|
UPCOMING
SALES
............
Buying opportunities
We will be on-site to
purchase yearlings at Keeneland
Fasig-Tipton
Selling opportunities
Keeneland September
view consignment
Fasig-Tipton October
|
|
60% winners at the Spa Saratoga Was Special for Partnership Runners
Led by a stakes winner, a high level allowance winner, and a debut maiden special winner, Hidden Brook partners found themselves in the winner's circle three times during the Saratoga race meet.
Three-year-old Street Life was the stakes winner, taking the $100,000 Curlin on July 27th; this was followed by 2-year-old Neck of the Moon, who won a $60,000 maiden special in her career debut August 3rd; and then 3-year-old Pianist took an $87,000 allowance over older mares in a sparkling 1:34.15 for the mile on turf. In 5 Saratoga starts, our Partnerships won 3 times and ran 3rd once.
For the year, Hidden Brook partnerships have 36 starts, with 8 wins, 4 seconds and 7 thirds, a 53% in the money ratio and 22% win clip.
|
|
Hidden Brook's
2012 stakes horses:
Alpha Bettor-G3
(Purchased as 2-year-old)
Awesome Feather
(sold for Jacks or Better Farm)
Awesome Maria-G1
(foaled & raised for
Robsham Stables) Awesomemundo-G3
(foaled, raised & sold)
Balooga Bull
(sold for Bernard & Michelle Vertuca)
Bay to Bay-G1
(sold for Adena Springs)
Bent Missile
(sold for Adena Springs)
Broadway's Alibi-G1
(foaled & raised for
Robsham Stables)
Buckle Bunny Babe
(2012 sale graduate)
Clear the Runway
(foaled, raised & sold for
Diane Connell)
Drill-G2
(weanling sale graduate)
Finnegans Wake-G1
(foaled and raised for
Jerry Crawford)
Game On Dude-G1
(consigned for Adena Springs)
Great Attack-G3
(sold as a yearling)
Indulgence
(sold for Adena Springs)
Innocent Man
(sold for Flying Zee)
Inny Minnie-G3
(purchased for Jake Ballis)
Kabu-G3
(bred, raised and sold)
Lake Dancer
(sold for Flying Zee)
Lady Candidate
(sold for John Adger & Highcliff)
La Reine Lionne-G2
(purchased and raced
in partnership)
Lunar Victory
(raised & sold for
David Howe & Bill Parsons)
Malossol-G3
(foaled & raised)
Manero
(sold for Flying Zee)
Millennia
(sold for Adena Springs)
Old Bushmill
(sold for Robkat Racing Stable)
R Gypsy Gold-G2
(foaled & raised for
Robsham Stables)
Rogue's Jewel
(purchased for Blue Devil Racing)
Slot Play
(raised for Sovereigh Stable)
Sportswriter
(sold for Flying Zee)
Stately Victor-G3
(consigned for Adena Springs)
Street Life-G2
(purchase & racing partnership)
Stock Fund
(sold for Flying Zee)
Thunder Lord
(consigned for Adena Springs)
Torchme
(consigned for
Hidden Point Farm)
Travelin Man
(foaled for Robsham Stables)
Walkin in a Shadow
(foaled, raised & sold)
War Signal
(foaled, raised & sold)
Weekendhideaway
(sold for Flying Zee)
Yawanna Twist-G2
(raised & consigned for
Steel Your Face)
|
Spotlight on
STAKES HORSES
of the past 30 daysALPHA BETTOR-G3 4yo BALOOGA BULL 3yo
SPORTSWRITER 3yo
WEEKENDHIDEAWAY 2yo
Game On Dude-G1 5yo
Finnegans Wake-G1 3yo
Indulgence 5yo
Manero 3yo
Slot Play 2yo |
|
To become a
part of the
HIDDEN BROOK program,
call today
(859) 988-9377
|
CONTACTS
Sergio de Sousa
(859) 983-1897
sergio@hiddenbrookfarmky.com
Jack Brothers
(917) 287-2273
jkckjbrothers@msn.com
Dan Hall
(859) 621-0526
danhall@hiddenbrookfarmky.com
Mike Recio
(859) 221-1809
mrecio@hiddenbrookfarmky.com
Bryan Cross
(859) 361-9027
|
|
HIDDEN BROOK
|
|
|
60 yearlings in lineup
Strong Group for Keeneland September
 Led by yearlings by America's current Leading Sire and current Leading Juvenile Sire, Hidden Brook heads into the Keeneland September Sale with a strong contingent of young horses.
