December Stable Interview: Witch Creek Stables
Dec 1, 2015 20:24:45 GMT -5
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Post by Isabelle on Dec 1, 2015 20:24:45 GMT -5
DECEMBER 2015 STABLE INTERVIEW WITH WITCH CREEK STABLES (RIPLEY)
You can't go around GHF or TW long without hearing the name Witch Creek. Witch Creek Stables (WCS) has been around for quite a while now, and has established quite a roster of racing and breed stock. They are well known and well sought after not only for their Thoroughbreds but also for advice, many other stables in the area have named WCS and Ripley Marsh as an influence and as a resource for building their own stables. This afternoon I got to check in with Ripley, and our wonderful interview follows.
Isabelle: Ms. Marsh, this interview has been long awaited by many readers. Thank you for spending the afternoon with me, I can't wait to get started. To begin, can you please tell me about the beginning of WCS, when was it founded and on what principles?
RM: You're welcome. I haven't done this kind of in depth interview in a while, so bear with me if I mess up now and then. -waves hand around in the air dismissively- Sure, sure. I first started as a one woman band in Y4 or Y5. God . . . it's Y16 already. I'm feeling old. I was about 22 at the time and I was just starting to dabble in the racing world. I'd worked as a hot walker and groom in the New York circuit. In the summer, I'd transfer to Delaware and work as a sometimes assistant to this one man. I found that I had better instincts than him and soon I was getting annoyed with some of the calls he made. I made a brash decision to go out on my own as Battle Brook Stables. I picked up a couple low grade horses, thought they might turn into something down the road, and a delicate chestnut filly with comet speed.
Witch Creek Stable started as the underdog with the likes of Touch Up, Royal Assault, Strike The Win and Thanks For The Memories. I wanted to go head on with the institution which, at the time, was Star Thoroughbreds and Stride Of Perfect Stable. It's ironic that we've turned out to be an institution so many years later thanks to those same horses and our first Hall of Famer, El Sol Del Mar.
Isabelle: Could you go into a few details for me about the stable? How many horses do you have in your racing roster for season 16, how much bloodstock is in your breeding barns? Stables seem to be bloating up their youngstock, are you doing the same?
RM: Our roster is perhaps the biggest it has ever been. We have several visiting horses from Intrepid Racing and North Diamond Manor for at least half a year or the full year. The addition of those horses puts our roster up to 30 horses. We outsource a lot for our stallions and let others breed to the WCS stud roster because we have so many Touch Up daughters in our broodmare line up. We have 16 stallions up for stud and 18 broodmares. We are leading the way in bloating the youngstock it seems. We aim for versatility and want to be active in all areas. What good is having all those broodmares if you aren't breeding them?
Isabelle: Exactly -winks-, gotta share those pretty girls. What does WCS focus on, any particular surface, furlong lengths, or bloodlines? Besides winning of course, what sort of objectives and goals do you have?
RM: We definitely focus on the Touch Up lineage, our breeding program surrounds him, and incorporates a lot of Intrepid Racing lines such as War Admiral and Augusto and broodmare lines such as Flight of Fancy. We also mesh in as much of Akita Rose Stable lines as possible. We're a hodge-podge of bloodlines, to be honest, and we don't focus on any particular surface or furlong lengths. We've been particularly strong over the turf since I returned in Year Twelve and our sprinters/milers are truly dual surface types. My main goal for Witch Creek Stable is to finally have a top notch dirt distance stallion and I think we may achieve that goal in Year Sixteen with Sun King, Casualty of War, Saintly Touch and Radiation Therapy. Another goal is to win the Kentucky Derby which has slipped through my fingers countless times.
Isabelle: As the winner of the TTT this past season I share your feelings entirely, and wish you the best of luck on achieving that goal next season! Please explain the basic roster you hold, do you like to campaign racers for a few years or hold them on longer? Do you prefer racing or breeding more, and what are your future plans for bloodline stock?
RM: It depends on the horse. We raced Flawed Princess as a six year old before turning her over to Valkyrie Stables. Typically, our horses don't race past age five. We have a few five year olds on the roster between Miss Josephine, Lethal Dose and Radiation Therapy. Vagabond and Nocturnal Runaway, maybe Saintly Touch will race as five year olds. We've retired horses like Paranormal Hunter, who dominated so much that there wasn't much challenge left, and Nirvana, who seemed to lose the will to run at the age of three. We definitely don't choose either breeding or racing. We choose breeding to race. In a couple years or so we'll go back to breeding to the Touch Up line through his son In Front. We had to get away from him on the filly side so we took a lot of outside lined ladies in.
Isabelle: In what areas does your staff shine, are they any you would like recognize? How long have you worked with them, and are you looking to expand your staff? Could you give us some insight on being a businesswoman?
RM: -narrows eyes- Are you looking for a job? I could always use a stall mucker or groom. Definitely would take the load off of Brooks and Maggie. Those two definitely have a lot of horses to ride this year . . .
Isabelle: . . . . -shifts weight subtly-
RM: -blinks eyes- Oops. Sorry. I forget. Umm . . . my team is absolutely important to my success whether it's my stallion manager, broodmare manager, grooms, or stall muckers. My jockeys double as assistants, always having an opinion on the horses that they ride. They typically act as grooms for their racing stock because I emphasize special bonds with our horses. We're not really interested in expanding right now, maybe next season. We're basically at top size for my jockey ranks.
Life at Witch Creek is pretty busy, especially where my position is concerned. Between my young son Keller, the horses, the scheduling for trailers, breeding, racing and training, I'm basically on my feet from sun up to sundown, sometimes longer. If not for Brooks and my support system, I could wash away quite quickly.
