“We are always proud to open our doors to members of the racing and breeding community, and to invite mare owners to see our stallions up close in this casual format,” said Rancho San Miguel's Tom Clark. “This year, we are adding some educational sessions and expert speakers to our line-up, which I believe will offer a well-rounded experience for attendees.”

Additionally, several horses representing Rancho San Miguel's consignment to the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association's 2024 Winter Mixed Sale will also be on display during the event.

Among other scheduled activities are a discussion on equine reproduction by Stacy Potter, DVM, of S&S Equine Veterinary Services and a session on equine nutrition by Purina feed representative Jordan Baumgartner.

Contact the farm at (805) 467-3847 or info@ranchosanmiguel.net to RSVP.

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The farm is a lynchpin of the state's breeding industry, housing as it does such workhorses of the California breeding shed as Sir Prancealot (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), Danzing Candy (Twirling Candy) and Mo Forza (Uncle Mo).

But Clark harbors a grim prediction for the future of the state breeding industry if racing in Northern California is reduced to just the short summer fair meets.

“I think the foal crop could easily be halved from where we are now if there is no [sustained] racing in Northern California,” said Clark, estimating that such a precipitous drop could happen as quickly as within two years. “There would be nowhere to go with these horses,” he said.

The number of California-born foals fell from 3664 in 2005 to 1309 in 2021–a drop of some 65%. The number of mares bred in the state between 2005 and last year fell by a comparable percentage.

“Our farm breeds about one in every six mares in the state of California,” Clark said. “We had 137 foals born there this year. And when you look at where these horses end up, about half of them end up in Northern California.”

Tom Clark | Jill Williams

Many of Clark's clients, he said, are from the north of the state. “Conversations I've had with them, most of them don't see an opportunity to move south like The Stronach Group thinks could happen.”

Part of the reason why, said Clark, is that some prefer the ease of seeing their horses routinely train and race. In other words, Los Angeles County would be a step too far for those closer to the Oregon border. But by far the primary reason, he added, is one of economics.

“The cost of moving the horses and the day-to-day cost to maintain those cheaper style horses, the economics just don't work,” he said. “It's not just the day money. It's the significant increase they'll see in vet bills and so on. The numbers just don't pencil out.”

At the moment, breeding plans at Rancho San Miguel remain pretty stable for next year. But in Clark's mind, he is already sifting through the economic rubble of a state racing circuit heavily slanted to the south, leading to a devastating economic “ripple effect” across the entire state.

“We have over 50 people who live on our farm, employees and their families. Many of those have been with us for over 20 years. They're totally dedicated to taking care of horses. And they will just have no place to go. But it's not just our farm–there are many other farms that take just as good of care of their horses as we do,” Clark said.

“Then you've got to take into consideration farriers, veterinarians, feed companies, hay providers, the transportation guys,” he said. “All of them will be impacted by this massive shrinkage of the breeding business.”

The California horse racing industry is estimated to directly contribute over $4.5 billion to the state's economy, and over 77,700 jobs.

Adding fuel to the urgency of maintaining a racing circuit in Northern California far beyond the summer fair meets, said Clark, are the glaring question marks hanging over the future of Arizona's Turf Paradise racetrack–which typically operates a meet from November to May–along with a shrinking racing calendar in Washington State.

These are venues that have historically provided an outlet for the sorts of horses ill-suited to the conditions of California racing. With Golden Gate closing, breeders more than ever need a year-round circuit in the north, said Clark. Even if The Stronach Group (TSG)'s proposed four-day race-week at Santa Anita materializes, that still wouldn't be enough to sustain the breed in California, he said.

Long-time owner-breeder Nick Alexander agrees. He has a broodmare band of about 35, he said, including the dam of Cal-bred Horse of the Year, Lieutenant Dan (Grazen).

