Siena Farm Legacy on Display at Keeneland September

Siena Farm has been a regular player at the Keeneland sales over the years, and the upcoming September Yearling Sale will prove no different. Offering 17 yearlings in total, including a trio in Book 1 and an additional five in Book 2, the operation offers yet another group steeped in black-type and sire power.

Consigned by Taylor Made Sales (Agent XXV), Siena is represented by Hip 88, a Gun Runner filly out of MGSW Isabella Sings (Eskendereya). The half-sister to SW Alaura Michele (Arch) is already responsible for listed winner Otello (Curlin). A colt by Into Mischief out of Isabella Sings brought $650,000 at Keeneland last September.

“We are very impressed with the Isabella Sings filly,” said Siena Farm's COO Ryan Smith. “We've been pleasantly surprised with how well she moves and how good she looks. She has been presenting herself very well at the farm. We've had people come by and see her ahead of the sale, and they've been impressed too. I think if she shows how she has been, she'll do very well. We've heard that among Gun Runners, she stacks up very well. We have high hopes right now.”

Also featured on the sale's opening day is Hip 96, a colt by Constitution out of unraced Joyful Addiction, herself a daughter of GI Vanity winner My Sweet Addiction (Tiznow) and a granddaughter of GISW Healthy Addiction (Boston Harbor). The 6-year-old Munnings mare, who was purchased for $150,000 at Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2022, produced this colt the following season and followed by with a Life Is Good filly this year.

Up At Dawn, represented by a Justify filly at KEESEP this year | Siena Farm

“We're very excited about [the Constitution colt],” affirmed Smith. “Constitution's big crops are finally starting to come up after his early success.”

“We are also extremely pleased with Joyful Addiction. She is a young mare that we got her two years ago and [the foals] she's produced has been a physical standout.”

He added, “We're pleased with how he's developed, but he's also one that stood out as a foal.”

Rounding out Book 1's trio is Hip 276, a filly by Justify. The Apr. 22 foal is out of Up At Dawn (Uncle Mo), a half-sister to GSWs Mr Freeze (To Honor and Serve), Dilemma (Grand Slam) and Heavenly Ransom (Red Ransom), in addition to Zayanna, herself the dam of Grade I winner Wicked Whisper and Grade II scorer Point of Honor.

“She has been doing really well,” Smith confirmed. “I think the Isabella Sings filly has been taking some of the spotlight, but this filly has been looking good too. She has started to really improve over the past few weeks as she has started getting further into the prep. So we're also excited for her.”

Making up the consignment's Book 2 offerings are Hip 381, a filly by Constitution out of Dear Elaine; Hip 456, a colt by Gun Runner out of GSP Island Saint; Hip 533, a filly by Good Magic out of My Sugar; Hip 731, a Twirling Candy filly out of Brabble and Hip 932, a filly by City of Light out of GSP Private Ensign.

“The Constitution filly has been one that we have always liked and even more so now,” he said of the Dear Elaine filly.

In regard to Hip 456, he added, “The Gun Runner colt was a bit behind. But he's growing up now and has put on the size that's needed. He was always a bit on the small side as the mare's foals had been. Fortunately, he's found his groove and put on more weight and muscle as we get closer to the sale.”

Asked about this season's September consignment on a whole, Smith said, “We are pretty comfortable with the placement of these horses. We've always been happy with Keeneland and we believe that it is the best place to bring these yearlings at this stage.”

“Sometimes you have to hold on to some of these. But realistically, if we have to hold on to somebody, it's because we want to take a shot racing them. We stand behind our horses.”

Siena Embarks on a New Era…
It's an understatement of epic proportions to say that Siena Farm and its founder, Anthony Manganaro, are well known in the Thoroughbred industry. However, the same can't necessarily be said about the farm's 30-year-old Chief Operating Officer, Ryan Smith.

Anthony Manganaro co-founded Siena Farm with David Pope and Nacho Patino | EquiSport

A member of the Siena team for over seven years, Smith, who is from upstate New York, assumed the mantle of COO in April of 2023 at the age of 29, however, unbeknownst to him, however, he was on the precipice of facing his most challenging test since taking the reins. Later that August, Manganaro passed away unexpectedly at the age of 79.

“It was very difficult on everybody involved,” Smith said. “It is shocking that a whole year has gone by.”

