Cohen Broadens His View With Partnership

West Coast owner Rancho Temescal's Tim Cohen is making moves, branching into a partnership arm and bringing other like-minded individuals to have fun while racing in the upper tier. This year, during the Tattersalls December Mare Sale, the group, Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners, picked up a listed stakes-winning Sir Percy  filly, Khinjani, for the budding group.

The 3-year-old filly is pointing toward the American Oaks (G1T) Dec. 26 on opening day at Santa Anita Park. Cohen spoke with BloodHorse MarketWatch on the overseas purchase and on the past year, which saw grade 1 winner Dr. Schivel  , raced in partnership with Red Baron's Barn, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, and William Branch, take to stud duty at Taylor Made Farm.

MarketWatch: You just made your annual trip to the Tattersalls December Mare Sale, picking up an up-and-coming turf filly to head to the West Coast for your new partnership Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners. Tell us more about her and why make the trek to England for this sale every year?

Tim Cohen: I've been going to Tattersalls personally for about 20 years. I raced with my father, nearly exclusively as Red Baron's Barn, and over the years, I've had people say, 'Hey, we would like to own a horse with you because you seem to be doing okay.' I would have loved to, but we were trying to keep it just me and my dad. He passed away last year, so I went back to the folks who have expressed interest. They came along with some new people I didn't particularly know but knew through people.

We're excited about getting into the European market because it's hard to figure out if you don't know what you're doing, who to talk to, or the process. It's a great group of experienced owners who have had horses on their own. Only a few of the owners were in prior partnerships but wanted to get into the program that we have established, and it's proven successful. Of course, there are always failures, but overall, it's been great, and winning races with new friends is fun.

MW: How many horses do you have for this partnership group?

TC: We have eight for this group, and it will close out probably in about a month. Then we'll start with a new group in March. We intend to raise capital for the year to cover the operating expenses of the horses throughout their career and acquisition costs. People are writing one check and appreciate that; it's worked out well.

MW: What is the ownership time frame for these horses? 

TC: They will be sold at some point, but there are no set deadlines. Some groups sell at the end of three years. We manage the horses on a per-horse basis. Each one's an individual, and we want to maximize the fun and revenue, but the fun is the first part.

MW: What did you see in your most recent purchase, Khinjani? And what are the immediate plans for when she gets to the States and through quarantine?

TC: This is interesting and where some of our experience comes into play. The last flight to America is Dec. 19, and they need 21 days of uterine swabs to get them here. We swabbed four fillies before the sale started. We still needed to vet them, but we thought the four were interesting, and the only way they would make that flight was if we began the swabs then. She was one of the four that we did so we could get on that flight Dec. 19. If we didn't have the history, knowledge, or team in place to identify that, then we would have missed out.

American Racing, especially in California at 10 furlongs and over, has a scarcity of quality fillies and mares in that range. If you watch Khinjani's races on firm ground, she really does accelerate, so we try to find horses that will appreciate the firm ground; it's our model. You do have to look at that structurally and individually to see if they can handle training on the dirt, although we'll have tapeta in California soon. We look to see if they can handle that and if they are built to do that. That's part of the criteria we look at. She fit it all, which was great. She's exciting to have and will continue training with Ed Walker, her prior trainer.

There is a lot that has to go right, and it's very easy for it to go wrong to be able to land and run seven days later. She has an excellent chance for a grade 1 placing, especially after her last stake, a listed win. We have an excellent plan. I'm not sure about reality.

MW: Your father, Jed Cohen, successfully raced for a long time. How did you get into racing, and what made you want to stick to it?

TC: I got into it because I really had no choice; I wanted to go to races. I always enjoyed sports, never the business side of it. We bought the farm (Rancho Temescal) in 2000 and did that together. I started looking at his operation as a business, which is what he didn't do, and for the last seven or eight years we were partners. Since we partnered, we accelerated the wins and fun. Taking what you enjoy and trying to make it into a business model is very hard in this business… it's been a lot of fun and challenging.

MW: Bloodstock agent Joe Miller is a piece of the puzzle. How did he get involved with Rancho Temescal?

TC: It was a fluke. I sat on the board of the CTBA with trainer Edward Freeman. We became good friends and surf together once or twice a week. They had secured a mare called Barleysugar  in the UK for a client, and at the last moment, the client backed out. I had been talking to Edward and told him how much we enjoyed the European market and if he got something to let me know. Joe was selling the horse, Edward knew Joe, and the three of us got together. They told me about Barleysugar; she was definitely one we wanted to buy. That was the start of my association with Joe. He's a great quality individual and very trustworthy. He's smart, dedicated, passionate, all the things that you'd want to do business with in a person.

MW: You and your partners had a fantastic ride with Dr. Schivel  , winning two grade 1s, two grade 2s, and grade 1 placings in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) and Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) last year. He begins stud duty next year at Taylor Made Farm. What did this horse mean to your program?

TC: It's a testament to the people around us. Trainer Mark Glatt identified. Dr. Schivel to us after his second race. I wasn't quite a believer until after his third race. Bill Branch, a common client of the farm and Glatt's, was kind enough to allow us to take a majority piece of him. After that, we went to the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and enjoyed an excellent ride.

We are more of a racing entity. I will definitely be sending a couple of mares to Kentucky, and I'll probably have the first California-bred Dr. Schivel. We look forward to supporting him and are excited. It's been neat. We have River Boyne , a stallion in Ireland that we proved up. To make two stallions within three years is just incredible. We're grateful to be attributed to those horses.