“Out of that same mare, most of the horses she's produced are Golden Gate horses,” said Alexander. “You have to have an outlet for all ranges of horses. You cannot run horses at Santa Anita that should be running for $5,000, and the trainer can't be charging $120 day-money for them. It doesn't compute.”

Alexander, who has raced at the Bay Area facility for roughly 40 years, lamented the track's imminent closure for a likely exodus of talent from the state. “The people in the north are terrified, and once they're dispersed, they're not returning,” he said. “Once the toothpaste's out the tube, you can't put it back.”

More broadly, Alexander described his sense of frustration about the manner in which the closure has been handled, and a feeling that the facility so integral to the state industry has been sacrificed for purely “commercial” reasons. “They just don't deserve to own a facility that is so important to our industry, important to fans, important to everybody,” he said. “It just breaks my heart.”

California Thoroughbred Breeding Association

“If Northern California can provide a calendar that can protect our breeders and continue to create the current demand that we have for Cal-breds, that's what we want,” said California Thoroughbred Breeding Association (CTBA) president Doug Burge.

Doug Burge (right) with Harris Auerbach | Fasig-Tipton

Burge added, however, that the CTBA had not yet taken a firm position on any of the matters currently facing the breeding industry from Golden Gate's closure, and might refrain from doing so, even when the board meets later this week.

“We have constituents in the north and the south, and there are too many moving pieces right now. You have to look at the economics, see what's best for the breeders, what's best for the owners, what's best for racing,” said Burge.

At the same time, Burge emphasized the pivotal role of Cal-breds to field sizes. “When I started in the mid-'90s, Cal-breds were a nice compliment to racing,” he said. “Now they're a necessity.”

This is borne out by the data. During Santa Anita's recently concluded six-month meet, Cal-breds made up about 37% of all individual starts, according to DRF chart data, and Cal-bred races constituted more than 20% of the overall races.

According to California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) chairman Greg Ferraro, about 35% of the foals bred in California race at Golden Gate.

“If we did anything at all to discourage or reduce the number of foals born, everyone understands it would be a major issue,” said Burge.

When asked, Burge said that he had not crunched the numbers to identify how much further the foal crop in the state could shrink before breeding becomes an unsustainable economic model.

Last month, TSG announced a planned $500,000 investment into the state breeding industry to help compensate for the closure of Golden Gate Fields.

“With these renovations and the commitment to California-bred racing, I see the opportunities for Cal-breds greatly increasing and providing more value for those horses because of it. I'm going to breed more mares to take advantage of it. This is going to benefit the entire industry in the state,” prominent California breeder Terry Lovingier is quoted as saying in a TSG press release at that time.

Lovingier is also the CTBA chairperson.

According to Burge, the CTBA board is “looking at some creative uses of the funds to support the breeders,” though he added that he was unable to publicly share any details while they're still being ironed out.

Burge said TSG's breeder investment is currently a “one-time” offer, though added the idea of making it a repeat investment was “under discussion.”

When asked the same question, a TSG spokesperson wrote in a statement that the company is currently meeting with all industry stakeholders “as we work to shore up and improve California racing through our consolidation of operations” in the south.

“From timing, to financial considerations, to real conversations about the state of our sport, we appreciate the California Horse Racing Board's comments last week about open and transparent dialogue and plan to continue along that path though this transition,” the spokesperson added.

TSG representatives have repeatedly suggested that the $30 million-plus suite of investments earmarked for Santa Anita and San Luis Rey Downs are couched upon proceeds from simulcasting wagering conducted in the north being funneled to the southern racing circuit-what would appear facilitated through legislative change.

What is the CTB's position on those potential legislative efforts? “We haven't seen that legislation. We hear about it. We talk about it. We understand it. But we haven't taken any position whatsoever,” responded Burge.

As a glimmer of encouragement, Burge pointed to last week's CTBA Northern California Yearling Sale, which boasted year-over-year result increases, for an average of $9,260 and median price of $5,500. The average sales price for yearlings this year was 11.6 percent higher than last year.

