April 22, 2015 www.paulickreport.com SPECIAL Florida Legends: O Farrell Changed Sales Market By Natalie Voss In 1956, a horse named Needles wore roses on the first Saturday in May, becoming the first Florida-bred to achieve the Kentucky Derby victory. The same year, Joe O Farrell traveled to Ocala from Maryland to look at a farm for a client, and he ended up putting together a syndicate to buy the property the same day. O Farrell, who had bought his first mare 20 years earlier in Maryland, was once called the Johnny Appleseed of the [Florida] horse industry by Palm Beach Illustrated, and it was a title that suited him. He had grown up surrounded by Standardbreds and hunter/jumpers trained by both sets of grandparents, and he transitioned to Thoroughbreds with brother Tom at Windy Hills Farm just after graduating college. The brothers greatest success was a steeplechaser named Ragtime Cowboy, a son of Rough n Tumble. After the purchase of Ocala Stud, O Farrell worked out a deal to bring Rough n Tumble south, where the horse became the base for the farm s success. O Farrell had fallen in love with Florida, a state where there were just four other major Thoroughbred breeding operations in the late 1950s, according to his son, J. Michael O Farrell. He had a passion for the business, said Michael O Farrell. He thought Ocala was a tremendous place to raise horses. He believed in it, and he sold it to a lot of people. Rough n Tumble helped O Farrell put Ocala Stud (and by extension, Florida) on the national map, siring champion 2-year-old filly My Dear Girl and the legendary Dr. Fager. Ocala Stud became the first non-kentucky farm to attain leading owner/breeder status on the national rankings lists in the 1960s. The farm went on to produce or train Carry Back, Roman Brother, and Office Queen among others. Undoubtedly, O Farrell s biggest accomplishment was as a ASK RAY salesman. He was one of the innovators of the 2-year-old sale. Michael O Farrell recalled that when his father began developing the idea of selling 2-year-old horses at auction, the concept was breaking the mold. In the early years, everybody thought they were crazy trying to sell horses as 2-year-olds, he said. It was something new, and prior to 1957, horses were sold entirely on pedigree as yearlings. For someone to market horses that had been in training for five or six months, it was something totally new. Ultimately, O Farrell s dogged personality as a salesman was what probably helped win over buyers. He was a salesman, said the younger O Farrell. He was aggressive, and he was flamboyant. He wasn t meek and continued on Page 5 Look for WinStar-sired 2YOs at OBS April by: Artie Schiller Bellamy Road Colonel John Congrats Distorted Humor Drosselmeyer Hold Me Back More Than Ready Pioneerof the Nile Sidney s Candy Speightstown Super Saver Tiznow QUESTION: Materiality has raced only three times in his career. Are there any Kentucky Derby winners with so few starts? ANSWER: The filly Regret in 1915 and Big Brown in 2008 only had three career starts. Two Derby winners Alan-a- Dale in 1902 and Exterminator in 1918 came to Churchill Downs with just four career starts. www.winstarfarm.com (859) 873-1717
www.paulickreport.com Page 2 Stallion Spotlight Bernardini and Pioneerof the Nile By Frank Mitchell Classic speed is the key to racing at the highest level in the States. Either quality alone is a guarantee of marginalization. In possessing these qualities, the A.P. Indy strain of Bold Ruler through Triple Crown winners Seattle Slew and Secretariat has been moving to the forefront for the better part of two decades. Today, A.P. Indy s contribution to the breed is becoming more and more evident through his grandson Tapit, through leading sire Malibu Moon and his Kentucky Derby-winning son Orb, and through numerous sons like champion Bernardini, leading sires Congrats and Flatter, plus many others. Not only do these sires get offspring that mature well and place themselves in contention for the classics and other important races at the top level, but their racers also show speed that allows them to participate in the important races for juveniles. And frequently, their stock will show up for the in-training sales for 2-year-olds. These qualities of early readiness and lightness of foot are important not