In the first year, he had about five winners at Saratoga. He had several stakes winners and that's gone on the same way every year since then.

“He's just a really nice horse. He's been an inexpensive horse to breed to. From the get-go he's shown that he's good value. He's never been over $7,500 and I think breeders recognize the value and take advantage of that. We could have probably raised the fee after the second year, but we didn't. We wanted to keep him at good value for New York breeders and keep him affordable.”

How does Central Banker stamp his offspring?

McMahon: “The conformation of his progeny are pretty much cookie cutters of himself. They're well-made horses. They have good bones, they're straight through their knees, they have good hips and hind ends. They also have a very deep girth, which is very important in a racing prospect.”

You added some new faces to the stallion roster in Solomini and Redesdale. Talk about what made them both so appealing.

McMahon: “Solomini is a horse who showed brilliance as a 2-year-old. He won the Los Alamitos Futurity in California [but was disqualified and placed third] which was a Grade 1 race, beating McKinzie who now stands for $30,000 in Kentucky. Solomini was disqualified in that race on a very questionable call. I always looked at that as an opportunity for us. Had he won a Grade 1 race, he would likely be in Kentucky. He was an extremely good horse. He was multiple Grade 1-placed and ran against top company. He was placed in two Derby preps in Arkansas and he's by Curlin. The physical of Solomini and his precocity as a 2-year-old gave me the impression that he would fit to New York really well.

“Redesdale is one of the best bred horses to retire in New York state. He's out of a full-sister to Danehill, who was absolutely regarded as one of the best stallions in the world so he's got an impeccable pedigree. He's race record was good. He won three of four starts. His last start, even though he was third, his Beyer was in the 90s. He really indicated that he could be a sire prospect in the same light as horses like Danzig, when I think of comparing horses. Danzig was very lightly raced but extremely effective in his races.

“Redesdale has a good physical and is very correct. We thought he would be a value play for us to bring him to New York and stand him for a reasonable fee. He just happens to be by Speightstown, so now we have two Speightstowns in the same stallion barn with him and Central Banker. One is a proven sire but we think Redesdale will be a very good sire. We anticipate him with coming out with runners early with a high degree of speed. We'll see what happens.”

What do you look for in acquiring a stallion prospect?

McMahon: “I'm a big believer in speed. I think horses have to have some speed to go with a lot of mares. That's not to say that horses who win the Kentucky Derby or Travers won't make good stallions, but if I look at it from the point of view of New York racing and breeding, I know that the majority of races that our stallions' offspring are going to be running in are sprint races. If I look at an Aqueduct card in the wintertime, which runs for almost six months, those races are predominately speed-oriented races. That goes into our thinking when we try to buy a stallion. We want one that fits our program, and speed is a big part of it.

“Central Banker won on the turf and won going one turn, but he's from a sprinting line himself. He's by Speightstown and his profile as a racehorse was the same. That was certainly one of the main attractions to him when we bought him. His balance and his physique told me when I looked at him that he would go with a lot of mares. Horses that are extremely well-balanced like this horse go with a lot of different types of mares. They can overcome a lot of different types of problems if they give their offspring that balance. That's what he did and that's what we hoped he would do when we bought him.”

What is so appealing about the New York program from a breeder's perspective?

McMahon: “Let's face it, this is a difficult business. It's not easy to win races on the NYRA circuit period. If you look at the New York-bred program as a safe haven like a lot of people do, you're going to invest a certain amount of money to buy a racehorse prospect or to raise one. The idea that you gain some protection through the restricted racing program certainly is a huge advantage. I think that's a big part of it – the fact you're on a circuit where you get great exposure year round to the betting population and to the horse people. That's a plus. You can win a race at other tracks for $60,000 but you can win one at Saratoga for $65,000. Which one is going to give you more attraction? You're on a stage which really helps you a whole lot with recruiting owners, and if you're a New Yorker, you focus on year round racing. It's the best program in the world without a doubt.”

This was a record year at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred sale in Saratoga. Talk about the success you had this year in the sales consignment department.

