By Sue Finley
Duncan Taylor officially stepped down from his role as the front man for Taylor Made Sales and Farm earlier this year, relinquishing his titles of CEO and President. But since we still see him at every sale, he still returns emails in under five minutes, and still regularly sends along really good ideas to help the racing and breeding industry, we're pretty sure that Duncan's idea of retirement is different from that of other people. So we asked.
How's fake retirement going?
I don't have to attend or hold many meetings. am retired from being the CEO of both of our companies. Ben is the CEO/President of Taylor Made Stallions. Mark, as most people already know has taken over as the CEO/President of Taylor Made Sales Agency. The fake retirement is I am still working. My brothers Ben, Frank and Mark are all outstanding and I know they are doing a great job. So I have retired from a great deal of responsibility. I am helping them in whatever way they need and still bombarding them with ideas.
Who's the hardest working person you know who isn't you?
It's a tie between my mother Mary Emily Taylor and Jerry Hollendorfer and they both worked harder than me.
Favorite race of the year that wasn't Flightline?
Epicenter (Not This Time)'s Travers, for financial reasons. The Breeders' Cup Distaff as a fan was better than the great Flightline.
If you didn't work in horse racing, what would have become of you?
I think I would have been trying to grow another type of business. I am very competitive. In some ways, that is a blessing and in some ways it is a curse.
If you could recruit one stallion from another farm to Taylor Made, who would it be?
Gun Runner.
Who is the horse you sold who made you the proudest?
Dancing Brave in 1985. He was Champion three-year-old in Europe. He won Europe's premiere race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the G1 English Two Thousand Guineas, the G1 Coral-Eclipse S., the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond S., and 2nd in the G1 Epsom Derby. We offered American Pharoah for sale. I have to put him right up there as a Triple Crown winner.
What accomplishment are you most proud of this year?
I am most proud of two things. My son Marshall, who is doing very well as a Taylor Made Thoroughbred advisor. Every parent wonders about their children. Marshall, like all of us, had some struggles. Although as he has become more like his mother, he has become a great person. He had his first year with his pinhooking venture, Castleton Way, pinhooking weanlings to yearlings for a bunch of his customers and he had many happy customers. That is what business is all about.
Second, Not This Time's performance as a sire and in particular the Kentucky Derby, having Epicenter second and Simplification fourth. It is very hard to have a young stallion who as done as well as Not This Time has. When we first started Taylor Made, we boarded Tartan Farm's broodmares and had the champion sprinter Ta Wee. I didn't know how that mare would be so good to the Taylors. Not This Time's second dam is linebred 2×3 to TA Wee.
Sweetest horse who has ever been on Taylor Made?
California Chrome. He was a ham and was appreciative of every fan that fed him a Chrome cookie.
Best advice you ever got?
The Ten Commandments. As I look back on my life, I see that the advice given in the Ten Commandments is awesome. Most every time I went against that advice given in the Ten Commandments, it didn't end up well for me in the long term. When we humans
trade long-term joy and happiness for short-term pleasure, we are making the wrong choice.
Most embarrassing moment?
I don't like this question! For a man that was just talking about the goodness of the Ten Commandments, now you are going to expose my foolishness as a young boy. In high school, my friends and I went to a party. I drank way too much alcohol. The next morning, I was informed that I relieved myself in the kitchen cabinet of my schoolmate's house.
If you could change one thing about your career, what would it be?
I would have listened to my wife Carol more.
All I want for Christmas…?
Is to have God's grace to be everything God made me to be.
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