Running on Empty - by Joe Hickey

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:13:00 GMT

Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Aug. 11, 1972 — From inside the darkened recesses of Primrose Path, where the power players and wannabes sit down with Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam to schmooze and make deals, a cry rose above the revelry, “You guys better sharpen your pencils.”

A round of laughter ensued; everybody got the message.

Windfields vice president Joe Thomas and I walked on, knowing full well we were the butt of the taunting.

There wouldn’t be martini lunches at Old Bryan Inn, nor delectable dinners at Chez Pierre or Wishing Well this August. Instead, we kept a self-imposed low profile, eating at the Spa Diner while sharing a bat-ridden room on Calvin Coolidge-era mattresses in Mrs. Vogel’s Union Avenue garret.

Black Friday. It was the night that Windfields Farm ran aground. Threw craps. Bombed—done-in by announced reserves. E.P. Taylor had utilized that sales format with marked success for years at yearling sales in Canada, where the buying public looked to the great breeder for guidance as to a racing prospect’s worth.

He had gambled and won at a pre-priced farm sale in 1962, when buyers passed up year-old Northern Dancer at his $25,000 reserve. E.P. gambled and lost in 1968 when Nijinsky II, carrying an announced reserve of $60,000 at Woodbine, was purchased for Charles Engelhard for a Canadian record $84,000. Two years later, Nijinsky II became the only English Triple Crown winner since Bahram in 1935. E.P. Taylor never got over losing the greatest racehorse he ever bred, just as Ogden Phipps rued the day he lost Secretariat on a foal-sharing coin flip to Penny Chenery.

When Windfields entered the U.S. yearling market as a consignor in 1971 at Saratoga, the format was to sell with announced reserves. Results were mixed: seven of 10 yearlings with combined reserves of $250,000 brought $452,000, topping the sale in average. It was worth a return engagement.

Showings leading up to the Friday night sale were disappointing, chiefly because our marquee colt—a Dr. Fager half-brother to Northern Dancer—had been scratched after being cast. We needed a “talking horse”—or a barker out front.

Seated behind Mrs. Taylor in the Humphrey S. Finney sales pavilion—named for my mentor—I could see the muscles in the boss’ jaw twitch as he bit down on his pipe stem when the first two Northern Dancer colts left the ring without drawing a bid. Joe Thomas slouched lower in his seat.

The Nearctic—Eastern Melody colt at $25,000 drew two bids, opening and closing. Tartan bought the Nearctic—Flaming Issue colt at the $35,000 asking price. Then the bottom fell out.

A Viceregal colt out of Fleur (she was later to produce The Minstrel, an Epsom Derby winner syndicated for a record $9 million) didn’t meet his asking price of $60,000. “Good,” responded Mrs. Taylor. “I didn’t want to sell him, anyway.” Her husband flushed and all but disappeared in a plume of smoke. “Winnie, will you please stop that…”

When the Buckpasser filly failed to attract a bid, Mrs. Taylor was on her side. “She’s such a lovely filly. I’m glad she’s going home.”

“That’s enough, Winnie.”

When the 1972 blood-letting was over, only four of 15 Windfields yearlings were sold after five bids. The consignment leader at $100,000 was a small, unfinished March 15 foal by Northern Dancer—Lady Victoria, by Victoria Park, that Jim Scully’s Thoroughbred Productions bought for Zenya Yoshida. The blaze-faced miler was a multiple group winner in France, including the group I Prix de la Foret.

Retired to stud at Yoshida’s Shadai base in Hokkaido, Northern Taste raised Japan’s breeding industry to an international level. As the Lexington of the Pacific Rim, he reigned as Japan’s leading sire 11 consecutive years and topped the country’s broodmare sires a number of times before Sunday Silence dethroned him.

A resilient risk-taker all his life, E.P. Taylor did not bruise easily. He survived a torpedoing during WW II, and in his 70s walked away from an earthquake in Mexico.

Footnote: Among Windfields’ leftovers from the 1972 Saratoga sale was Canadian champion-to-be Lord Durham. Windfields returned with announced reserves in 1973 and 1974, leading all consignors both years.

