A Legend in the Making Mira Loma Farm - California Thoroughbred ...

y RUDIGROOTHEDDEPhotos by Ron MesarosPete Valenti would beproud. He would be veryproud of the fact that theMira Loma ThoroughbredFarm that he purchased in1977, is busy furtheringthe dream he had of a “Little Calumet” in California. Whenhe unexpectedly left us in October of 1998, the torch waspassed to his family to both maintain and build upon the legacythat was his. And with Pete’s son Joe at the helm, they havecertainly done a fine job.The 100-plus acre farm currently boasts an equine populationof 339 horses that is expected to rise to around 400head as the breeding season gets into full swing. They offera complete array of services where horsemen can have theirmares bred and foaled, their weanlings and yearlings raised,and their 2-year-olds broken and trained up to racing. Inaddition, the farm offers boarding and lay-up services aswell. The operation isalso very popularbecause of its closeproximity to theSouthern Californiaracetracks, especiallyto Santa Anita whichis a mere 35 mileswest of Mira Loma.So, with its tastefulwhite fencing and red-trimmed barns, reminiscent of thefamous Blue Grass nursery that produced eight KentuckyDerby winners, Mira Loma Thoroughbred Farm continuesto build on a proud history. The combination of a loyal,experienced staff, facilities like the five-eighths of a miletraining track and adjacent 124-stall barn, the stallion rosterthat numbers half a dozen impressive sires, and a large,quality broodmare band that enjoys life amongst a multitudeof huge paddocks, augurs well for Mira Loma’s futuresuccess. As Joe, who lives in the house above the farm’soffices that he built for his father, says “We breed to raceand, of course, to win.”28 California Thoroughbred

MIRA LOMA ContinuedTOGETHER FOREVERAnother factor that has resulted inthe success of Mira Loma, are theloyal, dedicated and hard working peoplethat it has been able to keep on itsstaff over the years. Many of the 30 orso men and women who currentlywork at the farm have been there for10 to 20 years and are not expected toleave any time soon, either.The office manager is Lila Lomax,who has provided the Valenti familywith over a dozen years of invaluableservice, as she is a wealth of informationto everyone who is in contactwith the farm.Miguel Lopez, or ‘Chico’ as he isbetter known, is the stallion managerand controls the breeding side of MiraLoma, from the stallions and broodmaresto the yearlings, weanlings andfoals. He is assisted by Steve Sage, andRay and Vito Valdovinos, while hisnight men, who are just as reliable andresponsible as the day crew, include hisbrother Jose.Down at the training track, YolandaMartinez is the manager, while the dailytraining of the horses happens under thewatchful eye of Jose Gutierrez. He hasfour riders at his beck and call, includingone who just works on breaking theyoung horses. The 124-stall barn is closeto full capacity more often than not, asMIRA LOMATHOROUGHBRED FARMFACT-FILEFarm Manager: Joe ValentiStallion Manager: Miguel ‘Chico’ LopezOffice Manager: Lila LomaxAddress: 12071 Bellegrave Avenue,Mira Loma, Calif., 91752-1547Location: In Riverside County,approximately 35 miles east ofSanta Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.Telephone: (909) 685-7524Fax: (909) 685-1996E-Mail: miralomafarms@prodigy.netStallions:Larry the Legend (Local Talent)Mr. Broad Blade (Broad Brush)Native Storm (Storm Bird)Olé (Danzig)Silver Ray (Silver Hawk)What a Spell (What Luck)Horses (Dec. 2001/Jan. 2002):Broodmares . . . . . . . . . . .96Stallions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62-Year-Olds . . . . . . . . . . . .63Yearlings . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Lay-ups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57Horses in Training . . . . . .60Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . .339training for another two to threemonths, after which they will hopefullybe ready to transfer to the racetrack.Joe and the rest of his familyunderstand the need to have happyand healthy members of staff, so theemphasis is to look after them well.That includes the provision of fourindividual houses and twobunkhouses for them to comfortablylive in so that they are available dayand night to look after the valuableequine residents of Mira LomaThoroughbred Farm.HOME ON THE RANGECraig Lewis Marilyn & Donald Baileyit is home to the runnerspreparing for the track. The initialprocedure for 2-year-olds isto bring them in for 45 days andthen turn them out for two tothree months. X-rays are thenext step and if they show thatall the working parts are inorder, the youngsters return toCheryl & Phillip FieldsWhile on the subject, mentionneeds be made of those Thoroughbredresidents that make this farm happen.First and foremost is the stallion rosterthat includes six important studs,namely Larry the Legend, Mr. BroadBlade, Native Storm, Ole, Silver Rayand What a Spell.Larry the Legend ($2,500) is certainlyaptly named for a Mira Lomastallion, as his own career was legendaryand he promises the same in thebreeding shed. In fact, people still callabout him and just late last year, 18-year-old Lauren Morehead visited himbecause she wanted to see him beforeleaving for the U.S. Navy! The appearanceof the first runners from the 1995Santa Anita Derby winner are thereforeeagerly awaited this year.Mr. Broad Blade ($2,500)retired to stud late in the 2001season, so 2002 will be the firstfull season for this gradedstakes-placed stakes winnerContinued on page 3230 California Thoroughbred

