Big Day for Hertrich & Fielding

Fred W. Hertrich has established himself as one of the more savvy commercial breeders in the business, and the Delaware-based auto dealership owner had a big Monday at January. In partnership with the Canadian businessman John Fielding, Hertrich bred four short yearlings who made six figures, including the session's second-priciest yearling, a $250,000 colt by The Factor–Seeking Luck (Seeking the Gold). Taylor Made, which offered all of Hertrich's horses, consigned the gray colt as Hip 85. Springhouse Farm signed the winning slip. 

The colt was the second foal from Seeking Luck, a half-sister to the Grade II winner Lucky Pulpit (Pulpit)–better known as the sire of this year's GI Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome. Her first, the winning 3-year-old colt Bluegrass Luck (Bluegrass Cat), made $25,000 as a yearling. 

“She's one of those mares that we had to figure out how to breed her to get the right foal,” said Hertrich. “You have to figure it out as you go. But The Factor was a great place for her, and this is a very, very good foal. All of the end users, as well as those looking to resell, looked at the horse. They all vetted and scoped him, and when the tea leaves align, you know you're going to have a good sale.” 

Hertrich purchased Seeking Luck off the track from Robert S. Evans, who had himself bought her for $300,000 as a Keeneland September yearling in 2007. 

“Over the last five to seven years, I think we've bought three mares privately from Mr. Evans,” Hertrich explained. “He has some pedigrees a lot of us would love to have, and so while they might not fit his program, it fit ours. He wanted to turn the mare into some cash, and we were lucky enough to answer the telephone and buy her.” 

Hertrich's other big yearlings included: 
$175,000 Quality Road–Without Delay (Seeking the Gold) filly, who was produced by a half-sister to GSW Slow Pace (Distorted Humor) and MGSP Segway (Giant's Causeway). BL Stables purchased the daughter of last year's leading freshman sire as Hip 161; 
$170,000 Union Rags–Agatha (Distorted Humor) colt, whose dam is a half to three SWs, including G1SW Agnes World (Danzig). Walnut Hill stables bought him as Hip 171; 
$150,000 Distorted Humor–Age of Silver (Silver Deputy) filly, who is a full to SW & MGSP Age of Humor (Distorted Humor) and a half to SW Meeker Avenue (Read the Footnotes). BBA Ireland purchased her as Hip 173. 
Hertrich got his start by breeding and owning Standardbreds, but later added Thoroughbreds into the business plan. Realizing the value to be had, he says he really jumped into the market with both feet in 2008, just after the fiscal crisis sent the market reeling. 

“We were very aggressive in 2008, '09 and '10, and now we're seeing dividends,” he said. 
Hertrich and Fielding don't target a specific segment of the market, but rather wait for opportunities to present themselves. 

“The market peaks and ebbs, and you have to find where you can make money,” he said. “You can't stay focused on the same thing every year, because if you do, you're going to get in a lot of trouble. Some years it's stallion power, some years it's first-year sires, some years it's pedigree. Right now, maiden mares are very expensive. Five years ago, they weren't. But we always have a strategy, and we're very disciplined in what we spend.” 

Indeed, Hertrich wasn't just selling yesterday. He also added three broodmares to the fold, including two purchased for just over the covering fees of the stallions they sold in foal to. That included the $115,000 Hishi Aspen (Forestry) (Hip 313), a winning 11-year-old who traces to the bluehen Fall Aspen. The mare, offered by Taylor Made, sold in foal to Bernardini, who stands at Darley for $100,000. Hishi Aspen's first foal, the winning 4-year-old Sassicaia, is also by that stallion, and has himself been in the news before: he topped the 2013 Fasig-Tipton March Sale at $1.6 million. 

Hertrich made another heads-up buy in the form of the $36,000 Poutycat (Bluegrass Cat), an unraced 4-year-old half to GSW Commander (Broken Vow) and MGSP Saturday's Charm (Any Given Saturday) who sold in foal to Super Saver asHip 36. One of 2014's breakout freshman sires, Super Saver stands at WinStar for $35,000. 

“We do a lot of tracking with families, and a lot of research into stallions and how they've done up to this point,” said Hertrich. “We were lucky enough to get mares in foal to Bernardini and Super Saver today, and I think when we take those foals to the market in two years, they're going to be two good horses to have. In November, we bought a mare in foal to Medaglia d'Oro, and we think that's a good play. He's books have only gotten better. Bernardini's have never been bad, and Super Saver, with the way his horses came out blowin' and goin', he's only going to get better.”

Hertrich owns the 400-acre Watercress Farm near Lexington, where all of his Thoroughbred bloodstock is kept. (His Standardbreds are based at a separate farm in Maryland.) Hertrich said his team deserves much of the credit for the farm's success, including farm manager Shane Doyle. Robert Tribbett, son of Hertrich's longtime private Standardbred trainer, is also part of the team. 

Hertrich said he first met Fielding when he brought a draft of Standardbreds to a sale in Canada. 

“I met John on a bale of hay drinking a Labatts Blue,” said Hertrich. “We've become partners and great friends for the past 18 years, and have had a couple more of those beverages since.” 

Fielding came into owning Thoroughbreds with Hertrich when the latter's longtime friend and partner, Dr. Phil McCarthy, passed away in 2009. Hertrich admits he takes care of most of the business decisions. 

“John said, 'I'm in charge of two things–entertainment and luck,'” Hertrich said. “And he's very good at both.” 
He added, “It's been very rewarding. We've met a lot of great people and had a lot of fun. And we're very bullish on the market and on the business.” 

Hertrich is worried about one aspect of the market, however: stud fees, and how a rise in prices could affect the bloodstock market. 

“As stallion seasons go up–and no disrespect to the farms, because I own shares in a lot of these stallions–but they can really take the juice out of the pumpkin as they fees go up,” he said. “In the industry, everyone has to make money. Breeders, farms, everyone. That's how the industry percolates. I want Peter O'Callaghan, Brian Graves, Coolmore–the people who bought my horses–to go out and make money and win Grade I's. That's one thing I learned [from the Standardbred industry]: everybody needs to work for the common good, and we need everybody to be successful.”