Feld and Brothers are longstanding regulars at Charlie Brown's. The cozy, pub-like spot has been in the hands of David Fuller for almost 40 years. When Fuller decided to retire this year, he passed it on to longtime manager and bartender Chris Behler and two of his favorite patrons.

“We had always joked that we would like to own it one day and last summer we were told that we possibly could,” Feld said.

“Dave reached out to us one day and said it was time to pass on the torch,” explained Brothers.  “We were very honored to be given the opportunity. It's a neighborhood institution.”

The restaurant first opened in 1973 and was originally called The Rusty Nail. Feld said that the upstairs was an upscale dining spot and the downstairs was a bar. A dumbwaiter would take food between floors. When Fuller purchased the restaurant with partner Larry Ellington, they concentrated to the first floor and leased out the top floor, where a Mexican restaurant called Papi's is now located.

Now in its 50^th year of operation, the atmosphere in the Euclid Avenue hangout is unlike anything else in town. Decades-old books line the walls,  plenty of sofas are interspersed throughout the space and a fire roars in the corner. The pet-friendly patio out back is bustling in the summer.

“This place is special because all ages can come,” said Feld. “We've got the richest people in Lexington coming and we've got students that can't rub two pennies together. It's a hodgepodge of society and everyone has a good time.”

“It's a major part of the community and with Dave on this for 40 years, every inch of this place screams him,” Brothers added. “We wanted to continue his legacy. I think that's why Dave entrusted us with this place. We feel like the people in this community really respect the vibe and the atmosphere, so we don't plan on changing anything. If you're here for this long, if it's not broke don't fix it.”

Popular menu items include the Bacon Cheddar Burger, Emily's Chicken Sandwich and the Roast Beef Sandwich.

“I love the Bacon Cheddar Burger,” said Brothers. “It's one of the best burgers in town. I'm also a big fan of the Patty Melt and then we have soups that are made daily.”

Both Feld and Brothers plan to stay involved in racing.

Feld is the managing director of Climax Stallions and Feld Family Racing and is also the founder of At The Sale and Foal Adventure. He can now add line cook to his resume.

As for Brothers, who owns Xavier International Bloodstock and is the co-founder of StableDuel, he said he plans he stay at the front of the house.

Come celebrate St. Patrick's Day at Charlie Brown's and eat this homemade Guinness Stew and Colcannon paired with a cheddar biscuit! pic.twitter.com/5zgvVjW3rH

— Charlie Browns (@CBsLexington) March 17, 2023

“The cooking part, I would probably eat too much of it,” he said with a laugh. “I got fired from my uncle's restaurant when I was a kid for eating the bread coming out of the oven. So I'm better in the front, but the beauty of having two of your best friends as partners is we back each other up with everything we do and we have no problem getting dirty. We have no problem cooking or cleaning tables or anything. I like continually challenging myself and starting something new, so when this opportunity came around it was actually perfect because I was wanting a little change of pace.”

With the Keeneland race meet starting on Friday, the new restauranteurs said that they hope Charlie Brown's will flourish as a hangout spot for the equine community in Lexington.

“It's a great place to watch horse racing,” said Brothers. “You'll always have someone at the bar that has a Form or an iPad out betting on some horse. And it's all ages.”

“When I was cooking the other night,  a bunch of my horse friends came in and took up about a quarter of the bar,” Feld said. “It's a great spot to hang out whether you like horses or not. We're excited with Keeneland coming up and hoping we'll get a bunch of people before, during and after the races. We actually had a bunch of people here to watch the Dubai World Cup and hopefully down the line we'll have a Royal Ascot party or two as well.”

Visit Charlie Brown's Restaurant and Lounge's website for the full menu and hours here.

The post Bloodstock Agents Try Hand in Restaurant Business appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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With the growth of companies that offer racing fans an affordable way to experience racehorse ownership, Foal Adventure is on a mission to welcome them to the exciting world of breeding. Focused on ensuring members experience the excitement of breeding and raising a foal, Foal Adventure provides regular updates to the members, including photos, a monthly webinar, farm tours, and the opportunity to connect at the sales. Ultimately the members will get the thrill of a lifetime watching the foals turn into racehorses and compete at racetracks across the country.

