mike mcmahon | Horse Racing Free Tips

Five New Directors Join TCA Board

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA), which raises funds and distributes those funds to Thoroughbred-related charities, announced Monday five new additions to its Board of Directors: Leah O’Meara, Andy Hils, Erik Johnson, Marshall Gramm, and Marette Farrell. They join current board members Mike McMahon (president), Nathan McCauley (vice president), Davant Latham (secretary), and Lesley Howard (treasurer), as well as Bob Beck, Bing Bush, Lesley Campion, Bob Edwards, Terry Finley, Brant Laue, Jaime Roth, and Anna Seitz. Gretchen Jackson, Ellen Moelis, Herb Moelis, and Dan Rosenberg are directors emeriti.

“We are delighted to welcome these wonderful people to the TCA board,” said McMahon. “Our board is committed to carrying on the good work started by our founders over 30 years ago. These new board members recognize that service for the common good is rewarding beyond measure. As a volunteer board, each of us works tirelessly for horses and horse people who need help. In 2020, we distributed over $1 million to successful grant applicants and through our Horses First emergency fund.”

O’Meara is currently part of her family’s Stonehaven Steadings in Versailles, Ky.; Johnson is a veteran of the National Hockey League and races under the name of ERJ Racing; Hils is a senior vice president in the Lexington office of Limestone Bank and has been an owner in various Standardbred and Thoroughbred racing syndicates; Farrell is a well-known bloodstock agent; and Gramm is an Economics Ph.D. and professor at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., has qualified for the National Handicapping Championships six times, and co-founded Ten Strike Racing.

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Thoroughbred Charities Of America Appoints Five New Members To Board Of Directors

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) announced today the appointment of Leah O'Meara, Andy Hils, Erik Johnson, Marshall Gramm, and Marette Farrell to its Board of Directors.

“We are delighted to welcome these wonderful people to the TCA board,” said Mike McMahon, president of the TCA. “Our board is committed to carrying on the good work started by our founders over 30 years ago. These new board members recognize that service for the common good is rewarding beyond measure. As a volunteer board, each of us works tirelessly for horses and horse people who need help. In 2020, we distributed over $1 million to successful grant applicants and through our Horses First emergency fund.”

Leah O'Meara is a native of Lafayette, La., and moved to Kentucky to attend Midway College. During college she worked for Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital and later in veterinary pharmaceutical sales. Currently, she works for her family's Stonehaven Steadings in Versailles, Ky. and resides on the farm with her husband and children. Notable Stonehaven Steadings-breds include Shanghai Bobby, Daredevil, Hour Glass, and Olive Branch.

Erik Johnson is a 13-year National Hockey League veteran for the Colorado Avalanche. A native of Bloomington, Minn., Johnson won a silver medal for Team USA at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC. He became involved in racing in 2016 and has campaigned under his ERJ Racing banner multiple Grade 1 winner Bowies Hero as well as graded stakes winners Comical, Shane's Girlfriend, Munny Spunt, and Lazy Daisy.

Andy Hils is a banker in the Lexington office of Limestone Bank. Hils is a senior vice president with 25 years of commercial lending experience primarily in the equine industry, agricultural industry, as well as commercial real estate and manufacturing sectors. Hils has been an owner in various Standardbred and Thoroughbred racing syndicates over the years and currently serves on the Finance Committee for the Thoroughbred Club of America. He also serves on the Resources Education and Assistance Community Housing board.

Marette Farrell grew up on a stud farm in Ireland and pinhooked two-year-olds to help pay for college. After graduation she went on to work for trainers in Dubai, France, Australia, and the U.S. In 2008, she formed her own bloodstock agency where she currently works in an advisory capacity for long-term clients. Farrell helped purchase and mate the dam of Belmont Stakes winner Creator and also advised in the purchase of Storm the Court and many other Grade I winners.

