John Fielding | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mating Plans: Hertrich Seeking the Long Game in a Risky Game

Fred Hertrich III, along with partners John Fielding and Rob Tribbett, celebrated an exceptional year after their breeding program produced six Grade I winners in 2021: Americanrevolution (Constitution), Beyond Brilliant (Twirling Candy), Hit The Road (More Than Ready), Juju's Map (Liam's Map), Maxim Rate (Exchange Rate) and Pinehurst (Twirling Candy).

Such an achievement has led to many asking Hertrich the warranted question, 'What's your secret?'

He doesn't have one good answer other than this: “There's no magic to it, but there is a secret sauce and that sauce is luck,” he said. “Think of all the people involved in getting a horse to the winner's circle for a Grade I. One day we counted it up and guessed that 60 different individuals were involved in the process from when the mare was bred and when she foaled through when the foal went through the sale, and then the foal can take varied paths based on where it's broken, who trains it and of course the jockey. All you have to have is one glitch in that entire process and that horse may never even get to the track.”

Hertrich said he enjoys the in-depth strategic project that comes with drawing up mating plans for his commercial breeding operation each year. With over 100 mares visiting the breeding shed this year, the process is far from a one-day task.

Before breeding season begins each year, Hertrich will sit down with a panel that includes partner John Fielding, partner/advisor Rob Tribbett and Shane Doyle, the farm manager for Hertrich's Watercress Farm who Hertrich refers to as the conformation expert of the group.

As the panel makes plans for their young mares, Hertrich said their number one goal is to get winners on the mare's progeny record early in her career.

“They have to produce a horse that can run so that everyone can look and say that mare is a great producer,” he explained. “If a mare can't produce runners, it really doesn't matter how well her foals sell.”

According to Hertrich, this approach doesn't necessarily mean that an unproven mare will always visit a proven stallion.

“We do some analytics with it and while you're trying to get a runner, it may be that a first-crop sire conformationally and genetically fits that mare better than anything else. For the six Grade I winners we had, they are by five different stallions. It's not an exact science and that's why the guy with the most money doesn't always win.”

When evaluating mares that have already produced runners, he said it comes down to the balancing act of producing a horse that will have commercial appeal but can also conceivably have success on the track.

“It becomes an economic decision as to how do we maximize value of the foals from that particular mare with a mating that will give us the individual that will produce the best results,” he said. “We always lean toward [a focus on] race performance.”

Hertrich's strategy is perhaps atypical for many commercial breeders pointing their foals for the sales.

“There are some guys who just breed commercially and they're always trying to get Miss America into the yearling ring,” he explained. “That's great, except can Miss America go out and run? If she doesn't, you're only going to trick the market for so long.”

Fred Hertrich | Keeneland

Hertrich acknowledged that his program does have the luxury of not always needing to have progeny by the flavor-of-the-month sire to have success at the sales because many people seek out horses coming from his operation.

“The great thing is that over time, because of the results owners and trainers have had with us, we have built-in clients who come to the farm and want to buy from us because they know how we raise a horse and care for a horse, so they want to be involved in that process.”

While Hertrich always has his eye on the long game in this business, he acknowledges the high risk involved in the game he plays, citing how just last week they had a dystocia with one mare and ended up losing the foal but then had two healthy fillies on the ground three hours later.

“When someone says they want to go into the breeding business, I always tell them to make sure they really look at it before they get into it,” he said. “The breeding business is not for the faint of heart. How many great horses either are never foaled or get injured? It's a high-risk game.”

Hertich passed the baton to advisor and partner Rob Tribbett to discuss mating plans for a few of their top mares.

ALWAYS AUDITIONING (m, 16, Mizzen Mast – Nawal (FR), by Homme de Loi (Ire)) to be bred to Catholic Boy

Always Auditioning is the dam of GIISW Ready to Act (More Than Ready). This year we are booking her to Catholic Boy. He's a horse that we are obviously a bit biased on because we bred him, but we're big believers in him with not only the speed that he showed but also his determination and versatility. There aren't many stallion that have done what he's done on the track. This mating will produce a three-quarters sibling to Ready to Act, who of course is by More Than Ready.

BRAZEN PERSUASION (m, 11, Indian Charlie – Beholden, by Cat Thief) to be bred to McKinzie

This mare was a recent purchase of ours at the November Sale last year. She was a really good 2-year-old. She won the 2013 GIII Schuylerville S.