“Last year, I was very excited to share pictures of my foal, and I sent the photos to my friends and family. Soon the requests for updates started rolling in, and before long, I was producing a regular newsletter to an ever-growing audience,” said Iain Holmes, the Co-Founder of Foal Patrol. “When I learned Foal Patrol was sunsetting, I knew I had to expand on what I had been doing and make it available to everyone. I approached industry veteran Sean Feld, knowing that together we will be able to provide our members with a unique experience–producing high quality horses the members will be able to watch grow up, go through the sales ring and ultimately compete at the track.”

Feld explained, “When Iain pitched the idea to me, I could not say yes quick enough. With foal crops shrinking at an alarming rate, we can't just focus on introducing fans to racing. We need to introduce them to breeding too. With the regional awards, a strong market, and the cost of keeping a broodmare and raising a foal considerably lower than having a horse in training, we are confident some of our members will go out on their own and help grow the industry.”

Foal Adventure currently has two mares available: Magic Happens, whose female family includes broodmare of the year Levee, dam of Hall of Famer Shuvee; and Lulu's Partner, a half-sister to Disco Partner. More information is available at: www.FoalAdventure.com.

The post Foal Adventure Providing Racing Fans With the Full Experience appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Gun Runner recently broke the first-crop progeny earnings record set by Uncle Mo in 2015, who broke Tapit's 2008 record. Fortune Ticket was initially raced by his breeder, Three Chimneys Farm, where Gun Runner will stand in 2022 for $125,000 stands and nurses. Fortune Ticket was a multiple allowance winner at three who ran a 7 on Thoromanager.

“Fortune Ticket is an exciting prospect for the great state of Maryland. He is the only son of Candy Ride in Maryland and is a full-brother to a burgeoning superstar at stud, Gun Runner,” said Climax Stallions president Sean Feld.

Fortune Ticket will stand for just two percent of Gun Runner's ​$125,000 stud fee, $2,500 stands and nurses.

Louis Merryman of Anchor & Hope said, “Grace and I are excited to have a horse with this type of pedigree on our farm, not only is he a full-brother to Gun Runner, but he is from the family of Horse of The Year, Saint Liam. Fortune Ticket is correct and athletic which are keys to a stallion's success.”

Fortune Ticket will join Climax Stallions LLC's Editorial​, a half-brother to Uncle Mo​, who also stands for $2,500 at Anchor & Hope.

The post Fortune Ticket, Full-Brother To Gun Runner, To Stand At Anchor And Hope Farm In Maryland appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Fortune Ticket will stand for just 2% of Gun Runner's $125,000 stud fee, $2,500 stands and nurses.

“Fortune Ticket is an exciting prospect for the great state of Maryland. He is the only son of Candy Ride in Maryland and is a full-brother to a burgeoning superstar at stud, Gun Runner” said Climax Stallions President, Sean Feld.

The post Full-Brother to Gun Runner to Stand in Maryland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“We are honored to have been able to purchase a full brother to such an incredible stallion whose life was cut much too short,” says Sean Feld, president of Climax Stallions. “We will honor Laoban's legacy by offering a complementary breeding to anyone who bred, bought or is racing any progeny of Laoban.”

Son of Thunder, a $475,000 yearling purchased out of the Saratoga Select Sale, raced in the colors of the prestigious Lael Stables. A son of sire of sires, Uncle Mo, and out of the stakes-placed Speightstown mare Chattertown, Son of Thunder is built with stretch and athleticism.

“He easily passes the eye test. If he duplicates what his brother did with his foals, you can breed any type of mare to him,” says Waldorf Farm manager Kenny Toye.

Also very complimentary of the dark bay colt is Waldorf Farm owner, Dr. Jerry Bilinski, who describes him as having great size and conformation.

