Bloodstock agent Maddie Mattmiller, a Lexington native, was born with a passion for horses. The daughter of a trainer, she spent a lot of her childhood at the track. Upon graduating from the University of Kentucky with a marketing degree, she landed a job with a travel publication. Still, the horses kept tugging at her, and she started hotwalking at the track before going into her 9-to-5 job.
Mattmiller and her husband Jake Ballis started the syndicate Black Type Thoroughbreds in 2019. Since then, Black Type has had horses run in the Kentucky Derby (G1), Kentucky Oaks (G1), Breeders' Cup races, and many stakes across the world. Some of their top horses include graded/group stakes winners Hidden Connection, Pass the Champagne, and Crimson Advocate; recent West Virginia Derby (G3) runner-up McAfee; and stakes winner Up in Smoke who was their first horse. She went on to finish third to Gamine in the 2020 Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.
BloodHorse: How did you get into the Thoroughbred industry?
Maddie Mattmiller: My story is kind of unique in the sense that I went to the University of Kentucky and I graduated with a business/marketing degree. I went out and got a marketing job. I worked for a travel publication doing ad sales, and I learned I couldn't sit at a desk all day. I was looking around for jobs, I saw an opportunity to work at the track walking hots in the morning; so, I asked my boss at my marketing job if I could come in a little bit later in the mornings. She thankfully said 'Okay, that's fine;' so, I would go to the track in the mornings and learn as much as I could, and then I'd go to my desk job in the afternoon. Eventually, my desire to learn more took me and let me meet more and more people. And I eventually got to the point where I was able to make the Thoroughbred business a full-time job.
I started off actually working for the Feld family. They were standing regional stallions and they were the ones who took the first real shot on me. From them, and working underneath some other people, I learned the sales process, and what to look for in horses and buying. I took all that information and just wanted to learn more. So I just kept working more sales, and that's led me to where I am today.
BH: Have you always had a passion for horses?
MM: Yes. I grew up in Lexington. My dad was always around horses. He trained for a little stint in the early '90s. He always took us to the track. My whole family just had a passion for horses. Now, they didn't make it their career long term, but we were always involved, even if it was just going to the races one day.
BH: Tell me about Black Type Thoroughbreds.
MM: Black Type is a partnership that (husband) Jake (Ballis) and I started. We started off with one horse, and we've grown a lot since then. I think we have 19 in training. We started off as a small partnership, just a way for our friends to kind of come together and buy in. We've spun that into those people, and their friends, and their friends. Black Type gives involvement to people to buy in at a smaller amount.
We've had the luck of some people being involved in Black Type that have now gone on and wanted to put up more money and run their own entity. Like Reagan Swinbank, now he's on his own. He'll take a large interest in either our yearling package or private investments. Another guy—Steve Atkisson, he's been great. He kind of did the same thing. He dipped his toes in and then just wanted to do more and more. So, that's kind of how we've gotten to where we are today. It started off as kind of a friends-and-family gig, and by word of mouth, we've gotten larger and larger.
BH: Do you and Jake work the sales together?
MM: Yes, Jake and I work the yearling sales together. I do most of the yearling work, as far as going out and seeing everything. Jake will help me go back through my short list. As far as private stuff, Jake and I work together on that a lot. We're constantly watching racing and bouncing horses off each other and what we think will fit our program.
BH: What does your research consist of heading into yearling season and going into a large sale such as the Keeneland September Yearling Sale?
MM: I try to go to the farms ahead of time. Most of my work and my research is done online, with the videos and the photos, as much as pedigree work as well. That lets me, as a one-man band, get my eyes on as many as I can. I go in with an idea based on the videos and photos and the information available beforehand, to kind of help guide me on a smaller list. I wouldn't say that's my short list by any means, but it definitely helps me cut down from maybe seeing 400 head of horses a day to maybe 250-300.
BH: How much do you focus on the pedigree, and what conformation traits are you looking for?
MM: My favorite attributes that I like to see in a pedigree, I like to see a good foundation. By that I mean, I've got to see a lot of back class. We're not ones who typically spend a lot of money. I can't go and buy the ones out of grade 1-winning dams or siblings to the major players and horses out there. I like to take chances finding a good horse pedigree with a ton of back class that will come out through a line, or a mare.
More importantly, is seeing the athlete in front of you. I guess first and foremost, I look at when they walk out, is it a well-balanced individual? Does everything look like it goes? Does the horse match what I'm seeing on the pedigree? If it's a Curlin, there are certain attributes you see in Curlin. And past the well-balanced individual—a good neck that ties in well, and an overall fluid mover. And by that, I mean when the horse moves, is every piece working together? I love a good hind leg, and a good gaskin that they're pushing off with. I do really appreciate a good, strong hind end, because that's where they're getting most of their momentum and their motor.
And then, I like to look and gauge their overall class. How are they carrying themselves through the sales process? How are they back at the barn? How did they show themselves and are they carrying themselves as well in the back ring as they did in the barn? Are they keeping it together? I've bought a lot of horses that way. In fact, I bought a horse out of Fasig-Tipton's The July Sale last year; I just happened to be in the back ring, and this filly had her head lowered walking. She looked overall very classy and was handling everything around her. She didn't turn a hair. We ended up buying her just from seeing her in the back ring.
BH: Who are some of the most successful horses you've purchased?
MM: Pass the Champagne, she ran in the (Kentucky) Oaks, and was a graded stakes winner. Up in Smoke was our first horse. She was grade 1-placed and a stakes winner. She kind of got it all started for us.
Crimson Advocate was a major player at Ascot (she won the 2023 Queen Mary Stakes (G2) and the Duke of Cambridge Stakes (G2) June 18). She got a lot of things going for us. We bought her privately after she ran third in a maiden special weight at Keeneland at 2. She was a multiple stakes winner for us. We also bought Youalmosthadme. She was a multiple stakes winner for us. We did the same thing with her, we bought her out of her race. She actually won her 2-year-old start at Keeneland and we bought her out of that.
Lately, it's been (graded stakes winner and millionaire) Sacred Wish. McAfee, he was a yearling purchase.