because there are graded stakes at a furlong or two. Instead, these qualities are indicators of an abundance of athletic ability, and some horses of this type will continue to progress and develop into the best prospects at 3. In this regard, Bernardini has been a regular favorite among 2-year-old sale consignors and buyers. His offspring can show good form early and regularly improve as they Pioneerof the Nile mature. You won t see many of them at the 2-year-old sales because the economics of purchase for resale dictate certain price levels for pinhookers, and that will keep the Bernardinis rather scarce. But a sire of similar qualities is Pioneerof the Nile (by Empire Maker). From the most classic strain of Mr. Prospector, through Fappiano and his son Unbridled, this sire is showing signs of joining the A.P. Indy stallions as a sire who gets good speed in 2-year-olds and good maturation at 3. The most obvious example of this is American Pharoah, last year s champion 2-year-old colt and currently a leading choice for the Kentucky Derby after 2015 victories at Oaklawn Park in the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby. Many other performers among the sire s stock, however, would qualify for this. A year ago, two talking horses for the classics were Pioneerof the Nile s Cairo Prince and Social Inclusion. Cairo Prince had been a top juvenile, and he came on like gangbusters early in 2014 but was sidelined before the Kentucky Derby with an ankle injury. And the fresh face among the classic prospects had been Social Inclusion, who ran a couple of the most exciting races in Florida over the winter, then placed third in the Preakness. Although neither won a classic, they were showing form that placed them in the forefront, and from there, the road to the winner s circle is a route ruled by toughness, timing, and luck. PRS
www.paulickreport.com Page 3 Honor Roll Ocho Ocho Ocho Punches Kentucky Derby Ticket By Scott Jagow more, so I gave it to him. Bred in Kentucky by Siena Farm, Ocho Ocho Ocho caught the eye of sale buyers, fetching $200,000 as a pinhook at last year s OBS April sale (he was hip #888, hence his name). The buyer was California telecom executive Deron Pearson, who raced under his own name before establishing DP Racing in 2014. Once his attitude issues were under control, Ocho Ocho Ocho showed his connections how their patient approach would pay off. He won his first two starts at Santa Anita, and then was shipped to Delta Downs for the Grade 3 Jackpot, where he showed determination in the stretch, grabbing another victory and points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. 2012 Dk B Colt, Street Sense Winner, by Horse Chestnut (SAF). Consigned by Taylor Made Sales, agt., to 2013 KEE Sept., purchased by Grassroots Training & Sales. Consigned by Grassroots to 2014 OBS April, purchased by DP Racing for $200,000. When Ocho Ocho Ocho landed in the Del Mar barn of trainer Jim Cassidy last summer, it was hard to tell what the colt might become. He wasn t ready for the racetrack. He was a bit of a bully, said Cassidy. He wasn t very cooperative, one of those ones to rear up and bite the groom, that kind of thing. The son of Street Sense didn t make a start at Del Mar, and Cassidy thought about gelding him but decided to take him north to Santa Anita and see if things improved. They did. I couldn t really tell you what it was, but he started acting okay, Cassidy said. He worked better. He was looking for RANDOM FACTS by Ray Paulick Eight of the 20 top point earners currently expected to run in the Kentucky Derby sold as 2-year-olds, with the high price of $1.6 million for Carpe Diem and the low of $51,000 for War Story. The average price of the eight is $416,375 and the median $220,000. Unbeaten heading into his 3-year-old debut, the G2 San Felipe in March, Ocho Ocho Ocho broke slow and got jostled around, finishing eighth of 10. Jockey Mike Smith told Cassidy to just toss the race, and the colt was sent to Kentucky for the Blue Grass Stakes, where he finished third, getting enough points and some needed conditioning for the first Saturday in May. He ll be a longshot on May 2, but Cassidy said Ocho Ocho Ocho has been working well, was bred to get the distance by a Kentucky Derby-winning sire, and has versatility. He can be put in any position in a race. He ll relax, he can go to the front, he s got plenty of natural speed, and he can come from off of it. It depends on how the race unfolds. About For advertising inquiries please call Emily at 859.913.9633 Ray Paulick - Publisher ray@paulickreport.com Emily Alberti - Director of Advertising emily@paulickreport.com Scott Jagow - Editor-in-Chief scott@paulickreport.com Mary Schweitzer - News Editor mary@paulickreport.com Natalie Voss - Features Editor natalie@paulickreport.com Emily White - Weekend Editor emilywhite@paulickreport.com Frank Mitchell - Contributing Writer COPYRIGHT 2015, BLENHEIM PUBLISHING LLC PRS