“He's by Uncle Mo, who is becoming a legendary sire of sires and we are flattered to add Son of Thunder to our stallion barn here at Waldorf Farm,” says Bilinski.

Son of Thunder will join a stacked Climax Stallions roster for the upcoming breeding season, standing for $2,500 LFSN.

The post Son Of Thunder, Full-Brother To Laoban, To Stand At Waldorf Farm In New York appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The latest issue of the PR Back Ring is now online, looking ahead to The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.

The PR Back Ring is the Paulick Report's bloodstock newsletter, released ahead of, and during, every major North American Thoroughbred auction. Seeking to expand beyond the usual pdf presentation, the Back Ring offers a dynamic experience for bloodstock content, heavy on visual elements and statistics to appeal to readers on all platforms, especially mobile devices.

Here is what's inside this issue…

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS EDITION OF THE PR BACK RING

• Lead Feature presented by WestWin Farm: Myra Lewyn looks back on the legacy of Normandy Farm, the home Man o' War's sire and dam, and how the farm's former residents have shaped today's racing and breeding landscape in the latest Kentucky Farm Time Capsule.
• Stallion Spotlight presented by New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.: Sean Feld of Climax Stallions discusses Mr. Monomoy, a Grade 2-winning resident of Waldorf Farm in New York, whose first foals arrive in 2022.
• Ask Your Veterinarian presented by Kentucky Performance Products: Dr. Katy Dern of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital explains the rock-like enteroliths that can build up in a horse's colon and lead to colic.
• Pennsylvania Leaderboard presented by Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association: A look at the 2-year-olds who are earning their connections the most money in Pennsylvania-bred and -sired incentives, led by the impressive maiden winner For the Dreamers.
• American Graded Stakes Standings presented by Muirfield Insurance: A rundown of the leading breeders by North American graded stakes winners, headed up by a close race between global powers Godolphin and Juddmonte Farms.
• First-Crop Sire Watch: Stallions whose first crops of yearlings are represented in the Fasig-Tipton October catalog, including the number of horses cataloged and the farm where the stallion is currently advertised.

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS EDITION OF THE PR BACK RING

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The five-furlong Hickory Tree Stakes attracted a field of ten colts/geldings including Sean Feld's Evan Harlan, the morning-line favorite. The Graham Motion trainee finished third in a maiden special weight turf race at six furlongs June 20 at Belmont, his only career start. The Temple City colt was two lengths back at the wire. Victor Carrasco has the mount from post three.

Jeremy Brooks' Wow Whata Summer, second early choice, finished second in his career bow July 20 at Colonial, but was bumped up to the top spot when initial winner Capt. Candy was disqualified and placed down a notch. The Summer Front colt is trained by James Lawrence and will be ridden by Feargal Lynch, who was up in the start two weeks ago.

Four first-time starters are also in the field. The Hickory Tree has been carded as the eighth race of nine at a scheduled post of 5:01 PM.

A field of nine fillies will compete in the Keswick Stakes, also at five furlongs, led by Big Lick Farm's Cavalier Cupid. The Sarah Nagle trainee is fresh off a two-length victory in a maiden special weight turf sprint opening day at the New Kent track. The daughter of Quality Road was the favorite with Horacio Karamanos in the irons. She is the morning-line choice in the stakes and Karamanos is scheduled to ride again.

David Ross's Rambert finished second to Cavalier Cupid in that maiden race July 19 and is the second early pick in the Keswick at 4-1. Michael Stidham, leading Colonial trainer in '19 and '20, conditions the Declaration of War filly. Colby Hernandez is back as rider.

Three other horses in the field come in fresh off maiden victories, though they all came on dirt. O K Smarty Pants and Fancy Her Up prevailed by five-plus lengths at Charles Town Race Track in Charles Town, W.Va., while Buff My Boots dominated gate-to-wire by ten lengths at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. Determined Truth, third early choice, lost by a neck at Pimlico in her debut July 9 which was also was on dirt.

The Keswick Stakes has been carded as the seventh and will go to post at 4:33 PM.

