Stakes-Winning Page Updates Among Bachman's Offerings

Tom Bachman has a knack for developing live families that enhance a sale catalog page. A case in point is North Freeway, who has an Into Mischief  colt in the Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale Sept. 26.

North Freeway, then a 5-year-old stakes winner and not in foal, cost Bachman $90,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale. Gainesway consigned the daughter of Jump Start —Shawnee Country, by Chief's Crown, and Warrendale Bloodstock purchased her for Bachman.

"She was a young stakes mare, and Jump Start is by A.P. Indy," Bachman said. "She's turned out quite well. I love good-looking mares with good family that could run. It's very difficult to buy young mares, but she was just off the track. In today's market, I probably would have had to pay double that."

In rapid succession, as North Freeway's foals began winning stakes, her yearlings became more sought after. Take the One O One, by Acclamation , sold for $47,000 at the 2016 Northern California Yearling Sale, placed in a grade 1 at 2, and won two stakes at 3. Takethediamondlane, North Freeway's 2016 filly by Bodemeister , brought $300,000 at the 2017 Barretts Select Yearling Sale and is now a winner, followed by Square Deal, the mare's 2017 colt by Square Eddie  selling for $230,000 at the same sale a year ago.

Square Deal is paying it forward. He captured the I'm Smokin Stakes at Del Mar less than a month before the Into Mischief colt will go into the Fasig-Tipton ring as Hip 166.

Bachman breeds solely for the market, only retaining the occasional filly or a horse that isn't ready for sale. He entered nine of his homebreds in the Fasig-Tipton California sale under his Fairview banner, two subsequently withdrawn with minor issues. Fairview as agent has two more yearlings for other clients.

"I've got 10 foals on the ground for next year," Bachman said. "I've got a dozen mares. I'm selling three this fall to cut back. I think the mare market is very strong right now because of all the regional programs back east."

The size of Bachman's operation is a long way from when he ran the 300-acre Pegasus Ranch in Petaluma, Calif., and stood a full complement of stallions. He decided to slow down in 2012 and sold much of the acreage, keeping 63 acres along the Petaluma River and calling it Fairview.

James Fair, a U.S. Senator in the 1800s whose daughters built the Fairmont San Francisco hotel in his honor, used to own the property.

"It's a historic name," Bachman said.

Prior to breeding Thoroughbred racehorses, Bachman, originally from Michigan, rode Hunter/Jumpers. He also bought racehorses to convert into show horses.

"This was pre-Warmblood, and I made a living buying slow racehorses," Bachman said. "I was in Grants Pass (Ore.), Centennial (Colo.), and all over the place."

One of the first Thoroughbred stallions Bachman stood was Burd Alane, a son of Sea-Bird. These days, while he doesn't stand stallions, he has bought into a few, including Danzing Candy  and Sir Prancealot  in California and Goldencents  in Kentucky.

Bachman has a Goldencents colt, Hip 25, in the Fasig-Tipton sale that is also benefiting from a live family. The youngster is out of multiple stakes winner Bold Roberta. The mare's 2014 foal, a daughter of Ministers Wild Cat named Bella Luma, was already a stakes winner when the catalog was printed. Bella Luma has since won the Aug. 3 Luther Burbank Handicap at Santa Rosa, raising her earnings to $239,824.

Fairview's other homebreds entered in the sale are a More Than Ready  filly, a Sky Mesa  colt, a Strong Mandate  filly, and a colt and filly by California sire Square Eddie .