Page 14 - January 2008 The Game

14 The Game, January 2008 Those were the words spoken by
Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
The Hollywood Story Comes Through
freshly minted Breeders’ Cup win- ner sold for $1.25 million to Mike Moreno’s Southern Equine Stables with rumors that she will be bred to A.P. Indy.
The foals who frolic in the wintery snow or the crisp air of
arrived at the farm in Belwood,
a television commentator after Mary eld’s Breeders’ Cup win on October 26, 2007.
1993.
“The owners I have today have
Breeders’ Cup every year, Mike, who has never married, was in Oceanport, New Jersey for this year’s Breeders’ Cup races.
Barely visible through the veil
of relentless rain, Mary eld, wearing a blanket of dirt and full of determination, was on the outside of a wall of horses turning for home in the inaugural $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.
been with me since the beginning.” said Mike quite un-boastful for such a praise worthy statement.
When asked what it was like watching Mary eld’s win, Mike beamed with pride as he exclaimed, “As a small breeder, breeding a
Escaping the eye of track announcer Trevor Denman, Mary eld charged up the centre of the racetrack without a call until the six year old mare was steps from the wire in front by half a length.
early spring in Canada represent the dreams of the people who raise them. Breeders hope that the coupling of the genes of which they have chosen will be fruitful.
His clients include: Richard Lister, who raised Touch Now; the Yates Family of British Columbia, who own the successful mare Devil’s Orchid; Ken Parsley and Rick Pettifer with My Vintage Port;
Canadian-bred Maryfield winning the $1million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Monmouth Park. Photo Cindy Dulay.
Jumper circuits. He had started riding as a child in a pony club eventually showing on the A circuit as a
“I nd that you need to have American appeal.” stated Mike in regards to his strategy, “You need to sell a horse for $80,000 in order to remain in the business.”
Mary eld’s win in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint may have also secured her the title in the inaugural Eclipse Award category for Champion Female Sprinter. “Our only hope now is that she wins the Eclipse at the end of year.” said Mike.
There is reasoning behind describing her accomplishments as
a Hollywood story and a fairy tale win because Mary eld was claimed for only $50,000 in January 2006
by owners Mark Gorman, Nick Mestrandrea and Jim Perry. Trainer Doug O’Neill must have immediately recognized the potential of the then 5 year old mare because after the claim Mary eld only competed in stakes races, 11 of which were graded.
teenager.
His father’s family had been
Mike purchased the dam of Mary eld, Sly Maid, at Keeneland,
in foal to Lord Avie. She was then
bred to Roar with the resulting foal an eventual stakes placed lly, Quiet
who after a successful racing career (including a 3rd in the G3 George Hendrie H.) went on to produce graded stakes placed winner Quietly Mine.
With her home base in Califor- nia, Mary eld’s record coming in to the Breeders’ Cup could have been construed as somewhat erratic with
3 wins, 2 seconds and a spattering of out of the money clunkers in 13 tries. Her efforts were impressive non the less.
“I was always horse crazy. It (working with horses) was something I always wanted to do. I just needed to nd a way of doing something I loved to do.” said Mike explaining why he chose to breed racehorses after graduating with a degree in Business Administration.
Sly Maid was the dam of 6 foals, 5 to race and 4 winners including, Quiet (by Roar) MARYFIELD (by Elusive Quality), Toscano (by Rubiano); and Sly Illusion (by Silver Ghost) with Mary eld being the most accom- plished.
Besides her local racetracks, she competed at Woodbine, Keeneland, Churchill Downs, Aqueduct, Saratoga and Calder Race Courses before her date with destiny at Monmouth Park on October 26, 2007 which was to be the nal race of her career.
“I was there when Northern Dancer was still around and they had all of their good mares,” recalls Mike, “It was a good time for Wind elds.”
“She was good to us.” Mike commented with evident remorse, “Whom ever we bred her to she produced a useful foal.”