We are going to breed her to McKinzie, who is a horse that we really like because he was brilliant at two as a Grade I winner, but he was also durable enough to be a Grade I winner at three and four. We also love that McKinzie's dam, Runway Model (Petionville), won the GII Alcibiades S. We love to breed to those stallions that have a pedigree full of brilliance. I like this mating a lot because you're taking the brilliance of the mare, who was such a good 2-year-old, and putting it with a lot of speed from both McKinzie and his dam.

CATCH MY EYE (m, 13, Unbridled's Song – Sharp Eyes, by Storm Cat) to be bred to Curlin

This is the dam of GISW Maxim Rate (Exchange Rate). She's by Unbridled's Song, who we know is one of the best broodmare sires out there.

This year we are sending her to Curlin. Maxim Rate is a turf filly, but with matching this mare's pedigree to Curlin, we think it's a chance to produce that successful Classic-type runner. We think it's certainly within this mare's range of ability and Curlin is obviously one of the best stallions out there when it comes to getting that type of horse.

HOT CHA (m, 7, Bernardini – Hot Water, by Medaglia d'Oro) to be bred to Not This Time

Hot Cha is a young Bernardini mare that is from the family of champion Xtra Heat (Dixieland Heat). Again, I love mares that have speed in their family and there aren't too many fillies faster than Xtra Heat. This mare is a half to Hot and Sultry (Speightster), who just won really impressively at Oaklawn.

We are going to breed her to Not This Time. We think that the start he's gotten at stud with a lower stud fee was really impressive and is the mark of a stallion who could end up being a top-tier stallion after succeeding with those mares bred on a lower stud fee. As he gets these better books, I think the sky is really the limit for him.

LUNAR EMPRESS (m, 9, Malibu Moon – Holy Princess, by Holy Bull) to be bred to Liam's Map

This mare is from a really good family of stakes producers and she was very talented on the racetrack herself. She was a maiden special weight winner at Santa Anita and was fourth in the GI La Brea S. She's by Malibu Moon, who is another good broodmare sire.

We are going to breed her to Liam's Map, the sire of GISW Juju's Map that we bred in 2019. We're trying to raise runners; that's our main goal and then the commercial thing comes after that. Liam's Map certainly gives you a chance to have a great runner and they're going to be commercially-appealing horses as well.

MISS ARRANGEMENT (m, 11, Mr. Greeley – Shy Greeting (Arg), by Shy Tom) to be bred to Honor A.P.

Miss Arrangement was a maiden special weight winner on debut at Keeneland and she already had a yearling sell at Saratoga for $400,000.

We are going to breed her to Honor A.P. He's a horse that we have a lot of confidence in. He was such a talented horse and the win he had over Authentic in the GI Santa Anita Derby was really an impressive race. Like McKinzie, he's out of a top-class race mare which I think is such an added benefit when you're looking at a stallion prospect.

Nagambie's 2021 Audible filly that topped Book 5 of the Keeneland November Sale | photo courtesy Rob Tribbett

MO MUSIC (m, 4, Uncle Mo – Harmony Lodge, by Hennessy) to be bred to Authentic

Mo Music is carrying her first foal by Street Sense now. She is out of Harmony Lodge, who was another filly with a lot of speed. It's a really great female family.

We will be sending her to Authentic. With the natural speed that Authentic had and the stamina he had to carry that speed, we think it is a great match with this mare because there's already so much speed and class coming from her family.

NAGAMBIE (m, 9, Flatter – Charming N Lovable, by Horse Chestnut (SAF)) to be bred to Gun Runner

This is the dam of GISW Juju's Map (Liam's Map). She is currently in foal to Not This Time, who is the brother of Juju's Map's sire. This year she will be going to Gun Runner. Other than maybe Uncle Mo, it's hard to recollect another horse that had such a good first crop. Gun Runner was such a good racehorse and there's really no holes to him as a sire.

POLLY FREEZE (m, 9, Super Saver – Elusive Gold, by Strike the Gold) to be bred to Constitution

This is the dam of Americanrevolution (Constitution), who won the 2021 GI Cigar Mile H., as well as Bold Journey (Hard Spun), who just ran second in the Gander S. on Saturday. Polly Freeze has a really good Collected 2-year-old filly that brought $210,000 as a yearling and she is currently in foal to Frosted. She's a mare that makes a really good foal and she's from a family of really good producers.