Six of the seven Da Hoss Stakes entrants have a bankroll of $220,000-plus including Michelle Lovell and Griffon Farm's Just Might, the 9-5 early favorite. The 5-year-old Justin Phillip gelding captured the Mighty Beau Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., last out and earlier this year, powered home to a five-length win in the Colonel Power Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La. In 2020, Just Might was stakes placed in a pair of Grade 2's — the Woodford Stakes and Twin Spires Turf Sprint. In all, he has bankrolled $400,309. Colby Hernandez will ride.

Ed Orr and Susie Orr's Virginia-bred Boldor, conditioned by Steve Asmussen, is the second early choice at 7-2. The 5-year-old Munnings gelding prevailed in the King Cotton and Sam's Town Stakes earlier this year at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., and Delta Downs in Vinton, La., in back-to-back starts. Jockey Sheldon Russell gets the call Monday.

Jim and Susan Hill's Holiday Stone, top money earner in the field with $521,159, is the third early pick. The 7-year-old Harlan's Holiday horse has a turf allowance victory in each of the last three years. Feargal Lynch will ride for trainer George Weaver.

The Da Hoss, open to three-year-olds & up at 5 1/2 turf furlongs, will kick off the stakes action in the third race at 2:41 PM. First post at Colonial is 1:45 PM.

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“I'm sure it's happened before,” says the farm's owner Ben Berger. “At Gainesway and Claiborne, Taylor Made and Lane's End, Darby Dan, all these farms. I'm sure they've had some really good horses come out of the same field. Stone Farm is supposed to have a magic field. But we probably have between 10 to 15 colts a year, and for two of them to end up in this race, one having placed in the [GI Kentucky] Derby and the other won the [GI] Preakness [S.], for a farm of our size it's awfully satisfying.”

None of us, even the most sensitive and devoted of their custodians, can get into the heads of these animals sufficiently to know whether some frisson of recognition might be renewed when Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) and Rombauer (Twirling Candy) stroll into the parade ring before the GI Belmont S. All we can do is marvel that the whole crop, conceived and foaled and raised for no greater purpose, should include among the elite sieved into the Classics these two former paddock buddies from a small Bluegrass nursery.

Rombauer was actually foaled and weaned at Machmer Hall but transferred to Woodstock, a 190-acre farm on the Old Frankfort Pike, by breeders John and Diane Fradkin after that operation went private; while Hot Rod Charlie was sent here after being astutely picked out by Bob and Sean Feld as a $17,000 short yearling.

Aside from coinciding in their trackwork over the coming mornings, the Belmont won't be actually the first time the two colts have met since Hot Rod Charlie went back down the road to Fasig-Tipton following an eight-month sojourn with Berger. Both lined up for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile a year later, finishing third and fifth respectively, but they have performed still better in the Classics. Hot Rod Charlie ran third in the Kentucky Derby; while Rombauer, having sat out that race, pounced as a fresh horse to win the Preakness. It now feels as though a couple of star pupils from the same provincial high school have ended up as opposing attorneys at the Supreme Court.

“They would have been in the same field, from February on,” Berger recalls. “We buddied them up because one was going to the racetrack and the other was going to October and didn't need to start at the same time as the September horses. So they'd have gone together from a large, 15- or 20-acre field down to a couple acre paddock.”

Hot Rod Charlie, of course, had soon been redeemed from virtual anonymity at the Fasig-Tipton February Sale by the blossoming of his half-brother Mitole (Eskendereya) into champion sprinter. As such, he was still very well bought at the Fasig-Tipton October Sale by Dennis O'Neill for $110,000. In the meantime, he had already shown a tendency to draw attention to himself.

“He was one of those that want to do things at his speed, as opposed to what we wanted him to do,” Berger recalls. “He was a nice, good-bodied horse, always very forward. But he was a high energy kind of colt, and wanted to do things his way. We could hardly ever get him just to let down and walk. He constantly wanted to jog on the shank. He wanted to be first in, and first out, and if he wasn't he got a little bit excitable. In sales prep it all came together a bit, we were taking more effort out of him every day, and he settled and showed himself nicely.”