www.paulickreport.com Page 4 Back Ring Getting to know Ahmed Zayat How did you first get interested in horse racing? Growing up in Egypt I used to ride horses. There was a club where I rode and my family had farmland and we had horses there. So I ve always loved horses. When I came to America and sold my beverage company and retired, my mother-in-law suggested I follow my passion. I can t do anything halfway, so I went to a horse sale. I contacted trainer Jimmy Toner, who said he doesn t usually go to the sale but would be happy to go. It was a 2-year-old sale and we bought three or four horses. I was like a kid in a candy store. How important is it to you that your family seems just as interested in ownership? It s huge, very important. It makes it so much easier. Dinner table conversations have evolved over the years. When I got in the business, maybe 5 percent of our dinner talk was about horses. I can tell you right now, at least 60 or 70 percent of our dinner conversation is about horses. It NEW DATE OCT. 4th, 2015 Featured Yearling Session Catalog Fee $500.00 Mixed Sale Horses of all Ages Commission 5% with a $150 minimum Catalog Deadline August 25th Supplemental entries accepted after catalog deadline and until Sept. 30th 2829 South MacArthur Blvd., Oklahoma City OK 73128 405.682.4551 www.heritageplace.com email: info@heritageplace.com has become a true bond with the whole family and brings us all together. What are some of the key fundamentals in your approach to ownership? With any business there is a large learning curve. Our objective has always been to develop Grade 1 winners it s not winning the Kentucky Derby. You have to read, research, pick people s brains; that s how I found EQB (which buys horses for Zayat). It s so important to have consultants and advisors you can rely on and trust. Second, you need to be hands on. You can t do the job just by delegating. It s important to go out and watch your horses in the morning. Third, enjoy the ride. Understand there are highs and lows. The fourth major point: This game is for people who have passion but who are also very competitive. If you are lucky enough to win 25 percent of the time, that means you are losing 75 percent. For a competitive guy that s a big adjustment or orientation. What so far has been your biggest thrill in the game? I hope I m not sounding corny, but flying my family to Los Angeles to see Paynter s comeback race. It was a weekday and I took the kids out of school. Just seeing this unbelievable guy come back like he did after all he went through was such an inspiration. Do you have a favorite racetrack? I absolutely love Santa Anita: the beauty, the mountains, the view and the tradition. Second would be Del Mar and third Churchill Downs. Would you rather be lucky or good? Are you kidding me? Lucky. You have just been designated horse racing czar. What is the first thing you will do? Uniform rules involving medication. Every jurisdiction has to have the same rules. It s ludicrous what we have now. PRS
www.paulickreport.com Page 5 mild, let s put it that way, but he was what was needed. He was one of those guys who would work 12, 14 hours a day and think nothing of it, because he was doing what he loved. The country s first 2-year-old sale was held at Hialeah Park in 1957 with O Farrell s orchestration. The auction sold 25 of 26 horses for an average of $4,500 -- considered good at that time. Since then, of course, juvenile sales have grown into a high-dollar, high performance marketplace. continued from Page 1 O Farrell wasn t just a proponent of Ocala Stud horses as co-founder of the Florida Breeders Sales Association, eventual Keeneland