Tom's Tribute a Success Story for McKinney

Sunday, Del Mar 
EDDIE READ S.-GI, $300,250, DMR, 7-20, 3yo/up, 
1 1/8mT, 1:46, fm. 
1–@sTOM'S TRIBUTE, 119, c, 4, by Lion Heart 
     1st Dam: Halloween Fun (SP), by El Prado (Ire) 
     2nd Dam: On Hand, by Irish River (Fr) 
     3rd Dam: Veriga, by Mr. Prospector 
($60,000 yrl '11 KEESEP; $310,000 2yo '12 
OBSMAR). O-Braly Family Trust; B-Laura M & Ouisha 
McKinney (KY); T-James M Cassidy; J-Mike E Smith. 
$180,000. Lifetime Record: 12-5-3-1, $442,880. 
Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO. 
When Tom's Tribute strode under the wire first in Sunday's GI Eddie Read S., the 4-year-old was providing a first Grade I victory for his breeders, sisters Laura and Ouisha McKinney. 
“We were jumping up and down, screaming and yelling so loud I scared the dog,” laughed Laura McKinney, who operates the family's Stony Point Farm. 
For McKinney, who describes herself as an “nth generation” horsewoman, Tom's Tribute's victory was the culmination of three generations of work with the family. She first became involved with the pedigree when Tom's Tribute's second dam On Hand was sent to Stony Point as a yearling. 
“Years and years ago, we were sent the granddam to board as a yearling,” McKinney recalled. “She was swayback and the impression that we got was the people didn't want to look at a swayback filly in their field. But she was by Irish River and we treated her like one of the rest of them.” 
McKinney was always impressed with On Hand and convinced the filly's owner to continue on with her. 
“I told the owner at the time, 'There is no reason you can't break her. If you put a saddle on her, you would never tell–she's not so hopelessly swayback that you couldn't break her and see what you've got,'” she explained. “So we broke her and, as a 2-year-old, she felt like the most powerful older horse you'd ever been on. She was just amazing. She was a great, big powerful mover. She was just unbelievable, outstanding, especially at that age.” 
On Hand raced only once and McKinney lost track of her until she resurfaced at the 1999 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February Sale. She was able to acquire the mare, in foal to Victory Speech, for $15,500. 
“When she showed up at the mixed sale at Fasig Tipton, I just had to have her,” McKinney said. “She was by Irish River, who was great as a broodmare sire. She wasn't particularly pretty. She was correct enough, but she was just an outstanding mover.” 
McKinney decided she wanted to breed her new mare to the up-and-coming El Prado. 
“I called over there and said I'd like to breed to El Prado,” she commented. “I was kind of embarrassed because I knew she didn't have a ton of pedigree, but the big deal–every time you picked up a paper they were talking about how Irish River/Sadler's Wells was such a great cross. They made a last-minute decision that they'd let us breed the mare to El Prado, so we did.” 
That El Prado foal, who became Halloween Fun, was originally destined for the 2001 Keeneland September sale. 
“In the spring of her yearling year, we did the sale X-rays and she had really good X-rays and we were all very excited about going to the sale with this El Prado filly because he was really coming along,” McKinney said. “But our neighbor's horse got loose one night right after we'd done the X-rays and just terrified this group of sales fillies. Halloween Fun broke her feet off to just nubs. It was just horrifying. All the fillies were just undone when we found them the next morning. So we spent all summer patching her together and hoping her feet would grow–and they did, but she just wasn't the absolutely gorgeous mover she had been before all that happened. We ran her through the sale, but I don't even know if she had a live bid. We didn't want give her away, so we kept her and put her in training.” 
Trained by McKinney's cousin Ann Merryman, Halloween Fun was stakes placed during a 27-race career. 
“She was a very difficult mare, both mentally and physically, to train, but Ann did a beautiful job with her and got her stakes placed,” McKinney said. 
Halloween Fun joined the McKinneys' small broodmare band. And, after producing fillies by E Dubai and Exchange Rate, the mare's third foal was Tom's Tribute. The chestnut colt, purchased for $60,000 as a Keeneland September yearling in 2011, was resold as a juvenile by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables and brought a final bid of $310,000 from Marilyn Braly. 
“Ciaran Dunne bought him from us at Keeneland,” McKinney said. “And he obviously did a beautiful job with him at the 2-year-old sales. And then, after [trainer] Mr. [James] Cassidy and Mrs. Braly bought him at the 2-year-old sales, they gave him all the time in the world. They've done just such a beautiful job with him.” 
Halloween Fun has a yearling colt, bred in partnership with WinStar Farm, by Super Saver. She produced a colt by Afleet Alex this spring and is currently in foal to juvenile champion Shanghai Bobby. 
“We are excited that she is back in foal to Shanghai Bobby because that is a Storm Cat line, which is what [Tom's Tribute's sire] Lion Heart is, too.” 
McKinney and her sister have been co-breeders on all of Halloween Fun's foals. 
“Ouisha helps with the farm every day,” McKinney, who is the stepdaughter of Hall of Fame steeplechase rider Rigan McKinney, added. “She is the mental and physical moral support of the farm.” 
McKinney continued, “Our stepfather moved to Kentucky when he stopped riding so he could breed horses for the market. That's how we ended up in Kentucky when mom remarried and decided to move here. Mom's family always had horses. Our whole family on our mother's side had horses forever and ever. We just sort of fell into that, too.” 
In addition to Tom's Tribute, McKinney has another exciting graduate to look out for on the track. One of the four broodmares in McKinney's band is Hey Little Sister (Jump Start). The mare's first foal is the 2-year-old Money Changer (Exchange Rate), who recently finished third at Saratoga in his first start for trainer Todd Pletcher and Dogwood Stable. Money Changer was a $55,000 Keeneland September yearling. He sold for $100,000 at this year's Keeneland April sale. 
Stony Point boards broodmares for clients and does sales preparation. McKinney also develops show horses. She admits trying to develop top-class racehorses and show horses can sometimes feel like a losing proposition. 
“Your chances are not great,” she chuckled. “You just have to keep slugging.” -Jessica Martini