Fountain Lake iJ honored for l the accompluhmenu of her firJt foal Free HoUJe

by DEBRA GINSBURG gold. They attended the inaugural Barretts March John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery 2-year-olds in training have raced quite a few Califomia-breds sale in 1990 and came through the years, but they have not home with a pair of Cal­ been the horses, by and large, that built bred juveniles, namely the couple's earlier prominance in Smokester and Foun­ racing. These natives of tain Lake, the future British Columbia, Canada, who now sire and dam of Free spend most of their time at their small House. Eskay Creek Farm in Bradbury, Calif., Smokester, a son of have campaigned the likes of such Never Tabled, won stakes winners as turf specialist Bien two of four starts and Bien, three-time San Bernardino earned just a little Handicap winner Del Mar Dennis and over his purchase the filly Pacific Squall. While all these price of $35,000 did their best running in the Golden before recurring foot State, they were Kentucky-breds. problems cut his racing career short. Toffan and McCaffery found their He was retired to stud in 1993, stand­ way into the national spotlight quite ing first at Rio Vista Rancho in Atas­ early in their involvement with Thor­ cadero and later at Cardiff Stud Farm ing the 1991 Fleet Diver Handicap oughbreds. It came in 1991 with Mane in Creston. against Cal-bred fillies at the Bay Minister, the only horse to finish third Fountain Lake, a gray filly by 1978 Meadows fair meeting, for career earn­ in each of the Triple Crown races. winner , ings of $57,778. Fountain Lake also Sometimes forgotten is the fact that was bred in California by Don Everett retired in 1993 and was one of the first Toffan and McCaffery's first Thorough­ and foaled at Madera . mares bred to Smokester during his first breds were Cal-breds. Among these She brought $9,500 as a yearling at year at stud. was a minor stakes winner named California Thoroughbred Sales' North­ "We didn't quite know what to do Fountain Lake, who has helped to ernCalifornia mixed sale at Vallejo and with Smokester," McCaffery said. remind everyone of her owners' Cali­ was pinhooked into the Barretts March "Nobody seemed to want to breed to fornia accomplishments. Fountain sale the following year at 2, where she him, so we didn't even set a stud fee. Lake produced classic-placed Free brought a final bid of $40,000 from Tof­ He covered only nine mares that first House and has been voted California's fan and McCaffery. year, six of which were ours." Broodmare of the Year for 1997 by "She was a very good-looking 2- Fountain Lake foaled a gray or roan members of the California Thorough­ year-old," Toffan recalled of Fountain colt by Smokester at L ngdale Farm bred Breeders Association. Lake, "well-conformed and very, very near Los Alamos on March 22, 1994. Horse lovers all their lives, Toffan correct." Even as a baby, he had a pre ence and McCaffery decided t invest in Fountain Lake broke her maiden in about him. Thoroughbreds shortly after John's her sixth tart, a six-furlong race at Bay "l ·aw him when he was three days investment in a mine in Northwest M adows on Oct. 14, 1990. he won old and he stood our even th n," Tof­ Canada paid off with the discovery of two more races from 16 start·, includ- fan aid of Free House. "He was tall

18 Califomia Thoroughbred