Jim and Dana Bernhard are the TOBA February Member of the Month.
The past two years have moved at rocket-speed for Jim and Dana Bernhard. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based couple have owned Thoroughbreds since 2021. In 2022, they purchased storied Pin Oak Stud in Versailles, Ky. In 2023, they sent out Geaux Rocket Ride to win the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) and finish second in the FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic Stakes (G1). The Bernhards dead heated for OwnerView’s 2023 New Owner of the Year award, sponsored by 1/ST RACING.
Jim Bernhard is the founder and partner of Bernhard Capital Partners. Philanthropist Dana, a lifelong horsewoman, has also worked in numerous positions, including as a corporate attorney and marketing director. But Thoroughbred racing was a new venture for both. “So, when we first got involved in racing for ourselves and not just a fan of horse racing,” she said, “it was two-and-a-half years ago, when Jim gave me a gift certificate for my birthday in June to go to the auction in Lexington and buy a racehorse. And the first horse we bought was Geaux Rocket Ride.”
Purchased for $350,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Select Yearling sale, the son of Candy Ride broke his maiden in January 2023. Running second in the March 4 San Felipe Stakes (G2), he annexed the June 4 Affirmed Stakes before the Haskell. Of the latter win, Jim said, “It’s fun and the Haskell was really thrilling to do that. And heck, we kinda expected it with ‘Rocket,’ because that’s what he usually did when he won.” An early favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), Geaux Rocket Ride was injured while training and eventually euthanized.
The colt was very special to the Bernhards. “We bought Geaux Rocket Ride, brought him down to our home our farm here in Louisiana, and he didn’t rush into training, He was like our pet for three months, you know,” Jim said. He added, “So we were really emotionally attached to him, saw every race that he ran, saw a lot of the breezes that he ran” He mused, “He was a horse that gave his best effort every time that he was asked to run. That’s being successful.”
The Bernhards are committed to ensuring their horses’ safety. “Now every one of our horses in training has sensors,” Jim said. “They have sensors every time they take a breeze. The sensors allow us to monitor their gait.” These devices have already proven effective, such as with the Constitution colt Parchment Party. “We found a small abscess that was growing” Jim said, adding, “We were able to take care of that long before it became a major problem.” He clarified, “It’s not overriding what a trainer thinks. It’s giving them information they cannot see with the naked eye.”
In the same vein, Pin Oak gives its runners time to develop. “We don’t push the horses at all, probably to our detriment,” Jim shared. The Bernhards also support organizations assisting with Thoroughbred aftercare. Proceeds from the Pin Oak digital store will be given to relevant accredited charities.
Currently, Pin Oak spans 1,258 acres in Kentucky (including the original Pin Oak property, as well as 465 acres from the former Adena Springs Farm). Meanwhile, Pin Oak South sits on 100 acres in Louisiana. As of December 2023, the operation has 20 horses of racing age (three sophomores, 17 juveniles), 25 yearlings, 16 weanlings, and 31 broodmares (25 in Kentucky and six in Louisiana). The Pin Oak team is rounded out by vice president Ben Bernhard (Jim and Dana’s son), farm advisor Clifford Barry (a Pin Oak employee since 1988), farm trainer Joss Saville, and broodmare manager Miguel Villasenor
Begun in the 1950s by J.S. Abercrombie and brought to new heights by his daughter, Josephine, Pin Oak bred and raced Eclipse Award winners and launched numerous stud careers. The Bernhards are passionate about preserving the farm’s legacy. “She was an amazing steward of the land,” praised Dana, “and instead of leveling every square inch of the Pin Oak property, she kept large areas throughout the entire acreage of woods. And as a result, it’s an incredible nature preserve. We have wildlife and birds that you never see anywhere else, and we love that part of it as well. And we will do our best to continue her tradition in that respect, as well as the quality horses.”