Library co-founder of the Ocala Breeders Sales Company, and cofounder of the Florida Horse magazine, he was a walking advertisement for any Florida-bred. O Farrell hosted potential buyers, turfwriters, and anyone else interested in the state s industry in the clubhouse at Ocala Stud during sales. He was said to have installed a giant old ship s bell above a symbolic piece of Florida limestone in a central location at Ocala Stud and would ring the bell every time a Florida-bred won a stakes race somewhere in the country. Eventually, that became so regular an occurrence, he had to reserve the celebratory noise-making for horses the farm bred. By the 1970s, Florida was the third-largest producer of Thoroughbreds in the nation (it was virtually unheard of as a racehorse haven in the 1930s). Though the farm changed hands in 1968, O Farrell continued to run the day-to-day operations of the facility, which the family ultimately bought back. O Farrell helped build the farm s holdings from around 300 acres at the time of its purchase in the late 1950s to over 1,400 acres by the time of his death in 1982. O Farrell s accomplishments were recognized with two awards from the National Turf Writers Association, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services External Distinguished Service Award, and admittance to the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame in 1991. Ocala Stud has continued under the hands of Michael O Farrell, who said it is now one of the last remaining farms to operate as a commercial breeder of 2-year-olds. It hasn t been easy no part of the horse business is easy, he said. Initially the first few years of 2-year-old sales were all Florida-breds, and they were all being sold by the people who bred those horses. In today s world, there s less than a handful probably of breeders who sell at the 2-year-old sales. There s a reason for that: it s difficult. It s a long lead time up until your sale. I feel fortunate that we ve been able to withstand the test of time. PRS
www.paulickreport.com Page 6 Five to Watch A look at some of the sale s top hips By Frank Mitchell Hip 765 Colt by Bernardini x Backseat Rhythm, by El Corredor: This son of champion Bernardini ran a furlong in only :10 3/5 but has a pedigree to suggest a mile is more his speed, anyway. The colt s dam is G1 winner Backseat Rhythm, who was also three times G1-placed, including a third in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies. Backseat Rhythm would be most people s selection as the best performer for sire El Corredor and earned $842,195. Hip 868 Colt by Tapit x Ocean Drive, by Belong to Me: This colt skipped a furlong in :10 1/5, and by leading sire Tapit, the youngster will attract lots of looks. His dam is four-time GSW Ocean Drive, also the dam of multiple stakes winner West Ocean (Elusive Quality). Ocean Drive is one of four major stakes winners out of Clever But Costly (Clever Trick), who also produced Traitor and Sun King. Hip 957 Colt by Unbridled s Song x Destroy, by Housebuster: This quick gray is out of an Outstanding Broodmare of the Year in Canada. Destroy produced stakes winners Smokey Fire, Utterly Cool, and Ghost Fleet, along with stakes-placed Search the Church and Gravelly Bay. The second dam is Canadian champion Eternal Search. Hip 1073 Colt by Street Cry x Gharbiah, by Bernardini: With a breeze in :9 4/5, this son of Street Cry showed plenty of speed and is the first foal of a Bernardini mare from a great family. The dam is a half-sister to three stakes winners, including multiple G1 winner Honey Ryder, as well as Cuando and Cuando Puede. The latter pair also have produced graded stakes winners. Hip 1117 Colt by Pioneerof the Nile x Guess, by Twining: As the sire of multiple serious performers in the classic preps the past two years with his first and second crops of racers, including Kentucky Derby hopeful American Pharoah, Pioneerof the Nile is getting attention. That makes his offspring hot commodities. This colt is out of stakes winner Guess, who is one of two stakes winners out of Diamond Sunjet, a stakes winner herself and half-sister to Wekiva Springs, a G1 winner of $1.5 million and such races as the Gulfstream Park Handicap, Suburban, Brooklyn, and San PRS Fernando. The Breeders Farm 859-294-0030 www.spendthriftfarm.com