Mary eld was catalogued as Hip
No. 37 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Selected Fall Mixed Sale in November. Offered by agent Taylor Made Sales Agency as a broodmare prospect, the
He purchased his own farm
in Belwood in 1992 and after renovating and building barns on the old cattle property he hung his shingle and moved to the farm in September
“I plan to continue the boarding business for my clients and to try to breed another stakes winner.”
I
Mike’s philosophy on the business of breeding
Born in Carlisle, a small town nestled between Hamilton
and Guelph, Mike had grown up competing on horseback in the Hunter,
Mike personally has three mares of his own with his broodmare purchases usually coming out of the sale at Keeneland and his yearlings selling back at Keeneland.
involved in Standardbred racing however it was the thoroughbreds that Mike “drifted into” after he quit riding in 1977.
Frank DiGuilio Jr. with Velvet Snow; and Mike’s partner with Mary eld, Jack Harvey.
Her fairy tale win puts her in the ranks with Awesome Again (’98 Classic), Chief Bearhart (’97 Turf) and Dance Smartly (’91 Distaff), as the only Canadian-breds to win a Breeders’ Cup race.
Ontario on one of the rst really cold days in November. The strong north wind threatened to turn the rain to an icy snow.
broodmares is simple, “You need to get good advice.” adding that, “You wouldn’t want to invest in the stock market without a good broker.”
A warm re and the
welcoming muzzle of a Corgi dog
Along with pedigree Mike looks
for substance in the mares that
he purchases as broodmare pros-
pects, “I look for a mare with size
and substance. Buyers want to
buy a big, strong yearling. A mare’s pedigree has to go with it but I don’t care who she is if she doesn’t have size and bone.”
Breeder Mike Carroll (left) at his farm in Belwood, Ontario seen here with dedicated employee Harry Oude Voshaar who tend to the 45 horses on the farm,
20 of which are mares.
horse like Mary eld is beyond your wildest dreams. You always watch other people win and you think if it could happen to him it could happen to anyone. You dream of breeding a good one and when it happens, the feeling is beyond anything that you have dreamed.”
named Elizabeth made me feel comfortable as I settled in to speak with the co-breeder
of Mary eld, Mike Carroll.
Maryfield was unplaced in one start at 2; one winin2startsat3;2winsand2secondsat4; 3 wins and 3 seconds at 5; 3 wins at 6. Total 9 wins, 5 seconds, 1 third. Total earnings $1,195,830 & $157,505 (CAN).
Maryfield’s Racing Career leading up to the Breeders’ Cup:
July 1, 2006 - Second in the G2 $150K
A Gleam Invitational H. at Hollywood Park August 6, 2006 - Fifth in the G2 $300K Clement L. Hirsch H. at Del Mar
September 9, 2006 - Second in the G3 $150K Seaway S. at Woodbine
October 14, 2006 - Fifth in the G3 $300K Thor. Club of America S. at Keeneland
November 4, 2006 - Winner of the $200K Emirates Airline Very Subtle S. at Churchill January 1, 2007 - Fifth in the G3 $100K Monrovia H. at Santa Anita Park
January 28, 2007 - Fourth in the G1 $250K Santa Monica H. at Santa Anita Park February 24, 2007 - Seventh in the G3 $100K Las Flores H. at Santa Anita Park
March 24, 2007 - Winner of the G2 $150K Distaff Breeders’ Cup H. at Aqueduct
May 5, 2007 - Eighth in the G1 $300K Humana Distaff S. at Churchill Downs
July 7, 2007 - Fourth in the G1 $500K Princess Rooney H. at Calder Race Course August 26, 2007 - Winner of the G1 $250K Ballerina S. at Saratoga
October 26, 2007 - Winner of the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint
at Monmouth Park
Mike worked at Creekview Farm in Kentucky before taking on the position of Broodmare Foreman at Wind elds Farm in 1980.
Unfortunately Sly Maid died in 2003 after hemorrhaging shortly after losing a foal during a very dif cult delivery.
After seven years, Mike left the historic farm in Oshawa and rented a farm in Kilbride which is where he started his own breeding farm business.
When asked if he races any of the horses he breeds Mike commented that he liked the mares and foals better than the racing end of the business.
Continuing on a tradition he has with the Yates Family to attend the
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