Thoroughbred Farms in California
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F Rancho Paseana: E A Thoroughbred Farms Paradise Found T U in California R E by RUDI GROOTHEDDE Photos by RON MESAROS When conversation among respected horsemen turns “We named the farm after Paseana because she was the best toward the subject of the best training centers for Thor- mare we ever had and she had given us so much joy watching oughbreds in California, Rancho Paseana is the one that her win one grade one race after the other,” said Jenny. “No most often springs to mind. horse deserved to be remembered more than she did.” For this 250-acre facility, that is located in the shadows of The bay mare was retired after three more racing seasons the hills of Rancho Santa Fe and which is only little over five with 14 wins and more than $3 million in earnings, but was miles from the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and adjacent only able to produce one foal, Paseana’s Girl, who unfortu- Pacific Ocean, truly embodies the phrase, “Paradise Found.” nately died earlier this year, while foaling her fourth offspring Originally designed and built in 1982, under the super- by Candy Ride (Arg), one of the standout colts that the couple vision of the Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas as the owned over the years. Del Rayo Racing Stables of Eugene Klein, the state-of-the- Unbeaten in six career starts, three in Argentina and art facilities were purchased by the French restaurateur three locally for the Craigs, including the grade I Pacific Jean-Laurent Andreani after Klein’s passing in 1990, and Classic Stakes of 2003, the 10-year-old son of Ride the has now been in the hands of the family of the late Sid Rails is currently one of the country’s leading second-crop Craig and his wife Jenny since mid-1995, when they pur- sires with lifetime progeny earnings of more than $3.8 chased it and named it after their favorite racehorse. million and leading runners like the 2009 graded stakes Paseana (Arg) was a group I winner in her native land winners Misremembered, Evita Argentina, Capt. Candy- before Sid and Jenny enjoyed 14 man Can and homebred Chocolate graded stakes wins—10 in grade I Candy, who took Jenny on a wild company—with her in the U. S., ride at this year’s Kentucky Derby including a four-length victory in the and Belmont Stakes. $916,000 Breeders’ Cup Distaff as a After standing at Hill ‘n’ Dale five-year-old in 1992. Farm for five years, Candy Ride will 20 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • AUGUST 2009 www.ctba.com F E stand the 2010 breeding season at Lane’s End in Versailles, having retired from his duties at Rancho Paseana earlier in A Kentucky, now also the home to Craig Racing’s quality the year. T broodmare band. A native of Pasadena, Grant came to Rancho Paseana U The Craig’s other top colt worth a mention is Dr Devious with a wealth of experience, having been his dad’s assistant R (Ire), Jenny’s gift to Sid for his 60th birthday, who didn’t win in Southern California for many years before establishing E the Kentucky Derby as hoped but did race to victory in his own barn in the Midwest where, amongst other the 1992 Ever Ready Derby (group I) at Epsom Downs in achievements, he won the first race ever run at Presque Isle England. Downs in Erie, Pennsylvania. “Sid had always given me such lavish gifts throughout “I was based at Churchill (Downs), and also had a barn in our marriage and I wanted his 60th birthday gift to be spe- Illinois, but I was on the road constantly as I shipped out every- cial,” Jenny said. It certainly was special, and so has Rancho where,” he explained. “I am now loving it here,” he added. “As Paseana been for Jenny and Sid, a native of Canada who I get to train in the morning, like the racetrack, and then I get sadly lost his battle with cancer at the couple’s beach home to go out on the farm and do a different set of things. There’s in Del Mar just a little over a year ago. something new every day, which is a lot of fun.” In Good Hands Helping make the overseeing of the whole farm and its Ensuring the continued success of Rancho Paseana for maximum of 400 equine residents an easy task for Grant is Craig Racing is Grant Hofmans, whom Jenny hired last a hard-working and loyal staff of more than 50, including August on the advice of Ted Aroney, one of her partners in Ignacio “Nacho” Lopez. Candy Ride and for many years a good