A small family-run breeding farm in Frankfort, Ky. has taken center stage as the Breeders' Cup World Championships loom on the horizon. Ramspring Farm, founded by O. M. “Mac” and Mary Leigh Patrick in 1976, has bred one of the favorites for both the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) and Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) in the brilliant Up to the Mark . The son of Not This Time , owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, swept a trio of grade 1 contests this year, and most recently collared Woodbine Mile (G1T) hero Master of the Seas in a dramatic stretch run to take the Turf Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland following a four-month layoff.
Mac and Mary's son and co-owner of Ramspring Farm, Clay Patrick, spoke with BloodHorse MarketWatch about his 200-acre operation, the purchase of Up to the Mark's dam, the unraced Ghostzapper mare Belle's Finale, and Up to the Mark's siblings currently ready to hit the market in the upcoming Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October and November sales.
MarketWatch: What inspired your parents to start Ramspring Farm?
Clay Patrick: They've always been interested in horses and wanted to get into the breeding game. So they started slow and with only a few mares. It was small then and its still not a large operation today. We probably only breed 15-20 mares a year.
MW: Before Up to the Mark, was there a horse who really helped things get rolling for the farm?
CP: Yes. Bail Out Becky. She was our first big horse. Ken Ramsey bought her from us as a yearling. She won the 1978 Del Mar Oaks (G1T). Her dam Becky Be Good was one of the first mares that we ever had and the first to throw a graded stakes winner for us. She was like a foundation mare for the farm.
MW: Due to the smaller scale of the operation, is your family pretty hands-on with your horses?
CP: We are pretty hands-on. I have three boys and they all help out out there. The whole family is involved in it. My brother and sister and everybody plays a part. We enjoy it. It's just in our blood. It's something we enjoy so much that we want to be hands-on with it and enjoy it together as a family.
MW: Your family also operates a distiller, Ramspring Bourbon, also in Frankfort. How did that come about?
CP: That's a venture of my brother's. He started that recently. He just used the farm name as a method of branding as a way to attract horse racing fans and to preexisting bourbon lovers as well. He sources his bourbon and sells it under the brand name of Ramspring.
MW: Ramspring purchased Up to the Mark's dam, Belle's Finale, for $70,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale. She was in foal to Not This Time . Can you recall what went into that purchase? What did you like about Belle's Finale?
CP: Her looks basically. She was just a fantastic-looking mare. My mother had spotted her in the catalog first and loved her page and then she went and saw the mare and really liked her. When she saw her she just had to have her. We were just fortunate we could get her at the price we did. It all worked out.
We were keen on Not This Time. He was a new stallion at Taylor Made at the time and we were hopeful he was going to make it big as a stallion so we were thrilled to get a mare in foal to him.
MW: And you bred her back to Not This Time the next year, getting Up to the Mark. Why did you match her again with Not This Time? What are your thoughts on Not This Time as a stallion?
CP: She had such a nice foal the first time so we wanted another one like it. We were just hoping we would get the same kind of individual.
Not This Time is doing very well as a stallion and we were excited to go back to him. Belle's Finale is actually in foal to him again and she's believed to be carrying a colt so that'll be a full brother to Up to the Mark.
We are in the business to sell. The mare (Belle's Finale) will be offered at the Night of the Stars at Fasig Tipton and her weanling by Maxfield is going to be offered as well.
Belle's Finale is being cataloged as Hip 212 at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's marquee breeding stock sale in Lexington, Nov. 7. Her Maxfield colt is consigned as 213. Both horses will be offered by Taylor Made Sales.
MW: Do you still have her McKinzie yearling colt and if so what are the plans for him?
CP: He will be offered at the October Fasig-Tipton sale on the 23rd of this month. He's a real nice individual. He's a good-looking colt with a good head on his shoulders. Hopefully, he'll be a good racehorse.
Belle's Finale's McKinzie colt is consigned as Hip 134 from the Tatylor Made Sales consignment at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale. He will go through the ring on Day 1 Oct. 23.
MW: Have you seen similarities between Belle's Finale's offspring?
CP: Yes, they are all pretty laid back and easy keepers. They tend to do what they're asked and they're not wild and crazy. They're level-headed individuals and take to what their supposed to be doing and what you teach them.
MW: Up to the Mark brought a fair chunk of change as a yearling— $450k— were you excited to see him go to Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola at the sale?
CP: He was a magnificent-looking individual. We were hoping he would sell well and he did and went to the right people.
We were very excited when they bought him. We knew he would be in good hands and he would have a good opportunity. Todd (Pletcher) has done very well with him.
MW: Up to the Mark heads to the Breeders' Cup with an excellent chance in either the Mile (G1T) or Turf (G1T). He would be the first Breeders' Cup winner bred by the farm if he won. What has his success meant to your family and the farm? You guys have bred grade 1 winners, but would you say he's one of the best horses you've ever bred?
CP: That would be huge. He's the best horse we've produced thus far out here. For him to win the Breeders' Cup would be unfathomable. He's a thrilling horse to watch and seems to get to the wire first in whatever way he has to. It would mean a tremendous amount to us.
We've followed him throughout his career but I've only been able to see two of his races in person, the Turf Classic and the Coolmore Mile last weekend. It was so thrilling, it was amazing how he pulled that off. I thought he was out of contention there for a while but he just found a way to win. He saw an opening and went for it and to run down a horse like Master of the Seas it was something. That's a heck of a horse that he ran down.
It was a big question mark for him coming off that four-month layoff but he handled it well.