McMahon: “It was a good year this year. We had nice yearlings on offer. The market was strong. Everything just kind of came together well. We foal about 40 to 50 foals of our own each year and so every once in a while it all comes out right and you get a good physical crop. That's what happened this year. We've been at it for a long time. We focus on mares that are runners themselves, not so much expensive graded winners, but hard-knocking mares to breed to these stallions. This was just a year where everything went right. The majority of the horses we sell are by New York stallions, so you're competing against commercial horses in Kentucky with more opportunity. They get to breed to better mares. It's really remarkable that we're able to compete against those horses and hold our own.”

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Fasig Saratoga Fall Sale Returns Monday

The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Sale of breeding stock returns Monday after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic. A catalogue of 292 broodmares and broodmare prospects and New York-bred weanlings will be on offer at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion beginning at 10:00 a.m.

The 2019 renewal of the sale saw 134 horses change hands for gross receipts of $3,384,700, at an average of $25,259 and median of $15,000. A $160,000 Practical Joke colt from the RFHF Bloodstock consignment topped the sale on a winning bid from Steven Weston. A filly by the same now fast-starting sire of first runners sold for $150,000 the same day.

This year, another freshman stallion could feature prominently on the results sheet, as first foals from buzzed-about McMahon of Saratoga resident Solomini come to auction. The son of Curlin has 19 weanlings catalogued, plus another five mares in foal to him on offer.

A $270,000 KEESEP yearling, Solomini was a debut winner at Del Mar for Bob Baffert before runner-up finishes in the 2017 GI FrontRunner S. and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, book-ended by now in-demand Kentucky-based stallions Good Magic (Curlin) and Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro). He crossed the wire first in the GI Cash Call Futurity the following month, only to be controversially placed third by the stewards behind stablemate McKinzie (Street Sense). Solomini was second in the GII Rebel S. and third in the GI Arkansas S. on the Triple Crown trail in 2018, and after amassing $834,993 from 16 career starts, was acquired for stud duties ahead of the 2020 season by a group led by Joe and Anne McMahon's McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, Raymond DeStefano and Chris Bernhard.

Solomini has led all New York-based stallions by mares bred in both of his first two seasons at stud, covering 123 mares this past season–eight more than barnmate and the Empire State's top sire, Central Banker.

“They appear to be pretty consistently correct, good-looking babies and well balanced. They're also pretty mature looking,” said Joe McMahon of Solomini's produce. “I would think that, with his race record and the fact that he's a Curlin, who's doing so incredibly well this year, that there will be above-average interest in them.”

In addition to standing Central Banker, McMahon was also part of the syndicate that owned another recent New York success story in Laoban. The 2016 GII Jim Dandy S. upsetter was relocated from Sequel Stallions to WinStar Farm ahead of the 2021 breeding season after leading all New York freshmen last year and finishing second among North American stallions thanks to the exploits of GI Darley Alcibiades S. winner Simply Ravishing and GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. winner Keepmeinmind. Laoban died unexpectedly in late May.

There are 12 Central Bankers in the catalogue (plus 10 more in foal to him), and eight Laobans.

“Looking back at Laoban, he was hard to sell seasons to early on,” McMahon said when asked to compare the reception for Solomini thus far to Laoban and Central Banker at this same stage in their careers. “He never got the support that Central Banker or Solomini have gotten. We owned a significant part of him, so we were pretty close to the situation and what was going on with him… The Central Bankers were popular from the get-go. Then they came out running, and we kept good books going to him, so he was able to kind of avoid the slump that a lot of stallions have in their third year. We'd love for Solomini to be as successful as either one of those two, that's for sure.”

The Saratoga Fall sale comes on the heels and in the midst of an extremely competitive yearling sales season, including very strong trade at Fasig's New York-bred Yearlings sale here in August and at the recently concluded Midlantic Fall Yearlings sale, which is heavy on New York-breds.

“If you look at the popularity of New York-breds, relative to the amount of purse money that's available, you've got to think that this is a good investment for people, and a good hedge for people who want to be in the breeding business; with these purses being so high and the amount of racing we have in New York. Those are very positive things,” McMahon said. “I think in the economy we have now, and in the sales economy right now where the highs are so, so high… It's still hard to sell a middle-priced horse, but I think the New York-bred program gives people a great edge because of the awards and the purses. I think the market [at Saratoga] is likely to be pretty good.”

Visit www.fasigtipton.com for more.

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