Page 80 - June_2023

William Zuazo, Los Alamitos
Bomb Cyclone winning the Los Alamitos $2 Million Futurity-G1.
The fourth and most recent purchase from the Favorite Cartel-Remember
Me Rose breeding was the 2020 colt Cyber Attack, who finished his freshman year
Second by Earnings with $1,151,917. Among his four wins from seven starts are his trials for the Rainbow Futurity-G1 and the Golden State
Million Futurity-G1, both finals for which he finished as runner-up; and his trial and the Final for the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity-G1.
CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE
For the most part, the four youngsters from this providential breeding
combination fulfilled Bob’s dream
for Rosenthal Ranch. Yet the ranch’s accomplishments continue. In 2019, Powerful
Favorite and Runforyourlife were named as contenders for AQHA Champion 3-Year-Old Gelding and Champion 2-Year-Old Gelding, respectively. Although they didn’t win the top spots in their categories, due to their efforts, Rosenthal Ranch was named Champion Owner, Chris O’Dell was named Champion Trainer and Steve D. Burns DVM earned his first Champion Breeder honors that year.
Yet when Connie is credited with building the Rosenthal Ranch legacy, she defers to Bob’s decisions and his equine partners. “I always say,
I haven’t built it; the horses have,” Connie says. “What has happened has been phenomenal but it’s absolutely nothing I have done so for me to take credit for it, I almost feel embarrassed because all I’ve done is write a check. The trainer and the grooms are the ones who put the work into each horse and if the horse has talent, they can draw that talent out of them. I feel blessed to have that.
“This journey has been such a joy, and I feel like the Lord is guiding me on the right path; He’s leading me in this whirlwind that it’s been, and I think that when it’s time, He’ll take it away. So, I’m along for the ride.”
WINNOWING THE HERD
When it comes to the horses, Connie says her greatest passion is their welfare. “Their groom has such a love for them; they’re his first priority,” she says. “And Chris is passionate about their well- being as well; they’ve brought him great success.
“Bob and I made promises that when the horses can no longer run, they could live out their lives at our ranch,” she adds. “Yet I don’t want to leave my children with a big burden when I leave this world.
“We had a roster of about 25 when Bob passed: some were home from the track for rest, some couldn’t run anymore, and some were broodmares.”
just raised my hand and when
the gavel went down, Chris looked
at me and said, ‘You just bought a horse!’ I didn’t really buy the horse; Bob knew what he was doing.”
That purchase was the first of four from the fortuitous nick that has carried Rosenthal Ranch into horse racing history.
The next, Powerful Favorite’s 2017 full brother Runforyourlife, bred by Steve Burns, earned $620,822 in four years, winning six of 18 starts and running second and third three times each. The gelding’s accomplishments include winning the Golden State Million Futurity-G1 and qualifying for the Los Alamitos 2 Million Futurity-G1, the Governor’s Cup Derby-G2 and the Southern California Derby-G2.
Chris took a pass on the next year’s full brother, who turned out to be Cyber Monday. But the following year, he and Connie nodded to the 2019 edition, Bomb Cyclone. “Chris called and said he thought we should go for him,” Connie says. “He bought the horse and sent me a picture and I said, ‘That’s the ugliest horse I’ve ever seen!’ But Chris liked the way he was built, and he’s done fantastically well.”
“Fantastically well” turned out to be a major understatement: The gelding tops Rosenthal Ranch’s list of Top Horses, with earnings of $1,379,291 and six wins and one second from 10 starts in two years. His wins include the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity-G1, his trial for the All American Derby, in which he ran fourth, and the Los Alamitos Super Derby-G1.
Both Powerful Favorite and Bomb Cyclone ran in the Champion of Champions in 2022, with Bomb Cyclone finishing third and Powerful Favorite fifth.
Los Alamitos
Runforyourlife winning the Golden State Million Futurity-G2.
78 SPEEDHORSE June 2023