Thomas Bachman has been involved in the Thoroughbred business since the 1980s and, although he's down to just a handful of broodmares, he is not short on quality. His most recent stakes success came when Sammy Davis won the Graduation Stakes Aug. 8 by 2 1/4 lengths at Del Mar.
Bred in California by Bachman, the 2-year-old son of Sir Prancelot failed to meet his reserve at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearling Sale, getting a final bid of $24,000. The Legacy Ranch-owned juvenile is now 2-for-2 under the tutelage of trainer John Sadler.
"Sammy Davis was one of those that was always small, but he was incredibly well-balanced," Bachman said. "He covered ground incredibly easily. He was an athlete."
Bachman didn't get him sold at the sale, but his friend Terry Knight of Legacy Ranch, who had the colt for six weeks of training, saw something promising in the colt. Bachman sent Sammy Davis to Sadler, who also had his half brother Cali Cat.
"I asked John (Sadler), whom I've known forever, 'What do you think?', and he said, 'He's a nice little horse,'" Bachman said. "Terry (Knight) called me later that night and asked if I wanted to sell him. We were able to put together a deal. I wish him the best of luck."
Bachman has served on the boards of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association. He used to run Pegasus Ranch, a 300-acre operation in Petaluma, Calif., where he had over 100 head, including a stallion division. He has slowed down in the last decade, managing Fairview, and now breeds almost exclusively in Kentucky. Noting that stakes-winning fillies have become more expensive to buy, he is in the process of making his own.
"If it's a filly that I think I want to keep to run as a broodmare prospect, I do that," Bachman said. "Otherwise, I sell everything I raise. My numbers are down, but my quality is way up.
"My core group of mares are worthy of anybody really. They're a nice group of mares, and I'm an old show horse guy, so physicals are incredibly important to me. I try to breed good-looking foals."
Bachman was lucky enough to secure Devine Aida, the dam of 2024 champion turf female Moira, for $400,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. The Ghostzapper mare had a colt by Forte in April and is back in foal to Triple Crown winner Justify .
He bought Sammy Davis' dam Ready for Romance the year before at the 2019 Keeneland November Sale for $125,000 in foal to Good Magic . She has produced three winners. Bachman still owns the dam of Sammy Davis, who is barren this year, but has a filly by first-crop sire Life Is Good at her side.
"I wasn't surprised at all (to see Sammy Davis do well)," Bachman said. "I've had a few people call and say don't you wish you kept him? I said, 'No, not really. He's going to help his mom out substantially, and I'll make 10% of whatever he earns.'"
Bachman doesn't plan on slowing down, just changing things up a bit.
"I'm no spring chicken," he said. "It's kind of time to change your focus, and do things a little bit differently, and enjoy the running end of the business with the fillies. It's kind of fun for me."