We're going to send her back to Constitution. Some people say that he's the next great stallion, but I would say he's already a great stallion with what he's done on these lower-priced books. That's the mark of what his sire did and what Into Mischief has done that makes them a breed-changing stallion when they can succeed with a variety of mares.

Bold Journey (Hard Spun), the half-brother to GISW Americanrevolution, recently ran second in a stakes at Aqueduct for Bill Mott | photo courtesy Rob Tribbett

SUMMER ON THE LAWN (m, 12, First Defence – Summer Exhibition, by Royal Academy) to be bred to Charlatan

This is the dam of GISW Beyond Brilliant (Twirling Candy). She is booked to Charlatan. We were fortunate to be a part of his racing career as owners. He had so much speed and an ability to carry that speed a distance. Beyond Brilliant also has speed that can carry on both surfaces and I certainly think Charlatan could produce dual-surface runners given his pedigree.

SWEET CAUSE (m, 7, Giant's Causeway – Sweetness 'n Light, by Distorted Humor)

We are big believers in Giant's Causeway mares and Sweet Cause is from the family of MGISW Ms. Eloise (Nasty and Bold). We love mares with that type of race filly in her pedigree.

She will be booked to Catalina Cruiser. He is a horse that we really like and his first crop looked the part, which really didn't surprise us much because he is a beautiful horse. He's a big horse but he had a lot of speed for a big horse. We are going to be supporting him heavily this year.

YEAR OF PROMISE (m, 9, Gio Ponti – Shandra Smiles, by Cahill Road) to be bred to Twirling Candy

This mare is a half-sister to two Grade I winners–She's a Tiger (Tale of the Cat) and Smiling Tiger (Hold That Tiger). This year she will be going to Twirling Candy. Of our Grade I winners in 2021, two of them were by Twirling Candy. When we bred those mares he stood for $20,000 and really the best is yet to come for him.

This mare has already had a More Than Ready and a Constitution and now she will have a Twirling Candy. When we breed these young mares, we love to give them shots with these types of stallions. If she's going to be a producer, these stallions will get her there. Twirling Candy is rightfully now at that stud fee range where he's proven that he belongs. The two Grade I winners that we produced were a dirt 2-year-old and a turf horse, so that's a pretty impressive display of versatility.

Let us know who you're breeding your mares to in 2022, and why. We will print a selection of your responses in TDN over the coming weeks. Please send details to: garyking@thetdn.com.

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John Fielding: ‘I Think The Future Is Going To Be Very Bright For Horse Racing In Ontario’

Although John Fielding remains modest in speaking of his time on the board at Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), the contributions he made are quite the opposite.

One of horse racing's most passionate supporters, Fielding, who owned his first Standardbred at the age of 16, recently announced he was stepping down from the board he served on for 16 years.

“I think any good board needs fresh ideas, fresh faces and younger ideas,” said Fielding, who retired as Director and Chair of the Standardbred Racing Committee. “I thought it was a good time to give someone else a kick at the can.”

Throughout his time on the WEG board, Fielding, one of the highest profile and successful names in harness racing, a two-time owner of the year, whose star Standardbred pupils include Father Patrick and 2018 Hambletonian Oaks winner, $2.2 million earner, Manchego, worked in concert with other board members to navigate the industry through difficult periods.

Most notable of all, Fielding recalled the 2012 cancellation of SARP, the Slots At Racetrack Program, that plunged horse racing in Ontario into peril.

While plenty of questions surrounded the future of the sport, Fielding felt confident the sport wouldn't simply survive, but would one day thrive.

Coming up with the right answers was hardly an easy task, but the board, Fielding included, worked diligently to find them.

“After the SARP cancellation, making our way through that was a real challenge,” noted Fielding. “It was a challenging time for the horsepeople and everyone connected to the industry because we were all caught so off-guard. The rebuilding to healthiness I think has been a great feat for everyone on the board and for Woodbine, and its management team as a whole. It's been a long road, but I think we're really on the right path now. I thought we'd get to where we are today. There was enough clout in the industry and I thought the industry was strong enough to come together and do the right thing to get to the place where we're at now.”