Selling Wednesday, September 12 through Thursday, September 20, the consignment comprises 32 colts and 28 fillies, representing veteran sires, red hot freshman sires, and highly regarded first year sales sires.
The first draft of Hidden Brook yearlings sell in Book 2, including colts by Big Brown, Dixie Union, Mineshaft, and Giant's Causeway, and fillies by Mineshaft and Street Sense.
The remaining sessions will feature yearlings by Awesome Again, Bernstein, Big Brown, Borrego, Broken Vow, Cactus Ridge, City Zip, Colonel John, Cowboy Cal, Curlin, Discreet Cat, Exchange Rate, Fairbanks, Ghostzapper, Giant's Causeway, Half Ours, Hard Spun, Henny Hughes, Invasor, Jump Start, Kitten's Joy, Langfuhr, Latent Heat, Lemon Drop Kid, Macho Uno, Majestic Warrior, Malibu Moon, Master Command, Milwaukee Brew, Mineshaft, Offlee Wild, Old Fashioned, Pure Prize, Put It Back, Quiet American, Rock Hard Ten, Scat Daddy, Sharp Humor, Silent Name, Sky Mesa, Spring At Last, Tale of the Cat, Tiznow, Tiz Wonderful, Value Plus, and Yes It's True.
Managing Partner Sergio de Sousa says the 2012 consignment comprises a solid group, while noting that 19 of Hidden Brook's 41 current stakes horses were consigned as yearlings, including America's top older male, multi-millionaire Game On Dude.
The entire Hidden Brook consignment may be accessed via the link on the left side of this Newsletter. |
...............................................................................................
|
|
Could we make this up?
Rabbi Doubles as Bookie at Funeral
Our friend Roger Sofer passed along the following story he received via email, and we are compelled to share it with our readers. Here it is, in slightly edited form. Horse racing lovers somewhere in the Great Beyond must be smiling.
Subject: Funeral
So today I went to the funeral of the father of a friend.
The father was 88 and a life well-lived, so it was more one of those celebration of life funerals and not very sad.
The father loved going to the track and betting on horses, a fact discussed multiple times in the eulogies. So unbeknownst to anyone, the family had gone to an off track betting place, picked a race they knew would run during the last fifteen minutes of the funeral, a placed a ton of two dollar bets, covering every horse in the race multiple times. And under each chair in the synagogue chapel they taped a betting slip. Then at the end of the service, the race was running. The Rabbi told the story and instructed everyone to reach under their chairs and someone read the race results off their smart phone, and the Rabbi announced the winners. He then pulled wads of cash from an envelope and paid off the bets of the winners. Rabbi as bookie. The winner paid 7-1 by the way. (I didn't get a betting slip because, I swear, I gave my seat up to a blind girl and stood the whole time. And I was in back because my car died in the middle of nowhere on the way there and we had to call a taxi and made the service with two minutes to spare).
Anyway, surely a classic in funeral history.
As a postscript, Roger tells us, "I was at a funeral of a man like in the story, and the guests signed a Daily Racing Form." If any of our readers has a horse racing story to share, send it on, and we'll consider publishing it in a future Newsletter!
|
...............................................................................................
|
|
Inside the WINNER'S CIRCLE
with David O'Farrell
 | |
David O'Farrell (seated)
alongside his brother Joe
and dad, Mike
|
A popular feature for The HIDDEN BROOK TIMES is a Q&A with some of our valued clients. David O'Farrell, a third generation horseman whose family has owned and operated Ocala Stud for over half a century, has been with Hidden Brook since our first season. In the throes of a superb year, as Ocala Stud stands the hot Grade 1 sire High Cotton and is breeder/seller of Grade 1 winners Musical Romance and Turbulent Descent, David took some time to give some A's to our Q's. Here are a few of his thoughts on the Thoroughbred industry and life in general.