Isabelle: Oh yes, the owner of a high caliber racing stable is a demanding one. What would you consider the greatest assets of WCS in terms of staff, training, facilities and general operations, not including the horses? Are there any areas you want to improve upon or things you feel uniquely give you an edge over other stables in the area?
RM: My team is perfect. I have a superb weanling and yearling handler to teach our young horses manners and prepare them for life on my roster. If not for Malcolm Floyd, we might have unruly types. Instead, we get horses that are focused and as driven as their human counterparts. Our operations are very neatly organized and we don't tend to make mistakes. Our facilities are great, not the most high tech, but we don't really need it. Our facilities no longer depend on the weather with the addition of the indoor synthetic track. We also have a hilly turf course that builds muscle and stamina and makes our turf runners quite dangerous. We have lots of pasture and paddock space for turn out every day, even for our runners. Happy horses make better races and breeders.
Isabelle: I concur on that wholeheartedly. Ms. Marsh, what makes you passionate about WCS? What drives you in your career and how does WCS support that? How do you give back to Witch Creek what you feel you receive from it?
RM: Hmm . . . that sounds like a trick question. I feel like all our hard work will recycle around. If I stay late to ice a horse's legs because he has some swelling, that horse will return the favor by performing awesomely on the track. Witch Creek Stable is my passion and my life. Without it, I'd probably be lost and not nearly as stable as I am with it. We have an interest in succeeding, in having the fastest racehorse around drives my stable and my crew. We want to be the best with out of the box horses.
Isabelle: Has Witch Creek won any stable awards? Do you have any HOF or BHOF horses residing with you? If so, where they ones you campaigned or did you acquire them once their status was already established?
RM: We've won plenty of awards, too many to count. We won Racing Stable of the Year and I won Trainer of the Year in Year Twelve and Year Thirteen. I don't actually have a list, but we do have two Horse of the Years in El Sol del Mar and her son, Mastermind. We own five Hall of Famers including El Sol Del Mar and Mastermind. The others are Cross My Heart, Bella Luna and Paranormal Hunter. Frozen Motion is in The Wire Hall of Fame as a champion. We trained them all from the start and their success, with exception of El Sol del Mar, has come only since Year Thirteen.
Isabelle: Very impressive! Now comes the part where I get to see all your beauties up close: the stable tours! As usual I like to start with the older racehorses you'll be campaigning in year 16. Please tell me who you think will come out with a bang, and who needs just a light follow up season to round out their career. If I had to guess, I'd say Sun King will be quite a dominating force.
RM: -laughs as she leads the way to the racing barn- Hopefully he continues lighting the racing world on fire, but we have many others besides Sun King as potential dominating forces. I really feel like we have the best older horse roster going into Year Sixteen. We personally have five grade one winners, three grade two winners and two grade three winners. -walks up to the stall beside her office and slides open the door- In here we have Sun King . . .
Isabelle: -ogles happily-
RM: He is our biggest name and is quite glorious. He's still frighteningly fast . . . be careful. He's not above nipping. He's perhaps the most rough of the horses with his stalliony attitude. This will be his last season of campaigning. We'll be trying something different with him by running him at nine and ten furlongs. We hope to close his career out with a bang in the Breeders' Cup Classic if he's ready for it. -pushes Sun King's head back in the stall-
Isabelle: -pouts at pretty boy goes away-
RM: Most of our horses are actually out in the paddocks right now, but you can have the opportunity to meet Spotlight Pride and Miss Josephine. Both of them are down at the end of the row. -reaches the final two stalls and slowly opens one- Meet Spotlight Pride. Doesn't his coat just look fantastic right now? He's wicked sharp these days and we can't wait to get him back on the track. Don't move too quickly because he's a bit sensitive, less sensitive than Taboo, but he doesn't like strangers. -watches Spotlight Pride shift in his stall and come over to the front. He blows through his nostrils uneasily, but when Ripley offers him a peppermint candy, he moves forward- Pride loves his mints.
Isabelle: -gives Pride a scratch on the neck-
RM: Like Sun King, Pride will be taking on a route of distance this year. We'll start at eight furlongs in the Dubai World Mile, but quickly amp up the challenge. Once we lengthen them, we don't want to cut them back because it tends to take away their miler speed. The test of distance is going to be about accentuating his future career as a stallion. We actually have plans to mate him with the fine Miss Josephine . . . If you'll follow me please… -politely and slowly shuts the stall door-
And here’s the ever classy Miss Josephine. She’s a grand-daughter of Night Stalker, a half-sibling to that weanling filly that just sold for $3,000,000 in the mixed sale. I’ll lead her out for a moment because she can be a bit tense in the stall. You can love on her when she’s out. –opens the stall door and halters Miss Josephine. Josey pins her ears, but allows herself to be pulled from her stall. Her ears prick at the sight of all the people and she instantly becomes nice and rudely shoves her muzzle into Isabelle’s hands.-
Isabelle: -coos at and snuggles pretty girl and loves on-
RM: She’s a lover when she’s not locked up. Josey can be a bit aggressive and she’s truly just rounding into form, odd for a Night Stalker relation because usually they’re quite precocious. We plan on running her this season because we think her true colors will show themselves this year. Lots of big plans for her . . .
Isabelle: Do you have any special three year olds you plan to send to the triple crowns in season 16? I know it's a touch early, but with the likes of Firestorm and Notorious-I think maybe you have too many amazing prospects for those to enter them all!
RM: -shaking her head as she leads the way from the barn, Ripley laughs- You can never have too many prospects. I don’t really have that many all things considered because some horses won’t be ready for those races and others are late bloomers. The two you named, Firestorm and Notorious, are the hot colts. Notorious will definitely be in the gate come Kentucky Open day. Firestorm may be in the Derby if he keeps this upward trend. He also has to contend with Awestruck for that slot. Let’s go meet the fillies. They’re out in their paddock, but we can visit them. –A quintet of fillies lifts their heads, grass dripping from their muzzles and eye the new people. Ripley rustles plastic in her pocket and grins when Coveted Faith, a glory in her near black coat, leads the charge. Enrapture, the tawny bay, bolts after her stable-mates with her ears pinned and eyes dark with irritation…- Excuse Ennie, she can be jealous.
