Midway-connected Bourbon War second in Fountain of Youth to Code of Honor, earning 20 Derby points

Bourbon War winning at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 18, under Irad Ortiz Jr. (Photo by Lauren King, Gulfstream)

This story has been updated.

By Abbey Huffman
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Once a horse that couldn’t get sold, Bourbon War could give his Midway-based owners their first Kentucky Derby starter.

Bourbon War was 3/4 length behind Code of Honor. (Gulfstream Park photo)

The colt finished a strong second in the Fountain of Youth Stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park, three-quarters of a length behind Code of Honor (also with Woodford County connections) and two lengths ahead of Vekoma. Hidden Scroll, the 6-5 favorite, led much of the way but finished fourth in his first stakes race.

His place in the 1 1/16-mile race earned Bourbon War's owners $75,200 and got the horse 20 Derby qualifying points, for a total of 21, fourth behind War of Will (60), Code of Honor (54, including 50 from this race) and Game Winner (30).

UPDATE, March 9: Following the last round of Derby prep races, Bourbon War is seventh in Derby points. Midway-connected Shadwell Stable's Haikal is third with 50 after winning the Gotham Stakes, Tacitus is fourth with 50 (and slightly less winnings) after winning the Tampa Bay Derby, Game Winner is fifth with 30 and Mind Control is sixth with 30 (and much less winnings). UPDATE, March 17: Bourbon War is now 11th in points and Haikal is fourth, behind Long Range Toddy, which won a division of the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawm. Details here.  UPDATE, March 12: Bourbon War moved up from seventh to fifth in the Derby media poll by HorseRacingNation.com, behind Game Winner, Improbable, War of Will and Code of Honor.

Bourbon War has won two of four starts. Although he didn’t hit the wire first Saturday, he galloped out impressively after the mile-and-a-sixteenth wire, suggesting that he might like the mile-and-a quarter Derby.

Bourbon War’s pedigree also suggests that he can succeed at longer distances. His sire, Tapit, competed at classic distances, winning at 1 1/8 mile, the length of his next likely race.

Trainer Mark Hennig was pleased the finish, specifically the last 1/16 mile. “He just lowered his head and he really knew what he wanted,” Hennig said. 

Hennig said Bourbon War came out of the race in “very good shape” and will most likely race next in the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park on March 30.  This race is 1⅛ mile and offers 100 Derby points to the winner. The April 6 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Racecourse is Hennig’s plan B.

The Florida Derby will be Bourbon War’s final prep race for the first Saturday in May.  Even if Bourbon War doesn’t win the Florida Derby, a good finish will secure him a spot in the Churchill Downs starting gate, giving his owners their first ever Kentucky Derby starter. 

Bourbon War is owned by Bourbon Lane Stables and Lake Star Stables. Bourbon Lane is a public racing partnership managed by McMahon & Hill Bloodstock, LLC, with offices in Midway.

Mike McMahon with another of his horses (Photo provided)

Mike McMahon, from Saratoga Springs, New York, has been involved with the thoroughbred business in almost every way possible. It was a trip to the Bluegrass for a sale that made him realize he wanted to make a career out of his interest in racing and breeding. He started his own business in 2001 when he founded McMahon Bloodstock, LLC.

Nine years later, McMahon started his racehorse ownership group, Bourbon Lane Stables.

In 2011, McMahon’s good friend and business associate, Jamie Hill, joined the business and the firm changed to what is now known as McMahon & Hill Bloodstock, LLC and is based in Midway, at 119 East Main St.

The team also manages Spruce Lane Pinhooks. A pinhooker buys a horse as a weanling or yearling to sell or “flip” it for profit as a yearling or two-year-old.

Spruce Lane’s pinhooks are kept and prepped at Spruce Lane Farm, owned since 2005 by McMahon and his wife. It’s in the big bend in Hedden Road, which runs between Old Frankfort Pike and Big Sink Road.

Bourbon War’s owners first met him as a yearling in the Spruce Lane Pinhook partnership, and still have him -- through misfortunes that turned out to be happy accidents.

Just like every other youngster that goes through Spruce Lane, the goal was to sell him as a yearling. With a top pedigree, by the sire Tapit out of the mare My Conquestadory, a prestigious race winner, on paper there shouldn’t have been any trouble selling him.

A $410,000 purchase at the 2016 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, Bourbon War was entered to sell in the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. But X-rays revealed a bone chip, and the well-bred colt failed to sell.

Plan B was to send him to a two-year-old in training sale in Florida, where he would be timed “breezing” an eighth of a mile, or one furlong.

This time, there were a few interested buyers who had vetted him and seen clean medical results, but when he breezed slowly, nobody came back to scope him, and one interested trainer thought he saw a chip in the ankle on the X-ray. There was controversy between veterinarians on whether it was a chip or just a double exposure. It ended up being double exposure, but before they knew that, and shortly before the horse would have sold, McMahon and Hill scratched him from the sale.

After two sales failures, McMahon’s friends, Greg Burns and Mike Winters of Lake Star Stable, bought half the horse. Bourbon Lane Stable bought out some of the pinhook partners, and some still own part of him.

His name came from both owners. Bourbon Lane includes “Bourbon” in almost all its horses’ names. Lake Star contributed “War,” naming the horse after a Bruce Springsteen album, which is also fitting to Bourbon War’s pedigree, being out of My Conquestadory.

Bourbon War was sent to Winstar Farm’s training facility. In May, he went to trainer Mark Hennig’s barn at Belmont Park in New York to begin serious training.

Bourbon War won his first race and finished fourth in the Remsen Stakes, a Grade 2 -- the second highest of three grades for stakes races. Both outings were at Aqueduct in New York.

He started his three-year-old campaign by winning a $51,000 allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park in Florida on Jan. 18. The race was for non-winners of two races and had an optional claiming price of $75,000.

That win was Bourbon War’s second attempt going around two turns; the first was in the Remsen at 1⅛ mile, where he finished a well-beaten fourth; Hennig said he was much more prepared for two turns going into the allowance race.

Preparing to step back up into stakes company in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, Bourbon War breezed a half mile in 48.68 seconds Feb. 22 at Gulfstream Park, where he is stabled.

“We were pleased with it,” Hennig said. “We were just looking to sharpen him up a touch. The track wasn’t real quick that day, but I thought he got over it well -- finished strong and galloped out strong.”

Hennig said it’s comforting, heading into a highly competitive Grade 2 stakes, that his horse already has a win at two turns on the Gulfstream surface. “Any time you’re repeating something, I think, with a young horse like this and not throwing something new at him is more comforting.”

The time of transitioning from a two year old to a three year old is an important coming of age time for racehorses. Their connections hope to see growth in maturity, both mentally and physically. Hennig says he’s noticed more aggressive training from Bourbon War since they headed to Florida for the winter.

The winner of the Fountain of Youth, Code of Honor, also has strong Woodford County connections. He is owned by William S. Farish of Lane's End Farm and is trained by Shug McGaughey.