Age: 32
Residence: Ocala Stud
Family: wife Allison; daughters Maggie (3), Annie (2); Expecting Oct. 31
Education: Erskine College, in South Carolina.
Business Major
Primary business: Ocala Stud
I only know horses
David, your family runs one of the most successful, longest running Thoroughbred operations in Florida. Were the O'Farrells always horse people? Yes they were. I don't know how far back to go, but before they migrated to Florida, they lived on and operated a horse farm in Westminster, Maryland.
Is there extra pressure on you, having a grandfather and father as successful as yours? I wouldn't call it pressure. I always knew I'd be a horseman. My brother and I went away to college to pursue whatever we wanted to do, but we both came back to the farm. It was the only thing I ever wanted to do.
The O'Farrells clearly know their way around a good horse. Ocala Stud stood Foundation Sire Rough'n Tumble; stands perennial leading sire Montbrook; broke and trained Unbridled and Street Sense; bred and sold Musical Romance and Turbulent Descent. What can you tell us about those good horses? We've certainly been fortunate to be around good horses. I was too young to have familiarity with Unbridled. I was 10 when he won the Derby, and I recall all the excitement with it. But I was too young to understand the magnitude. I have more appreciation of it now. When Street Sense won, I was 27, but I was more involved with the broodmare operation. Now, Musical Romance was more of a surprise--she was blue collar, a real working man's horse. She was fast, and worked really well for the sale. But to say I knew she would be a champion, no. Turbulent Descent though, was all class. She had a really good mind.
What common things do you find in a "good horse"? There are exceptions, of course, but most of the time, they have good minds and show themselves well. Good horses come in all different shapes and sizes, with all kinds of conformation flaws. People think a horse has this quality or that quality--but runners come from everywhere. Most good ones show themselves, have presence about them, show their class. It hits you right between the eyes; they've either got it or they don't.
Ocala Stud focuses primarily on stallions, breaking and training, and selling juveniles in training. Where does Hidden Brook fit in? Obviously, we are trying to play at the top end. The 2-year-old sales are very competitive. We have very good families and pedigrees, and our own good studs; but we are trying to diversify and breed to some commercial sires in Kentucky. That's where Hidden Brook comes in.
What drew you to Hidden Brook? We were familiar with Hidden Brook through Stanley Hough, who trained for Robsham Stables. Their horses in Kentucky were boarded at Hidden Brook, and they had great success, very few problems. The horses came to us in good condition. We said, 'If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us.'
How has the Hidden Brook experience been different? They've done a terrific job; a superb job. We've had very few problems. Every mare we've sent up has gotten in foal. We have never had a barren mare. The pressure's on Sergio, now. [Laughing]. We're gonna test them next year.
What is the first race you can remember watching? I've watched a ton of horse races. But the one that really grabbed my attention was the 1997 Kentucky Derby, when Silver Charm nosed out Captain Bodgit. Two Florida-breds, and Captain Bodgit was foaled and raised at Ocala Stud. I was 17 years old, in high school, but that is one race where I can look back and say, 'This was cool.'
Tell us about your own personal most exciting moment in racing. Breeding my first stakes winner, Calder Oaks winner Chary. She's a homebred by Montbrook. I bred her in partnership with my brother and the farm.
What advice would you have for others who want to get in the game? First and foremost--surround yourself with good people. The horse business is about relationships. Align yourself with good people. You are investing in people as much as horses. Do business with good people.
Favorite racetrack? Saratoga.
First thing you read in the morning? TDN.
Favorite sports team? Florida Gators.
Favorite meal? Meat and potatoes.
Best advice someone gave you? Something you hear a lot in the horse business: that adage about 'a bird in the hand'...learn to understand it. It's one thing to know it, another to understand it and act on it.
Thank you David O'Farrell, for giving us a few minutes of your time inside the Winner's Circle.
|
|