Isabelle: -gives little squeal of delight among all the pretty ponies and gives many rubs and pets-
RM: Please meet Artemis, Enrapture, Coveted Faith, Awestruck and Swing Dancer. These are my marvels and we’re still working with them. Ennie is our Triple Tiara candidate and Faith the Turf Tiara one. Awestuck may be destined for the Triple Crown and the other two are the sprinter runners. You want to feed them mints?
Isabelle: -Uh, well duh, who WOULDN'T want to?- Yep!
RM: –passes mints out- Just watch Swing Dancer. She might mistake your fingers for food. She can be a treat hound.
Isabelle: Oh I've got one of those at NDM, no worries! Everyone is always eager to see how the wild cards do-the juveniles! Any ones in particular you think we should be watching, potential underdogs or super special bloodlines coming in for the year? I notice you didn't show these guys in prospects much, any particular reason for that?
RM: -wiping her hands of pony slobber, Ripley turns from the beggars and nods toward three other paddocks- We never participate in prospect races, except for the Best Bred Tournament and maybe a few at the end of the season. It’s not that we want to stay out of the loop, but they don’t matter as much. We’d prefer to keep our hands on our babies at home and instill some manners before taking them off the property. No need to overwhelm them with unnecessary stress. If you follow me, I actually have some very nice horses to show you. We have eleven juveniles, including North Diamond Manor’s Eternally Smoldering, who is actually a homebred for WCS. I say eleven because we found a sterling prospect that we think will blow away the racing world.
Isabelle: -is excited to see her baby-
RM: -letting out an ear blasting whistle, Ripley draws in a crowd of juveniles, including a solitary gray filly- That little filly, the gray, is perhaps going to be the most valuable juvenile in the entire crop. –The unknown gray filly jogs up to the railing, eyeing her competition in the other two paddocks. -Meet Luna de Soltera, the only known half-sister to our stellar mare El Sol del Mar. –voice fills with pride- Isn’t she a beauty? You can pet her. She’s not aggressive in the paddock. –voice drops to a whisper as she watches Luna make friends.—Because she knows none of us are going to catch her. She’s a lot like her half-sister in some ways, but she tends to be tough on the track. This nice stuff is all a disguise for the mean stuff tomorrow morning.
Isabelle: -loves on pretty girl-
RM: In this next paddock, we have the boys. The unmarked bay ham is Cascabel. He’s as smooth a mover on the track as you’ve ever seen. The heavier colt with the super long tail is Breaking Point. They just worked ultra-impressively together and we expect really big things from them. The elegant light bay is Gold Rush. He’s actually a half-sibling to Nightshade . . . He’s nothing like her in the personality department, thank God, or Malcolm might have killed me. The two that don’t really want to come play nice are Eternally Smoldering and Roussong. Rou can be a bit snarky with people and Eternally Smoldering is attached to him . . . It’s almost unhealthy if you ask me. –laughs—We really have such nice prospect colts. They all will be separated to different paddocks once they start racing because there are more chances of injury as it is when they race.
Isabelle: -sticks tongue out at Smolder for not coming out to say hello-
RM: This next paddock has our fillies. Apache Sunrise, the towering chestnut, Pele’s Wrath, the dark black filly, Kismet, the gray, and the darker chestnut is Shatter. We’ve really got gems in terms of breeding. We could have participated in the prospects with all of them. Pele’s Wrath and Kismet are super exciting because they’re the first daughters of our freshmen studs Ashes to Ashes and Frozen Motion. Apache Sunrise is one of the final daughters of Admiral’s Revenge. Sunrise is the friendliest. I won’t dig out the treats because they’re not very good at sharing, but you can play with Sunrise. She likes to have her tongue grabbed.
Isabelle: Tongue grabbed? How unique . . . -does so before spending a few minutes playing tag with pretty fillies- -catches breath- Can you select a favorite yearling and weanling to bring into the spotlight-I know how hard that can be to choose! Personally Katana and Riot Act caught my eye. Any sneak peeks into their future careers for us?
RM: Hmmm… -looking off to the training pavilion, Ripley ponders away- The yearlings are difficult to pick from because they’ve just started early training so we’re just learning which horses are going to be the stars and which will be the late bloomers. I’m really excited for Bold Trick, a son of Red Herring and a half-brother to excellent sire Akuma Battlecry, and Pure Innocence, a half-sister to Notorious. Katana and Riot Act are gorgeous horses with really athletic bodies. We’re still learning what everyone wants to do and I really won’t know what we have until later in the year so we’ll definitely have to talk later about their future careers.
Isabelle: How is your breeding stock filling out over the years, since you established a special breeding division? What would you consider to be your foundation WCS lines that others might look to for future reserves? I noticed I don't really have much of your bloodline in my own stock . . . perhaps that could change in upcoming seasons -wink wink-
RM: -wags finger at Isabelle- Ahh…so that’s why you’re here…to sneak some reserves out of me.
Isabelle: -would never consider sneaking any reserves, prefers to out and out hog them whenever possible-
RM: Eternally Smoldering would be a nice one for you, being by DW Flamekissed and out of Dazzling Dame and you do have French Quarter.
Isabelle: -sure, pick out the colts I already own and will have full breeding rights to their whole life instead of pointing out some future potential good matches for my stable- Yep, looking forward to them after their careers. -smiles without admitting to any sign of an eyebrow twitch-
RM: Even though Grayson Meadows owns Hokum, I do consider him Witch Creek by type. He was a terrific racehorse for us and he should be a terrific sire. After having Eternally Smoldering for a short period of time, we decided to breed Dazzling Dame for our own foal. Hopefully, Amber Black will share Grand Silence.
