Cobra Farm

His favorite Gary Biszantz line is an instructive one: "You know, I may not be right-but I'm never confused." So while anyone who read our interview with his employer might be unnerved by the sheer force of his personality, Mike Owens himself has always appreciated its clarity and drive. He could hardly have lasted all these years as manager of Cobra Farm, right up to its sale earlier this year, without finding a reliable register for their relationship. Biszantz, to you or me, might seem larger than life; to Owens,...

Pomona Fairgrounds, 1956. Abandoning his hopes of becoming an attorney, Gary Biszantz was going home to try to turn round his father's automobile dealership in Los Angeles. He broke his journey at a horse sale, having loved Thoroughbreds since being taken racing as a kid, when he would stand on a chair and marvel at "the epitome of strength, speed, skill and style." "And the guy next to me puts up his hand at $400 and the auctioneer says: 'Sold!'" Biszantz recalls. "The guy looks at me and says, 'Would...