NorCal Sale Preview

Cal-bred Big Fish, shown winning the 2021 California Cup Derby, is by Cal-based stallion Mr. Big, who has three yearlings cataloged in the NorCal sale

© BENOIT PHOTO

GOOD RELATIONS

A BLACK-TYPE BONANZA AT CTBA’S NORCAL YEARLING SALE

California-breds coming out of just about every major California breeder’s program will be represented by relatives at this year’s California Toroughbred Breeders Association Northern California yearling and horses of racing age sale. It is an auction that produces good runners every year, as attested to by graduates such as Camino Del Paraiso and Big Fish.

Te CTBA will conduct this year’s edition Wednesday, Aug. 17, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton beginning at noon. Te horses will be stabled in the permanent barns near the Amador Pavilion. In addition, a $500 travel allowance with a minimum purchase of $3,500 and proof of travel is being ofered to outof-state trainers and trainers from Southern California who attend the sale.

George Krikorian bred Big Fish, a $45,000 Northern California sale graduate who became a champion California-bred. Big Fish is by Krikorian’s stallion Mr. Big, who will be represented by three yearlings in the sale, all in the consignment of Linda Madsen’s Milky Way Farm.

Not only is Hip #54 by Mr. Big, but he is out of the Orientate mare Quick Chick. Tat makes him a full brother to Big Returns, another Krikorian-bred runner. Cal-bred Big Returns won the 2019 Graduation Stakes at Del Mar and earned $131,200. Te second and third dams, Kuanyan and Plate Queen, are also stakes winners.

Acclimate is a multiple graded stakes-winning Cal-bred to come out of the Johnston family’s Old English Rancho program. He was recently retired at age 8 with a record of eight wins in 31 starts for earnings of $763,372. Voted champion Cal-bred older male and turf horse of 2019, Acclimate twice won the San Juan Capistrano Stakes (G3T). He also scored in the 2019 Del Mar Handicap Presented by the Japan Racing Association (G2T) and 2022 San Luis Rey Stakes (G3T)

Milky Way has hip #26, a colt out of a half sister to Acclimate, in the sale. By Winning Cause, he is from the unraced Vronsky mare Leaps ’n Bounds. Unraced Knows No Bounds produced Leaps ’n Bounds and Acclimate. Old English has shepherded the family for generations, with the Winning Cause colt’s fourth dam being Old English-bred Fancy ’n Fabulous, a two-time stakes winner who ran second in the 1994 Las Virgenes Stakes (G1).

Terry Lovingier’s Lovacres Ranch has a large consignment, many by leading California sire Stay Tirsty, who stands at Lovacres. Several come from bottom lines rich in Cal-bred history.

Lovingier bred Willa B Awesome, winner of the 2012 Santa Anita Oaks (G1) and that year’s champion Cal-bred 3-yearold female. Tough Willa B Awesome was sold to Japanese interests, Lovingier bred her unraced full sister Wynonna B Awesome to Stay Tirsty and got a colt cataloged as hip #108 in the sale.

Te Lovacres yearlings by Stay Tirsty in the sale include hip #56, a flly out of the winning Speightstown mare Reign. Te second dam, graded winner Angela’s Love, has also produced Cal-bred stakes winners Tirsty Always, by Stay Tirsty, and Love a Honeybadger, by Bushwacker. Lovingier bred Tirsty Always and Love a Honeybadger. Lucky J. H. is another multiple Cal-bred stakes winner to come out of a major California breeding program. Bred and raced by John Harris’ Harris Farms, Lucky J. H. won four stakes, including the 2006 Ack Ack Handicap (G3). By Cee’s Tizzy,

who stood at Harris, Lucky J. H. is out of stakes-placed Lucky C. H., whose foals include winner Team Builder.

Harris’ consignment to the Northern California sale includes Team Builder’s yearling flly by Vronsky, cataloged as hip #87. It is the family of Cal-bred champions Cacoethes and Fabulous Notion.

Harris also has one of the three yearlings by California sire Clubhouse Ride in the sale. Named Ride for Gold, hip #45 is by that stallion out of the stakes-winning New Zealand-bred mare Pams Pompallier.

Barton Toroughbreds is offering a daughter of Cal-bred stakes-placed Tizalovelylady. By Cat Burglar, the flly is hip #93. Tizalovelylady ran third in the 2002 XTRA 690 AM California Cup Juvenile Fillies Stakes.

Te second dam, Tizso, is a full sister to Cal-bred superstar Tiznow. Tizso’s foals include 2012 Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) winner Paynter, who ran second in that year’s Belmont Stakes (G1) and sired 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go.

Barton has several others by Cat Burglar in the sale, including hip #85. Te colt is out of the Kris S. mare Sweet Lips, also the dam of two stakes-placed runners. Bred in Florida, Sweet Lips won the 2005 Sunshine Millions Distaf Stakes at Santa Anita, part of the program pitting Cal-breds against Florida-breds. Cal-bred multiple graded winner Dream of Summer fnished third in that race and has gone on to become a stellar producer.

Major breeders Martin and Pam Wygod bred Native Treasure, a Cal-bred son of Tribal Rule. Native Treasure earned $410,593 and won the 2012 I’m Smokin Stakes at Del Mar.

Rancho San Miguel has a half brother to Native Treasure in the sale as agent for Liberty Road Stables. Te colt, hip #101, is by Danzing Candy, who stands at Rancho San Miguel.

Rancho San Miguel and Adrian Gonzalez’ Checkmate Toroughbreds will ofer several by Danzing Candy. Checkmate’s consignment includes hip #134, a colt by Danzing Candy out of the Salt Lake mare Cotton’s Point. Gonzalez bred Cotton’s Point in California, and she ran second in the 2012 California Toroughbred Breeders’ Association Stakes and third in that year’s Keith E. Card California Cup Juvenile Fillies Stakes.

