McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds | Horse Racing Free Tips

Central Banker Cementing His Place Among New York’s Elite Sires

Central Banker has been on a steady ascent among New York's stallion ranks since entering stud in 2015, and he's halfway toward his goal of making it all the way to the top this season.

With 7 1/2 months of 2021 in the books, the 11-year-old son of Speightstown is currently New York's leading sire by earnings by a comfortable margin, with 79 runners making a combined $2,653,913. The next closest is Big Brown with $1,659,689.

If he should finish the season at the top of the New York sire standings, it would complete a climb up the charts that saw him finish second to Big Brown last year, third to Big Brown and Freud in 2019, and 10th in 2018 with just his freshman crop.

John McMahon, farm manager for McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, said the key to Central Banker's success was being the right horse at the right time for the New York program, in terms of the profile of his foals and the types of races available where they excel.

This is evident in the stakes runners that Central Banker has put on the track. He is currently New York's leading sire by 2021 stakes winners, with three. Much like the earnings race, he was second among Empire State sires by stakes winners in 2020 and third in 2019.

“He's a very consistent stallion,” McMahon said. “They run well at six furlongs on the dirt, and they tend to run early. There's a lot of races written that they tend to be very competitive in.”

Whether Central Banker tops the sire list this year or not, he is in a prime position to continue being at or near the top of the standings for years to come.

His first crop came out blazing, easily claiming New York's freshman sire title, and finishing fourth nationally in the 2018 freshman race, behind just Cross Traffic, Goldencents, and Cairo Prince.

That group was led by Bankit, who made $329,625 in his juvenile season. Bankit's form has remained consistent into his 5-year-old season in 2021, which includes stakes wins at Belmont Park and Laurel Park, and most recently, a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup Stakes.

Breeders responded to Central Banker's leading freshman year by packing his book with 130 mares for the 2019 breeding season. He was then New York's second-most active stallion in 2020, with 114 mares visiting him.

The cycle of popularity for a young stallion tends to reach its apex in the first couple years, then drop off in the next two as breeders wait to see if his first foals will be competitive runners. It was a boon to have the breeders come back after his strong freshman season, but many never left. Central Banker has yet to cover less than 76 mares in a season.

“I think McMahon of Saratoga is good at putting a foundation of mares underneath a stallion,” McMahon said. “The important thing is you have a good foundation of mares behind you, and (farm owner) Joe McMahon has a really keen eye for getting good mares and creating a good infrastructure of breeders to help move a stallion along. It's not a one-man show. It's people in our region who own mares, it's people out of our region who own mares. We're all reaping the rewards of a program which is geared toward helping a young stallion get a foothold. We're in the right state at the right time with the right horse.”

Having so many foals on the ground and at the track is a critical part of Central Banker's success, but McMahon said what makes it all work is the stallion making use of those numbers with an assembly line-like uniformity.

“They're very consistent physically, so you know what you're getting into as a breeder when you breed to a horse like Central Banker,” McMahon said. “He tends to put size on a smaller mare and tends to take a bigger mare and put a little more body into her.

“I've never had a bad hind leg on a horse, never had a club foot,” he continued. “There are some things that are just automatic throw-outs when you're looking at horses, and he never has them.”

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Awesome Debate, Sadie Lady Head Field For Union Avenue At Saratoga

Van Vranken Racing and NRB Racing Stable's Awesome Debate will look to make amends in her second start for trainer Bruce Brown in Thursday's $100,000 Union Avenue, a 6 1/2-furlong handicap on the main track for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Claimed for $45,000 out of a winning effort on July 18 at Saratoga, the 5-year-old Honorable Dillon grey went to post as the odds-on favorite last out in an optional-claiming sprint on August 9 at Finger Lakes. After being fractious in the gate, Awesome Debate broke in the air, stumbled, and trailed the field of five throughout.

“That wasn't how it was written up,” said Brown, with a laugh. “She was supposed to win by 10 in a gallop and then I was going to run her back in this race, but it didn't quite work out that way.

“It's just one of those things. Bad racing luck,” he continued. “She came out of it great. Coming back out of that race was going to be running her back pretty close, but she didn't really do a whole lot of running that day. It was a public workout more than anything.”

Brown said Awesome Debate was very professional when schooling at the gate Saturday at Saratoga.

“She didn't turn a hair….which figures,” Brown said.

Bred in New York by Charlton Baker, who trained her through her first 13 starts, Awesome Debate has posted a record of 15-7-3-1 with purse earnings of $267,577. She was claimed for $45,000 out of a runner-up effort in May at Belmont by Danny Gargan and returned July 18 with a stylish score in a six-furlong state-bred optional-claiming sprint contested on a sloppy and sealed main track.

Brown said he appreciated the mare's nose for the wire.

“She's been very consistent lately. I've always liked that group of higher-priced New York-bred claiming fillies and older mares,” Brown said. “If you can have a decent one of those that's usually a pretty good thing.”

With the speedy Sadie Lady likely to dictate terms Thursday, Brown said the often-prominent Awesome Debate may utilize different tactics while trying to win beyond six furlongs for the first time.

“She's very tactical,” Brown said. “When I claimed her, I thought she had the look of a pure speed horse, but that day she sat off it and then went on with it. I don't think six and a half [furlongs] will be a problem for her.”

Awesome Debate, assigned 119 pounds, will emerge from post 5 under Luis Saez.

