Golden Eagle Farm to Downsize, Relocate

[CA Michael]

RAMONA, Calif. (Aug. 7, 2007) – Golden Eagle Farm owners Betty Mabee and her son Larry Mabee announced Tuesday a six-month plan to reduce their horse inventory along with an extended timeline to sell their San Diego County-based farmland. A triple Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s leading breeder, Golden Eagle will retain fewer numbers of horses with a higher quality pedigree. It expects to reduce in size from 282 to about 25 horses by mid-2008.

Because the selection process considered numerous factors, several of Golden Eagle’s top broodmares and almost all prime yearlings will see the auction ring beginning with Keeneland’s September 2007 Yearling sale, Barretts Yearling & Mixed sales in October and Keeneland’s November Mixed sale.

The Mabees anticipate keeping approximately eight to 10 broodmares along with a few yearlings for their smaller operation. It will then move to Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., by early 2009 to a 28.75-acre parcel that the business will renovate.

“The evolved approach of Golden Eagle Farms focuses on continually raising the bar,” said Larry Mabee, operator of Golden Eagle Farms. “Our primary goal is quality over quantity with the end result the same: securing the farm’s long-term success as a true legacy to Thoroughbred breeding and racing.”

Some of the top broodmares headed to the auction ring include: Grade 1 producer Fitted Crown, in foal to Classic winner Bernardini; Fiscal Year, dam of Grade 2 winner Yearly Report, in foal to promising freshman sire Vindication; Grade 1 winner La Galerie, in foal to Medaglia D’Oro; New Castle Lady, a multiple winner and half sister to Grade 1 placed Gators N Bears, in foal to Seeking the Gold, and many others.

Several foals from the 2007 weanling crop will be initially retained. However, they will all be sold as yearlings at the 2008 Keeneland September sale in the final phase of the reduction.

Most of the existing racing stable consists of 20 prime 2-year-olds that the Mabees handpicked to keep and race. These will continue to race in the famous gold and burgundy silks through 2007 and possibly into 2008, as Golden Eagle Farm further assesses their value and considers private offers.

While not opposed to keeping one to two promising racehorses, the plan is to eventually phase out the racing stable altogether. Additionally, the year-round boarding facility will phase out by the end of 2007.

The new Rancho Santa Fe-located homestead will house Golden Eagle Farm's remaining inventory of a handful of select mares for breeding and sales purposes, along with its lone standing stallion, Salt Lake. Additionally, two multiple-stakes winning geldings who raced in Golden Eagle silks -- Dramatic Gold ($2,567,630) and General Challenge ($2,877,178) -- will continue their retirement at the new Rancho Santa Fe farm.

Golden Eagle Farm earned its three Eclipse Awards as North America’s outstanding breeder in 1998, 1997 and 1991. Its roster of stakes winners bred exceeds 150, including more than 60 in Golden Eagle colors. The farm has been the country’s leading producer of stakes winners five times, including the all-time record of 27 such performers in 1998. It was the nation’s leading owner for money won in 1992 with $5.4 million in earnings, and leading breeder for money won that same year with $7 million. The farm’s most successful runner and a huge fan favorite was the three-time California champion Best Pal, who won 18 races including Del Mar’s first Pacific Classic, earned $5,668,245 and remains the Mabees all-time favorite racehorse.

[majxmom]

Whoever said last week that they were getting out of the business was apparently right!

[Monmouth Matt]

Any thoughts on what the sale value of S. Copy may have been, or what Salt Lake may be worth on the market?

[Sam]

Whoever said last week that they were getting out of the business was apparently right!

That would be me. Had a feeling this was coming.

[halfpint23]

Any thoughts on what the sale value of S. Copy may have been, or what Salt Lake may be worth on the market?

Anyone know where Souvenir Copy ended up? We have a gorgeous daughter of his, lovely mare and great mama - one foal to race, and a winner at three.

[majxmom]

Saudi Arabia

[majxmom]

Whoever said last week that they were getting out of the business was apparently right!

That would be me. Had a feeling this was coming.

Thanks, Sam. You know, I tried to search for that thread to see who it was. Every time I use the search function, it pulls up the entire database of threads. Am I doing something wrong? Does anyone else search successfully on unique terms? For instance, I searched on "Souvenir Copy" but it came up with every thread.

[Sam]

Whoever said last week that they were getting out of the business was apparently right!

That would be me. Had a feeling this was coming.

Thanks, Sam. You know, I tried to search for that thread to see who it was. Every time I use the search function, it pulls up the entire database of threads. Am I doing something wrong? Does anyone else search successfully on unique terms? For instance, I searched on "Souvenir Copy" but it came up with every thread.

At the top of the search screen, you have the option of looking for "any terms" or "all terms"... I use the second one if there's something specific I'm looking for like a horse's name. If you remember what forum what you're looking for is in, you can tell it to only search in that specific forum in the drop menu to the left. You can also tell it to search for a specific word by a specific person. EG: You can tell it to search for "Kissin Kris" all terms (which will exclude instances of just Kris or just Kissin) by my user name in the stallion section and probably only come up with one or two threads (though, I tend to shorten it to KKris)

[Rokeby Forever]

Michael CA - your post on August 2nd about Golden Eagle offering the first phase of a major reduction at the Keeneland Yearling sale was dead on! I just saw the book online:

McLean (Crestwood Farm), Agent for Golden Eagle Farm (Phase I of a Major Reduction) Pope:
740 Dark Bay or Brown - Colt, Giant's Causeway - Notable Career
1366 Point of Greatness - Colt, Point Given - Crafty Queen

[zinn21]

Golden Eagle supplied alot of horses in training for both North and South racing venues. Things are getting pretty tough. I saw an article that quoted BMF racing secretary Tom Doutrich saying there are approximately 1200 horses in training for the current San Mateo meet.

I entered in a straight 3yold NW2 lifetime claimer today and it did not fill. That's pretty sad..

[Sysonby]

Golden Eagle supplied alot of horses in training for both North and South racing venues. Things are getting pretty tough. I saw an article that quoted BMF racing secretary Tom Doutrich saying there are approximately 1200 horses in training for the current San Mateo meet.

I entered in a straight 3yold NW2 lifetime claimer today and it did not fill. That's pretty sad..

But not unexpected though. Golden Eagle has been in a slow decline since John Mabee died and now that the CHRB has upended the apple cart with the synthetic mandate, it's probably as good a time as any to phase out the racing operation.

[turf]

Golden Eagle supplied alot of horses in training for both North and South racing venues. Things are getting pretty tough. I saw an article that quoted BMF racing secretary Tom Doutrich saying there are approximately 1200 horses in training for the current San Mateo meet.

I entered in a straight 3yold NW2 lifetime claimer today and it did not fill. That's pretty sad..

But not unexpected though. Golden Eagle has been in a slow decline since John Mabee died and now that the CHRB has upended the apple cart with the synthetic mandate, it's probably as good a time as any to phase out the racing operation.

as soon as John died the son started down sizing and with Betty very ill he can now close the farm down as he always intended to do it was only a matter of when

[mini's mom]

I tried to buy one of their horses - symbolic times- he was at suffolk in 2005. The trainer wanted 25,000 for him. He was sold and is someplace in colorado on a paint breeding farm.

He was a wonderful individual - little on the lazy side - they had to race him so that he would not get bored!

It is to bad because he is a beautiful horse and they do breed good horses