A little Southern Hemisphere hospitality: how Bourbon Lane Stables enmeshed themselves in New Zealand racing

Cover image courtesy of McMahon and Hill Bloodstock

Michael McMahon and Jamie Hill come from good, American racing stock. Both accomplished lifelong horsemen, Hill’s father was involved in the purchase and management of undefeated Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew (USA), and McMahon grew up working for his family’s McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds before forging his own path.

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The pair combined their interests into McMahon and Hill Bloodstock in 2011, a successful racing and pinhooking business, the former of which spawned their Bourbon Lane Stables enterprise that has seen numerous stars including Group performer Bourbon War (USA) (Tapit {USA}) and dual winner Uno Mas Bourbon (USA) (Macho Uno {USA}), who has earned more than US$341,000 ($544,000) in prize money to date. The enterprise has even produced stallions, such as US$1 million ($1.59 million) earner Bourbon Courage (USA), who stands at Anchor & Hope Farm.

The stars aligned for their initial foray into the New Zealand racing scene in 2019. An attempt at extending the Bourbon influence to South Africa wasn’t yielding satisfactory results, but Hill and McMahon were still interested in the Southern Hemisphere. Key Bourbon Lane Stables investor Dennis Foster was interested in a racing venture to New Zealand and, after the encouragement of fellow American investor Ken Smole and his wife Jane Conway, they put more weight in the idea.

But before they could get themselves involved in another Southern Hemisphere venture, they had to answer an important question: who would train for them?

Investigation and investment

Foster, a navy pilot turned successful CEO who fell in love with Thoroughbreds - and then New Zealand - was the obvious choice to vet potential new trainers. The “Missouri farm boy” (in McMahon’s words) had been involved in the American Thoroughbred scene since the early seventies, purchasing, pinhooking, and racing horses like dual Group 1 winner Borrego (USA) (El Prado {USA}) and Listed Virginia Derby record-holder Phi Beta Doc (USA) (Doc’s Leader {USA}). In the nineties, he owned a training centre with leading consignor Eddie Woods, who would go on to consign numerous stars, including Eclipse Champion Big Brown (USA).

Foster had been friends with McMahon and Hill’s parents, and then the men themselves, and they were keenly aware of his finely tuned business acumen when it came to the racing world. He had owned shares in the Bourbon Lane Stables horses since the operation began. Foster’s daughter Shaune had already moved to New Zealand to study and start a family, so naturally, when the idea of racing on the island nation was floated, he became “infatuated” with the idea.

“I said to Mike (McMahon) one day, ‘you know I like New Zealand’,” Foster recalled. “I said, ‘I’d like to get started down there, and I can throw in a fairly good hunk of money. I'll put in 75 per cent of whatever you can find.’”

Armed with the team’s shortlist, Foster flew down and spent over a month visiting race tracks, talking to trainers and jockeys, and whittling the list down. Stephen Marsh quickly rose to the top.

Hitting it off with Marsh

The Cambridge-based trainer had taken out his license in 2002, initially partnered with his father Bruce Marsh for a fruitful three years that were highlighted by Group 1 wins with Russian Pearl (NZ) (Soviet Star {USA}) and Hail (NZ) (Stark South {USA}). From there, his trajectory has only been upwards. In the year that Bourbon Lane Stables first brought him yearlings, he won the G1 New Zealand Derby with Crown Prosecutor ( Medaglia D'Oro {USA}).

“He’s an unusual guy,” was Foster’s first take on Marsh. “He takes five percenters (owners) and works with them like they own two-thirds of the horse. He gives you the service, it’s incredible.”

Everyone that Foster spoke to was complimentary of Marsh, but thought he needed a few more years and a few more horses to be a really great trainer. That was something that Foster and the Bourbon team could offer, if he was the right fit.

Marsh remembers meeting Foster at Matamata races, and quickly identified him as someone who truly loved New Zealand - and the racing world.

“He was not someone who was just going to jump right in,” Marsh recalled. Meticulous research and decades of experience had brought Foster to this point. Marsh had no inkling that this well-spoken visitor from the States would become one of his stable's biggest owners.

“I talked to Stephen, and, god, I just hit it off with him," Foster said. "And I trusted him, explicitly.

“So I came back (to McMahon and Hill) and said, ‘this is the guy I want to go with. If anybody questions him as a trainer, let me know. But I feel very strongly about this. You can do your own research, but he's going to be the guy.’”

McMahon strongly believes that Foster has been the lynchpin in the enterprise, in more ways than one.

“The fact that we can pull it off so far away has really been the most interesting hallmark of this partnership, and I don't think it could have happened without Dennis choosing Stephen,” he said.

“Stephen has the experience, he’s an innovator, and he is the most fantastic communicator,” Foster said. "And he loves his horses. You could go from stall to stall (in his barn), and every horse would come up to you." The level of care has been pivotal for Foster, who owns shares in several of Marsh’s horses outside the Bourbon Lane Stables umbrella. The ease and regularity of updates was like nothing he had experienced before. McMahon was similarly impressed.

“I think we caught him (Marsh) right at the right time in his career,” McMahon said.

Becoming a Bourbonaire

At their first foray into the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, the Bourbon Lane Stables team came away with four colts. Their most expensive purchase was a $120,000 outlay for a Darci Brahma (NZ) colt that would become Bourbonaire (NZ).