“Everybody going into it thought it would be all doom and gloom,” said Burge. “And it turned out to be one of the best sales we've had in ten years.”

Adrian Gonzalez | Fasig-Tipton

Key California breeder Adrian Gonzalez–a ubiquitous presence on the California sales scene–is a self-described “glass-half-full” kind of guy. But he admits that news of Golden Gate's closure has knocked his confidence in the California breeding industry's long-term future.

“This is the first time that I have felt that this is not going the way we're used to,” said Gonzalez. He explained how the announced closure of the Bay Area facility has much wider ramifications for the industry than had been the case when the likes of Bay Meadows and Hollywood Park were shuttered.

Gonzalez's Checkmate Farm–a 66-acre ranch in Parkfield, California–houses between 50 and 60 mares right now, about half of them for his clients, the other half his own. And Gonzalez said that breeding plans for next year remain “pretty consistent.”

But with many of his clients stemming from the north, Gonzalez said he fears for a scenario where racing in the north is restricted to just the short summer fair meets.

For one, many of Gonzalez's clients either cannot compete on the Southern California circuit, or simply do not want to, he said.

But he also worries that TSG's plans to expand racing at Santa Anita to a four-day race-week won't provide enough opportunity to prevent the breeding industry contracting even further. And with shrinkage comes consolidation, he said.

“We need all of these farms [in California] supported. We just can't consolidate down to three or farms in the state,” Gonzales said, adding that the problem is compounded by a shortage of horse owners.

“I just don't believe that you're going to be able to keep all of the same owners and expect them to race in a different [location down south],” he said. “While they're still on the same circuit, they're 300 miles away.”

Kevin Dickson is farm manager for Barton Thoroughbreds, the 200-acre family-owned breeding behemoth in California's Santa Ynez Valley.

Kevin Dickson with Kate Penner | Fasig-Tipton

Dickson's sentiments ranged from concerns about the financial realities of the sport in California to recognition that the Barton operation is perhaps better insulated than others from these economic headwinds.

“California used to be such a strong market. We're just hanging on by a thread. And losing another track is devastating to not just breeders but all players,” said Dickson. “We can't afford it.”

Could the Barton operation continue in its current approach if Northern California racing shrunk to just the summer fair meets? “The short answer is yes, we can. The long answer is, I don't know,” said Dickson, emphasizing the difference in the north-south markets.

“Despite some of the rumors and things that are being said about things like blended meets down south, anybody I've spoken to–and that's having just completed a sale in the northern market–the people up north, they're not buying it,” he said.

Indeed, Dickson described a “lesser presence” at the recent CTBA Northern Sale than is typically the case. “My big buyer over the last three years was an absentee,” he said. “That hurt a little.”

At the same time, Dickson emphasized the Barton family's ongoing commitment to the state breeding industry, including a recent addition to the stallion ranks, Shaaz (Uncle Mo), a $1.1 million 2-year-old sale purchase. “He's a stunning individual and we're going to put a lot of mares to him,” said Dickson.

“They are fully committed to California. And they are going to continue to feed this West Coast industry with product,” said Dickson, of the Barton family. “We're breeding almost 200 of our own mares annually. And they're fully committed to breeding mares, putting out babies.”

When it comes to firm commitments into the future, Clark raised concerns about TSG's recent financial pledges. He singled out a submission by the California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT) before last week's CHRB race dates committee meeting which details the company's multiple promises since 2005 to upgrade the Santa Anita backstretch.

“The fact is nearly 20 years ago, The Stronach Group promised a $20 million [plus] investment in the backside, and they never followed through,” said Clark. “So, what's to make them follow-through on the promises this time?”

But Clark also concedes that the problems facing the state's racing industry are much deeper rooted than the current tumult over Golden Gate's closure, calling the development “just a symptom of a much bigger issue” of overall affordability.

