St. Simon Place has had a outstanding previous few years, on the racetrack and within the gross sales ring, with its newest feat coming Nov. 30 at Churchill Downs when homebred Rattle N Roll gained the Clark Stakes (G2).
Tommy Wente operates the farm in Lexington, the place he and companions Calvin and Shane Crain have 47 mares in foal, with a few of them in partnership with Scott Stephens and Brandon Shares.
Wente supported Join in his first 12 months at stud, leading to two of his homebreds—Rattle N Roll and Hidden Connection —turning into the stallion’s first graded stakes winners. Rattle N Roll took the 2021 Breeders’ Futurity (G1), and Hidden Connection gained the 2021 Pocahontas Stakes (G3).
Wente bought Rattle N Roll as a weanling on the 2019 Keeneland November Breeding Inventory Sale for $55,000 the place he was bought by Rexy Bloodstock. Kenny McPeek purchased him as a yearling at Keeneland’s September sale for $210,000, and the 5-year-old son of Join now has earnings of greater than $2.1 million.
Following Rattle N Roll’s win within the Breeders’ Futurity, Wente bought his dam, Jazz Tune , within the Keeneland November sale for $585,000 to Hunter Valley Farm, a pleasant return from the $20,000 he paid for her 5 years earlier. Join BloodHorse Each day
Photograph: Tommy WenteRattle n Roll at St. Simon Place along with his dam Jazz Tune
BloodHorse: What was Rattle N Roll like as a foal?
Tommy Wente: He had a tough time going when he was a child. We had a couple of of them that 12 months, that they had issues getting going, and it was as a result of his intestine and stuff did not work, so we needed to do a bunch of stuff to get his intestine going so he might get stuff transferring via his physique. It was a bit little bit of a touch-and-go scenario. In about 10 days, he got here out of it.
BH: What goes into the choice of promoting your horses as weanlings?
TW: Us being child sellers, you understand we do not at all times wish to promote them as infants, however with a purpose to run the farm, we’ve to promote numerous our horses as infants. He was one of many ones I actually regretted promoting, and it is not simply because he went off and made some huge cash, it is simply I actually regretted what we bought him for. It was simply a kind of issues I knew in my coronary heart that he simply wasn’t prepared, I ought to’ve simply sat on him. However you understand what? I am an enormous believer in issues occur for a purpose. And if Rexy (Bloodstock) would not have purchased him and went on with him … they did an outstanding job prepping him for the (Keeneland September) yearling sale. I feel all of the playing cards had been simply completely positioned proper for him, and he regarded like a rock star as a yearling.
Kenny (McPeek) is excellent, I feel he ought to get numerous the credit score, as a result of he took an opportunity on that horse, proper? Rexy Bloodstock made him seem like a rock star, Kenny purchased him, and the remainder is historical past. And, if we might’ve stored him, who’s to say all this is able to’ve occurred? If he ended up some place else, with any individual else on a unique street … issues simply occur for a purpose, I assume.
BH: You have had numerous success the previous few years. What does that imply to your program and does that give folks confidence to maintain shopping for St. Simon Place horses?
TW: We wish folks to know that after we put weanlings within the sale, they are not culls, proper? After we put them via there, they’re good horses, they usually’ve been raised proper. We wish folks to really feel assured once they’re shopping for them that we do not thoughts, and we do not get our emotions damage, once they make a bunch of cash on them. I feel that is a part of the sport. If folks do not generate income in your horses, they are not going to come back again and purchase off you. All people must generate income.
It is cool to see folks come again like Brian Graves, Peter O’Callaghan, and other people like that, Rexy Bloodstock, Ted Campion, and guys like that, I feel they really feel comfy shopping for from us.
BH: What did it imply to be there for Rattle N Roll’s victory within the Clark Stakes? How intently do you comply with his profession?
TW: It was superior. I attempt to go to all of his races when he is round. He is only a actually cool horse to be round, and we’re at all times rooting for him.
He was laid off after some bone bruising was found, and he wanted it, he was on an enormous three-year campaign, and it paid off. He got here again within the Lukas Traditional this 12 months (the place he completed third), and it was a muddy, nasty observe. He simply received too far again to make all that floor up. However he ran good, and he was coaching like a bear, they usually made the choice to try to go to the Breeders’ Cup with him, to try to attract. That did not work out, in order that they introduced him again.
He is form of like our flagship horse for the farm. Only a good story.
BH: You had numerous luck with Join together with your two homebreds from his first crop—Rattle N Roll and Hidden Connection. What instilled your confidence in him?
TW: We bred two completely different form of mares to him. He was a first-year horse and we’re huge followers of Curlin (Join’s sire). It was form of loopy that each of them ended up being Join’s first graded stakes horses.
BH: What retains you going on this enterprise of highs and lows?
TW: We simply carry on clicking away, we had that basically phenomenal 12 months in 2021, proper? And now you are chasing it. You are at all times attempting to get again there. You place a fairly excessive commonplace on your self, if you win 4 ‘Win and You are In’ races. It was only a loopy 12 months. So, you are simply at all times attempting to get again that method.
This 12 months was most likely our greatest crop of infants. I feel arms down, that we have had within the sale, and that we have got on the bottom nonetheless to promote as yearlings.
BH: How a lot effort goes into your matings and sale picks? How vital is the group round you?
TW: After we sit right here and attempt to get all these mares booked, and also you’re attempting to remain out of sure books, we’re at all times attempting to be actual cautious who we’re breeding to, that you just’re not spending an excessive amount of cash. All people appears to be breeding to the identical horses, which is actually exhausting, since you do not wish to be one among 300 horses, proper? It is actually powerful.
We’re blessed to have folks round us like Carrie and Craig (Brogden), they assist us daily. Like daily, I am calling Craig or Carrie about one thing and simply asking. I am not afraid to ask, as a result of I do not know all the pieces, and we’re simply blessed to have folks like that round us that may give us criticism after we want it. I take the criticism very critically.
This isn’t simply us, it is everyone that is concerned—the stud farms that give us the breedings, Carrie and Craig give me the information I have to know, what I can buy, what I should not purchase, it is much more that goes into it.
I feel it is actually vital for the proprietor of the farm to get on a mower and go mow his grass out within the paddocks and simply sit and have a look at your horses, once they’re strolling and see what they’re doing. I imply, I see stuff on a regular basis like that after I’m on the market. You see a horse lame or transferring the incorrect method. You won’t see these issues from the fence, however I simply assume it is vital that you might want to have a look at your horses each single day. Loads goes into this enterprise.