Woolcotts Join the (Ton)A-List

by Alan Carasso

Rene and Lauren Woolcott, who own and operate Woodslane Farm, are relative neophytes to the Thoroughbred business, having branched out with the purchase of a few broodmares and their Middleburg, Virginia-area farm in 2006. For some, reaching the pinnacle of the game takes a lifetime; for most, that goal remains elusive. But with the victory of Robert S. Evans’s Tonalist (Tapit) in the GI Belmont S., the couple have realized a dream. 

The couple, who are ‘finance people’ in the words of Mrs. Woolcott, found themselves diving into the deep end at Keeneland November in 2007, at which time they were advised by Patrick Lawley-Wakelin. The bloodstock agent turned the couple’s attention to hip 270, the-then 8-year-old Settling Mist (Pleasant Colony–Toll Fee, by Topsider), a mare bred by Peter Schiff’s Fox Ridge Farm who required 15 starts to break her maiden and was retired with just over $71,000 in career earnings. She did come with a big Fox Ridge pedigree, however. At the same time Settling Mist was toiling in maiden allowance company, Riskaverse (Dynaformer), produced by Settling Mist’s graded-stakes placed half-sister The Bink (Seeking the Gold), was developing a reputation as a top-class turf mare, with victories in the GIII Sands Point S. and, more importantly, in the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at age three in 2002. By the time she was sent off to the breeding shed, Riskaverse had padded her resume with back-to-back scores in the GI Flower Bowl Invitational S., had earned in excess of $2.1 million and ultimately fetched $5 million as a broodmare prospect at the 2005 Fasig-Tipton November sale. 

“We knew we wanted to get into Thoroughbred broodmares and breeding,” commented 62-year-old Lauren, whose husband is 19 years her senior. “We had involvement with a couple of steeplechase syndicates, but in 2005, we came in and looked at this farm and decided to purchase it. It was set up, had all the things you needed, so we took the plunge. It was something we had wanted to do for a long time, but never had.” 

A handful of months later, Settling Mist was producing her first foal, a colt from the first crop of 2004 GI Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones, who sold for a modest $50,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, two months before the Woolcotts descended on the Keeneland sales grounds looking to amass a high-quality broodmare band. They say what you don’t know can’t hurt you, and that theory proved crucial in the case of Settling Mist’s first foal. 

“That colt ended up going to Mexico, and had we known that, we wouldn’t have even bought Settling Mist. But we didn’t know any better at the time that it was a red flag,” Woolcott admitted. 

Consigned by Lane’s End as agent, Settling Mist was offered in foal to Claiborne’s Seeking the Gold, who was nearing the end of his stallion career and was, in fact, pensioned just over a year later. The mating could only have added extra appeal to the mare, given the way the sire had already crossed with the female family. Still, there was plenty else that attracted the couple to Settling Mist. 

“Our bloodstock agent at the time knew that family well,” she explained. “We considered her off his recommendation, but we could see it was nice pedigree page. We knew she was carrying a filly and we knew Seeking the Gold was nearing the end of his productive life. We had a dollar amount above which we didn’t really want to go and at that time, the financial markets weakened terribly, but hope springs eternal in the equine world and it hadn’t yet kicked the life out of the horse sales market. We felt this was a mare we could buy at the price we wanted to pay and bring a lot of pedigree and a filly foal that could help in our future broodmare band.” 

Expectations for the mare would have been high–signing a ticket for $800,000 will do that–but to say that things didn’t get off to a flying start would be an understatement of monumental proportions. The Seeking the Gold filly Settling Mist was carrying at the time of her purchase was named Settling for Gold, but she won just a pair of claiming races and was sold by the Woolcotts for $18,000 at Keeneland January in 2012. The mare’s next offspring, the Smart Strike filly Fancy Strike was consigned to that same auction as an unraced racing/broodmare prospect, was knocked down for $15,000 and was beaten a combined 70 lengths in three maiden appearances. Committed to giving their well-bred mare every chance, the Woolcotts booked Settling Mist to A.P. Indy for the 2009 breeding season, but the superstar’s fertility was on the decline, the mare failed to catch and was given the year off. 

Having been mated to ‘longer-winded’ stallions in years previous, the Woolcotts were committed to a new approach for the 2010. It was a plan that worked in theory, if not in practice–at least at first. 

“We originally wanted to go to Speightstown, but his book was already full by the time we tried to get him,” Woolcott commented. “So we had to go with our second choice.” 