Rombauer, in contrast, was a model pupil who obligingly followed a different program before heading down to Eddie Woods in Ocala.

“He was a more laidback horse,” Berger recalls. “Very straightforward, very easy to deal with. Maybe because he was that way, that's why they got along like they did. When Hot Rod Charlie went into prep, Rombauer kind of stayed with him. They stayed paddocked next to each other, once we separated them, and he was on the same routine.”

When you consider that Woodstock did something pretty similar at Keeneland's first Breeders' Cup, then they must be doing something right. In 2016, they could claim a share of the credit for both first and third in the GI Juvenile Fillies' Turf: winner Catch a Glimpse (City Zip) was bred by Branch Equine, then operated by Berger's late father Robert; while the third Nemoralia (More Than Ready) had been pinhooked by Berger with David Egan.

For good measure, that crop also included Suddenbreakingnews (Mineshaft), bred by Branch Equine and fifth in the Derby after winning the GIII Southwest S. He was duly fancied for the Belmont, but disappointed, so Berger knows not to get ahead of himself this time round. But then that's something that becomes second nature when you deal with young Thoroughbreds, whose only reliability is their capacity to surprise.

“There's some that you think will do well that go out and don't do a thing, and others you think are just nice horses, they go and surprise you and are really good horses,” Berger says. “Suddenbreakingnews was a nice, straightforward horse, but I never thought he would end up in a photo for third in the Derby. Catch a Glimpse was a nice filly, but we let her go for $75,000 because that's what we thought she was worth. But, while I can't look at a horse that I've raised and say, 'This is going to be a Grade I horse,' I think you can say, 'This horse has got a chance.' A better chance than others. But so many things after they leave us have to happen right.”

It's precisely because you can't ever be certain that you must give them all the same opportunity: if you believe in your regime, your system, then they will have a platform whatever their potential. For Berger, less is more: the less he interferes, the more Nature can draw on her own resources. And the relatively intimate scale of Woodstock enables him to back off without ever losing sight of the nuances.

“I think I tend to be a little bit less intensive, in terms of micromanaging their day,” he explains. “I bring them in, feed them, exercise them, groom them, turn them back out, and just try not to get in their way too much. I think horses are better in their natural element. I don't like to overthink it, don't want to reinvent the wheel. Keep them outside as long as you can. Take care of issues as they come up, and then get them back out there. Just let them be horses as much as possible, and become the best they can be. I can't make a horse be what it's not.”

Obviously, sales preparation entails a little more discipline, with dates pretty well carved in stone, but Berger retains due flexibility for the likes of Hot Rod Charlie.

“He couldn't just do the same thing every day, like some of them,” he explains. “We couldn't lunge him or put him on the walker every day. We had to take our time: exercise him harder for periods, and then when he started getting a little over the top, back up and hand walk for a while. I think sometimes we're able to do things like that, because we have less numbers. It's always easier if you try to work with a horse's personality and quirks rather than against them.”

Berger lost his father a couple of years ago but he had been present when Catch a Glimpse won at the Breeders' Cup.

“He bought her mother Halo River [Irish River {Fr}] as a weanling and raced her,” Berger says. “She won the Appalachian before it was graded, but probably the best race he ever won. And he was there the day Catch a Glimpse broke her dam's track record in the same race. That was the year my mother passed, and I think Catch a Glimpse helped a lot, she was a special horse to all of us.”

Berger Sr. had a long and colorful career before entering the Turf. He had grown up on a coal camp in Harlan County, Ky., but went away to Duke University where he played linebacker and defensive guard for the Blue Devils under Wallace Wade. He served in the Air Force as first lieutenant before returning to Duke for law school, and practiced for 20 years before buying an explosives plant to supply mining clients.

