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Nov. 15, 2011 - Valor Farm, located in Pilot Point, Texas, nestled in the rolling hills north of Dallas, has a revered reputation as one of the finest breeding establishments in the country. The history of Valor Farm begins with its owner, Clarence Scharbauer Jr., and his late wife, Dorothy Turner Scharbauer. Dorothy Scharbauer grew up in a racing family and had the thrill of watching her father, Fred Turner, win the 1959 Kentucky Derby with Tomy Lee. With the goal of winning another Kentucky Derby, the Scharbauers began buying Thoroughbred yearlings in 1984. In 1987, another dream came true when the legendary Alysheba, triumphed on the first Saturday in May. Enshrined in the Hall of Fame, Alysheba went on to win the Preakness Stakes and six additional Grade 1 stakes, including the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Classic. He won 11 of his 26 career starts, bankrolling $6,679,242. Scharbauer, a third-generation Texas horseman and rancher, was a partner in Oklahoma Stud, a breeding farm in Purcell, Okla. The group -- consisting of Dr. John Beall, DVM, World Champion Cowboy Louis Brooks Sr., racing insiders Joe L. and Joe F. Gary from Oklahoma and, Jack McReynolds, also of Oklahoma -- purchased the farm in 1974. Scharbauer, a native Texan from Midland, was encouraged that pari-mutuel racing would be approved in Texas and wanted to find a property in the Lone Star State. Ken Carson, who graduated from Texas A&M, has been the longtime manager of Valor Farm. “Barry Wood of Oklahoma Stud spotted the land and made the recommendation to Mr. Scharbauer,” Carson said. The heavily wooded area was named “Pilot Point” for the proliferation of timberline trees that served as a landmark to travelers in Denton County. Plotted in 1853, Pilot Point, Texas, boasted lush greenery and hilly terrain. Scharbauer purchased 393 acres and, with Wood as the architect, the barns and 18 miles of fence were completed in just over two years. “Mr. Scharbauer is a Texan to the core,” Carson said. “He is so dedicated and has been for so long. He loves his horses and has always wanted the best, in his people, in the feed, in the general care for the animal.” Dorothy Scharbauer passed away in 2005, and is fondly remembered for her passion and love of horses. “Dorothy exuded class in every aspect of her life,” recalled Dave Hooper, executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association. “She was extremely well spoken, impeccably dressed, and loved her horses. Both she and Clarence were unmatched in their enthusiasm for owning and breeding racehorses.” Precocious Talent Many of the Valor Farms homebreds have done exceptionally well as 2-year-olds. Hadif One was the 1995 TTA Champion 2-year-old colt/gelding. Gold Coyote was the recipient of the same award in 2007 as another early-maturing Texas-bred juvenile. He won two stakes at Lone Star Park, crushing his rivals with a 10-length score in the $125,000 Staunch Avenger division of the Texas Stallion Stakes. Gold Coyote returned weeks later to win the $70,000 Middleground Breeders’ Cup Stakes against open company and was named Horse of the Meet at Lone Star. His sire, Gold Legend, produced another champion racehorse, Coyote Legend, who won the 2009 Groovy Stakes for 2-year-old Texas-breds and was honored as TTA Champion 3-year-old colt/gelding. The newest rising star in the Valor Farm camp is Sword Trick, a son of Early Flyer out of the Hadif mare, Hadif Cat. Scharbauer’s homebred Sword Trick, dominated the first two races of the 2011Texas Stallion Stakes Series. He recently stepped up to open company in the $100,000 Clever Trevor Stakes at Remington Park. Despite a fifth-place showing, he has won $136,800 and remains the current point leader in the TTA Champions Point Standing for top Texas-bred 2-year-old colt/gelding. Carson acknowledges that there are few, if any, opportunities for horses to run 10 furlongs in Texas. “Sword Trick is a good example of a solid horse ready to run early,” said Carson. “We are not breeding for a mile and a half, but many of our horses do excel at two turns.” “Ken has recognized that there is a great emphasis on 2-year-old racing in Texas,” Hooper said. “The Texas Stallion series, which begins with the 5-1/2 furlong TTA Sales Futurity offers a nice progression of distances with lucrative purses.” Successful Affiliation for Trainer Bret Calhoun Bret Calhoun admits that Clarence Scharbauer Jr. has been pivotal to his career. The 47-year-old Texan reached national prominence in 2010, when he saddled two Breeders’ Cup winners, Dubai Majesty and Chamberlain Bridge. He has a longstanding relationship with Scharbauer and has tremendous respect for the quality of horses bred at Valor Farm. “They do a heck of a job breeding and raising their foals,” said Calhoun. “The farm is a manicured showplace with tremendous pastures. By the time I get them, they