Minor Playing in a Major Key

by Jessica Martini 
Joe Minor's JSM Equine, which has been an increasingly prominent figure on the racing scene in recent years, will offer a pair of juveniles through the inaugural Thomas & Casse consignment at next week's Fasig-Tipton Florida 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at Gulfstream Park. Hip 100 is a colt by Medaglia d'Oro and hip 120 is a son of Tapit. 

A native Lexingtonian, Minor grew up among racing and racing fans, but it has only been in the last decade or so that he became involved in ownership himself. 

“I was actually born on a horse farm,” Minor explained. “I grew up going to the racetrack as a fan and certainly in Lexington we're around Keeneland and Churchill Downs and you're exposed to all the excitement of the tracks and the big stakes races.” 

The 64-year-old, whose business ventures include financial and real estate investments, finally decided to take the plunge as part of a partnership. 

“I started getting into the business with the Greathouse family,” Minor said. “I got involved with some syndicates about eight or 10 years ago and then John [Greathouse] and I started buying at a higher level, everything from mares to racehorses.” 

He added, “When I got into this, it was primarily as an investment to buy and sell.” 

But he did have fair warning. 

“I remember Mandy Pope telling me one time that this is just like an addiction. It's such a high,” Minor said. 

Minor has certainly enjoyed a number of highs during his short time in racing. Along with the Greathouse family's Glencrest Farm, JSM Equine campaigns Blofeld (Quality Road). Recently returned to training with Todd Pletcher, the gray colt won last year's GII Futurity and GII Nashua S. and is unbeaten in three starts. Minor was also co-owner of the ill-fated Onlyforyou (Malibu Moon), winner of last year's GII Forward Gal S. and GII Davona Dale S. 

“Last year, John and I had Onlyforyou and that was quite an experience,” Minor recalled. “And then to have Blofeld. I've been very blessed and very fortunate. I have two beautiful grandchildren and a lot of great things in my life, but that's an adrenaline rush that is hard for me to put into words.” 

Minor, on his own or in partnership, has approximately 20 broodmares, as well as seven horses in training. Still, his focus is squarely on buying and selling. 

“At the moment, I am concentrating on buying weanlings for the yearling market and buying yearlings for the 2-year-old market and buying mares and then selling them with their foals and back in foal,” he explained. “That's probably more my business plan and, in the end, hopefully have the occasional top-level competitive runner.” 

Minor continued, “I look at the horse industry, in a way it's fun, but it starts with being able to buy at the right level and hopefully you make a wise investment and things go right for you and you have good people who are taking care of your investment. And then you have the right consignors and the market is strong and you do well.” 

After a pause, he added, “Or you do well enough to come back anyway.” 

Bloodstock agents Justin Casse and Christina Jelm were busy buying on Minor's behalf last year. 

“Justin and Christina purchased quite a few weanlings for JSM Equine last year,” Minor explained. “We will be selling those horses through various consignors at various different venues as yearlings. Then Christina and Justin purchased yearlings that we'll be selling, starting with the Fasig sale in Miami.” 

Discussing his Minor mission, Casse explained, “I'm basically doing for Joe what I have done for myself through the years, except with a larger budget.” 

“We have about 20 2-year-olds to sell for him this year,” Casse added. “About two-thirds are horses that I bought and Christina Jelm bought and a third of them are horses that he bred. And we bought roughly 30 weanlings that just turned yearlings.” 

Casse is very pleased with the two juveniles Minor will be selling at Gulfstream next Wednesday. 

The Medaglia d'Oro colt (Thorostride video) is a half-brother to GI Toyota Blue Grass S. winner Brilliant Speed (Dynaformer) and to graded stakes placed Souper Speedy (Indian Charlie). His second dam is Daijin (Deputy Minister), a sister to Touch Gold and With Approval and the dam of Canadian champion Serenading. The dark bay was a $300,000 Keeneland September yearling. 

“The Medaglia d'Oro is a beautiful colt,” Casse commented. “He looks a lot like most of the Medaglias I've seen. I've had a lot of people asking about him just based on his pedigree and being a half-sibling to a Grade I winner. And of course, his second dam is extremely strong.” 

The Tapit colt (Thorostride video) is out of graded stakes placed West Coast Swing (Gone West) and is from the family of Dance Smartly and Smart Strike. He RNA'd for $370,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“The Tapit is as good a horse as I've every been around,” Casse said. “He is very straightforward, very smart. A beautiful physical and he's done everything very easily.” 

Hip 174, a Minor-owned daughter of Dansili (GB), was also catalogued to the Fasig sale, but needed more time and was scratched. Casse purchased the filly, a full-sister to Group 1 winner Testosterone (Fr), for €220,000 at last year's Arqana August sale. 

“The Dansili is a really nice filly,” said Casse. “She's really taken to training on the dirt. I had originally considered breezing her on the turf, but she has really taken to training on the dirt and I can only suspect that she will handle just about any surface.” 

Asked how he thought the filly's pedigree would be received in the U.S., Casse explained, “I would never have bought a colt with that kind of pedigree to bring over. I've been going over to Europe for three years now and I've noticed a strong American contingent buying horses abroad at primarily the mixed sales and almost solely the mares. In the past couple of years, due to talk about drug reform, I think some buyers have moved to bringing those bloodlines to the States and I think that, if you have the opportunity to buy a Dansili out of a Sadler's Wells mare full-sister to a Group 1 winner, you have to take it. Here is the opportunity to, not only own a mare with great residual value, but you can also race her here in the States. So I would expect her to be well-received. Dansili has done enough around the world to have the respect in the United States.” 

Casse will team up with Becky Thomas to offer their first consignment at Fasig-Tipton and Casse is looking forward to the collaboration. 

“I feel very lucky to have her on my side,” Casse said. “I don't think too many people have been doing this as long as she has at the level that she has. So to be able to turn to her with any questions that I have is really nice. I have a friend to depend on, as well as someone I greatly respect. I think we have a strong admiration for each other.” 

The under-tack show for the Florida sale will begin Monday at 10 a.m. Bidding begins Wednesday at 4 p.m.