And the glory years at Keeneland July were still to come.

Joe Hickey, who lives in Easton, Md., has been a publicist, writer, breeding farm administrator, and racing commissioner.

Red, White, and Renew - by Kevin Lay

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:40:00 GMT

For six weeks in late summer, top Thoroughbreds, owners, and trainers assemble in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to put on a one-of-a-kind equine display. Saratoga Race Course is often referred to as “America’s Great Race Place” or simply “The Spa.” My wife and I have made the sojourn each August since 1999 and we admit—we’re hooked!

As we bask in the afterglow of celebrating the birth of our great country, my thoughts can’t help but to wander patriotically to the many benefits available to us here in America. The fruits of my pondering yielded an unmistakable connection between America’s greatest virtues and the embodiment of those virtues that come alive each summer in Saratoga.

For centuries, folks from near and far have followed the irresistible urge to go to Saratoga Springs to renew their health, by drinking in the many mineral springs; their spirit, by basking in the peaceful beauty and serenity of the physical surroundings; and their energy and vitality, by their close interaction with those majestic Thoroughbreds. Horse racing has long been referred to as the Sport of Kings, but an afternoon of people watching amidst the red and white color scheme at Saratoga Race Course reveals that kings, as well as commoners, equally comprise the body of those in attendance.

What is it about a day at the Saratoga races that draws such a wide range of interest from such a broad spectrum of Americans? A day at the Saratoga races contains three key elements that serve as a metaphor for what we find so valuable and enticing about living in America, and serves as the draw for so many.

America is a melting pot of people, many of whom immigrated to this country in search of a better life. What they found when they arrived and what we all enjoy to this day is a beautiful and bountiful landmass. Along with this beauty, we have the freedom to pursue our dreams, which for many includes the hope of a reasonable opportunity for finding prosperity.

Beauty—No matter from what direction one approaches Saratoga Springs, the raw beauty of the countryside takes the breath away. With the Catskill Mountains to the south and the Adirondack Mountains to the north, Saratoga Springs lies nestled, like a 10-carat gem in a solid gold ring. The mountains, lakes, streams, and rolling farmland are amazing. And the trees—they seem to get taller and taller as you approach the track, and upon passing the admission gates, seem to rise into the heavens in an almost surreal way.

Once inside, the place has more of a campground feel than it does a racetrack. The dirt ovals that surround the tall pines in the saddling paddock remind one of how it must have been done a century ago, and the rustic grandstand remains as a traditional reminder of years gone by.

Freedom—I am continually amazed by the opportunities for Saratoga track patrons to get nose-to-nose with multi-million-dollar equine athletes in the stable areas at the track. Sure, there are some security measures in place to protect the horses, but in general, there is an air of laid-back trust that is not found at any other track in the country. This gives the “common guy” the freedom to rub elbows with the inner sanctum of the sport without the risks and costs of actual racehorse ownership.

Prosperity—A day at the races in Saratoga, in close contact with the elite horses, owners, and trainers, gives the fan a sense that prosperity is attainable. As a small-scale Thoroughbred breeder, I often get a sense of the “possible” as I watch the races at Saratoga. It seems somehow as if the opportunity to breed or race a graded stakes horse is not that far a stretch. Prosperity is simply a matter of perspective, and I always leave Saratoga with a renewed sense that we as Americans are indeed amazingly prosperous and blessed.

Indeed, I would concur with former President Reagan’s words. I would also add that seeing that horse in Saratoga Springs makes it an over-the-top experience.

Whether you are involved with racehorse ownership as we are—or whether you are just seeking some new kind of vacation experience—it is a veritable certainty you will enjoy your day at “The Spa.” Come bathe yourself in the red and white—and renew!

KEVIN LAY is a Thoroughbred owner and breeder from Minneapolis, Minn., doing business under the Triple B Stables banner.

Final Turn : saratoga

Running on Empty - by Joe Hickey

Red, White, and Renew - by Kevin Lay