We’re very open with our stallions in terms of who we let breed to them. Sun King might be closing off soon because so many people have already asked for a reserve.
Isabelle: -forgets she's an interviewer for a moment and raises hand high- Oooh me! Me! Pick me! I want one too! -coughs and remembers herself- Please continue, Ms. Marsh.
RM: Frozen Motion is the same way. We’re definitely getting a boost from the older lines and in Year Seventeen or Eighteen, we’ll have sons of Man O’ War, Night Stalker and Winged Heir at stud. We might turn more in house once we get those lines in to balance the Touch Up mares we have. The Touch Up lines are definitely going to be rare. The only way people will get them is through Incognito, Lawless, Winning Fire, The Dark Knight, Violent Touch, or Zinfandel. Luckily, three of those horses are males because I doubt Intrepid or Firestone are going to be generous with Violent Touch, Lawless and Winning Fire.
Isabelle: -mumbles under breath- Well just get us all excited and dangle those right in front of our noses whydontcha. -grumble grumble- -clears throat- Ms. Marsh, is there a certain special horse around here that perhaps hasn't won major races or bred exceptional foals necessarily, but holds a special place for you or WCS?
RM: That’s a tough one because I don’t have either or for those categories. We do have very nice pony horses though that used to be former runners. We have Jabberwock and Cold Mountain. Jabberwock was a very good runner, but he just faced a lot of challenges health wise when he was on the track. He’s liked retirement and has become a mainstay at home as a confidence builder for our young stock. Cold Mountain has made for an excellent pony because he’s so sound in the mind. If you see a big towering black gelding with a Witch Creek horse, that’s Mountain. He loves carrots so if any of his fan club is watching, be sure to bring some.
Isabelle: Please let us know which horse has made the greatest contribution to WCS and why.
RM: I think we have two horses actually. El Sol del Mar. El Sol del Mar was the filly that put me on the map and she’s the mare that’s given me one, potentially two, Hall of Famers. She really transcended the sport on the track and brought me back into the game. Her almost sale ripped me apart so that I had to come back. It’s hard to believe that in Year Eleven I came back to Sunny and her yearling colt Mastermind. Now look how far I’ve come since.
Isabelle: I wasn't around then so I'll have to take your word for it. Which horse are you personally the most proud of, and why?
RM: Hmm… I’ve had many in my career, some still with me, others moved on to different barns as breeding stock. Horses like Frozen Motion, Feline Frenzy, Cross My Heart, Whipped Cream and Flawed Princess stick with me the most. They were tough performers that brought their lunch pail every day. Although Cross is obviously the Hall of Famer in that bunch, she worked hard every race. Those kind of horse are incredible to have. When you compare them to the Hokums, Masterminds, Sun Kings, Spotlight Prides and Bella Lunas, the type that do everything with virtual ease… you really have a deep rooting interest for the blue-collar horses. I can’t pick any horse to be the most proud of. Every horse has contributed a great deal to my life and my career.
Isabelle: How did you come out after Breeder's? Was it as you expected, or did you have disappointments? Did those results change any retirement or career decisions for any horses? For year 16 do you have any special plans right off the bat with certain horses, any special campaigns or half season retirements?
RM: -leads the way back to her office as she’s beginning to itch to get back to work- Everyone came out of the Breeders’ Cup spectacular. We had three wins with Spotlight Pride, Sun King and Artemis’ Glory. No disappointments. Even with fourth place finishes from Awestuck and Enrapture, we gained vital information going forward. Tru will be better suited to the dirt and Enrapture perhaps to shorter distances where she can actually have speed to run into. We’ll be adding blinkers to Enrapture’s equipment going forward.
Isabelle: Congratulations on those victories! Great to see you turn the last place finishes into gains rather than losses. As a longer standing stable around GHF/TW, do you have any suggestions or advice for those older than you, those who are your peers, and those up and coming stables who are just getting into the business?
RM: I’m not sure I have advice for those older than me. Maybe for those up and comers… I would say that they need to have patience and they will be rewarded. Stay longer hours, spend time with your horses, live and breathe them because once you unlock the thing that makes them tick, you’ll have a champion. I guess I would also suggest better organization and scheduling. Make sure to play to your horses’ strengths. Even if you have to run in an undercard once week to get that confidence back, don’t think that it makes your horse any less.
Isabelle: Which stable do you admire the most, and why? Do you have any particular business friends that have inspired you or lifelong friendships that have supported you?
RM: I guess I admire SOPS… Grudgingly, I suppose, because Amber Black and I have had our arguments. However, I do admire their success and that they stick to their own traditional methods of running for long periods of time. I do have Nick Landing at Intrepid Racing who has supported me greatly since my return. From him, we acquired Bella Luna, GS Royal Crown, Casualty Of War, Firestorm and Hokum, among others. I wish him lots of future success because there are few more deserving.
Isabelle: Do you have any last comments you'd like to say about yourself, your staff, the horses, or WCS itself?
RM: I’d like to thank everyone for reading this ridiculously long interview. I try not to blab, but I do love these horses so much. Thank you Isabelle for this opportunity. I wish you were back racing, but I’m enjoying getting to read all of these awesome interviews. I hope you’ll stop in periodically to visit Eternally Smoldering. We do have quite the schedule planned for him… But... that’s for another day and you certainly have listened to me long enough!
Isabelle: Well Ms. Marsh, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with you, your staff, and your amazing Thoroughbreds at WCS. It will be a joy to ogle all your lovely ponies in the winner's circle this year. I know you'll have a great season, I adored seeing all the outstanding Thoroughbreds you raise and train, it was quite a treat to visit with you and them! If anyone has any questions for you after the article is published I'll be sure to get them your way asap.
