Horse racing industry veteran and head of U.S. operations for global Phoenix Thoroughbreds, Tom Ludt talks about new sourcing opportunities and management of existing bloodstock. Last year Phoenix Thoroughbreds purchased a single lot worth A$1.6m together with co-owners at this sale.
Q: Your horses are doing brilliantly in Dubai and everywhere else. But what are you really excited about?
A: It’s so hard to pin down to a few things as big as we are. Obviously we hope to be very productive at Meydan and have a great (Dubai) World Cup night with the Phoenix horses pointed to that night. Very excited about the yearlings soon to be 2YO’s we bought. We spent a lot but feel like we have really nice horses going into the New Year.
Q: Which particular horse purchase in recent years gave you the most pleasant surprise with the sale price and what did you put it down to afterwards?
A: We bought so many this year it would be hard to pick as we have a few that were what we thought were good deals and we also bought some spectacular horses with the matching pedigrees to go with the price. If I had to pick one though, right now it would be the American Pharoah half-sister to Songbird. Reilly McDonald was selling her and he pushed Dermot and me to stay on her with that pedigree and we bought her for $325,000. We sent her to Eddie Woods and she is really developing well with him and his team. At that price, if she runs to her family's pedigree we will be rewarded quite well.
Q: How many horses you do currently have worldwide? What is in store from Phoenix for 2019?
A: We have almost 300 horses worldwide. We have broodmares and foals in both Hemispheres as well as many racehorses in both hemispheres that people don’t realize. We also are aggressively growing our stallion share portfolio. We hope to continue to build our stock in 2019 but will now be able to be more specific in our selection as we now have a great base of horses for our organization.
Q: What are your thoughts about the new format of racing which is gaining popularity, i.e races like Pegasus and The Everest?
A: I love how we are trying to create “world events” It is hard on the horses to travel so much so it’s an advantage for local horses but we continue to get better at handling this and large purses make it exciting and very rewarding to owners who put so much money into this game. It’s very fulfilling and exciting these days. We need to have a “big” day once a month somewhere to continue to draw attention to the general public so they can get reintroduced to our wonderful sport.
Q: Tell us more about your decision to join Phoenix? How did it come about? How have the experiences in this relationship with Phoneix been more meaningful and different from those in the past?
A: I joined Phoenix from a push from Jeremy Noseda who I had horses with for years. He had developed a relationship with Amer and he really pushed me to join the team. I had been running Santa Anita and had just left so the timing was great. The biggest difference in this role versus my previous Thoroughbred experience is the size and geographic responsibility. Aamer’s vision is to really be competitive everywhere so we are working around the clock and around the globe.
Q: What do you think your investors and potential investors can expect from your horses, especially Alexrod, Gronkowski and Sands Of Mali in 2019?
A: We hope that they have a great day March 30th to start. These horses have shown such great talent and ran so well in races at the top level so you just hope they perform to that level in the coming year. Our hopes are high and we are excited to have the chance to compete at such a high level in 2019
Q: How would you compare the Breeders’ Cup as a race meeting to the Dubai World Cup meeting it’ self and the Dubai World Cup carnival? Where would you say the opportunities for growth lie?
A: It’s a very tough and different comparison. I obviously am biased for Breeders Cup. My boss is obviously biased for Dubai. Very different because BC really draws from the US much more and some of the worlds, were Dubai tends to be a few US horses and mainly the Mideast and Europe.
I think the industry as a whole continues to develop a growth on major events with big purses. We continue to make air travel better and large purses bring big horses and attract the owners to expand their vision on shipping around the world.
Q: As a child did you always aspire to go into racing or work with horses?
A: I was raised around horses but never worked with horses as a child. I have always loved the stride and beauty of the horse and was very fortunate to “fall” into this industry after being in the corporate world. I have been very blessed to work with such great thoroughbred companies. I have had the best opportunities to see this game at all levels all around the world. Very lucky person.
Q: When you’re not working how do you like to spend your time?
A: I love the outdoors and live in Los Angeles so I spend time out either enjoying the ocean, golfing or just relaxing from not travelling.
Q: What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
A: Patience is by far the best advice. Very difficult and tough at times when you have to make tough calls but this game is very demanding and challenging. To survive and succeed you must draw on experience and patience and realize more opportunities are always ahead of you.
Q: What are you reading currently? And what would you say is the best book you have come across related to the racing industry?
Published In Tenfurlongs Journey To The Dubai World Cup Vol - II
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