Marshall Gramm grew up in Washington, D.C. and became involved in horseracing because of the statistical and problem-solving aspects of betting. Gramm is an Economics Ph.D. and professor at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. He is an avid bettor and has qualified for the National Handicapping Championships six times finishing ninth in 2019 and fifth at the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge in 2018. Gramm and partner Clay Sanders co-founded Ten Strike Racing in 2016 and currently have more than 50 horses in training.

The five newly elected board members join current board members Bob Beck, Bing Bush, Lesley Campion, Bob Edwards, Terry Finley, Lesley Howard (treasurer), Davant Latham (secretary), Brant Laue, Nathan McCauley (vice president), Mike McMahon (president), Jaime Roth, and Anna Seitz.

Gretchen Jackson, Ellen Moelis, Herb Moelis, and Dan Rosenberg are directors emeriti.

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) was formed in 1990 to raise and distribute funds to charities in the Thoroughbred industry that provide a better life for Thoroughbreds, both during and after their racing careers, by supporting qualified repurposing and retirement organizations and by helping the people who care for them. In 2020, TCA granted over $1 million to 70 charities working within Thoroughbred retraining, rehoming and retirement; backstretch and farm worker services, research and equine-assisted therapy. Over the last 30 years, TCA has granted more than $24 million to more than 200 charities that successfully meet the criteria set forth in its annual grant application. TCA also administers the Horses First Fund, founded by LNJ Foxwoods in 2016, to assist Thoroughbreds in need of emergency aid. TCA is the charitable arm of the Thoroughbred Owner and Breeders Association (TOBA). More information can be found at tca.org.

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Keeneland And TCA Team On Sales Initiative To Assist Essential Workers

Keeneland and Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) today announced an initiative to provide September Yearling and November Breeding Stock Sales buyers the opportunity to make a voluntary contribution to TCA to assist our industry's backstretch and farm workers, many of whom have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The voluntary donation will be included in the buyers invoice and equate to one-half of one percent (.05%) of the hammer price of their purchase.

“This partnership with TCA reflects Keeneland's mission to support worthy causes, and during this time of great need it's even more important that we take care of our front-line heroes,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “Keeneland is grateful for the tremendous work done by the TCA, and we are pleased to include this donation opportunity on our buyer forms this fall alongside the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) and National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA).”

Since 1990, TCA has distributed more than $24 million in grants to approved charities working to help not only Thoroughbred aftercare organizations but also those that provide health and human services for backstretch and farm workers.

“Without our backstretch and farm employees we wouldn't have a Thoroughbred industry,” said TCA President Mike McMahon. “Our charities work to provide health and dental services, ESL classes, legal assistance, food pantries, counseling services and so much more to our industry's workers. In the face of the pandemic and the economic strain it has caused, Keeneland has answered the call. Keeneland's support for TCA and for horse people everywhere is unprecedented. We are very grateful for the opportunity for buyers to be able to support the people who care for horses.”

Earlier in September, TCA distributed grants totaling nearly $1,070,000. A record 92 grant applications were received during the organization's annual grant cycle. Ultimately, 70 organizations were approved for a grant, including 45 aftercare organizations, 16 backstretch and farm worker programs, five equine-assisted therapy organizations, three Thoroughbred incentive programs and one research organization. Grant recipients from the last three years can be found on www.tca.org

Additionally, TCA's Horses First Fund, an emergency fund started in 2016 by LNJ Foxwoods, provided COVID-19 relief funding to three backstretch organizations and seven aftercare organizations while supporting two feed assistance programs earlier this year. The total expended from the Horses First Fund was $79,900, bringing the organization's total 2020 grant making to more than $1 million.

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Practical Joke Yearlings Hit Market at Opportune Moment

Champion sire Into Mischief has had a lot of good weekends. But this year’s Kentucky Derby weekend had to be near the top of the list.

On Friday, his son Owendale ran second in the GII Alysheba S. at Churchill Downs only to be defeated by By My Standards, sired by none other than Into Mischief’s leading son Goldencents.

