Ruis 'Taking a Break,' Reducing Stock in Dispersals

About four months after acquiring Blackwood Stables training center near Versailles, Ky., owner/breeder/trainer Mick Ruis Sr. has decided to take a break from his immersive involvement in Thoroughbred breeding and racing. Ruis started a dispersal of young horses and breeding stock this week as part of the Fasig-Tipton February Digital Sale, being conducted Feb. 15-20. Phase one of the dispersal offers 16 horses that include 10 broodmares, four yearlings, and two broodmare prospects being consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency. Phase two of the dispersal will be conducted during Fasig-Tipton's April Digital Sale, and will include horses of racing age, 2-year-olds, and additional yearlings. All the horses offered through the dispersal are being sold without a reserve. "I'm switching gears a little bit," said Ruis. "We have 125 horses, so we are going to have a dispersal and Shelbe will train a handful of them, probably five or six. Wendy and I are going to take a break for a little bit." Shelbe is Mick and Wendy Ruis' daughter, who launched her training career in 2016. Regarding the future of Blackwood Stables, Ruis said he is considering putting the 285-acre training center back on the market. "I have not decided whether we might sell the farm we just bought," he said. "It is a beautiful place. We still have to think what we want to do. I just want to spend time with my kids. I am putting myself on pause. I need a little bit of a break. I'll be 63 in a couple of weeks, and we've been going strong the last couple of years." Mick and Wendy Ruis also own another Kentucky farm in Woodford County that covers 305-plus acres and was the former site of John Sykes' Woodford Thoroughbreds. The Ruises acquired the farm in April 2019 and renamed it Wen-Mick Farm. In addition to the desire to spend more time with their growing family—the Ruises are expecting their 13th grandchild in a few months—Mick Ruis said he has growing demands from his home construction business in Montana. He is getting ready to start a large development with a mix of 2,000 single and multi-family homes in Flathead Valley, near the triangle created by the towns of Columbia Falls, Whitefish, and Kalispell. "It is tough because I like to be super hands on," Ruis said. "We've always trained our own horses and bred our own horses. Now I just need a break." Even at a reduced involvement in racing, Ruis Racing could still have a contender in the 2024 Road to the Kentucky Derby. Homebred colt Bolt At Midnight broke his maiden Feb. 9 at Turfway Park in his second start this year. The colt was unplaced at 2 but has a second and a win to his credit. "He is a really nice colt that came out of the race with an 87 Beyer," Ruis said. "When you love that track, I think it is a plus, so we are pointing toward the Jeff Ruby." The March 23 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) is one of the first Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying races that offers 100 points to the winner, ensuring a spot in the Kentucky Derby (G1) field. The points distribution for the top five finishers is 100-50-25-15-10. Bolt At Midnight is by 2022 leading freshman sire Bolt d'Oro, who was campaigned by Ruis Racing. Bolt d'Oro won the 2017 Del Mar Futurity (G1) and FrontRunner Stakes (G1) at 2 and finished second behind Justify in the 2018 Santa Anita Derby (G1). After it was disclosed that Justify tested positive for the prohibited substance scopolamine but was left as the winner when the California Horse Racing Board declared the test result due to environmental contamination, Ruis took the case to court. A Los Angeles superior court judge ruled in his favor last December and ordered stewards to disqualify Justify. Bolt d'Oro, a son of Medaglia d'Oro, now stands at Spendthrift Farm. Ruis is thrilled at Bolt d'Oro's start as a stallion. "He did really well, starting out at $25,000 and beating out Justify and Good Magic as a freshman," he said. "He bred almost 160 mares last year and is already booked full this year. I believe we have not seen his best runners yet." Bolt d'Oro finished as the third-leading second-crop sire in 2023 and was represented by eight stakes winners, which included four graded stakes winners. His top performer in 2023 was Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) winner Tamara. This year Bolt d'Oro stands for $60,000.