Vinton, Louisiana

Kathleen was raised in South Texas on a large horse and cattle ranch. Her family stood Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred stallions and had a major training and breeding operation based in South Texas. Her whole young life was about riding horses and learning all she could about horses in general. She developed an eye for good horses from a young age as well as a lifelong love and passion for horses and horse breeding and racing. The family ranch also had a private string of race horses based in Southern California in the 1970’s. Such important horses as Crimson Saint, Terlingua, Storm Cat, La Mesa, Bernstein, and Sky Mesa can trace their roots or beginnings back to South Texas and her family’s ranch and breeding or racing program.

 

In fact, Crimson Saint was purchased privately as a yearling by Braugh Ranches for $12,500.00 from her breeder. She campaigned for our farm and won Graded stakes and also beat the colts in California. She was so fast that she set a New World Record for a half mile. Interestingly upon her retirement Kathleen’s parents wanted to breed her to the great Secretariat who was just retiring but she was not accepted to his book by Claiborne farm. The reason? At the time her pedigree was considered undesirable by the big Kentucky farms. However the filly had such freakish speed and talent that Braugh Ranches believed in her and found a way to get her to Secretariat. Ms Allaire DuPont had purchased a share in Secretariat and sold Braugh Ranches two seasons to Secretariat for Crimson Saint for $160,000.00. These two seasons came with no guarantee of a live foal so we took a big shot. This was 1974 so that was big big money at the time. That’s how deep the belief in Crimson Saint was. The first foal from the mating was Mr Crimson Ruler who was unraced but was sold privately as a two year old for $2,000,000.00 to Texas quarter horse man B F Phillips, Jr. who also bred the legendary quarter horse Dash for Cash. Mr Crimson Ruler was purchased for a stallion career at Phillips Ranch in Friscoe, Texas where he was bred primarily to top Quarter Horse mares in order to bring into into the breed the blinding speed of Crimson Saint and the brilliance of Secretariat. The second foal from the no guarantee Secretariat season and Crimson Saint was Terlingua who was foaled in 1976. Terlingua became a graded stakes winner and one of the most important daughters of Secretariat as she is the dam of leading sire and legend Storm Cat. Meanwhile to the cover of Nijinsky II, Crimson Saint also produced the 1990 Breeder’s Cup mile winner and top stallion Royal Academy. In total, at public auction, Crimson Saint’s yearlings sold for in excess of an astounding $17,000,000.00 over the years. She’s left an important lasting legacy and indelible mark on the breed through her blood that today runs through many of the world’s greatest Throroughbreds including our two recent Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify.

Another notable Braugh Ranches horse is Bold Clarion who was a homebred and multiple stakes winner. He proudly represented Braugh Ranches in the 1974 Kentucky Derby. While he finished 17th that day he brought the family on the ride of a lifetime.

And finally another key horse for us and the Thoroughbred breed as a whole is La Mesa who was a Braugh Ranches homebred daughter of Round Table. Braugh Ranches privately purchased her dam Finance, who was a half sister to the great Buckpasser, in Kentucky for $100,000.00 while in foal to Round Table and brought her home to Texas. La Mesa was foaled at Braugh Ranches in Texas in 1970 and was given the Spanish name La Mesa by Kathleen’s mom. La Mesa in translation means The Table which was quite clever and was also a nod to our South Texas roots and the Spanish culture in which we lived in and loved. She was eventually sent to Southern California to race when she came of age. She wasn’t particularly notable as a runner but what was notable was that she was trained by Hall of Famer Richard (Dick) Mandella for Braugh Ranches and Braugh Ranches was also his beginning. Mandella actually got his trainers license to go to work as a private trainer for the farm. So Braugh Ranches has a proud connection there to one of the sports great trainers. All of that aside where the legacy of La Mesa really lies is in her progeny. She is the dam of the first ever Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Filly winner at Hollywood Park Racecourse in Inglewood, California in 1984 in Outstandingly. Outstandingly was named Champion two year old filly in 1984. La Mesa is also the matriarch of the family from whom Bernstein, Sky Mesa, Caress and many more important horses which have greatly influenced and continue to highly influence the breed hail. All of these horses represent a legacy that we are very proud of and strive to continue to add to.