“All along, he loved animals,” Berger recalls. “He bred dogs at one point, imported a field trial dog from England or Ireland, and with horses he started with Morgans. He had some success showing, but soon found out that Morgan horse babies don't bring near as much as Thoroughbred babies do, so he kind of transitioned that way.”

Berger Sr. cut his teeth with syndicates, with Centennial Farms and Dogwood, and struck gold with a stake in 1990 Preakness winner Summer Squall (Storm Bird) before initiating his own program.

“My father always had fairly strong ideas, and liked to be able to test them without having to answer to someone else,” Berger says. “If it succeeded, great. If it didn't, then he would learn from it and do it different next time. So, he started buying mares and breeding some on his own. And then after about 15 or 20 years [in 1997] my mother bought the farm and he brought his horses there.”

Berger himself graduated from Amherst College, Ma., and spent a year in Manhattan as a paralegal. But his heart wasn't in city life and when he went up to Saratoga to see his father sell a Storm Bird filly, her disappointing price didn't prevent a game-changing weekend. Berger was introduced to the Taylor brothers, who were looking after some of his father's mares at the time (along with Mill Ridge and Darby Dan) and were suitably polite when he mentioned the idea of getting some experience on their farm someday. A couple of weeks later he showed up at the farm office.

One of the Taylor boys got onto the phone to Berger Sr.

“Your son's here. We kind of told him he could have a job. He wants to learn about horses. What do you think?”

“Well,” came the reply. “If he wants to learn about horses, put him where you think he's going to learn about horses.”

“So, they stuck me in a barn with 26 foaling mares,” recalls Berger. “He didn't ask them to coddle me or to treat me any differently than anybody else. I think he would probably have been happier if I'd gone to law school. But after a couple of years, I just found that I liked what I was doing, and thought I could make a living doing it.”

Even when the family acquired a farm, and Berger was given the chance to transfer the skills he had honed with stints in South Carolina and New York, besides one at Mill Ridge, he was left no doubt that he would have to earn his stripes. The manager Tom Wright was retained, and became something of a mentor. Berger spent a winter as nightwatchman, he mucked out, he did the accounts. On Wright's death, however, he was given his chance.

“Of course I made mistakes along the way, but we kept at it together,” Berger says. “I think in the end my father was fine about me working with the horses, it just wasn't something he had expected or pointed me towards. If anything, he may have tried to steer me away–but I was a little too hard-headed to listen.”

And thank goodness for that. Berger is meeting the exemplary standards to which he was raised and, while determinedly modest, can surely take pride in the niche he has created for Woodstock.

“My father liked to do a lot of different things, and liked to make his own way,” he says. “In almost everything he set out to do, he typically got pretty doggone close to what he wanted. He never tried to be real hands-on, raising foals, and didn't want to race an awful lot. What he really enjoyed was studying pedigrees and putting matings together. And whether they sold well or not, he enjoyed seeing those horses run well for other people as much as anything.

“The horses gave him great pleasure. And so did his children and grandchildren. He was a huge supporter of Duke football, and basketball, which didn't necessarily make him the most liked person in Lexington! He was a lucky guy. He lived his life the way he chose, and made it work out for himself. We were lucky to have him as a father, and as a boss. Wasn't always the easiest guy to work for, but I learned a lot of things from him that I probably don't want to admit now.”

Now Berger is likewise improvising his own path. He has just four mares of his own, and pinhooks four or five weanlings.

“We're a small farm, and I've been lucky to have good people here the whole time,” he says. “These two horses, I think we just tried to stay out of their way, and let them became what they could. Machmer Hall foaled and raised Rombauer, and we've had luck before with them. We all know each other, all work with each other. Every year there's a lot of really nice horses that go through sales, a lot that don't go through sales. But out of a 20,000-plus foal crop, for two to be in the same field and end up in the same Classic race two years down the line, well, we'd sure like to see them run one-two. This is a big business, but it's a small world.”

