Sometime in 1982, a journey was started with the intent to research and study every mare as far back as complete data would allow. Starting with the letter ‘A’, and using an alphabetical index of mares through the American Produce Records, the arduous task began.
When the process of studying each and every mare began there was no plan or intent on studying anything in particular. It was just a fascination of the wealth of information available through the different thoroughbred publications like Equineline, Equibase, The Bloodhorse, American Produce Records, and any other source of data available.
As time went on, different events, or occurrences, would jump off the page as interesting, or out of the ordinary. Eventually those occurrences were highlighted in different colors, with no rhyme or reason as to why.
In time a color pattern started to emerge with the majority of elite horses. First, it was just an interesting pattern with certain horses; then it became the norm for certain horses; and then for the top tier horses the pattern was almost always there.
By this time, the highlighted color patterns had gotten the best of our curiosity. As mentioned, the research wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but as this color pattern kept revealing itself, it made us want to follow it to where it would lead. At no point during this journey did we try to direct the research in any particular direction, we simply let the data be the guide.
In hindsight, another advantage that ultimately revealed itself was the fact that living in the agricultural central valley of California, we were outside the mainstream of thoroughbred breeding and racing, thus uninfluenced by the common theories and practices. As the saying goes: “If you want to be like everyone else, then do as everyone else does, but if you want to be better, then you have to be different”. Living far from the industry hub allowed us to think outside the box without realizing the benefits of it at the time.
Over the next twenty plus years, the journey continued to advance through the alphabet, studying each and every mare.
As time went on, it also became apparent the value of studying, not only the successes, but also the failures. By doing so, a tremendous amount of knowledge and understanding of the whole picture began to develop.
There was a time during this journey when it was realized that we had come across something special. We called it the KEY FACTOR.
Another realization was knowing the research had to be complete. It was vitally important to let the thoroughbred population as a whole present whatever it was going to present. It couldn’t just be an isolated group, as most research projects use, but rather the whole population.
As time went on, other important factors were gradually revealed, one layer at a time. It kept leading to new and uncharted territory. Each time, the elements the research was presenting, were more stunning than the previous. Eventually, a very big picture started to come together. A picture that would not have been envisioned in the beginning.
It has often been said that one of the greatest secrets to success is looking beyond what everyone else sees; THERE IS ALWAYS MORE. Little did we know, this 35-year journey through the alphabet would take us where no one else had been.
What wasn’t envisioned in the beginning was that it would take some 20 years to complete every mare ‘A through Z”. With so many years now passed, it was important to know if the results and the KEY FACTOR were still having the same effect today. So, a second journey through the alphabet began, starting with the letter ‘A’ and continuing until every new mare that had complete production records during the previous 20 years had been studied. This took another 10 years, or more, to complete. 32 years, and approximately 700,000 mares later, it was complete!
Once the research was completed, it became very clear that it spoke for itself. It’s not someone’s opinion; it’s not someone’s personal experience. It accounts for every mare during an 85-year period and their offspring.
Since completing the research, we have tried every possible way to prove it wrong, and continue to do so. But no matter how many angles it’s been tested from, it always yields the same jaw-dropping results.
