Harness Owner Branches Into Thoroughbreds With Peter Pan Hopeful

By Perry Lefko

Madefromlucky (Lookin At Lucky) has lived up to his name for Mac Nichol, a Canadian-based horseman who has started to dabble seriously in the Thoroughbred game after a multitude of successes in the Standardbred industry, and he's hoping his star horse will make it to the Belmont S.

The three-year-old colt is entered in the Peter Pan S. Saturday at Belmont Park, which could be his ticket into the third leg of the Triple Crown and a possible reunion with Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah, who has beaten him twice so far this season.

After Madefromlucky placed a distant fourth to American Pharoah in the Arkansas Derby following a second-place finish to him in the Rebel S. the plan was to point toward the Derby. But when Madefromlucky didn't train well at Churchill Downs, Nichol and Cheyenne Stables, which bought a 60 percent interest in the colt earlier this year for a significant six-figure sum, the decision was made to pass on the Run for the Roses and focus on the Belmont by prepping in the Peter Pan.

“My partner and I didn't want to go in there just because it was the Derby unless we were able to perform in there,” Nichol said. “We decided if he's not 100%, he's not going to get anything anyway. It takes a lot out of those horses sometimes, and this way we stay out of the race and he's fresh.

“We're looking forward to Belmont Park. I think it'll really suit him there, too, the way they race there, plus they've got some really wide turns. It seems like he lost some ground on both of his last two races in the turns, but in the straightaway he digs back in.”

Nichol is a relatively new player in the Thoroughbred game, but is well known in the Standardbred industry, having been the sole owner or partner in some horses that have won major races. He won the Little Brown Jug–harness racing's version of the Derby–in 2007 with Tell All. The horse also won the North America Cup, the richest race in harness racing, the same year. Nichol's other big wins include the 2011 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Filly Pace with Monkey On My Wheel, the 2005 Bluegrass Stakes and Confederation Cup with American Ideal, and the 2010 Metro Pace with Mystician.

The 61-year-old native of Newfoundland started out as a horse owner claiming a cheap Thoroughbred while living in Alberta, where he lived for 30 years and worked in the construction business. He later switched to claiming Standardbreds, and when he had success, he upped his investment, buying some yearlings. About seven years ago, he moved to Ontario and bought a Standardbred training center and spent a considerable sum of money on improvements. Ideal Training Centre, located near Mohawk Racetrack in Campbellville, Ontario, is now one of the finest of its kind in Canada.

In the winter, Nichol lives near Gulfstream Park and enjoys watching the races there. He's raced some claimers there, trained by John Mazza, who is one of his neighbors. Last year, Nichol decided to take the plunge and invest in a two-year-old-in-training.

“Although I'm a Standardbred owner, I always liked going to the Thoroughbred races or betting the Thoroughbreds,” he said. “The Thoroughbreds were in my blood before the Standardbreds; let's put it that way.”

Nichol attended the 2014 OBS March Sale hoping to buy “something decent.” He was impressed by Madefromlucky and paid $150,000, and it has proven to be a solid, if not fortuitous, buy.

“It was the most I had paid for a horse at a sale,” he said. “I've paid more for Standardbreds, but there were partners in it. I actually thought I got him at a good price. I was willing to go (in the $200,000 range or higher) for him because he impressed me that much.”

After the colt broke his maiden in his fourth start earlier this year, Nichol started to receive calls from interested parties looking for a Derby horse.

“There were a lot of people interested in him,” he said. “Everybody is looking for a winner. In the Thoroughbred business, it's not about the money. It's about a winning horse. There were people calling all the way from Ireland, so he must have impressed a lot of people. I had offers (to sell 100 percent), but I didn't want to do that. It wasn't to buy a horse and sell him type of deal, especially a good one. I figured I wouldn't be greedy. I still wanted to (own) a part. If he happens to make it as a stud, there's more money in that than racing horses.”

Nichol enjoyed being on the Derby trail with all of its hype and attention.

“I don't think anything beats that,” he said. “People can spend millions and millions all their life just to try and make it to the Derby. It doesn't get any bigger than that. That's a thrill of a lifetime.”

For all he had accomplished in the Standardbred game, few people on the Derby trail knew much about him and his accomplishments.

“I don't think a lot of Thoroughbred people follow the Standardbreds,” he said. “We know that the Thoroughbred business is a much tougher business to get in, especially to break even or make money. It is tough and I knew that when I went to (OBS). I know the percentage that make money is slim to none.”

One percent of Madefromlucky's earnings is going to the Stable That God Loves, a newly formed initiative for Chaplain Ken Carter's homeless Standardbred Chaplaincy of Canada. It is dedicated to providing for the emotional, physical, spiritual and human needs of the horse racing workforce in southwestern Ontario. The charity has received support from many of the top Standardbred owners, but so far Madefromlucky is the only Thoroughbred in the group.

“I figured I'll mix it up a bit on this Thoroughbred and maybe it will open some more doors for support,” he said.

Following his success with Madefromlucky, Nichol decided to add to his Thoroughbred stable. He attended the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Florida sale at Gulfstream Park, but found the prices for the ones he wanted were beyond his budget.

“I looked at six horses, but they cost between $460,000 and $1.6 million and I didn't want to pay that much,” he said.

He went back to OBS March and found himself impressed by an Uncle Mo colt who was the first foal out of the multiple stakes-winning mare Sea Road (Tale of the Cat). Nichol liked the colt's workout and his pedigree. The hammer came down at $190,000. He named the dark bay/brown colt Sea Wizard.

“It's a little bit too early to say (he's as good as Madefromlucky),” Nichol said. “I don't like to jump to anything. We'll have to see when he gets back in training for six weeks or so I'll have a better idea how he's doing. But he looks the part.”

“I'm just putting some of the money back into the game again,” Nichol added. “That's what I do with my Standardbreds, too.”

Overall, Madefromlucky has two wins, two seconds and a third in seven career starts. It's been a good run so far for the horse and his owner.

“You need some luck with everything in the horse business,” he said.