MIRA LOMA ContinuedWhat a Spellmade of Donald and Marilyn Bailey, Phillip and CherylFields, and John and Montane Peri, all of them old friendsof Pete Valenti going back to the farm’s beginnings.For the upcoming breeding season, about 50 to 60 othermares are scheduled to ship in which will all add up toover 100 foals that will be born at Mira Loma this year,comparable to its 2001 numbers.Larry the Legend and Craig Lewis.who is by Broad Brush and comes forma female family filled with black-type.Then there is Native Storm($1,000). By a multiple championand son of Northern Dancer, this 7-year-old also has his first crop waitingto debut in a few months time alsowhich should be able to run consideringthat Storm Bird has alreadyproved to be a sire of sires (StormCat, Summer Squall, Bluebird, etc.)With progeny earnings approaching$3.5 million and seven stakeshorses to his name, Olé ($2,500) is quietly establishing himselfas one of the best value for money stallions in California.Out of champion Princess Rooney, 17 wins in 21 startsincluding five grade I’s, he has everything going for him.Silver Ray’s ($1,000) claims to fame are that he wasa graded stakes winner of nearly $270,000 who now hasstarters earning an average of over $18,000. Furthermore,his sire Silver Hawk has been responsible for some60 stakes winners to date.The final mention goes to What a Spell ($1,000), whohas transferred his own abilities—graded stakes-placed multiplestakes winner of 10 races in six seasons at the track—on to many of his progeny so far, including the stakes winnerand one of the farm’s broodmaresCris the Swimmer ($363,702).The farm also boasts a strong broodmareband of nearly 100 producers onthe premises right now, with about 25of them owned outright by the farm orin partnership with Robert Englekirkand Craig Lewis. These include qualitymares like All World, dam of the 2001C.E.R.F. Handicap winner Global.Other significant clients of MiraLoma are Jim Ford Inc., Rubin Brown,the aforesaid Lewis Cenicola and hiswife Donna, George O’Bryan, JerryMoss, Jeff Siegel, Alan Pribble andmany more. Mention also need to beTO INFINITY AND BEYONDThus, the future remains verybright for the Valenti family.Besides being the pre-eminentnursery by far in its area, MiraLoma is also a leader within thestate, so a visit to this impressivefacility, located near Interstate 15and the Pomona (60) Freeway, is atrip well worthwhile.Once there, you will probably find Joe Valenti workingat the farm while occasionally looking northwards at theSan Bernardino mountains. The reason is simple. It is likelythat he is contemplating the breeding and racing glory thathis family’s Mira Loma (“view of the hills”) ThoroughbredFarm promises to achieve in years to come.Mr. Broad Blade and Mike Mitchell.32 California Thoroughbred