The seventh foal from unraced Pentire (GB) mare Star Guest (NZ), Bourbonaire was already well related when he walked through the ring at Karaka. His dam’s first and third foals, Anniesstar (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) and Jacksstar (Zed {NZ}) were already on their way to bolstering the standing of Zed (NZ), famed as the sire of Verry Elleegant, winning four blacktype races between them. Anniesstar’s first foal Charms Star (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) was born the same year as Bourbonaire and would win the G3 Manawatu Breeders S. before placing in the G1 Queensland Oaks and G1 New Zealand Oaks.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Danny Rolston, who has long travelled to the States to advertise the bounty of New Zealand’s premier yearling sale, was particularly keen on the colt, and his opinion was vindicated at Bourbonaire’s first start, where the 3-year-old dashed home on a Heavy 10 at Matamata to win by 1.5l.

Two starts later, he was second in the G2 Hawke's Bay Guineas, beaten 0.1l by Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}). Then, he was second again in the G2 James & Annie Sarten Memorial S., before Aegon loomed to down him in the G1 New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas by, again, an agonising 0.1l.

An offer too good to refuse came from Hong Kong, and Bourbonaire flew the nest in early 2021, accumulating HK$7.3 million ($1.5 million) in a lucrative career for Hall Of Fame trainer John Size before his retirement last year. Bourbon Lane Stables had struck a rich seam in New Zealand, and they were keen to keep digging.

Sale of the season

At the moment, Bourbon Lane Stables has 23 horses in their name with Marsh. Over time, the Bourbon team and Foster have evolved from just buying their own yearlings to taking shares in most of Marsh’s stock every year.

“It’s nice to go to a sale and know that, whatever you buy, you’ve got some of it taken care of already,” said Marsh. “We're in a good situation, we've got really good support.”

McMahon and Hill have already touched down at the Karaka complex for the most anticipated sale of their year. It’s a whole team effort sorting through the Karaka catalogue every year and McMahon estimates that, before their plane touches down in New Zealand, every member has watched “at least 200 walk videos” while creating their shortlists. The team has nurtured a relationship with Cambridge-based bloodstock agent Dylan Johnson to aid their selections.

“We'll be conferring, usually with a good bit of New Zealand hospitality, at the end of the day and going over everybody's notes,” he said. “It falls down to Jamie (Hill) and I to assimilate the group's opinion.”

“(Karaka) does a great job at the sale,” Foster said. For family reasons, he will not be present at the sale this year, but will certainly still have a hand in the selections. “The people handling the horses are professionals at it. They present the horse well, they’re anxious to show them to you. I have a great amount of confidence in it. It’s a great atmosphere.

“I'm comfortable that I'm going to get the value of my money down there. I'm dealing with honest people and people that want to help me, and they're nice to work with. So I will stay committed.”

The team aims to purchase five to eight yearlings a year, happy to select types that take a little extra time to develop and putting their faith in Marsh’s well oiled system.

“We love the way Marsh develops the yearling,” McMahon said. “We think he just does a great job.”

Making Karaka Millions

From a small pool of horses, Bourbon Lane Stables lines up three athletes this weekend across three races on Karaka Millions night. Their patience and faith in Marsh’s system is paying off with 4-year-old Bourbon Empress (NZ) (Proisir). The mare didn’t have her first race start until the autumn of her 3-year-old year and finished the preparation with a maiden win at Matamata, but returned a much stronger horse in the spring, winning twice at premier meetings. On New Year’s Day, she elevated herself a step further, striking in the G2 Rich Hill Mile. Off of the back of that victory, she has secured a spot in the $1 million Aotearoa Classic on Saturday.

“She looks (like) a big chance,” said Marsh. “She loves Ellerslie. I think she has every chance.”

“Right now, we have nice horses in every group,” said McMahon. “And the quality just gets better and better.” The team has two particularly “nice” 3-year-olds also lining up this Saturday, with Bourbon Proof (Justify {USA}) heading to the $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO and She’s Untouchable (Capitalist) due to start in the G3 Almanzor Trophy. If all goes well the Bourbon team could have quite a bit more capital to play with once the bidding begins.

Amongst the juveniles, they also have a couple of stars, including last start Listed Wellesley S. winner To Cap It All (Capitalist).

“She looks like a freak,” said McMahon.

The cross-hemisphere success has started to reach beyond Bourbon Lane Stables - earlier this month, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and 1/ST announced a groundbreaking partnership that offers intercontinental ballot free entry for winners of set races in New Zealand and the United States.

This weekend, G2 Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf and G1 Pegasus World Cup Turf winners will be granted entry to the G1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders S. and G1 Bonecrusher New Zealand S. on March 8. The Middle Distance and Sprint Series winners on Champions Day will receive invitations to the California Crown in September. Travelling horses will have their air fare and freight costs covered by the partnership.

“It’s great to see New Zealand get a slot in a race like that,” said McMahon. “In the upper levels of handicapping around the world, there is massive money to be made, and you just hope that one of these horses develops to that level.

“It will be even better if one of us, a racing outfit from New Zealand, takes horses up to North America and has success because, obviously, then the form and the path will be a little bit trodden.” It would, hopefully, be following the blueprints laid out by people like Mike de Kock, taking horses to chase the lucrative purses of Dubai. There are few frontiers in horseracing left to pioneer.

Still, the Bourbon team will carefully consider if a horse is suitable for the journey, should they have an eligible winner. They won’t “accept a trip just to take a trip”. Right now, the focus is on Karaka, on inspecting the best of New Zealand’s bloodstock, and the thrill of a winning bid.

“If the hair doesn't stand up on the back of your neck while you're doing it, you're probably too used to it,” McMahon said.