You can't go around GHF or TW long without hearing the name Witch Creek. Witch Creek Stables (WCS) has been around for quite a while now, and has established quite a roster of racing and breed stock. They are well known and well sought after not only for their Thoroughbreds but also for advice, many other stables in the area have named WCS and Ripley Marsh as an influence and as a resource for building their own stables. This afternoon I got to check in with Ripley, and our wonderful interview follows.
Isabelle: Ms. Marsh, this interview has been long awaited by many readers. Thank you for spending the afternoon with me, I can't wait to get started. To begin, can you please tell me about the beginning of WCS, when was it founded and on what principles?
RM: You're welcome. I haven't done this kind of in depth interview in a while, so bear with me if I mess up now and then. -waves hand around in the air dismissively- Sure, sure. I first started as a one woman band in Y4 or Y5. God . . . it's Y16 already. I'm feeling old. I was about 22 at the time and I was just starting to dabble in the racing world. I'd worked as a hot walker and groom in the New York circuit. In the summer, I'd transfer to Delaware and work as a sometimes assistant to this one man. I found that I had better instincts than him and soon I was getting annoyed with some of the calls he made. I made a brash decision to go out on my own as Battle Brook Stables. I picked up a couple low grade horses, thought they might turn into something down the road, and a delicate chestnut filly with comet speed.
Witch Creek Stable started as the underdog with the likes of Touch Up, Royal Assault, Strike The Win and Thanks For The Memories. I wanted to go head on with the institution which, at the time, was Star Thoroughbreds and Stride Of Perfect Stable. It's ironic that we've turned out to be an institution so many years later thanks to those same horses and our first Hall of Famer, El Sol Del Mar.
Isabelle: Could you go into a few details for me about the stable? How many horses do you have in your racing roster for season 16, how much bloodstock is in your breeding barns? Stables seem to be bloating up their youngstock, are you doing the same?
RM: Our roster is perhaps the biggest it has ever been. We have several visiting horses from Intrepid Racing and North Diamond Manor for at least half a year or the full year. The addition of those horses puts our roster up to 30 horses. We outsource a lot for our stallions and let others breed to the WCS stud roster because we have so many Touch Up daughters in our broodmare line up. We have 16 stallions up for stud and 18 broodmares. We are leading the way in bloating the youngstock it seems. We aim for versatility and want to be active in all areas. What good is having all those broodmares if you aren't breeding them?
Isabelle: Exactly -winks-, gotta share those pretty girls. What does WCS focus on, any particular surface, furlong lengths, or bloodlines? Besides winning of course, what sort of objectives and goals do you have?
RM: We definitely focus on the Touch Up lineage, our breeding program surrounds him, and incorporates a lot of Intrepid Racing lines such as War Admiral and Augusto and broodmare lines such as Flight of Fancy. We also mesh in as much of Akita Rose Stable lines as possible. We're a hodge-podge of bloodlines, to be honest, and we don't focus on any particular surface or furlong lengths. We've been particularly strong over the turf since I returned in Year Twelve and our sprinters/milers are truly dual surface types. My main goal for Witch Creek Stable is to finally have a top notch dirt distance stallion and I think we may achieve that goal in Year Sixteen with Sun King, Casualty of War, Saintly Touch and Radiation Therapy. Another goal is to win the Kentucky Derby which has slipped through my fingers countless times.
Isabelle: As the winner of the TTT this past season I share your feelings entirely, and wish you the best of luck on achieving that goal next season! Please explain the basic roster you hold, do you like to campaign racers for a few years or hold them on longer? Do you prefer racing or breeding more, and what are your future plans for bloodline stock?
RM: It depends on the horse. We raced Flawed Princess as a six year old before turning her over to Valkyrie Stables. Typically, our horses don't race past age five. We have a few five year olds on the roster between Miss Josephine, Lethal Dose and Radiation Therapy. Vagabond and Nocturnal Runaway, maybe Saintly Touch will race as five year olds. We've retired horses like Paranormal Hunter, who dominated so much that there wasn't much challenge left, and Nirvana, who seemed to lose the will to run at the age of three. We definitely don't choose either breeding or racing. We choose breeding to race. In a couple years or so we'll go back to breeding to the Touch Up line through his son In Front. We had to get away from him on the filly side so we took a lot of outside lined ladies in.
Isabelle: In what areas does your staff shine, are they any you would like recognize? How long have you worked with them, and are you looking to expand your staff? Could you give us some insight on being a businesswoman?
RM: -narrows eyes- Are you looking for a job? I could always use a stall mucker or groom. Definitely would take the load off of Brooks and Maggie. Those two definitely have a lot of horses to ride this year . . .
Isabelle: . . . . -shifts weight subtly-
RM: -blinks eyes- Oops. Sorry. I forget. Umm . . . my team is absolutely important to my success whether it's my stallion manager, broodmare manager, grooms, or stall muckers. My jockeys double as assistants, always having an opinion on the horses that they ride. They typically act as grooms for their racing stock because I emphasize special bonds with our horses. We're not really interested in expanding right now, maybe next season. We're basically at top size for my jockey ranks.
Life at Witch Creek is pretty busy, especially where my position is concerned. Between my young son Keller, the horses, the scheduling for trailers, breeding, racing and training, I'm basically on my feet from sun up to sundown, sometimes longer. If not for Brooks and my support system, I could wash away quite quickly.
Isabelle: Oh yes, the owner of a high caliber racing stable is a demanding one. What would you consider the greatest assets of WCS in terms of staff, training, facilities and general operations, not including the horses? Are there any areas you want to improve upon or things you feel uniquely give you an edge over other stables in the area?
