April 2015 Member of the Month: John Gunther
Alto Racing, LLC’s undefeated Materiality captured the Florida Derby (gr. I) at Gulfstream Park, vaulting himself into Kentucky Derby (gr. I) contention. Part two took place at Dubai’s Meydan when Gunther-bred Tamarkuz gutted out a nose victory in the Godolphin Mile (UAE-II) for owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell operation purchased the five-year-old Tamarkuz (by Speightstown ) for $325,000 at the 2011 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Tamarkuz is now aiming for the June 6 Metropolitan Mile (gr. I) at Belmont Park. Materiality first sold for $260,000 as a yearling, reselling for $400,000 as a juvenile.
Raised on a small farm in Alberta, Canada, Gunther never planned to hit the Thoroughbred big time. A life-long horse enthusiast, he regularly attended the races in Vancouver, where he now resides. He bought Glennwood Farm 25 years ago in Versailles, Kentucky. Success has been the name of the game since, as Gunther has bred or co-bred multiple grade I winner First Samurai and champion Stevie Wonderboy, among others.
Gunther purchased Materiality’s second dam, Dial a Trick, at the 1991 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $85,000. “Dial a Trick was one of the first yearlings I bought that I kept as a broodmare because she was by Phone Trick and had a lot of speed, and I wanted to breed her to a distance stallion,” he recalled. Gunther bred the mare to Langfuhr; the resulting foal was stakes winner Wildwood Flower, who, to the cover of dual classic winner Afleet Alex, produced Materiality. Wildwood Flower also foaled grade II winner My Miss Sophia (by Unbridled’s Song).
Gunther decided to breed some of his mares to successful international sires, in part because of crowded American stallion books. “I thought there was just a lot more to select from in Europe,” he admitted. “There are so many top stallions and a lot of the stud farms are so obliging when you want to breed to a top stallion
Wildwood Flower is in foal to French classic winner Intello and will be bred to that horse’s sire, Galileo. Tamarkuz’s dam, Without You Babe (by Lemon Drop Kid) had a Frankel colt this year and will be bred to 2014 Cartier Horse of the Year Kingman. “They’ll foal over there and I will probably bring them [the foals] back when they’re about six months old,” Gunther said. He’ll then leave the mares in France to be bred.
When it comes to matings, Gunther’s daughter, Tanya, holds the reins. “She was in investment banking in London for a number of years and she wanted to pursue her passion, which is working with the horses, so she left London and went and has been managing my farm for several years.” Since then, Tanya has been unstoppable. “She planned most of the matings for all my horses and manages the operation there in Kentucky,” Gunther said with pride. For example, she chose Afleet Alex as a mate for Wildwood Flower because another of Dial a Trick’s daughters foaled 2010 Travers Stakes (gr. I) winner Afleet Express to the cover of that sire.
Before Gunther adds a mare to his broodmare band, currently numbering about 20, he does his homework. “Well, I study the pedigree. The pedigree is important and naturally, the conformation, if it fits the pedigree. If I can afford it, they have to have a bit of a race record, as well, but that’s not necessarily always the case,” he said. He’s done remarkably well with this credo. Amongst the estimated 60 horses Gunther owns is Without You Babe. Gunther acquired her dam, Marozia, in foal to Kingmambo, for a bargain $50,000 at the 2003 Keeneland Breeding Stock Sale. Marozia went on to be a Glennwood gold mine, foaling classic-placed Andromeda’s Hero and multiple grade I winner Stay Thirsty.
Ultimately, Glennwood must sell its prospective stars to remain financially viable. “But having a small farm, you have to sell. You need the cash flow to keep the operation going. That’s just the business we’re in,” said Gunther. He added that success “goes in cycles. So if you can hang in there during the slow times, it’s just hard work and dedication [that] will pay off in the long run.”
Congratulations to John, TOBA’s April member of the month!