Jim Lawson, CEO of WEG, (who shared a story about how his family and the Fieldings share a connection dating back to WWI, see below) has high praise for Fielding's many contributions on the WEG board, and to racing itself.

“From my perspective, at the end of the day, what Woodbine is all about is horse racing,” said Lawson, chair of the Thoroughbred Racing Committee on the WEG Board, and a member of the Standardbred Racing Committee. “When you have strong, passionate horsepeople on the board, it really helps with the mandate because it brings back into focus that horse racing is what we are. That can manifest itself in a couple of ways. All of the opportunities and different things we look at – we have to be mindful that it's horse racing owners, breeders, and wagering customers that we need to serve. We have this wonderful set of real estate assets and other things we can be pursuing, but at the end of the day, when you have a strong horseperson on your board – as a CEO, I certainly didn't need the reminder – it sure helps when you have people like John who are focused on racing.”

Lawson also noted Fielding's ability to approach issues in racing with a fair and open mind, someone capable of seeing varying perspectives through a unique lens.

“John wore both hats, being a Standardbred owner and being on the board,” started Lawson. “He could be objective about things. He could give an objective answer wearing both hats. I truly appreciate that. I've come out of a Thoroughbred background – everyone knows that – and I always remind myself to wear both hats. John naturally wears both hats, which is a great foundation for me looking at things. One critical move was moving the Standardbreds out to Mohawk permanently. Everyone looked at me a little cross-eyed when I first mentioned it. Immediately the question came up, 'So, Jim, you're doing all of this real estate development at Woodbine and you're ultimately going to generate proceeds. Hopefully, as CEO, you're not going to produce all these proceeds for Thoroughbreds, are you?' I don't think that way. Anything we make on real estate is to the benefit of our business, which means both breeds. Having John there as a person who could easily and naturally wear two hats was important for me, someone that I could consult with. Occasionally, as you might expect, conflicts come up between different races, different nights, events, expenditures… it was good to have John as a sounding board. He was kind of my go-to guy when I needed consultation. He knew horse racing. He wore those two hats well. That was important.”

For Fielding, it was important to play his part in seeing horse racing thrive in Ontario.

It was a hallmark of his time on the board, and it remains one to this day.

His personal horse racing road to success was forged well before his time on the WEG board.

Growing up in Toronto, he rode the streetcar with his brother to Greenwood Raceway where their passion for the sport first began. Introduced to harness racing by his father, Fielding rose up the ranks to become one of its most celebrated owners. He has over 20 Breeders' Crown titles to his name, and has also enjoyed success with Thoroughbreds. In the late '90s, Fielding met Standardbred and Thoroughbred breeder Fred Hertrich at a Standardbred sale at Woodbine. They recorded their first win as breeders in the 2017 Thoroughbred World Championships when 'TDN Rising Star' Rushing Fall won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Just the type of person – and horseperson – tailor-made to sit on the WEG board.

“John led the Standardbred Committee for years and he did that in a very balanced way,” said Lawson. “Even as chair of the committee, he knew he had a larger fiduciary duty. I think that stands out for me, the manner in which he led that Standardbred Committee. He never forgot that he had a larger responsibility to the corporation, and I admired him for that.

“Secondly, much like [accomplished Thoroughbred trainer] Mark Casse – I'll throw that out there – they're great ambassadors for the Woodbine brand, internationally, and in particular, North America. John is very much in the mix, given the level of his investment in both breeds. Thirdly, I'm reminded of the recent Mohawk Million. He stepped up and bought a slot himself, but he was, in no small way, in that ambassador role, letting people know about the race. He encouraged people to buy slots. We need to thank him for his involvement in the Mohawk Million, too.”

Fielding, founder of Array Marketing, a leading global provider of retail merchandising solutions, is thankful himself, appreciative of his time on the board and for the friendships he made because of that role.

“I've met some wonderful, wonderful people and made some fantastic friendships that will last the rest of my life. I'm proud of what we've accomplished thus far. I'm proud to have been associated with it, and I'm proud of both breeds. We still have a ways to go, but we're on real level footing now. It's been a pleasure working with the different chairs I have, including Jim Lawson, and the different management teams. I think the management team we have now is the strongest I've ever seen it. It's a great team and I think we're in good hands.”