RM: My team is perfect. I have a superb weanling and yearling handler to teach our young horses manners and prepare them for life on my roster. If not for Malcolm Floyd, we might have unruly types. Instead, we get horses that are focused and as driven as their human counterparts. Our operations are very neatly organized and we don't tend to make mistakes. Our facilities are great, not the most high tech, but we don't really need it. Our facilities no longer depend on the weather with the addition of the indoor synthetic track. We also have a hilly turf course that builds muscle and stamina and makes our turf runners quite dangerous. We have lots of pasture and paddock space for turn out every day, even for our runners. Happy horses make better races and breeders.
Isabelle: I concur on that wholeheartedly. Ms. Marsh, what makes you passionate about WCS? What drives you in your career and how does WCS support that? How do you give back to Witch Creek what you feel you receive from it?
RM: Hmm . . . that sounds like a trick question. I feel like all our hard work will recycle around. If I stay late to ice a horse's legs because he has some swelling, that horse will return the favor by performing awesomely on the track. Witch Creek Stable is my passion and my life. Without it, I'd probably be lost and not nearly as stable as I am with it. We have an interest in succeeding, in having the fastest racehorse around drives my stable and my crew. We want to be the best with out of the box horses.
Isabelle: Has Witch Creek won any stable awards? Do you have any HOF or BHOF horses residing with you? If so, where they ones you campaigned or did you acquire them once their status was already established?
RM: We've won plenty of awards, too many to count. We won Racing Stable of the Year and I won Trainer of the Year in Year Twelve and Year Thirteen. I don't actually have a list, but we do have two Horse of the Years in El Sol del Mar and her son, Mastermind. We own five Hall of Famers including El Sol Del Mar and Mastermind. The others are Cross My Heart, Bella Luna and Paranormal Hunter. Frozen Motion is in The Wire Hall of Fame as a champion. We trained them all from the start and their success, with exception of El Sol del Mar, has come only since Year Thirteen.
Isabelle: Very impressive! Now comes the part where I get to see all your beauties up close: the stable tours! As usual I like to start with the older racehorses you'll be campaigning in year 16. Please tell me who you think will come out with a bang, and who needs just a light follow up season to round out their career. If I had to guess, I'd say Sun King will be quite a dominating force.
RM: -laughs as she leads the way to the racing barn- Hopefully he continues lighting the racing world on fire, but we have many others besides Sun King as potential dominating forces. I really feel like we have the best older horse roster going into Year Sixteen. We personally have five grade one winners, three grade two winners and two grade three winners. -walks up to the stall beside her office and slides open the door- In here we have Sun King . . .
Isabelle: -ogles happily-
RM: He is our biggest name and is quite glorious. He's still frighteningly fast . . . be careful. He's not above nipping. He's perhaps the most rough of the horses with his stalliony attitude. This will be his last season of campaigning. We'll be trying something different with him by running him at nine and ten furlongs. We hope to close his career out with a bang in the Breeders' Cup Classic if he's ready for it. -pushes Sun King's head back in the stall-
Isabelle: -pouts at pretty boy goes away-
RM: Most of our horses are actually out in the paddocks right now, but you can have the opportunity to meet Spotlight Pride and Miss Josephine. Both of them are down at the end of the row. -reaches the final two stalls and slowly opens one- Meet Spotlight Pride. Doesn't his coat just look fantastic right now? He's wicked sharp these days and we can't wait to get him back on the track. Don't move too quickly because he's a bit sensitive, less sensitive than Taboo, but he doesn't like strangers. -watches Spotlight Pride shift in his stall and come over to the front. He blows through his nostrils uneasily, but when Ripley offers him a peppermint candy, he moves forward- Pride loves his mints.
Isabelle: -gives Pride a scratch on the neck-
RM: Like Sun King, Pride will be taking on a route of distance this year. We'll start at eight furlongs in the Dubai World Mile, but quickly amp up the challenge. Once we lengthen them, we don't want to cut them back because it tends to take away their miler speed. The test of distance is going to be about accentuating his future career as a stallion. We actually have plans to mate him with the fine Miss Josephine . . . If you'll follow me please… -politely and slowly shuts the stall door-
And here’s the ever classy Miss Josephine. She’s a grand-daughter of Night Stalker, a half-sibling to that weanling filly that just sold for $3,000,000 in the mixed sale. I’ll lead her out for a moment because she can be a bit tense in the stall. You can love on her when she’s out. –opens the stall door and halters Miss Josephine. Josey pins her ears, but allows herself to be pulled from her stall. Her ears prick at the sight of all the people and she instantly becomes nice and rudely shoves her muzzle into Isabelle’s hands.-
Isabelle: -coos at and snuggles pretty girl and loves on-
RM: She’s a lover when she’s not locked up. Josey can be a bit aggressive and she’s truly just rounding into form, odd for a Night Stalker relation because usually they’re quite precocious. We plan on running her this season because we think her true colors will show themselves this year. Lots of big plans for her . . .
Isabelle: Do you have any special three year olds you plan to send to the triple crowns in season 16? I know it's a touch early, but with the likes of Firestorm and Notorious-I think maybe you have too many amazing prospects for those to enter them all!
RM: -shaking her head as she leads the way from the barn, Ripley laughs- You can never have too many prospects. I don’t really have that many all things considered because some horses won’t be ready for those races and others are late bloomers. The two you named, Firestorm and Notorious, are the hot colts. Notorious will definitely be in the gate come Kentucky Open day. Firestorm may be in the Derby if he keeps this upward trend. He also has to contend with Awestruck for that slot. Let’s go meet the fillies. They’re out in their paddock, but we can visit them. –A quintet of fillies lifts their heads, grass dripping from their muzzles and eye the new people. Ripley rustles plastic in her pocket and grins when Coveted Faith, a glory in her near black coat, leads the charge. Enrapture, the tawny bay, bolts after her stable-mates with her ears pinned and eyes dark with irritation…- Excuse Ennie, she can be jealous.