Nick Alexander (center) | Benoit

“We're not even keeping up with inflation,” Clark said, in reference to the state's purse offerings outside of Del Mar. At the same time, he estimated that the cost of breeding a foal in California and getting it to the yearling sales has grown to approximately $25,000.

As the consequences from Golden Gate's closure continue to be grappled with, Alexander stressed the importance of keeping Golden Gate open for as long as possible to provide horsemen the time needed to make seismic decisions that will impact their personal and professional futures. Indeed, at last week's race dates committee meeting, TSG floated the idea of pushing back the closure by six months.

At the same time, Alexander urged industry stakeholders to push back against any legislation that would funnel simulcasting proceeds from north to south. Such legislation, he added, could prove a death knell to any viable year-round circuit in the north. If such legislation is passed, said Alexander, “then the politicians ought to be thrown out of office.”

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Congratulations to breeder and consignor Griffin Place LLC on selling todays Sale Topper at the WTBOA sale in Auburn WA. The CA bred colt by Sir Prancealot out of Impeached brought $85k from Premier Team #1. That's 2️⃣ sale topping colts for Sir Prancealot in the last 7 days! pic.twitter.com/heHmIceBmG

— Adrian Gonzalez (@CheckmateRacing) August 24, 2022

On debut 2yo #5 IMPEACHALOT ($10.40) gets to the lead and pulls away to win race 4 at Del Mar after a stalking trip. The son of Sir Prancealot was ridden by Jose Valdiva Jr. and is trained by Brian Koriner.

The late pick 4 is up next! Wager at https://t.co/nBYFHiPrdh. pic.twitter.com/iyQ0SZVH5U

— TVG (@TVG) August 10, 2023

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Bred by Ganje, Lord Prancealot is the third foal and winner out of the stakes-winning Country Reel mare Disko Dasko (Fr). The bay won the five-furlong race by 3 1/2 lengths in :58.62 (video). He was a $45,000 buy-back at the California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (CTBA) Winter Mixed Sale earlier this year. Lord Prancealot is aiming for the $125,000 I'm Smokin S. for Cal-breds on Sept. 8.

Initially standing in Ireland beginning in 2013 and shuttling to Australia for the 2017-2022 Southern Hemisphere breeding seasons, the 2012 G2 Flying Childers S. hero relocated to Rancho San Miguel in California in 2020. One of the top first-season sires in Europe in 2016, Sir Prancealot now has 13 stakes winners worldwide, with four of his seven group/graded winners scoring in the U.S. Leading the charge is 2019 GI American Oaks heroine Lady Prancealot (Ire). Multiple Grade II winners Beau Recall (Ire) and Madam Dancealot (Ire) have also both placed at the highest level.

“Having such an impressive debut winner at Del Mar is no surprise for me after the time I've spent around Sir Prancealot,” said Adrian Gonzalez of Checkmate Thoroughbreds, who manages the stallion's U.S. syndicate. “I am confident this is just the tip of the iceberg for Sir Prancealot's first American crop.”

The stallion has covered almost 400 mares during his first four breeding seasons in the Golden State and stood for $10,000 this year.

Rancho San Miguel owner Tom Clark added, “We are very excited to announce that, due to the tremendous commitment he has received from shareholders, we have now secured his services as a permanent member of our stallion roster. Sir Prancealot will no longer shuttle out of the country;

instead, he will be available for inspection by breeders here at our farm year-round.”

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“She is quite a character already, thrilling everyone with her looks,” co-owner and breeder Alice Bamford said of the newborn filly. “In addition to being correct, she is a beautiful mover and a very good reason for her mama to return to Mo Forza next year.”

Mo Forza will be available for inspection during Rancho San Miguel's 2023 Open House & Stallion Show Jan. 21. Reservations are encouraged. For more information, call (805) 467-3847 or email info@ranchosanmiguel.net.