The couple were forced to deal with that ‘setback’ and needed a new solution and relatively fast. Enter Tapit, who at the time was commanding the same $50,000 stud fee as Speightstown, according to Woolcott. 

“The first time I laid eyes on him, it was like, ‘Wow.’ It’s more than just his physique, he’s got a presence about him, he’s stunning,” she explained. “But we had had a couple of foals out of Settling Mist and we knew we wanted to inject some speed into the mare.” 

In yet another twist of fate, the Woolcotts were extended an invitation to enter Settling Mist into the 2010 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, and the couple accepted while remaining pragmatic about what they could have on their hands. 

“They were interested in having her [at the November sale], so we put her in there,” Lauren explained. “People don’t necessarily look at the broodmares–they look at the pedigree and produce. Not a single person asked for her to be taken out of her stall, showed no interest in her, period. So, we pulled her before she went into the ring.” 

Three months later, Settling Mist foaled a bay colt at Wayne and Cathy Sweezey’s Timber Town Farm Feb. 11, 2011. The stallion was already off to a sparkling start at stud, having sired champions Stardom Bound and Hansen as well as other Grade I winners Laragh, Zazu and Tell a Kelly. The colt was weaned and came to Woodslane, where he spent the next several months under the care of the farm’s Raymond Figgins. He was inspected by the team at Fasig-Tipton, who passed and accepted the colt for the boutique Saratoga sale in August 2012. He was sent back to Timber Town that June to be prepared for his night in the spotlight, but the reception in upstate New York was somewhat lukewarm. 

“We made a business decision to sell him, he was the first colt that we had, and we had decided, ‘Hey, great, we’ve got some colts, we’re going to sell them.’ We keep the fillies and hope they earn their way into the broodmare band.” 

Led out of the Finney Sales Pavilion when bidding stalled at $195,000, the Settling Mist colt went back to the barn, and that’s when Cathy Sweezey went to work. Robert ‘Shel’ Evans was also a Timber Town client, and Sweezey and her husband didn’t hesitate to pitch Evans on the colt, whose broodmare sire was raced by Evans’s father Thomas Mellon Evans to a near Triple Crown in 1981. As has been well documented, the Tapit colt possessed similar habits to those of Pleasant Colony. 

“He always showed brilliantly up there in Saratoga, but whenever he went back in his stall, he’d lay right down,” Woolcott explained. “And Cathy [Sweezey] thought, ‘Oh my God, this is Pleasant Colony reincarnated, because that’s exactly what he did.” 

Still, he wasn’t the pick of the 10 Tapits on the grounds. 

“Everybody on the grounds knew that Tapit was the hottest thing going and everyone wants to see every single Tapit they can see, but they want to see gray and they want to see 16 hands,” Woolcott recollected. “This guy was bay and he was approaching 17 hands as a yearling. They were looking for Tapit, they weren’t looking for Pleasant Colony. And he was Pleasant Colony. So, the interest was slim to none and we were devastated. By the time the viewing had closed down, we knew there was no interest, so our hopes for big money were dashed and we had to change our reserve. But, thankfully, Cathy recognized this Pleasant Colony deal.” 

So, the Woolcotts struck a post-sale agreement with Evans to get the colt sold and he was turned over to Christophe Clement. The colt Evans named Tonalist debuted in a one-mile Aqueduct maiden Nov. 16 and came from the latter third of the field to outrun odds of 16-1 and finish fourth behind two other sons of Tapit–Matterhorn and subsequent GSP Harpoon. Sent to Florida for the winter, Tonalist reappeared with Lasix and blinkers on for a nine-furlong maiden Jan. 18 and, despite a wide journey, drew off powerfully to graduate by four lengths to become a “TDN Rising Star”. Instead of hustling him into the GII Fountain of Youth S. Feb. 22, Clement entered his charge in an undercard allowance that would have qualified as a stakes race. Off the pace and with the track squarely against him, Tonalist made a late run, but could not reel in next-out GI Florida Derby hero Constitution (Tapit) while finishing ahead of the well-regarded Mexikoma (Birdstone) as well as Wicked Strong (Hard Spun), who would return to annex the GI TwinSpires Wood Memorial S. in his next trip to the post. The latter spot was the intended target for Tonalist as well, but he came up with a minor illness and was forced to pass, thereby losing any shot at the Kentucky Derby. Instead, Clement readied him for the GII Peter Pan S. May 10, and Tonalist left nothing to chance, leading throughout beneath Joel Rosario before besting Commissioner (A.P. Indy) by four strong lengths. It would be a harbinger of things to come. 