are big, robust, strong, with obvious correct conformation.” In addition to his breeding expertise, Calhoun credits Scharbauer with his willingness to pick some nice yearlings in the sale ring. In 2007, Scharbauer signed a $600,000 ticket for an A.P. Indy colt, Indygo Mountain at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. “He and Ken go to the sales and spend money on top caliber yearlings,” said Calhoun. “It’s a big thrill to get to train A.P. Indy colts and even a half-sister to Afleet Alex." Indygo Mountain broke his maiden at Churchill Downs on Nov. 19, 2008. It was just his second start, but he relished the stretchout to a mile, drawing off to a 6-1/4 length score. “We thought this might be our Kentucky Derby contender,” recalled Calhoun. “We took him to Fair Grounds for the LeComte and Risen Star, but he developed foot troubles and we had to take time off. Unfortunately, a throat issue followed and we had to retire him.” Indygo Mountain has joined the impressive roster of stallions at Valor Farm. Stallions Rank Highly in Texas and on a National Level As much as Scharbauer loves his racehorses, he takes tremendous pride in the breeding program at Valor Farm. Currently, his stallion roster includes Wimbledon, winner of the 2004 Louisiana Derby, Magic Cat, Early Flyer, Silver City and My Golden Song. My Golden Song, a son of
Unbridled’s Song, produced his first stakes winner this year when
Cowgirl N Up won the $100,000 Darby's Daughter Texas Stallion Stakes
at Retama Park on Sept. 24. The filly is out of the Wayne’s Crane
mare Pure Mischief, who is also the dam of multiple stakes-winner
Aces N Kings, a gelding by another Valor Farm stallion, Jet Phone.
An exemplary list of former Valor Farm stallions includes Devious Course, Festival of Light, Gold Legend, Gold Regent, Hadif, Marfa, Rare Brick and Quarter Horse stallions Sixarun and Vital Class. Hadif was an exceptional sire for Valor Farm, ranking in the top echelon of Texas sires, which include Valid Expectations, Sunny's Halo, Naevus and Marfa. Hadif was a Kentucky-bred son of Clever Trick, who won the 1990 Phoenix Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Keeneland as well as the 1991 Neartic Handicap at Woodbine. “I was always a Clever Trick fan,” said Carson. “I followed his races in Kentucky and New York. When Hadif ran third in the Laurel Dash, Clarence and I were both interested in his potential as a stallion.” Hadif stood at Oklahoma Stud beginning in 1992 and was sent to Valor Farm the following year. He was prolific from the beginning. In his first year, he had 13 live foals and three stakes winners, including Texas champion 2-year-old Hadif One. “He has some absolutely incredibly fast runners,” said Carson. “His foals would be yelling before they got out of the mare. All were good looking; some could get a mile, but at 5-1/2 to six furlongs, they were deadly." Hadif sired 22 stakes winners and 30 other racehorses who earned black-type. He was pensioned from stud in 2006 after producing earners of more than $12.5 million. As with many of the retired Scharbauer racehorses, including Sixarun (QH), and broodmares Running Victory and Stalwart Sal, they live the life of luxury in the pristine pastures of Valor Farm. Sadly, last September, Hadif died. Carson as well as every staff member was greatly saddened by his passing.
Strong Supporter of the American Quarter Horse Association Scharbauer, has been involved with both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing and breeding for over four decades. A former president of the American Quarter Horse Association, he was inducted into the Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1992. He made a generous endowment of $2 million to the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum. He and Dorothy had previously donated $500,000. Texas Proud Dave Hooper, executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA), credits Scharbauer and Carson for their sustained commitment to the Lone Star State. “Valor Farms and Will Farish’s Lanes End in Hempstead are two of the strongest farms in Texas,” Hooper said. “They are true Texans and want to see breeding and racing succeed here.” Carson serves on the executive committee of the Texas Thoroughbred Association, and hopes for the legislative changes that have fueled the economies of bordering states Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Should the tide change, both racing and breeding in the Lone Star state could rival Kentucky, California, New York and Florida. “Clarence is a Texan through and through,” Hooper said. “The magnitude and beauty of Valor Farm is a sight to behold. If you could pack it up and ship it to the Blue Grass breeding farms of Lexington, it would fit like a glove.” Martha Claussen has been prominent in the Texas racing industry since 1997 as a publicist, writer and handicapper | ||
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