The post Berger Shepherds Duo Into the Belmont Fold appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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My mom and dad raised five children on very low incomes. We all grew up thinking we were a middle-class family but in hindsight we were far from it. My parents created a way of life for us so that we never questioned our status growing up. We were happy and lacked nothing, especially love. In his younger days, John Feld dressed well, drove fancy cars, loved to bet on the horses and his getaway was Las Vegas. He was quite the bachelor and lived a fun and adventurous single life and a bit beyond his means because he could.

On one fortuitous trip to Las Vegas, he made a nice chunk of change over the weekend by hitting number 17 on the roulette wheel multiple times. The number 17 became the “Feld family lucky number” and includes events like his first born son born on February 17. The number 17's karmatic showing continues to this day.

My dad had slowly but surely gone into a coma as he was slowly but surely dying in front of his family. My mom, brother, sister, brother-in-law and I were all in the room to be in his presence as he passed. The doctor had told us that his coma was so deep that we would not be able to communicate with him nor would we see any response from him. As the hours went by, it became very apparent that the end of his life was near.

My son Sean and his “Pop” were close because they shared the passion of horse racing. Pop was the quintessential two-dollar bettor who loved the puzzle of picking the winner more than the gamble. In the 1980's, the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita started a tradition of giving away a commemorative stein each year on Opening Day of the meet. Pop started his own personal tradition of taking his oldest grandson, Sean, to Opening Day each year to get his stein. Annually on a Wednesday, his Mom and I allowed him to ditch school each year to go with Pop to add to his collection of steins.

I decided since Pop's life was about to end, to call Sean on my cell phone to see if he would like to say goodbye to his grandpa. He agreed. The room was deafeningly silent as if a vigil for my dad had already started. I held my phone up to Pop's ear and I could hear Sean through the phone tell his grandpa, “We are going to win the Kentucky Derby for you Pop.”

At that moment, my dad made a grunting sound. Time stood still. All of us in attendance could not believe there was this fleeting moment of “life” coming from my father to his grandson as he was about to take his last breath. Teary-eyed, I hung the phone up and the silence continued. It wasn't much later when my dad did take his very last breath. It was 9:17 a.m. and of course, on April 17th.

During the past 21 years since Pop passed, like everyone else in the Thoroughbred business, we have “tried” to win the Kentucky Derby, not for ourselves really but for Pop. Our budgets have ebbed and flowed over the years but with any and all budgets we try. That's what we do, it's all about trying. We got close a few years ago when a $61,000 yearling purchase, Sueno, would have been the last horse “scratched” into the race but he chipped his ankle Kentucky Derby week and did not enter. This year, our (not kidding) $17,000 yearling purchase is second in the point standings and has the look of a real contender coming off an impressive win in the Louisiana Derby.

My brother Jude trained on the Southern California circuit for 20 years so Pop knew the game well and he knew how tough it was to win a race, any race. Hot Rod Charlie doesn't have to win on the first Saturday in May and he still has to get there. The fact we have come this far with a $17,000 horse while knowing that Pop was “with us” when we bought him at that price is a victory in itself. I know Pop is proud of us already for trying, but if a 14-year-old boy could keep his promise to his dying grandfather, that would be the most satisfying and greatest victory of all and I have a feeling time will stand still once again for Pop!

Bob Feld, posted on Facebook and published with his permission

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Upon their purchase of the property, they also brought back its original name, Waldorf Farm, and began standing stallions and boarding broodmares.

Today, Bilinski foals between 105 to 110 mares each year.

This year, when Mr. Monomoy (Palace Malice) begins his new career at stud, he will join Bustin Stones (City Zip) at Waldorf Farm. Mr. Monomoy will stand as the property of Climax Stallions, LLC, Michael Dubb and Madaket Stables. His initial stud fee has been announced as $5,000.

When Climax Stallions set out to find a prospect to stand in New York, Mr. Monomoy checked all of the boxes as the half-brother to a two-time Distaff winner in seven-time Grade I-winning champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar).

Mr. Monomoy’s sire Palace Malice (Curlin) won more than $2.6 million, raced until age five, and his titles include winner of both the GI Metropolitan H. and GI Belmont S. The Grade I-producing third-crop sire stands at Three Chimneys Farm.

