Anderson Farms: Quality on the Climb

Canada's complex racing and breeding landscape is lush with history and established, accomplished operations. Few Ontario-based farms have ascended to such standards in the last few years more impressively than Anderson Farms, which has admirably managed to function as a boutique operation while leaving its fingerprints virtually all over the industry. Maxing out at just 25 broodmares, the breed-to-sell program–owned, managed and executed by David Anderson–has made its mark through decades of horsemanship and appears poised to leave even more.

The cherry on the 2017 season thus far for Anderson and his team, which includes bloodstock agent Marette Farrell, was the Keeneland September Sale. Taking 16 homebreds to Lexington, the enterprise sold 10 of those, including five for six figures or more and a $1.1 million Scat Daddy colt (hip 578) to Coolmore. Other highlights included a $500,000 Will Take Charge colt (hip 1824) to International Equities Holding of Sumaya U S Stable's Oussama Aboughazale, and hip 1727, a $400,000 Hard Spun half-sister to Gary Barber's impressive GIII Mazarine S. winner Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d'Oro), whom Anderson had sold for $80,000 at the 2016 sale and who may now be Breeders' Cup-bound.

“It's been an amazing year for us, obviously, and at Keeneland we had the most depth and best group of horses we have ever gone to a sale with,” Anderson said. “That Scat Daddy was probably the best horse we have ever bred off our farm, but I just didn't know how he would stack up against the best yearlings in the world. The Will Take Charge is an outstanding individual and we did not want him to get out-shined by the Scat Daddy, so we had him back in book three. We are really high on the Hard Spun filly, especially now after watching what Wonder Gadot did last week. As a breeder, that's all you can hope for, especially with the Scat Daddy being the first foal out of Orchard Beach (Tapit). Hopefully she's got a long career ahead of her with us. We knew we had quality horses to sell, so we wanted them to go to the right people and right trainers who would take care of them.”

Seven years ago, David's father Robert passed away, leaving the operation of Anderson Farms in his control. Wanting to do the Anderson Thoroughbred legacy–established in 1969 by his father–justice, David, 48, decided to rebuild it from the ground up. That included trimming the proverbial fat and focusing on a quality-over-quantity execution. Anderson sold off all but one broodmare, stakes-producing Flawless Diamond, and then began studying the breeding stock sales, beginning with Keeneland January 2011.

“We are fully rebuilt up, but are always striving for better mares,” Anderson explained. “I'm definitely looking forward to it getting even better. We are looking at Keeneland November now and we always try to look at every single animal at the sale and leave no stone unturned. I buy wherever I can if it's the right horse, no matter what sale it is. I can't afford to buy top-end mares off the track, so we really have to shop harder and look for value on a limited budget. We look for sisters and daughters of those Grade I winners we can't afford and we never compromise pedigree for confirmation. At the end of the day, 90% run to their pedigree in some way. You may not get it first foal or first time out, but eventually you get there over the long haul.”

Anderson's sales team is a quintet led by Farrell, whose successes have been impeccable in her own right over the last few years.

“Marette has an eye as good as anyone,” he continued. “Her record speaks for itself and you could see it this past year with [Grade I winner] Zipessa (City Zip), [champion] Champagne Room (Broken Vow) and [Grade I winner] Collected (City Zip). She was with me at that first sale after my father died and we actually bought Wonder Gadot's mother and the grandmother to my Scat Daddy there. She finds the needle in the haystack.”

Anderson, who “grew up on the farm,” also breeds prized Percherons and Clydesdales at said St. Thomas, Ontario, facility. While they often compete in the United States, his Thoroughbred operation sells and races all over the world. The proud Canadian is quick to point out, though, that their Ontario roots remain vital to this recent collective surge of success.

“It's kind of my hidden secret,” he said. “There are so few horses comparably being foaled in Canada and I think we have a tremendous program here. Our purses are strong and we have an unbelievable facility at Woodbine, especially the E. P. Taylor turf course. It's a real advantage for anyone trying to produce the best horse they can.”

In addition to its success with Wonder Gadot and through the sales ring this year, Anderson Farms also bred stakes winners Inflexibility (Scat Daddy) and Financial Recovery (Street Cry), as well as promising upstarts Mill Road (Quality Road), Fragrance (Malibu Moon) and Grace and Dignity (Animal Kingdom), who became a 'TDN Rising Star' when dismantling a Woodbine allowance field by 5 1/4 lengths Oct. 18. The final four of those were all horses who failed to sell for Anderson and subsequently partially sold to race with trainer Catherine Day-Phillips, with no lack of fingers crossed, in their colors. The farm also bred and sold the dam of this summer's Prince of Wales S. winner Cool Catomine (Spring at Last).

“I am a commercial breeder and try to sell everything I breed,” Anderson said. “If I don't sell them for one reason or another, I piece them up among friends and just try and have a little fun with them. This year we got really lucky with some of those misfits who turned out to be very nice horses and who knows how good that Animal Kingdom will be. I think that says a lot about our program.

“It's a lot of hard work and many people think you can walk in and spend $10 million and it happens overnight,” Anderson concluded. “The absolute key to this game is–and I can't stress this enough–to be patient. I feel like for us, or at least hope, that it's only going to get better.”