LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Have you ever heard someone say, "Oh, you look just like your mom?"
Maybe it's the other way around, or some quality resembles a parent. Well, it's the same way in horses -- and we often see it directly on the racetrack.
"Across the human generations are horse generations," said Price Bell, the General Manager at Mill Ridge Farm.
Bell grew up on the farm. His grandmother founded it in the 60s.
"I mean, even this very barn that we stand in, I remember working in the summertime as it was being built," he said.
It was built on a foundation of family. There are decades of legacy in footsteps and 'hoofsteps.'
"We're now having the opportunity to enjoy Oscar Performance's offspring on the race track," Bell said.
Oscar Performance finished first in eight of his 15 races. He won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf as a two-year-old at Santa Anita. It's the same track his son, Endlessly, is set for next week.
"Will Endlessly ever be as good as Oscar Performance? I don't know," Bell said. "Maybe Endlessly is the superstar male turf horse who captures our imagination."
"Throughout its history, 10 Kentucky Derby winners have stood here," said Ned Toffey, the General Manager at Spendthrift Farm.
This includes Authentic, the 2020 Kentucky Derby winner. Authentic is a foal of Into Mischief, who finished first or second in all six races. Into Mischief is also a half-brother to Beholder.
"Beholder is a remarkable mare, and we think she's starting a great legacy of her own," Toffey said.
The 13-year-old three-time Breeders' Cup champion had a successful career. Toffey says putting these families together is no easy task.
"These families take a long time to play out, and there's a lot of failure along the way," he said. "Not every horse is a superstar."
Not every horse can be Authentic -- a Derby winner, second in the Preakness, and winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic.
"But you don't know until they go in the starting gate," Bell said.
"It takes time, it takes patience, and you have to have a little faith that what you're doing is going to work," Toffey said.
