THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF HIDDEN BROOK FARM

OCTOBER, 2013 · VOL. 3  NO. 10

UPCOMING  

SALES  

............  

Buying Opportunities

we will be on-site to
purchase horses at 

Hidden Brook's 2013
Stakes Horses:    

Lady Henrietta

Maracuya 

Saint Arthur 

Silverette 

True Thought

War Prospector 

Weekend Hideaway

White Rose  

Interested in joining  

in the fun?  

Call Dan Hall to learn more

about Hidden Brook Racing

partnership opportunities!

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

HIDDEN BROOK

Simply Grand!  

Pianist notches career best performance in G3 Athenia S.   

Pianist improved her turf record yet again with her second graded stakes score of the year when she galloped home on top in the Grade 3 Athenia Stakes at Belmont.  The effort earned her a lifetime-best Beyer of 98 and Ragozin number of 6-3/4.  Making her sixth start of 2013 in the $200,000 Athenia, running for trainer Chad Brown, Pianist broke sharply and settled in second, pressuring the frontrunner under new pilot Jose Ortiz.  

Into the far turn pressing a solid pace of 47 and change, the striking chestnut showed her prowess on the grass, gained control at the top of the stretch and extended a comfortable three length lead.  Ears pricked and looking much the best, she finished strongly and held on to win by two lengths. 

Pianist, by More Than Ready, out of the Red Ransom mare, Red Piano, was bred in Kentucky by Grapestock LLC, and was purchased by Hidden Brook as a yearling at the 2010 Keeneland September Sale for $100,000. Her Athenia score improved her record to 13-6-2-2 and increased her lifetime earnings to $498,450.  She has run at seven different tracks and hit the board in every start but one, including four stakes wins (two of them graded) and three times on the board in graded stakes.  

Several partners attended the Belmont contest in person, including John McNulty who remarked "the way she's been racing, we felt confident we'd end up in the Winner's Circle!", and adding "when Pianist runs, you just don't want to miss it!"  

Pianist came out of the race in very good order and will remain in training in New York for time being.  Hidden Brook partners look forward to her continued racetrack success. 

One of the most popular features of The HIDDEN BROOK TIMES is a Q&A with some of our valued clients. Arika Everatt-Meeuse is involved in the Canadian Thoroughbred industry with the family business -- Shannondoe Farm in St. Thomas, Ontario, and Colton Springs in Paris, Kentucky.  Together with her parents, Arika bred Sand Cove, Champion Older Horse in Canada in 2010.  Arika was kind enough to take some time after out her busy schedule to speak with us before the Fasig-Tipton October Yearling sale.

Residence: Ontario, Canada   

Family: Husband, Tim and two boys: Colt (9) and Brayden (3)

Primary business: Managing family business of breeding and raising Thoroughbreds

What was it like growing up in the horse business (in Canada)? It was great!  I showed hunter/jumpers into my early twenties, so I was at horse shows every weekend.  We traveled to sales all the time and I lived in the barn. As an early teen, I began flipping race horses and ponies for income and was pretty much hooked on the industry from the beginning!

Are there any racings or breeding moments that are particularly memorable for you? We bred two Champions - the first was Terremoto, who we bred and raced and was Champion Older Horse in Canada in 1998. Then we also had Sand Cove, who we bred and sold as a yearling, names Champion in 2010. The first racing I remember was during the 1978 Triple Crown with Affirmed and Alydar! I was just little then, but I thought they were the best race horses ever.

Tell us a little about the breeding industry in Ontario? It's very difficult right now. We had a great run with our partnership with the Ontario Government and the slots at race tracks, but the Government pulled the slots basically "overnight" no investigating the affects, no common sense.  They took slots away from a small track (and Woodbine too), but the fact that they plan to let Fort Erie "die" (they are not planning on including that track going forward) when the slots were keeping people employed and were covering the track and with mostly American dollars, is such a shame!  

At Shannondoe, we have about thirty-plus mares in foal right now.  We have brought four of them to Ontario to foal for next year, and have no plans to increase that number right now.  Twenty-seven mares are enrolled in the KBIF (Kentucky Breeding Incentive Fund) for 2014, but we will move some of those to State programs such as New York.

How is racing and breeding different (or similar?) in Canada? In Ontario you are breeding for one racetrack, on Polytrack and grass. You have a small market, and for the moment, no sales venue (because of the current downturn in the industry due to the Government changes). We like to keep our stock in Kentucky for the climate and the location of our farm; we feel we have very good soil in the Paris area. Our yearlings have better bone density and we have a better size foot in the spring when the yearlings head to the Ontario farm to start prepping with me for sales. I have fantastic help on the Kentucky farm which makes leaving the horses down there more comfortable for me.  Octavio Sanchez is our manager and he is awesome!

Do you spend much time at the farm in Kentucky and what is your role there? I go down to the farm about six times a year for one to two weeks. I am part-owner; "micro manager -- LOL"!  Octavio is my "right-arm" down there.

What is your favorite aspect of the business? I love prepping sales babies and yearlings. I like doing the matings too, especially when it pans out! My least favorite is foaling season; I hate the nights and stress, but I do love seeing the new babies when they arrive safe and sound. My new thing is track lay-ups; I have come to really enjoy working on lay-ups and getting them back to the track in good order.

Which racetrack do you most enjoy visiting? Woodbine - It is a beautiful track.

With all of your own industry experience, why did you decide to work with Hidden Brook? The people involved. Mike Recio was a friend of mine and when he started at Hidden Brook I sent sale horses to him and have really come to like working with everyone there. 

How has the Hidden Brook experience been different?  It is different in a few ways:

1. The people I need to talk to are always easy to reach and extremely accommodating.

2. For me, it is a huge benefit to have a relationship that I can trust. The team goes to the farm on a regular basis and looks at the babies; give me reports that I use and value to make decisions as to where to aim what horses to

3. They offer industry connections that help me every day whether I am buying or selling babies, race horses, or breeding stock; And not just during sales, but the private market 

4. They are a good group of well-accomplished and well-respected horse people

What publications do you regularly read?  TDN (Thoroughbred Daily News) and Blood-Horse

Favorite books or movies? My favorite book is The Hobbit - it was the name of my first show pony. Right now my movie favorites are any one of the The Hangover movies; I like anything funny. It's just nice to turn off the brain and laugh, but nothing scary - I don't like being scared!

What would you tell someone who was interested in getting involved in the sport? Be prepared for a wild ride. There are ups and downs.The lows you may think you will never recover from, but you do! This business is not for the faint at heart, with livestock you will also have loss, and that can be very hard to take. But, the highs are what keep you coming back for more!