June Newsletter
FUELING THE DREAM
Sunday, Father’s Day, became more meaningful with a win at Churchill Downs for PLENSA, a colt we own together with a dearest friend from college days, Frank Garrison. While Frank was not able to attend the race, I was able to share with our son Gardner who resides in Miami and in town for a few weeks.
Frank’s involvement in this business grew with visits to Lexington during our college years, and he fell in love with Mill Ridge, Keeneland and this community. With time, he grew more engaged and started off with a piece of a share in the stallion DIESIS, retired to Mill Ridge in 1984. Now 40 years later, Frank and I own two mares together including PROXIMITY BIAS, dam of Plensa.
Like so many, we are commercial breeders which means we breed thoroughbreds with the intention of selling. Yet, we can weigh each situation and regarded Plensa as a yearling more than the market, when he did not sell for $70k. Sent to leading ‘early training’ specialist, April Mayberry, she was positive with his athleticism and potential and was then sent to Rusty Arnold and his team, with whom we have the highest regard. He made his first start last October at Keeneland running a promising 2nd.
Pictured: Rusty Arnold, Headley Bell, Frank Garrison, and Florent Geroux
Frank named Plensa after his love and support of the visual artist and sculptor, JAUME PLENSA. This thread of connection makes the experience more meaningful and Plensa races in the historic MILL RIDGE royal blue silks with a white sash (featured in the M of our logo).
Following Plensa’s second start at Churchill last fall, where once again finished second, we chose to give him 90 days of turnout at Mill Ridge rather than going to Florida. We believe allowing the winter off and this time between 2 and 3yo allows him to mature and hopefully a full 3yo campaign. Yesterday was his fourth start and a record of win, 2 seconds and 4th earning nearly $120k in purses. Equally important are the quality of horses he has competed against and the belief of a promising future.
As I mentioned, Plensa is out of Proximity Bias, a daughter of Flatter that won for Chad Brown first start in mud at Belmont. I was keen on her because she was well balanced physically and from a family I regard, in STROLL, and in foal to Practical Joke. We paid $80k for her in ’20 and sold her Practical Joke filly as a yearling in ’22 for $55k. Most important, bought by Hall of Famer, Steve Asmussen for Judy and Kirk Robison, this filly, named TX WOMEN FOR ARTS is now a stakes winner of $260k. After Plensa, her second foal, she has an Oscar Performance colt ’23 that was bought by Fergus Galvin for $270k in this year’s April OBS sale for Qatar Racing and training with promise for Brendan Walsh at Keeneland. She also has a ’24 Oscar Performance filly that was sold last November as a weanling at Fasig Tipton Night of Stars to outstanding judge Hubert Guy for $125k. In April, she foaled a Liam’s Map colt and back in foal to Life Is Good.
If you are in the horse business, you know it is a journey and rarely a straight road. Sharing Plensa together with a lifelong friend in Frank makes this journey ever so very rich. When you consider the horses and the land and those with whom you associate on the journey, it becomes a collective sharing in the experience. Such that, this ‘high five’ moment ripples through and fuels the dream for the future.
Headley and Price