Belmont day dawned sunny in Middleburg, about 45 miles roughly due west of Washington, D.C. But with post time for the big race not until close to 7 p.m., the Woolcotts were in serious need of some distraction. 

“We were nervous, so we made a pact that we’d be home alone,” Lauren explained. “We filled our day with rounds and desk work. We met back up and we made an early dinner so it could be fully digested by the 6:50 post time. I loosened up a little with some wine.” 

Fully recharged, Rene and Lauren Woolcott flipped on the NBC coverage and took a seat on the couch. In many circles, Tonalist loomed the main danger to the Triple Crown bid of California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit), but the betting public saw it a bit differently and zeroed in on Wicked Strong to play the role of spoiler. Tonalist hovered in the low double digits until the final few minutes of wagering before firming just a bit to be 9-1, but only the fifth betting choice and bigger odds than Kentucky Derby runner-up Commanding Curve (Master Command) and Preakness second Ride On Curlin (Curlin). That Tonalist was no longer the ‘wise-guy’ horse was just fine with Lauren Woolcott. 

“We were thrilled that attention had drifted off Tonalist and on to Wicked Strong,” Woolcott offered. “It’s just easier without that big, big focus on you.” 

The gate was loaded at 6:55 p.m. Eastern time, with California Chrome drawn two for his 150-second dance with destiny and Tonalist out wide in 11. The favorite was off a bit awkwardly, and while some thought Tonalist would employ the same front-running tactics that he did in the Peter Pan, he was beaten for speed by Commissioner and sat just behind General a Rod (Roman Ruler) while about five wide into the first turn. Aware that he was sitting on a horse more likely than not to see out this demanding 12-furlong distance, Rosario didn’t panic and allowed his mount to race in the clear while always within striking distance. Tonalist edged ever closer with fully four furlongs to race, but Victor Espinoza finally had California Chrome off the inside and out to the four path–he had every chance and no possible excuse from there. They lined up four across the track at the head of the lane–Commissioner, dour at the fence, while General a Rod remained dangerous just to his outside. Tonalist was plugging away three off the rail and California Chrome deeper out, the Triple Crown his if good enough. General a Rod was the first to yield, followed shortly thereafter by California Chrome, and Tonalist worked his way past Commissioner in the final jump to the relief of many, including Rene and Lauren Woolcott. 

“Maybe because we’d had bad racing luck, I just sort of expected all of our hopes to be dashed,” Mrs. Woolcott explained. “But as the race went on, I was taking deep breaths, almost yoga breaths, and everything seemed to be getting better and better. I think it was the quarter pole when he dug in and stretched out his stride and he showed me that ‘it’ factor–that heart, that courage, that determination. Then he gets up to and past Commissioner, and oh, the thrill–I mean it’s still a thrill. You can hear it in my voice. It’s just utterly amazing.” 

The Woolcotts no longer own Settling Mist, as they struck a deal with prominent owner and breeder Charles Fipke in early 2012, but only after coming to an agreement that the Speightstown filly she was carrying at the time would remain their property. For Fipke, the mare has a yearling colt by Tale of Ekati (Tale of the Cat) and foaled a Jersey Town (Speightstown) filly this season. The Speightstown filly Settling Mist was carrying at the time of her sale to Fipke–now named Settle ‘n Speight–is in pre-training with Barry Clohessy at Nelson Jones Training Center in Ocala and is not far from joining a yet-to-be-named trainer in the Midlantic region. The Woolcotts, who also have about a half-dozen steeplechase horses with Jack Fisher, have a broodmare band of six, which also includes former Phipps Stable runner Oh What a Windfall (Seeking the Gold), whom they acquired for $510,000 in foal to Malibu Moon at Keeneland November in 2010. That mare’s current 2-year-old is named Distorted Windfall (Distorted Humor), who will race for Woodslane after failing to meet his reserve as a $285,000 Keeneland September buyback last fall. Among the Woolcotts’s other racing interests is the 3-year-old filly Genuine Quality (Elusive Quality), stakes-placed in Europe last year for her previous owner Qatar Racing and trainer Ed Vaughan. She is now in training in California for trainer Neil Drysdale, whose wife Shawn Dugan signed the ticket on Genuine Quality for 175,000gns at last year’s Tattersalls December sale. 

So, with all that has been accomplished in a relatively short time, what–Lauren Woolcott–will you do for an encore? 

“We’ll just keep trying and keep hoping,” she said with refreshing optimism.