CTBA Member PROFILE JOHN AND DIANE FRADKIN
BY EMILY SHIELDS grew up near Santa Anita and winners, no matter the odds. knew how to handicap. Eventually, I thought that if I ix horses based in “We were young guys claimed a horse, I might learn California have won the keeping Wall Street hours the game from the inside and CAL-BASED SPreakness Stakes (G1) while working on the West improve my handicapping since 2010. On May 15, Coast,” said Fradkin, “which skills.” OWNER/ Rombauer raised that number meant that by 2 p.m. we were e Fradkins met with to seven when the son of looking for trouble. He said trainer Ron Ellis, who helped BREEDERS Twirling Candy took the we should go to the races and them drop in four claims. AUTHOR 2021 edition of the Preakness that I might be good at it.” But they were outshook every at Pimlico Racecourse in Fradkin did have vague time. ey nally claimed CLASSIC Baltimore, Md. memories of an earlier racing Kentucky-bred Ru Hombre It was the rst Triple experience, going with family for $25,000 in their fth HORSE TALE Crown race win for John and friends to Delaware Park as attempt; the gelding nished Diane Fradkin, who have a kid. last of 11. been successfully breeding “It left an impression,” “It was not good,” Frad- and racing in California for Fradkin recalled. kin said. “Ron said after the years. Rombauer has vaulted He had no idea that one race that the horse had an to the top of the list of horses day he would be entrenched ankle, and we weren’t sure if campaigned by the couple, in all things racing. At rst, he would make it back. But but before him came a parade his new trips to Santa Anita two months later at Del Mar of classy runners, many of led to entering handicapping he won with La t Pincay them California-breds. contests in Las Vegas. Jr. aboard. I thought, ‘Gee, John Fradkin was working “I nished second in the this is easy!’ at’s how the one of his rst real jobs out of ‘wimpy division’ four times racing gods sucked me in, I college as a small-time insti- in a row and made a few suppose.” tutional bond salesman when bucks,” he said. “It’s really Diane was quick to point he was introduced to racing. the consistency division; you out the John was never in it A co-worker, Robert Allen, bet favorites and try to pick alone. “ is was something we embarked on together,” she said, noting that they got married on Breeders’ Cup day in 1993. “We don’t have children, so the horses are substitute kids, in a sense. We started doing this together and have grown it together. Now here we are.” e Fradkins took the money they had made in the Del Mar race to the Keene- land September yearling sale that year. “We didn’t know what we were doing, but we hired a guy to be our bloodstock agent, Larry Richardson,” said John. e former general manag-
SKIP DICKSTEIN er of Nelson Bunker Hunt’s John and Diane Fradkin and jockey Flavien Prat with the Woodlawn Vase replica trophy for winning the 2021 Bluegrass Farm, Richardson Preakness Stakes with homebred Rombauer was “looking for something
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to do,” according to John, at Del Mar. But the time was “and took us around the sale inexplicably slow and no oers when we were nobodies. He came. e Michael McCarthy showed us conformation on trainee nished second in the dierent horses and showed American Pharoah Stakes (G1) us an example of a little lly at Santa Anita in September, where the bones lined up well proving he could excel on either on the front end. We end- surface. ed up buying her; that was “We started turning down Ultraeet.” oers then,” John said. “I remember going to HOVDEY JAY Fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Keeneland and walking around the sale Juvenile (G1), Rombauer won the 2021 for the rst time to nd Ultraeet,” El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Diane said. “We thought it would be Fields by a neck. After the colt had run fun to bid and went to $10,500.” third in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes e daughter of Aeet never even hit (G2), the Fradkins had a choice regard- the board for the Fradkins, and they ing the Kentucky Derby (G1)—every were stoutly advised not to try to make owner’s dream—or heading straight for the diminutive lly a broodmare. But the Preakness. previously they had a good experience “It was us, not Michael, who decided with Keith Card and his Hi Card Ranch, that,” Diane explained. “We felt that so they sent Ultraeet there and “were if he was going to run the race of his treated like family,” according to John. life, we’d rather it be while winning “Ultraeet started producing some than nishing fth, which is what we nice-looking foals that sold well as COURTESY OF JOHN AND DIANE FRADKIN thought might happen in Kentucky. 2-year-olds,” he added. In 2002, along We ran against tired horses in the came Cambiocorsa. is was something we Preakness, but we were tickled with his e California-bred daughter of embarked on together...We eort. John always said we could breed Avenue of Flags—Ultraeet went for started doing this together a better horse than we could buy, and $90,000 at the Barretts May 2-year-old that has been proven true time and sale in 2004, then went on to win nine and have grown it together. time again with this female family.” of 18 starts and earn $522,055. Cambi- Now here we are.” e Fradkins typically have two ocorsa was a star down the hill at Santa broodmares in their band, and they have Anita, and among her victories were — Diane Fradkin only bred around 40 foals in their entire two grade 3 wins over that course. career. Cambiocorsa has since gone on to be “We’ve got just one mare in Ken- a powerhouse broodmare for Ran Jan in Silks for the 2009 Cal-bred Horse of tucky and that’s Cashmere,” said John. Racing, with grade 2 winners Schiap- the Year. “She appears to be another magic mare, arelli and Moulin de Mougin, as well as e Fradkins’ success with Ultraeet like Ultraeet.” stakes winner Alexis Tangier and stakes- didn’t stop there. She produced the Rombauer nished third in the June placed Vionnet to her credit. Vionnet Cowboy Cal mare Cashmere in 2011, 5 Belmont Stakes (G1), pushing his went on to produce Cartier Horse of and Cashmere, in turn, foaled Preak- earnings past $1 million. eir only the Year Roaring Lion. ness winner Rombauer. other horse currently on the track is Fradkin repaid Keith Card’s kindness “It was the pandemic that caused Cono, a stakes-placed, Kentucky-bred by allowing him to breed a full brother us to own him,” John said. “ e OBS son of the late California stallion Lucky to Cambiocorsa in 2004. at colt, (Ocala Breeders’ Sales) April sale Pulpit. California Flag, went on to win the was delayed last year, and we had no In addition to Cashmere, the Frad- 2009 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and condence that the sale would actually kins own California broodmare Let- earned $1,288,825. Card died midway happen. Eddie Woods recommended thepartybegin, a daughter of Bertrando. through California Flag’s career, but the we run him, win early, and then sell She is boarded at Old English Rancho gelding continued running for his wife, him at the track.” and has thrown two winners from three Barbara; the Fradkins; and other part- Rombauer did win early, breaking starters. Could she be another Ultraeet ners. California Flag tied with Dancing his maiden on the turf in July 2020 for the couple?
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