While he'll be dedicating more time to his business interests and family, one thing that won't change is Fielding's enduring bond with horse racing.

“I'm so busy with my business interests that you have to try juggle your life around this business. I'm involved in horse racing quite extensively, in both breeds, but that, in addition to all of the other business interests I have, you kind of run short of time when you want family time, and other things. You have to simplify things the older you get.

“But this sport, it gets into your blood and it got into my blood at a very young age. I always dreamt of being involved in the industry, both Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds. I was a huge fan of E.P. Taylor, and I think the board and everyone involved in horse racing could always look at him as the key figure, the one who bought all the land where we are at Woodbine today. He had the vision. The job of the board is to be the custodian of that property and those wishes. And I think we've done a very good of that. Horse racing is alive and well.”

Another big reason why Fielding believes the board, and industry, is in good hands.

“As we move into the next phase of trying to make horse racing fully self-sustainable, I think we're doing all the right moves. I think the future is going to be very bright for horse racing in Ontario.”

Thanks, in no small part, to the efforts of John Fielding.

From Jim Lawson:

“My great uncle, who my dad [Mel] was named after, went to war in World War I, and died on the battlefield right near the end of the war. Ultimately, what was recovered was his diary, and then after that, some letters, when my dad did some family tree searching. It turned out that my great uncle had been corresponding and had intended to marry a woman named Grace Fielding. That wasn't her maiden name, but that was John's grandmother. When my dad found out that his great uncle who he was named after – my dad and I visited his gravesite in France and followed his battle route form his diary – he tracked down Grace Fielding who was in a nursing home in Hagersville [ON]. Starting around 1985, my dad started visiting Grace and talking with her. She had saved those letters from my great uncle from Word War I in the battlefields.

“Early on, the Fielding family became aware of this man – who was in the horse racing business – that was visiting their mother and grandmother. Around that time, John was becoming a big investor in horse racing. When my dad had some good horses like Eternal Search and Let's Go Blue, John's grandmother was cutting out clippings from the newspaper and sending them to John. We have this family connection going back to then.

“Going back 35-40 years, I found out that John was a huge fan of racing through this unusual connection between the Lawsons and the Fieldings, a story that dates back to World War I. I knew about John and John knew my dad. He approached my dad back in the 1980s.

“I was asked to join the board of Woodbine and John was already on the board. I had heard about him, and when I walked into the first board meeting, he gave me a hug. He said, 'I know you! We should have been relatives.' Then we both recounted the stories of my great uncle and his grandmother.”

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Magee Appointed Chair of Woodbine Entertainment Board of Directors

Christine Magee has been appointed the chair of Woodbine Entertainment’s Board of Directors, effective immediately.

“We are thrilled to have someone with Christine’s business acumen, experience and leadership be the Chair of our Board of Directors while we continue to grow the sport of horse racing, support and sustain the entire industry in this province, and fulfill our vision of being the top horse racing destination in North America,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. “As we continue to advance our plans to diversify our business model to sustain the horse racing industry for decades to come, Christine’s knowledge, experience and leadership will be invaluable to our efforts.”

Magee, who has been on Woodbine Entertainment’s Board of Directors since 2015, is the Chair of Sleep Country, the company she co-founded in 1994 and served as its President until 2014. The resident of Oakville, Ontario is also the Chair of the Talent Fund Advisory Council and serves on the Board of Directors of TELUS, Metro Inc., Trillium Health Partners and Plan International Canada, and is a Member of the Morrissette Entrepreneurship Advisory Board of University Western Ontario. On July 1, 2015, Magee was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of her significant contributions to the Canadian business community.

“It’s an absolute honour and privilege to step into this role for an organization that has such a rich history and bright future,” said Magee. “It’s also humbling as I have come to appreciate how important Woodbine Entertainment is to an entire industry that is the way of life for so many Ontarians and a passion for horse racing fans throughout the world.”

Magee replaces Clay Horner who is retiring from the organization following a successful tenure as Chair of Woodbine Entertainment since 2015 and a Director since 2002. Long-time board member John Fielding also announced he is retiring from the organization as Director and Chair of the Standardbred Racing Committee. Current Woodbine Entertainment Director and former President of Western Fair District Hugh Mitchell has been appointed to Chair of the Standardbred Racing Committee.

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