Terry Lovingier's ties to Lovacres Ranch in California go back more than 30 years. But his love and dedication to breeding and racing run even deeper. He sits on the board of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and is the chairperson of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association.
"I'm committed to horse racing. I'm committed to California racing," Lovingier said.
The longtime breeder's rising star, Thirsty John, started his 2-year-old campaign in style—breaking his maiden in May on first asking at Santa Anita Park. After having a chip removed, the son of Stay Thirsty returned Jan. 7, to win the California Club Derby in his second start. Lovingier took time to discuss his horses, the ranch, and his hopes for 2023 with BloodHorse MarketWatch.
MarketWatch: How long have you been involved with horses?
Terry Lovingier: My whole family's originally from Oklahoma, and we had horses my whole life. I still ride to this day. I started with Quarter Horses but then transitioned into Thoroughbreds, just because I like Thoroughbreds a little bit more.
MW: What can you tell me about Lovacres Ranch in Warner Springs, Calif.?
TL: We've had Lovacres for quite a few years since the mid-1980s. My family was living in Marietta, Calif., and my dad, my brother, and I bought a big ranch in Texas during 1989-90, right in the era when the country was experiencing the world savings and loans crisis, and everything was crashing. We bought a big ranch out of bankruptcy just outside of Waco, Texas; we had that for several years. We sold that, I moved back here to the ranch in Marietta, and then the government exercised eminent domain—they needed the water. So I took the ranch I had in Marietta and moved to the present location up in Warner Springs, where I'm now.
MW: Thinking about making that transition from Quarter Horses to Thoroughbreds, what were the different challenges that you faced when you made that move?
TL: I think the challenges are the quality of the horses. You try and compete at a higher level, you try and have higher quality horses, and those good broodmares are always hard to get. You know, they're always expensive and they're just hard to get. The challenge for me, because I like breeding horses—I love the breeding business and I'll always do it—but trying to get those good broodmares is pretty tough to do.
MW: How many foals do you have each year at Lovacres Ranch?
TL: We birth at the ranch, probably 150 babies, give or take, in any given year.
MW: Tell me a little bit about Thirsty John and what you like about him?
TL: I evaluate every baby at the time they're born. My dad used to tell me I was a dummy because I didn't know what I was talking about. But I've been pretty successful. Those good babies hit you between the eyes when they're born, they stand up in 15 minutes; they've got a good size to them, a great center of gravity, and they usually turn out to be pretty darn good racehorses, too. And he was one of those.
MW: Are you surprised at all by the start of his racing career? He is a winner in both of his starts.
TL: He's a really, really good horse. He just is. The only little setback we had was after his first race. We did pluck a chip, a small chip. It was really a small little chip, and we just decided to go and remove it. And it probably took us a little bit longer to get him back to the races than I probably would have liked, but we did the right thing by the horse and took our time."
MW: What's next for him? Where are you aiming?
TL: Hopefully, he continues to improve. We're gonna nominate him to the stakes races out here on the West Coast. Maybe nominate him to the Kentucky Derby (G1), and hopefully, he keeps improving. So I'm not sure where (trainer) Peter Miller wants to run him next, but I'm sure we will nominate him to stakes races; take a look at them.
MW: Tell me a little bit about the partnership on Thirsty John. I know Tom (London) and Eugene (Zondlo) purchased him as a yearling from you, or at least part of him from you, during the 2021 Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of All Ages Sale.
TL: They've both been with him for quite a few years. Tom London's dad was a very, very good friend of mine. He passed away at an early age. But Tom has been running horses with me ever since his dad passed away.
MW: You stand two stallions at the ranch, which have some pretty good credentials in their own right. Phantom Boss, by Shackleford, is a grade 3 winner in the Bashford Manor Stakes, and Stay Thirsty , by Bernardini, is a grade 1 winner in both the Travers Stakes and Cigar Mile Handicap. Tell me about them and what they mean to your operations.
TL: Stay Thirsty is arguably one of the best stallions in California. He has surpassed every stallion in California at a young age for cumulative 2-year-old earnings. There's nobody even close in the history of California. He's young, and he still has a whole bunch of crops coming. That's how good Stay Thirsty is. Mike Repole still owns a portion of him, he still thinks enough of him to own a piece. Of course, he won a Cigar Mile for Mike, so that's pretty cool.
MW: When you're looking forward to the rest of 2023, what are you envisioning? What are your hopes for the year?
TL: Hopefully, Thirsty John continues to improve. You know, it's always the hope that they get a little bit better with each start. And you kind of got to hope that they do. So hopefully, he continues moving forward and we can run in higher-level races with him. We've got some other horses that are pretty darn good horses still to come. Ones we've had to take our time with, that are coming out and working hand-in-hand with Thirsty John. So we've got other good horses coming up with him, but hopefully we just keep hitting the board with the horses we've got.