Isabelle: -gives little squeal of delight among all the pretty ponies and gives many rubs and pets-
RM: Please meet Artemis, Enrapture, Coveted Faith, Awestruck and Swing Dancer. These are my marvels and we’re still working with them. Ennie is our Triple Tiara candidate and Faith the Turf Tiara one. Awestuck may be destined for the Triple Crown and the other two are the sprinter runners. You want to feed them mints?
Isabelle: -Uh, well duh, who WOULDN'T want to?- Yep!
RM: –passes mints out- Just watch Swing Dancer. She might mistake your fingers for food. She can be a treat hound.
Isabelle: Oh I've got one of those at NDM, no worries! Everyone is always eager to see how the wild cards do-the juveniles! Any ones in particular you think we should be watching, potential underdogs or super special bloodlines coming in for the year? I notice you didn't show these guys in prospects much, any particular reason for that?
RM: -wiping her hands of pony slobber, Ripley turns from the beggars and nods toward three other paddocks- We never participate in prospect races, except for the Best Bred Tournament and maybe a few at the end of the season. It’s not that we want to stay out of the loop, but they don’t matter as much. We’d prefer to keep our hands on our babies at home and instill some manners before taking them off the property. No need to overwhelm them with unnecessary stress. If you follow me, I actually have some very nice horses to show you. We have eleven juveniles, including North Diamond Manor’s Eternally Smoldering, who is actually a homebred for WCS. I say eleven because we found a sterling prospect that we think will blow away the racing world.
Isabelle: -is excited to see her baby-
RM: -letting out an ear blasting whistle, Ripley draws in a crowd of juveniles, including a solitary gray filly- That little filly, the gray, is perhaps going to be the most valuable juvenile in the entire crop. –The unknown gray filly jogs up to the railing, eyeing her competition in the other two paddocks. -Meet Luna de Soltera, the only known half-sister to our stellar mare El Sol del Mar. –voice fills with pride- Isn’t she a beauty? You can pet her. She’s not aggressive in the paddock. –voice drops to a whisper as she watches Luna make friends.—Because she knows none of us are going to catch her. She’s a lot like her half-sister in some ways, but she tends to be tough on the track. This nice stuff is all a disguise for the mean stuff tomorrow morning.
Isabelle: -loves on pretty girl-
RM: In this next paddock, we have the boys. The unmarked bay ham is Cascabel. He’s as smooth a mover on the track as you’ve ever seen. The heavier colt with the super long tail is Breaking Point. They just worked ultra-impressively together and we expect really big things from them. The elegant light bay is Gold Rush. He’s actually a half-sibling to Nightshade . . . He’s nothing like her in the personality department, thank God, or Malcolm might have killed me. The two that don’t really want to come play nice are Eternally Smoldering and Roussong. Rou can be a bit snarky with people and Eternally Smoldering is attached to him . . . It’s almost unhealthy if you ask me. –laughs—We really have such nice prospect colts. They all will be separated to different paddocks once they start racing because there are more chances of injury as it is when they race.
Isabelle: -sticks tongue out at Smolder for not coming out to say hello-
RM: This next paddock has our fillies. Apache Sunrise, the towering chestnut, Pele’s Wrath, the dark black filly, Kismet, the gray, and the darker chestnut is Shatter. We’ve really got gems in terms of breeding. We could have participated in the prospects with all of them. Pele’s Wrath and Kismet are super exciting because they’re the first daughters of our freshmen studs Ashes to Ashes and Frozen Motion. Apache Sunrise is one of the final daughters of Admiral’s Revenge. Sunrise is the friendliest. I won’t dig out the treats because they’re not very good at sharing, but you can play with Sunrise. She likes to have her tongue grabbed.
Isabelle: Tongue grabbed? How unique . . . -does so before spending a few minutes playing tag with pretty fillies- -catches breath- Can you select a favorite yearling and weanling to bring into the spotlight-I know how hard that can be to choose! Personally Katana and Riot Act caught my eye. Any sneak peeks into their future careers for us?
RM: Hmmm… -looking off to the training pavilion, Ripley ponders away- The yearlings are difficult to pick from because they’ve just started early training so we’re just learning which horses are going to be the stars and which will be the late bloomers. I’m really excited for Bold Trick, a son of Red Herring and a half-brother to excellent sire Akuma Battlecry, and Pure Innocence, a half-sister to Notorious. Katana and Riot Act are gorgeous horses with really athletic bodies. We’re still learning what everyone wants to do and I really won’t know what we have until later in the year so we’ll definitely have to talk later about their future careers.
Isabelle: How is your breeding stock filling out over the years, since you established a special breeding division? What would you consider to be your foundation WCS lines that others might look to for future reserves? I noticed I don't really have much of your bloodline in my own stock . . . perhaps that could change in upcoming seasons -wink wink-
RM: -wags finger at Isabelle- Ahh…so that’s why you’re here…to sneak some reserves out of me.
Isabelle: -would never consider sneaking any reserves, prefers to out and out hog them whenever possible-
RM: Eternally Smoldering would be a nice one for you, being by DW Flamekissed and out of Dazzling Dame and you do have French Quarter.
Isabelle: -sure, pick out the colts I already own and will have full breeding rights to their whole life instead of pointing out some future potential good matches for my stable- Yep, looking forward to them after their careers. -smiles without admitting to any sign of an eyebrow twitch-
RM: Even though Grayson Meadows owns Hokum, I do consider him Witch Creek by type. He was a terrific racehorse for us and he should be a terrific sire. After having Eternally Smoldering for a short period of time, we decided to breed Dazzling Dame for our own foal. Hopefully, Amber Black will share Grand Silence.