friend of the family, “He’s my right-hand man,” said Grant of the Mexico including the couple’s two sons and three daughters. native who was one of the original six or seven employees The 38-year-old son of David Hofmans, trainer of such who started with the Craigs nearly 15 years ago. “Before standouts as Breeders’ Cup Classic winners Awesome that, I worked for my uncle as a landscaper at San Luis Rey Again and Alphabet Soup and Belmont Stakes winner Downs,” said Nacho. “I began there in 1985, and stayed Touch Gold, was a conditioner himself for more than a because I really liked the horses.” decade and replaced the Craigs’ original hire Lev Fanning, who sadly passed away at the age of 78 last September, after Continued on next page www.ctba.com CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • AUGUST 2009 21 F E A turnout paddocks, approximately one acre in size and fea- T Thoroughbred Farms turing run-in sheds to shelter the horses from the elements. U in California Cont’d. Rancho Paseana also receives some well time from the R Morgan Run Club & Resort for leasing the piece of land E Attention To Detail they use for the second hole of their golf course. Grant lives in the farm’s guest house with his wife Chris- “We have roads to everywhere on the farm, so it’s very tine, son Cody and daughter Aspen, while more than half easy to get to any part of the farm we need to at any time,” of the staff also lives on the property, in rooms at the end of Grant said of the roadways and pathways lined with more the barns. These units were designed like those at than 2,500 palm trees. He added, “We also have a full-time Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, with room on the top landscape and maintenance crew that keeps the grounds of of them for hay supplies that are also stored in a large barn Rancho Paseana maintained on a regular basis, including all on the other side of the property. the V-mesh wire fencing.” The centerpiece of Rancho Paseana is obviously its 3/4- On the veterinary side, the farm uses both their neighbor mile dirt training track, which Grant is quick to praise. “It’s Rancho Santa Fe Veterinary Hospital and the San Die- a really good surface, made up of river bottom silt with sand guito Equine Group just over 20 miles away in San Marcos. on it. It operates perfectly for getting the young horses ready “For emergencies, we are lucky enough to be able to use to race and also with rehabilitating injured horses back to the Helen Woodward (Animal Center) next door, while Dr. races.” He added, “It depends on the client what program we Mike Manno and his associates are always out in the field, use. We can customize it so that the horses are ready to run, so we use them on a on-call basis,” said Grant. and win, when sent to a trainer at the track.” The farm’s main office houses its bookkeeper, as well In walking distance to the track, that features a six-stall as both Jenny’s personal assistant and CPA (Certified starting gate in the chute and which utilizes the services of Public Accountant). seven exercise riders, are two sets of 30-stall training barns No Better Combination facing each other with walking rings in-between, while Rancho Paseana’s success over the years has also been there is also a lay-up barn with 20 stalls on the other side of due to both its great clientele and the fine graduates of its the farm. Pine pellets instead of shavings are used because, program. On the books are high-caliber owners such as as Grant explained, “They absorb better, there is less time George Krikorian, Tarabilla Farms, Jerry and Ann Moss, spent on waste disposal, and the horses love them!” Class Racing, Arnold Zetcher, Marsha Naify, Joyride Sta- Rancho Paseana also has a riding arena and four hot walk- bles, Glen Hill Farm, Betty Mabee and her son Larry’s ing machines, one of which can be found in one of the farm’s Golden Eagle Farm, and Bill Currin. two round pens. “We bring different babies in at different Meanwhile, top runners like grade I winner Black times just to teach them how to walk on the walker: it helps Mamba (NZ) and graded stakes winners Dawn After Dawn, them being handled and all that,” said Grant who is hoping Desert Code, Evita Argentina and Chocolate Candy have for the future installation of some automatic exercisers. spent time at the farm either being successfully raised, bro- Running through the farm is a creek that is part of ken and/or rehabilitated there.