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“If I were to compare the U.S. stallion market to the U.S. stock market, I would say we are acquiring an emerging stock at the optimal time for California breeders,” said Rancho San Miguel owner Tom Clark. “Editorial has come out firing with quality in his first batch of runners, and has already shown that he can significantly improve his mares.

“His rare combination of sire power in War Front and Uncle Mo is sure to appeal to our state's breeders, who enjoy racing on a variety of surfaces and at a variety of distances.”

Bred by the Playa Maya Syndicate, the 8-year-old developed into a maiden winner at Gulfstream for the Coolmore partners and Todd Pletcher. Retired to stud in Maryland in 2018, the full-brother to G1 Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up Could It Be Love (War Front)'s progeny are led by two-time stakes winner Alottahope, as well as the stakes-placed My Thoughts.

Clark added, “Climax Stallions is retaining an ownership stake in Editorial, so he will be well-supported with top mares, including from our farm, as we take the baton and navigate him through the important next phase of his stallion career.”

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The picturesque Rancho San Miguel is well known in California racing, with a current roster of nine stallions including Sir Prancealot (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) and Danzing Candy (Twirling Candy).

“We're really trying to focus on quality over quantity,” said Tom Clark, “and that's really been our strategy from day one. Just to try to have the best stallions we can afford and buy specifically for this market and hope and pray that other people who have mares will bring better and better mares to the state of California to breed to us. And we really learned from a very early stage that you want to try to achieve the highest quality possible.”

With a grandfather who was a trainer and a father who owned racehorses, Clark is the third generation of his family in the racing business. Growing up on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania, he got his own start as a hotwalker at Timonium while in high school. His love of and involvement in racing was wrapped around a finance career for many years until he bought the property that would become Rancho San Miguel just over two decades ago.

“I've really been involved in the game for a long, long time, but I did go off to school and got involved in finance,” said Clark. “I always said the reason I did that was so I could buy a good horse some day. I was fortunate enough to do well in the investment business and was able to transfer that to Rancho San Miguel and into being involved in the racing game in a big way.”

Clark has owned a number of racehorses, including 2007 GI Humana Distaff winner and GI Breeders' Cup Distaff runner-up by a neck Hystericalady (Distorted Humor) in partnership, has had a number of big sales scores, and has bred a number of horses in the commonwealth of Kentucky. The purchase and growth of Rancho San Miguel has reshaped his concentration.

“I've really focused my resources here on the on the farm over the last few years,” said Clark. “I'm so immersed in what we're trying to do here that it's this is just as rewarding–and sometimes even more rewarding– than ever being involved in a racehorse. The breeding business brings a whole different level of reward to it as a sport.”

Clark has been associated with the Taylor family of Taylor Made for “25-30 years,” so it was an easy transition to partner on the stallion career of Mo Forza, who was foaled and raised at Taylor Made.

“We've done a lot of deals together over the years and they've always represented me in selling my horses at the September or the November sales, so I have a great affinity for the entire organization. Great respect. I called Ben Taylor and said, 'What do you think of [Mo Forza]? Do you think this is the kind of horse that could stay in California?'”

Taylor Made has two new young stallions in their own stallion barn this year–Horse of the Year Knicks Go (Paynter) and MGSW & MGISP Tacitus (Tapit)–and Clark thought perhaps Mo Forza, in spite of his wins in the 2019 GI Hollywood Derby and six Grade II stakes, might get overshadowed.

“And, you know, we just don't have enough commercial horses here in California,” said Clark. “So there's a lot of things that we talked about and we still think that down the road, this is a horse that could end up in Kentucky.

“It was really great [for us] that he broke poorly in the [2021 GI] Breeders' Cup [Mile] and got beat five or so lengths for first. That allowed him to be here. Otherwise, had he won the Breeders' Cup, I know he'd be in Kentucky. I think this is a big coup for the state of California, having one of the leading stallion farms and breeders of the state of Kentucky putting their name on a horse here. They've never had a venture in California before. They are tremendous, great partners and incredibly knowledgeable and very, very easy to work with. They're supporting the stallion in an important way. And I'm going to give him every chance to succeed here in California.”