Sue Greene’s Woodbridge Farm always brings a major consignment to the Northern sale. Tis year’s group includes the other two by Clubhouse Ride

Multiple California champion Acclimate has some exciting relations on offer at Pleasanton and hip #132, a son of Gig Harbor—Church Avenue, by Vicar. Church Avenue, an earner of $238,750, is a half sister to Club Aspen, winner of the 2019 King Glorious Stakes, both being out of stakes-winning Aspen Gal. California sire Smiling Tiger has several in the catalog, two ofered by Hanson’s River Ranch. Hip #36, a colt by Smiling Tiger—Mesaatmimiscafe, by Sky Mesa, has ties to Old English, which bred Mimi’s Cafe, the second dam. An earner of $394,327, Cal-bred Mimi’s Cafe won fve stakes during her racing career. Yearlings by leading California sire Stay Thirsty should draw Tough Sunday and Sunday plenty of attention from prospective buyers Rules are stakes winners from Nick Alexander’s successful California breeding program. Tey appear in the family of hip #86, consigned by Shane Easterbrook’s Easterbrook Livestock Management. Te flly is by California sire Stanford out of the unraced Lucky Pulpit mare Swiftly Risen. Tough Sunday and Sunday Rules are half siblings to Chocolate Meeting, the second dam. In addition to buying at the sale, prospective buyers can bid Offerings by two-time Californian Stakes winner Clubhouse online. Te catalog is available Ride should also attract their fair share of lookers for download to devices through Te Jockey Club app, as well as in traditional print format. For further information on the sale, contact Loretta Veiga at (800) 5732822, ext. 227 or loretta@ctba.com or Christy Chapman at (800) 573-2822, ext. 247 or christy@ctba.com.

© BENOIT PHOTOS COURTESY OF ASHFORD STUD

© BENOIT PHOTO

Through offering partnerships in top horses, Terrry Lovingier is interested in attracting more Californians to Thoroughbred racing and ownership

Terry Lovingier

CALIFORNIA’S 2021 TOBA BREEDER OF THE YEAR

The term “leading breeder” can mean many things. In its simplest terms, it’s the name at the top of the year’s purse earnings list, which is where Terry Lovingier found himself in 2021. But leading breeders also afect other aspects of the industry, and last year Lovingier personifed that maxim. Tus, he is being honored as the Toroughbred Owners and Breeders Association California breeder of 2021.

BY TRACY GANTZ

Lovingier brought Stay Tirsty to California, ofered him to state breeders, and supported the stallion with mares of his own. As a result, Stay Tirsty dominated California stallion lists in 2021, especially among the 2-year-old ranks. With his frst California crop, Stay Tirsty led all other sires of California-conceived 2-year-olds by purse earnings, number of winners, and number of races won. Including all of his ofspring, Stay Tirsty had 2021 purse earnings of $5,001,339, to lead all other state stallions.

Lovingier supports the California breeding industry in many other ways. His Lovacres Ranch consistently brings large consignments to California’s sales. He also serves as chairperson of the California Toroughbred Breeders Association.

But perhaps Lovingier’s biggest contribution is in bringing others into horse ownership. He puts together small partnerships on many of his homebreds, keeping a piece himself while seeing to it that his partners share the limelight.

At the CTBA awards banquet earlier this year, Lovingier collected several awards. Each time he brought up partners in the various champions being honored. When My Fiona was announced as Broodmare of the Year, Lovingier posed with co-owners Tom Beckerle and Amanda Navarro along with Modesto, Gregorio, and Jessica Rincon, who are integral to the operation of Lovacres.

“I want to acknowledge Gregorio— he’s been with me from day one,” said Lovingier from the podium as he accepted My Fiona’s trophy as well as his leading breeding honor.

Gregorio is the breeding manager at Lovacres, responsible for overseeing the breeding of the seven stallions that stand at the ranch.

Beckerle noted that he got into racing as an investor, met Lovingier, and became involved with several Lovacres horses. In addition to My Fiona, Beckerle co-owns the mare’s Cal-bred stakes-winning American Pharoah flly Fi Fi Pharoah and At the Spa, the 2021 champion Cal-bred 2-year-old flly bred by Lovingier.

Jorge Periban trains At the Spa for Lovingier, Saul Carrillo, and Grifn Stables, a group Beckerle put together with longtime friends from high school.

“I just hope that we continue with the momentum and get more people in on horse racing,” said Beckerle, who added that fnding new people depends on “horses like this and people like Terry.”

Lovingier bred Finneus, the 2021 champion Cal-bred 2-year-old male. He owns the son of Stay Tirsty—My Fiona with Navarro and Naseer Mohammed Fasihuddin. Finneus, trained by Walther Solis, won the 2021 Golden State Juvenile Stakes, placed in two graded stakes, and earned $266,366.

“I went to Lovacres when Finneus was six months old,” said Fasihuddin. “I called Terry and told him that I want to be an owner of this horse. Terry was so good to give me a chance to be part of this horse.”

Lovingier also bred Rock N Rye, winner of the 2021 Graduation Stakes, and Tirsty Always, winner of the 2021 Royal Owl Stakes. Both runners are by Stay Tirsty and were train.ed last year by Solis. Lovingier owns Rock N Rye with Tom London and Eugene Zondio. He owned Tirsty Always with Beckerle and Carrillo until the ridgling was claimed away earlier this year.

As the TOBA California breeder of 2021, Lovingier isn’t resting on his laurels. He is vying with Nick Alexander at the top of the 2022 California breeders list and has Stay Tirsty’s second California crop coming along. Lovingier also has high hopes for Smokem, a young Union Rags stallion standing at Lovacres whose frst foals are already winning this year.