A member of his sire’s first crop to hit the track, Mr. Monomoy broke his maiden under trainer Brad Cox in his second start as a two-year-old at Churchill Downs going 6 1/2 furlongs and winning by 5 1/2 lengths. After finishing in the money in his next two starts, including a third-place effort in the GIII Lecomte S. behind Enforceable (Tapit) and Silver State (Hard Spun), he culminated his career with a 2 1/2-length wire-to-wire victory in the GII Risen Star S., defeating those same rivals he had finished behind in his previous start.

“We are very excited to have such a high-caliber stallion here in New York,” said Jerry Bilinski. “This is a top-notch stallion for this region. We had talked to Sean Feld of Climax Stallions about eventually having a horse that we could stand here at Waldorf. We were just holding our breath that someday, that would happen. A month or two ago, he called, and the rest is history.”

Bilinski said that Mr. Monomoy has a physical that should easily attract breeders.

“He’s got great size to him and he’s got a great stride,” he said. “If you look at his conformation photos, you’ll see exactly what we mean–that he does have what it’s going to take to be a sire.”

Sean Feld, managing partner of Climax Stallions, said that the intention was always to stand the Grade II winner in New York.

“We bought Mr. Monomoy specifically for the New York breeding program,” said Feld. “Mr. Monomoy had speed and he had speed on dirt. In New York, horses race on only dirt for almost half the year. He won going short and long. He broke his maiden going 6 1/2 furlongs and then won a Grade II going nine furlongs.”

He added that both Mr. Monomoy’s sire and his half-sister Monomoy Girl have great name recognition in New York.

“His sire Palace Malice was a monster in New York,” said Feld. “He won the Met Mile and the Belmont S., and his start at stud has been good. He throws stone-cold runners and his crop of mares last year is going to be great after he had Structor win the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Mr. Monomoy will be the first of many sons out there.”

“Our business model has turned into buying siblings of really good horses,” he continued. “We started with Bullet Train (GB) (Sadler’s Wells), a half to Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), then had Curlin to Mischief (Curlin), a half to Into Mischief and Beholder, as well as Editorial (War Front), a half to Uncle Mo, and St Patrick’s Day (Pioneerof the Nile), a full-brother to American Pharoah.”

But Feld said that Mr. Monomoy offers unique appeal compared to most stallions that begin their stud career in the program.

“One difference is that Mr. Monomoy has a really good race record,” he said. “He was able to win going short and then win a major Kentucky Derby prep by carrying his speed around two turns at a mile-and-an-eighth.”

“Those are two major check marks that make a top sire in my opinion,” added Brad Cox, who spoke with the TDN last December.

Feld pointed to the correlation of success at stud for half-brothers of two-time Distaff winners.

“There have only been four two-time Distaff winners,” he said. “The first was Bayakoa (Arg) (Consultant’s Bid), then Royal Delta (Empire Maker), whose half-brother Khozan (Distorted Humor) stands in Florida, next came Beholder (Henny Hughes), who is a half to Into Mischief and Mendelssohn and then the fourth one is Monomoy Girl. It has definitely correlated into stallion success.”

As owners, Feld said, Climax Stallions takes its marketing responsibility seriously for breeding and then later when the stallion’s foals hit the sales.

“Our main source of supporting the stallions we own is our marketing,” he said. “We throw a lot of money into really branding the horse. Success comes not just in breeding. We need people to like him at all points. We will also support him at the yearling sales. Mr. Dubb kept a piece of him as did Mr. Kumin. His team can’t wait for the foals.”

Bilinski reported that Mr. Monomoy has settled in easily at the sprawling upstate Waldorf Farm.

“He arrived approximately at seven in the morning and came off the van happy,” he said. “We put him in the stall. He looked around and started eating hay and it didn’t faze him a bit. He has an excellent mental attitude. My farm manager Kenny Toye says he’s been nothing but a gentle giant. And so, we’re very happy with that.”

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