Mo Forza stands for $9,000, an unusual amount for a stud fee. Clark had a reason behind the unique number.

“Californians are always looking for a bargain,” he said with a laugh. “And at $10,000, we thought it was just mentally hard for people to pay for, but $9,000 shows that we were very serious about delivering high value for a horse like this. We're offering a Grade I winner by Uncle Mo for just $9,000 here in California. And I just think that's just outstanding value. We also really wanted to try to attract the best mares we could in the state of California, and this was one way to do that.”

Tom Clark | Jill Williams

Clark also said there have been more than a dozen mares shipped from Kentucky to breed to Mo Forza, who has proved to have great libido. Earlier this week, at least 15 mares had already been pronounced in foal to the bay, who checks all the boxes Clark looks for in a sire.

“I think you really have to look at all aspects when you think about a good stallion,” said Clark. “He has to have a great race record. He has to have great conformation and he has to have a good pedigree. And in California, historically, we have had to give up on at least one of those. So you'd have a great pedigree and good looks, but a horse who didn't race very well. What's unique about Mo Forza is he's got all three [attributes]. He really has the entire package. And I think that's what people need to understand and realize that we don't only have a Grade I winner, but a horse that really is good looking and he's by Uncle Mo. What else can you ask for?”

Six of Mo Forza's eight career wins came at a mile and Clark was quick to point out the adage that milers often make the best sires. The 6-year-old was a fierce competitor, with two four-race win streaks interrupted only by an off-the-board stint in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf that sent him to the bench for seven months. He raced exclusively on the turf.

“It wasn't because they thought he was necessarily a grass horse,” commented Clark. “But once you have something going for you, why change it? The reality is that he was doing so well on the grass, so they really didn't want to risk or change up what was working. Don't fix something that's not broke, as they say. He worked great on the dirt. There was no reason why he couldn't run on the dirt. We think this is a horse that can throw both a dirt horse as well as a grass horse here in California.”

As seen in the entire North American breeding industry, the number of mares bred have contracted over the last few years in California. Clark is an optimist.

“I think this is a challenging time for everybody, and this is the most challenging time I've ever seen in the industry here in California. But, you know, we're always hoping. We always think about the glass half full. We think that the only way to approach that is to try to bring quality horses, quality stallions, and quality measures to this marketplace and look to try to attract people from outside the state and bring new, fresh blood into the state and do what we can to support the industry. So that's our approach. And we may be crazy, but we are going to stick to it.”

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Mo Forza, who entered stud this year at Rancho San Miguel in the Golden State, won no fewer than seven graded races in the course of his career, including the 2019 GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar.

“Mo Forza has handled the transition to his breeding career with class and vigor, just like he sailed through his racing career,” said Rancho San Miguel Owner/Manager Tom Clark. “The amount of interest we are receiving for him from regional breeders is exceptional, and we are thrilled to be affiliated with a stallion of his magnitude and tremendous potential. The sky is the limit.”

Mo Forza is standing for a fee of $9,000, life foal guaranteed.

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The 10-year-old stallion previously stood at a private farm in Bakersfield, California as the property of the late horseman Bob Grayson, Sr. Grayson purchased Gem Heist for $100,000 from Eddie Woods' consignment at the 2014 Barretts March Sale of Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training.

Gem Heist experienced a career-ending injury while preparing for his debut, and was subsequently retired to stand stud. To date, he is credited with 29 reported foals, including eight juveniles and three yearlings of 2022. From his five lifetime starters, three are winners, led by multiple winner Saturday Heist.

“We are pleased to welcome a stallion with such top-class bloodlines to Rancho San Miguel,” said farm owner / manager Tom Clark. “Gem Heist has exhibited true potential with his early starters, and he is improving his mares. We look forward to helping him reach the next level in his stallion career.”

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