We’re very open with our stallions in terms of who we let breed to them. Sun King might be closing off soon because so many people have already asked for a reserve.
Isabelle: -forgets she's an interviewer for a moment and raises hand high- Oooh me! Me! Pick me! I want one too! -coughs and remembers herself- Please continue, Ms. Marsh.
RM: Frozen Motion is the same way. We’re definitely getting a boost from the older lines and in Year Seventeen or Eighteen, we’ll have sons of Man O’ War, Night Stalker and Winged Heir at stud. We might turn more in house once we get those lines in to balance the Touch Up mares we have. The Touch Up lines are definitely going to be rare. The only way people will get them is through Incognito, Lawless, Winning Fire, The Dark Knight, Violent Touch, or Zinfandel. Luckily, three of those horses are males because I doubt Intrepid or Firestone are going to be generous with Violent Touch, Lawless and Winning Fire.
Isabelle: -mumbles under breath- Well just get us all excited and dangle those right in front of our noses whydontcha. -grumble grumble- -clears throat- Ms. Marsh, is there a certain special horse around here that perhaps hasn't won major races or bred exceptional foals necessarily, but holds a special place for you or WCS?
RM: That’s a tough one because I don’t have either or for those categories. We do have very nice pony horses though that used to be former runners. We have Jabberwock and Cold Mountain. Jabberwock was a very good runner, but he just faced a lot of challenges health wise when he was on the track. He’s liked retirement and has become a mainstay at home as a confidence builder for our young stock. Cold Mountain has made for an excellent pony because he’s so sound in the mind. If you see a big towering black gelding with a Witch Creek horse, that’s Mountain. He loves carrots so if any of his fan club is watching, be sure to bring some.
Isabelle: Please let us know which horse has made the greatest contribution to WCS and why.
RM: I think we have two horses actually. El Sol del Mar. El Sol del Mar was the filly that put me on the map and she’s the mare that’s given me one, potentially two, Hall of Famers. She really transcended the sport on the track and brought me back into the game. Her almost sale ripped me apart so that I had to come back. It’s hard to believe that in Year Eleven I came back to Sunny and her yearling colt Mastermind. Now look how far I’ve come since.
Isabelle: I wasn't around then so I'll have to take your word for it. Which horse are you personally the most proud of, and why?
RM: Hmm… I’ve had many in my career, some still with me, others moved on to different barns as breeding stock. Horses like Frozen Motion, Feline Frenzy, Cross My Heart, Whipped Cream and Flawed Princess stick with me the most. They were tough performers that brought their lunch pail every day. Although Cross is obviously the Hall of Famer in that bunch, she worked hard every race. Those kind of horse are incredible to have. When you compare them to the Hokums, Masterminds, Sun Kings, Spotlight Prides and Bella Lunas, the type that do everything with virtual ease… you really have a deep rooting interest for the blue-collar horses. I can’t pick any horse to be the most proud of. Every horse has contributed a great deal to my life and my career.
Isabelle: How did you come out after Breeder's? Was it as you expected, or did you have disappointments? Did those results change any retirement or career decisions for any horses? For year 16 do you have any special plans right off the bat with certain horses, any special campaigns or half season retirements?
RM: -leads the way back to her office as she’s beginning to itch to get back to work- Everyone came out of the Breeders’ Cup spectacular. We had three wins with Spotlight Pride, Sun King and Artemis’ Glory. No disappointments. Even with fourth place finishes from Awestuck and Enrapture, we gained vital information going forward. Tru will be better suited to the dirt and Enrapture perhaps to shorter distances where she can actually have speed to run into. We’ll be adding blinkers to Enrapture’s equipment going forward.
Isabelle: Congratulations on those victories! Great to see you turn the last place finishes into gains rather than losses. As a longer standing stable around GHF/TW, do you have any suggestions or advice for those older than you, those who are your peers, and those up and coming stables who are just getting into the business?
RM: I’m not sure I have advice for those older than me. Maybe for those up and comers… I would say that they need to have patience and they will be rewarded. Stay longer hours, spend time with your horses, live and breathe them because once you unlock the thing that makes them tick, you’ll have a champion. I guess I would also suggest better organization and scheduling. Make sure to play to your horses’ strengths. Even if you have to run in an undercard once week to get that confidence back, don’t think that it makes your horse any less.
Isabelle: Which stable do you admire the most, and why? Do you have any particular business friends that have inspired you or lifelong friendships that have supported you?
RM: I guess I admire SOPS… Grudgingly, I suppose, because Amber Black and I have had our arguments. However, I do admire their success and that they stick to their own traditional methods of running for long periods of time. I do have Nick Landing at Intrepid Racing who has supported me greatly since my return. From him, we acquired Bella Luna, GS Royal Crown, Casualty Of War, Firestorm and Hokum, among others. I wish him lots of future success because there are few more deserving.
Isabelle: Do you have any last comments you'd like to say about yourself, your staff, the horses, or WCS itself?
RM: I’d like to thank everyone for reading this ridiculously long interview. I try not to blab, but I do love these horses so much. Thank you Isabelle for this opportunity. I wish you were back racing, but I’m enjoying getting to read all of these awesome interviews. I hope you’ll stop in periodically to visit Eternally Smoldering. We do have quite the schedule planned for him… But... that’s for another day and you certainly have listened to me long enough!
Isabelle: Well Ms. Marsh, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with you, your staff, and your amazing Thoroughbreds at WCS. It will be a joy to ogle all your lovely ponies in the winner's circle this year. I know you'll have a great season, I adored seeing all the outstanding Thoroughbreds you raise and train, it was quite a treat to visit with you and them! If anyone has any questions for you after the article is published I'll be sure to get them your way asap.