Then the next day at Saratoga, Into Mischief’s daughter Frank’s Rockette became a Grade II winner in the Prioress S. while at Gulfstream, Cool Arrow won the GIII Smile Sprint S. To wrap up the day, the speedy Baffert-trained Authentic became Into Mischief’s first Kentucky Derby winner in a historic Run for the Roses.

On the same day four years ago, another son of Into Mischief made headlines when Practical Joke took the second of five wins in New York in the GI Hopeful S.

“The professionalism that he showed in only his second start, to make a start like that so quickly and go to the lead to win with authority, really impressed me,” recalled Coolmore’s Adrian Wallace. “He stamped his class and his speed, and also the fact that he could take that speed around a turn and go seven furlongs.”

Campaigned by Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence, the Chad Brown trainee was undefeated in his first three starts as a juvenile, taking his division in New York by storm.

“He was, without a doubt, the top New York 2-year-old of his division,” Wallace said. “Anytime you have a horse that wins GI Hopeful S. and then the GI Champagne S., you have a serious sire prospect on your hands.”

Practical Joke continued his domination of New York in his second season, winning the GIII Dwyer S. followed by the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. He retired with close to two million dollars in earnings and took up stud duty at Ashford Stud in 2018.

Coming off a big weekend from Into Mischief and his son Goldencents, the first yearlings from Practical Joke are hitting the market at a highly opportune time.

The young sire averaged $102,028 at the weanling and short yearling sales with 35 of 46 sold and a top price of $320,000.

McMahon and Hill Bloodstock’s Mike McMahon said he knew from the start that he wanted to get his hands on a Practical Joke weanling.

“You had to use Practical Joke in your pinhook strategy,” he said. “He was a successful 2-year-old, he was fast and he’s by Into Mischief. You had to be thinking about him. We went after a couple early, but Larry Best got them.”

Best’s OXO Equine purchased a colt out of Promisedyouheaven (Unbridled’s Song) for $240,000 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, and then a second colt out of Bailzee (Grand Slam) days later at Keeneland for $260,000.

After missing out on a few other Practical Joke offspring, McMahon said he remembers meandering the sales ground and stopping by the Bedouin Bloodstock consignment. There he stumbled upon a colt by Practical Joke out of four-time stakes producer Miss Mary Pat (Service Stripe).

“That colt came out and I was like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe I missed this horse.’ He was the best Practical Joke I had seen,” he recalled.

Practical Joke colt out of Miss Mary Pat | Mike McMahon

The colt is now slated for the first day of the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase as Hip 252 with the Gainesway consignment.

“This colt has a lot of quality,” McMahon said. “He’s a beautiful horse- a big hip, lovely top and he’s correct. He’s been very straightforward. I wish they were all so easy.”

Another 19 Practical Joke yearlings are catalogued for the Fasig-Tipton sale, and an additional 76 will go through the ring at the Keeneland September Sale.

“The thing that impresses me most about the Practical Jokes are their physiques,” said Wallace. “They’re big, very masculine-type horses. They cover a lot of ground and are good movers. They’ve got good shoulders and hips on them.”

One yearling that Wallace will have an eye on at Keeneland is Hip 1539, a colt out of the stakes-winning Rock Hard Ten mare Rock and Glory.

“He’s a very masculine, powerful horse,” he said. “He’s going to tick a lot of boxes and should be very popular at the sale.”

Wallace said he believes Practical Joke’s yearlings will attract a wide range of buyers in the coming weeks.

“Certainly people will remember him as a precocious 2-year-old, and that will encourage the 2-year-old [pinhookers] to take a chance on him. But I also think people will remember his longevity as a racehorse. I think people will remember his brilliance at Saratoga, remember the fact that he conquered Belmont and want to be a part of Practical Joke’s legacy.”

He also added that he thinks Practical Joke’s racing achievements are an indication of the success the horse will soon have at stud.

“There’s always exceptions, but horses that show brilliance at two and then can carry that on at three, they’re the ones that make the best sires,” he said. “They’re the ones breeders want to breed to and the ones the sales market wants. Practical Joke embodies that, and the fact that he’s a son of Into Mischief is a huge feather in any horses cap.”

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