Dennis Narlinger's graded stakes-placed Sadie Lady has won three of her last four starts dating back to a 2 1/2-length optional claiming win in December, sprinting six furlongs at Aqueduct Race Track in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The Rob Atras trainee, bred by JMJ Racing Stables, followed with a head score in the six-furlong Correction Stakes in March at the Big A against open company ahead of a game second in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Vagrancy in May at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Last out, the 5-year-old daughter of Freud made every call a winning one in the six-furlong Dancin Renee against fellow state-breds at Belmont.

Jose Ortiz retains the mount from the inside post as Sadie Lady, an eight-time winner from 20 starts, makes her Saratoga debut while carrying a field-high 124 pounds.

TLC Thoroughbreds homebred Hannah Dances is undefeated in four starts this campaign, all in sprint races at Finger Lakes, for trainer M. Anthony Ferraro.

The 4-year-old Shakin It Up grey, who will make her stakes debut while racing beyond six furlongs for the first time, boasts a record of 11-7-1-0 with purse earnings of $107,890.

Hannah Dances, carrying 118 pounds, will exit post 4 under Luis Perez.

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Trainer Ray Handal will saddle a formidable pair in stakes-placed Irish Constitution [post 3, Joel Rosario, 115 pounds] and eight-time winner Diva Banker [post 6, Dylan Davis, 116 pounds].

Perrine Time Thoroughbreds and West Paces Racing's Irish Constitution graduated on debut last July at Saratoga and followed with a distant fourth in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes. She completed her juvenile campaign with a runner-up effort in the Joseph A. Gimma in October at Belmont.

An optional-claiming winner in March at the Big A, the 3-year-old Constitution chestnut, bred by SF Bloodstock, was last seen finishing third – 5 1/2-lengths back of runner-up Awesome Debate – in a state-bred optional-claiming sprint on May 14.

The Handal-owned Diva Banker, a 5-year-old Central Banker mare bred by Jonath Meadean Inc., was claimed for $5,000 in January at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., and two starts later captured an open claiming sprint in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. She followed with an off-the-pace state-bred allowance score in June at Belmont, but failed to fire last out in a state-bred optional claimer on August 11 at the Spa.

Rounding out the field is Joseph G. McMahon, Anne McMahon and Albert Lewis' Lot of Honey, a 3-year-old daughter of Central Banker who graduated in an off-the-turf state-bred maiden special weight sprint in June at Belmont.

Trained by James Ferraro and bred by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, Lot of Honey, assigned 114 pounds, will exit post 2 under Manny Franco.

The Union Avenue is slated as Race 9 on Thursday's 10-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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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.”

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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.

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Laoban Filly Tops OBS Winter Mixed Sale Finale

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2020 Winter Mixed Sale ended on a high note as Hip No. 805, a New York-bred yearling daughter of Laoban consigned by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds LLC, Agent was sold to Sand Hill Stables for $175,000 topping Wednesday's Open Session as well as the entire sale.

The bay filly is out of Best Reward, by Grand Reward, a half-sister to stakes-placed Avery Glenn.

Hip No. 616, a son of Mor Spirit consigned by Beth Bayer, Agent, went to Donato Lanni, Agent, for $115,000. The dark bay or brown yearling colt is out of Cat Be Nimble, by Tale of the Cat, from the family of graded stakes winner Niner's Home.
Hip No. 577, a yearling son of Into Mischief consigned by Summerfield (Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck), Agent, was sold to First Finds for $92,000. The bay colt is out of Annabird, by Flower Alley, a half-sister to Grade 1-placed stakes winner Achiever's Legacy.

Dailey Bloodstock LLC paid $67,000 for Hip No. 652, a son of Laoban consigned by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds LLC, Agent. The yearling bay colt is out of Double Dinghy Day, by Forestry, a daughter of graded stakes-placed Windsong.
Hip 673, a yearling son of Army Mule consigned by Summerfield (Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck), Agent, was purchased by Rosewood Stable for $65,000. The dark bay or brown colt is out of Fife, by Souvenir Copy, a daughter of stakes placed Musical Pal.
Hip No. 647, a anther yearling son of Army Mule consigned by Stuart Morris, Agent, was sold for $60,000 to First Finds. The chestnut colt is out of Dial the Doctor, by Dialed In, from the family of champion Unbridled.

For the Open session, 231 horses sold for a total of $2,054,800 compared with 199 horses bringing $1,648,900 in 2020. The average price was $8,895 compared with $8,286 last year, while the median price was $3,500 compared with $5,000 a year ago. The buyback percentage was 21.4 percent; it was 24.9 percent in 2020.

For the Consignor Preferred session, 101 horses sold for a total of $1,935,300, compared with 85 horses grossing $1,912,300 in 2020. The average price was $19,161 compared with $22,498 a year ago, while the median price was $10,100 compared with $13,000 last year. The buyback percentage was 28.8 percent; it was 37.9 percent last year.

For the Horses of Racing Age session, 74 horses grossed $1,696,500 compared with 70 selling for a total of $1,366,900 in 2020. The average was $22,926, up from $19,527 a year ago, while the median price was $13,000 compared to $11,000 last year. The buyback percentage was 10.8 percent; it was 26.4 percent in 2020.

For the entire Winter Mixed Sale, 406 horses sold for a total of $5,686,600, compared to 354 horses bringing $4,928,100 last year. The average was $14,006, up from $13,921 in 2020 while the median price was $6,000, compared with $7,500 a year ago. The buyback percentage was 21.7 percent; it was 19.4 percent in 2020.

To view the auction's full results, click here.

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