The troupes, including Siena co-founder Ignacio 'Nacho' Patino, rallied and over the course of the past year to make the best of a difficult situation. And that they did.

“It's really been a learning experience,” Smith said. “We've been fortunate to have help from Anthony's son, Todd. He's been tremendously helpful and supportive throughout this time. I am really fortunate that Nacho has been here forever. I didn't have a lot of time in this position before Anthony passed away, so I was sort of thrown into it. One thing Anthony used to always say is, 'You really don't learn how to drive until you are driving the car by yourself.' I think that's been the case this past year.”

Only three days removed from the one-year anniversary of Manganaro's passing (Aug. 20, 2023), Caitlinhergrtness (Omaha Beach), co-owned by Siena and WinStar Farm, won Woodbine's King's Plate Stakes–the first jewel in Canada's Triple Crown. One day later, Mullikin (Violence), racing for the same partnership, annexed the GI Forego Stakes at Saratoga.

In tandem with WinStar, Siena also campaigns last year's GI Champagne winner and millionaire Timberlake (Into Mischief), who won this season's GII Rebel Stakes. Additionally, Siena owns a piece of MGSW Messier (Empire Maker), victorious in the GIII Westchester Stakes in May.

“It wasn't by design initially but it then became by design,” Smith said with a laugh when asked about Siena's increasing number of horses raced in partnership over time. “It just makes so much sense for us, especially when we had so much else going on. The team at WinStar is so incredibly talented and experienced, not only at selecting horses but also managing them. It's been a well-suited partnership partner for us.”

According to Smith, Siena currently owns five horses of racing age independently, however, the bulk of their horse in training (50-80 depending on the time of year) are raced in partnership.

“The number we own by ourselves is smaller than it used to be in previous years,” he explained. “The rest are with the partnerships, primarily with WinStar. It's a formula that works.”

“In most of the scenarios that we were racing horses 100%, it was with horses we bred. Horses we thought either we wanted to keep them in the broodmare band or maybe somebody we didn't get sold and we thought it just made sense to take a shot with them.”

Campaigned by Siena and trainer Tim Hamm, Siena homebred Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief), the winner of the 2020 GI Frizette Stakes, sold to Japanese interests for $2.85 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2021.

“At time we have also opted to keep some of our fillies from our more accomplished mares, but it also made more economic sense to sell some others along the way like Dayoutoftheoffice.”

How has Siena's breeding operation evolved with time?

“Over the past few years, we've been focusing a bit more on purchasing younger mares that showed some speed on the track and that had a bit stronger pedigrees to compliment the unraced or lightly-raced fillies that we already had in our broodmare band.”

According to Smith, the operation currently has approximately 30 head. However, that is about to change. Smith confirmed that the Siena mares will be dispersed at Keeneland in November.

“We will sell with Taylor Made under a common property line Siena Farm dispersal,” he said. “We have grouped the mares as best we can within the books. We want to make it easy for breeders to find what they want.”

Caitlinhergrtness winning last month's King's Plate for partners Siena and WinStar/ Michael Burns Photo

Pointing to some of the mares that will head to the ring this fall, he added, “We have a couple of nice mares, including Night on the Town (Street Sense) and Medaglia Mo, that we'll offer in November. We feel like we've assembled a strong group of mares.”

Siena purchased the former for $450,000 at KEENOV in 2022 and gave $440,000 at that venue last year for the latter.

Additionally, the remaining foals of this season-approximately 25–will be sold in 2025 to wrap up the breeding arm of the Siena operation.

“We have a really nice group of foals this season and we felt it made more sense for them and for us to sell them next year as yearlings. We are excited about this group,” he explained.

Early in August, the 262-acre farm was listed for sale and will remain the base of operations until its sale.

“The farm has not been sold yet,” Smith confirmed. “We will stay here as long as we can until it sells with the yearlings. If somebody purchases it before next summer, then we will board the yearlings for the period of time and after that we'd just be a racing operation.”

Asked about what comes next for Siena, Smith said, “In the short term, we are going to continue to do things as we have been. We'll get these yearlings to the sale and then focus on getting the mares ready for November. It's the right time for us and would also be a good time for somebody looking to get started before the new year begins.”

“The long-term plan is to pull back and focus on being a racing operation only and not having a breeding operation.”