Classic Statement by Taylor Made

Mark Taylor admitted Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Classic result was a bag of mixed blessings for his family's Taylor Made Sales Agency. Taylor Made purchased a share in California Chrome last summer and has enjoyed the chestnut champion's global successes, including wins in this year's G1 Dubai World Cup and GI Pacific Classic. But California Chrome's perfect season was cut short at Santa Anita Saturday, ironically enough, by a son of the late Unbridled's Song, who stood at Taylor Made throughout his stellar career, and out of a mare sold by the farm six years ago.
“It was bittersweet in every sense of the word,” Taylor admitted Sunday morning. “There are a bunch of different angles to that exacta in the Breeders' Cup Classic. From one angle, I am very happy for the Cleary boys over at Clearsky. Their father bought Bubbler, who is the dam of Arrogate, from us here as a maiden and then bred such an incredible horse. And now they have her back in the sale, so I am wishing them the best of luck.”
Taylor continued, “From another standpoint, it's special for the legacy of Unbridled's Song. It feels like I've spent the last 20 years being an apologist for Unbridled's Song. People constantly criticize, 'They're not sound, they're not this.' But the bottom line is that he is a great stallion. When you look at the last five years, he's come up with Graydar, Cross Traffic, Will Take Charge and Arrogate. He just got better with age. His legacy is just enhanced by Arrogate's Classic win, which gives us a lot of personal satisfaction.”
Unbridled's Song, who won the 1995 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, stood his 17-year stud career at Taylor Made and produced Breeders' Cup champions Unbridled Elaine, Unrivaled Belle, Liam's Map and Midshipman, but Arrogate was the stallion's first Breeders' Cup Classic winner.
Taylor has no regrets about California Chrome's valiant runner-up effort and nothing but praise for the winner's connections.
“I don't think he lost anything in defeat,” Taylor said. “He ran a great race and he got beat by a great horse. He came out of it so far, so good. He looks sound and healthy, so we are very blessed.”
He continued, “We're very happy for [Arrogate's owner] Juddmonte Farms. They've been around for 50 years supporting this business and to see them back into American dirt racing like this is huge for the sport. And you have to take your hat off to Bob Baffert. He is one of the greatest trainers of all time.”
Taylor Made will offer California Chrome's dam Love the Chase (Not For Love), in foal to Tapit, as hip 59 during Monday's Fasig-Tipton November sale.
“She is a beautiful mare and everybody has been loving her when she comes out,” Taylor said of the 10-year-old mare. “She is a very pretty mare and you can see a lot of her in Chrome. She has got the pedigree; she is line-bred to Dance Number [dam of Not For Love], who is Ogden Phipps's best mare. The genetics are there and I think that's what you see coming out in California Chrome. We've got a picture of her current yearling, a full-brother to Chrome, that we're showing to people and he is stunning. He looks just like California Chrome. So I think she is going over really well.”
The lightly raced Arrogate's victory over globe-trotting California Chrome in the Classic may present a quandary for Eclipse voters, but Taylor thinks the Horse of the Year decision is an easy one.
“Historically, to me, it's always been about the body of work,” he said. “And if you take the body of work, I think Chrome is the Horse of the Year and there is not even a debate. You can't take anything away from Arrogate. If people wanted to vote for him, that's fine, but I think basically what you're saying then is whoever wins the Breeders' Cup Classic is the Horse of the Year. And if that is going to be it, then we have to promote that and get more people pointing towards the Breeders' Cup Classic. If you say that determines the championship, than that is what everyone will gear towards.”
Taylor Made had other Breeders' Cup connections over the weekend at Santa Anita. The farm sold New Money Honey (Medaglia d'Oro) on behalf of breeder WinStar Farm for $450,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September sale. In the colors of new owner Bob Edwards's eFive Racing, the filly captured Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
New Money Honey, like Arrogate, is out of a Distorted Humor mare, which gives Taylor plenty of confidence going into Monday's Fasig-Tipton November sale.
“We are selling two really nice Distorted Humor mares over here at Fasig,” Taylor said. “And seeing Distorted Humor produce two Breeders' Cup winners as a broodmare sire, there is just tons of positive.”
Taylor Made sells Baffled (Distorted Humor) (hip 104), in foal to Tapit, at Fasig Monday. The 11-year-old mare is already the dam of two-time Grade I winner Constitution (Tapit). Grand Glory (Distorted Humor), the dam of Gloryzapper (Ghostzapper) and carrying a full-sibling to that graded stakes winner, sells as hip 175.