Tom Clark

With Breeding Season Poised to Begin, CA Breeders Weigh in on Year Ahead

The news has arrived thick and fast for the Northern California industry over the last couple of months, as racing operations have consolidated in the Southern half of the state. Few state industry stakeholders remain unaffected by these developments, certainly not the breeders, whose commercial decisions today ripple years into the future. The breeding sheds don't open for another couple of weeks. During that time, many currently undecided minds will be resolved. Among those California breeders currently canvassed, however, their outlooks for 2025 are a mixed bag. On the one...

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First Foal Is A Colt For California Stallion Bolden

Southern California stallion Bolden (Square Eddie), a dual-surface winner who was undefeated in his racing career, was represented by his firstborn foal born January 4. The bay colt, who was bred by and foaled at Rancho San Miguel in California, weighed in at 125 pounds and is the second foal out of the eight-time winner and $144,010-earner Trina (Peppered Cat). "Bolden is a big, good-looking and classy stallion who has us excited for the future," said Rancho San Miguel owner Tom Clark. "If all the Boldens look like this first...

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The Street Fighter Relocates to Rancho San Miguel

California-based The Street Fighter (Street Boss--Silver Swallow, by Alphabet Soup) will join the Rancho San Miguel roster for 2025. A winner at three and five who placed in Del Mar's California Dreamin' Stakes, The Street Fighter will stand for $2,500, live foal guarantee. The chestnut was bred in California by Bruce Headley and Andrew Molasky, trained by Headley until he passed away in 2021, and trained for his final starts that same year by Headley's daughter, Karen. The latter now owns him along with Marsha Naify, a longtime Headley client....

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Open House and Stallion Show at Rancho San Miguel

California's Rancho San Miguel, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2025, will host an open house and stallion show Saturday, Nov. 16. The event, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., was moved up from the January date previously employed prior to the last two breeding seasons. "By moving our Open House earlier on the calendar to November, well ahead of the upcoming breeding season, we're hoping to give regional mare owners a helpful headstart on making their all-important breeding decisions for 2025," said Rancho San...

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MGSW Brickyard Ride Retired to Rancho San Miguel

Alfred Pais's homebred Brickyard Ride (Clubhouse Ride--Brickyard Helen, by Southern Image), a multiple graded stakes winner who campaigned from ages two to seven, has been retired and will stand the 2025 season at Rancho San Miguel in Central California. His introductory fee will be $4,000, live foal guarantee. "He had wicked speed, and he stuck around for a long time," said trainer Craig Lewis, who trained both Brickyard Ride and his sire, Clubhouse Ride. "He was a very, very talented horse who loved to train, and he loved the competition,...

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Open House Scheduled Jan. 20 at Rancho San Miguel

California's Rancho San Miguel will host an open house and stallion show Saturday, Jan. 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. while featuring an informational program for both current and prospective Thoroughbred owners and breeders, the farm said in a release Friday. In addition to a parade of the farm's nine-horse stallion roster, the free event will also offer horse husbandry seminars, networking opportunities, a catered lunch, and giveaways, including a stallion season raffle. The farm's newest addition to the stallion roster is the undefeated Bolden (Square Eddie), who will stand...

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Golden Gate Closure: The Breeders' Takes

Tom Clark is the owner and manager of Rancho San Miguel, where more than 400 horses currently roam a sprawling 250-acres in California's San Luis Obispo County. He owns and manages the farm with his wife, Nancy. They have run it since 2000. The farm is a lynchpin of the state's breeding industry, housing as it does such workhorses of the California breeding shed as Sir Prancealot (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), Danzing Candy (Twirling Candy) and Mo Forza (Uncle Mo). But Clark harbors a grim prediction for the future of the...

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Magic Formula for Curlin Succession

With barely a dozen race days to be eked out of its remaining two years, the Steve Pini Memorial S. of September 2017 formed part of a pretty low-key bookend to the history of Suffolk Downs. The Boston track's opening era, after all, had been propped up by Seabiscuit himself. But it turns out that this race, honoring the late track superintendent, deserves a rather lengthier footnote than anyone might have imagined at the time. Over an extended mile of turf, a 5-year-old daughter of Big Brown overtook Queen Caroline...

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Editorial Relocated To Rancho San Miguel

Stakes-siring stallion Editorial (War Front--Playa Maya, by Arch), a half-brother to successful sire and champion Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie), will move to Rancho San Miguel in California to stand for $3,500 live foal guaranteed next year. He most recently stood at Anchor & Hope Farm in Maryland. His oldest foals are 3-year-olds. "If I were to compare the U.S. stallion market to the U.S. stock market, I would say we are acquiring an emerging stock at the optimal time for California breeders," said Rancho San Miguel owner Tom Clark. "Editorial...

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Mo Forza Goes from Strength to Strength

Taylor Made has occasionally partnered with other farms in stallion ventures, most notably with WinStar on Speightstown and Tiznow. However, they are dipping their toes into the California stallion market for the first time with Grade I winner Mo Forza (Uncle Mo--Inflamed, by Unusual Heat) in partnership with Tom and Nancy Clark's Rancho San Miguel. The millionaire turf star--whose name roughly means "strength" in Italian--was retired for 2022 to the 210-acre farm in San Miguel, a sleepy and small Spanish mission town in the famed Paso Robles wine region of...

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Mo Forza Gets First Mare In Foal

The first mare bred to Grade I winner Mo Forza (Uncle Mo), Alice Bamford's two-time winner Californiasunshine (Lucky Pulpit), has checked in foal on a single cover. Mo Forza, who entered stud this year at Rancho San Miguel in the Golden State, won no fewer than seven graded races in the course of his career, including the 2019 GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar. "Mo Forza has handled the transition to his breeding career with class and vigor, just like he sailed through his racing career," said Rancho San Miguel...

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GISW Mo Forza to Rancho San Miguel

Mo Forza (Uncle Mo--Inflamed, Unusual Heat), a Grade I winner and $1 million-plus earner, has been retired from racing and will commence his stallion career in 2022 at Rancho San Miguel in California as the property of Taylor Made Stallions and Onofrio Pecoraro. The 5-year-old, who will represent Kentucky-based Taylor Made Farm's first foray into California's breeding industry, is the first son of Uncle Mo-North America's 2010 Champion juvenile colt and the sire of the Grade 1-siring stallions Nyquist and Laoban--to stand on the West Coast. Mo Forza's introductory fee...

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