Bloom Racing Flourishing at Every Point of Call

The reality sets in for Jeff Bloom on a near daily basis now.

Horsemen he has known for years remind him how good he and his partners have it. The media folk he shares banter with point out that some in the Thoroughbred industry go a lifetime without ever flirting with such success. Whether one has been there and done that a couple times over, it is hard to look at the multi-title force behind Bloom Racing Stable and not be impressed by the hand he holds.

As much as those sentiments are appreciated, Bloom doesn't need any outside prodding to shape his perspective. When you have viewed the sport from as many angles as he has—jockey, work rider, racing manager, and analyst are just some of his titles over the past few decades—nothing puts the rare and enviable nature of his situation in focus like the reflection of his past experience.

"I've been in this game so long and ... it's like I wake up in the middle of the night right now, and if I go to the Kentucky Oaks website, my filly is No. 1 on there, and my colt is like in the top 15 on the (Kentucky) Derby site," the 54-year-old Bloom said. "To be able to maybe have a Derby horse and an Oaks horse with legitimate chances in the same year is ridiculous."

Even for someone who has enjoyed the many experiences Bloom has within Thoroughbred racing (ask him about the first time he worked a headstrong 2-year-old named Sunday Silence), he is happy to try and wrap his head around the notion he could be indulging better than most at Churchill Downs come the first week of May.

Not only does his Bloom Racing have a leading contender for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) in multiple graded stakes winner Midnight Bisou (campaigned with Allen Racing), his Snapper Sinclair is set to start in the March 24 Twinspires Louisiana Derby (G2), where a victory would all but ensure one of the 20 spots in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) starting gate.

Snapper Sinclair, purchased about a week before the first Saturday in May last year, takes a cue from his owner in that he has dabbled in multiple avenues with admirable results. After starting his career with a sixth-place effort sprinting on the dirt at Belmont Park in July, the white-faced son of City Zip switched to the grass, became a stakes winner at Kentucky Downs and a Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) starter, then transitioned back to the main track this season en route to placing in both Louisiana Derby prep races to date at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

When he began his sophomore year with a third-place effort in the Jan. 13 Lecomte Stakes (G3), Snapper Sinclair earned the right to further legitimize himself on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. When he led right up until the final jump in the Feb. 17 Risen Star Stakes presented by Lamarque Ford (G2), losing by a nose to Bravazo, the Steve Asmussen trainee had Bloom's head spinning about what might be coming down the pike.

"His only start on the dirt (as a 2-year-old) was not a good representation of 'this horse just doesn't like the dirt,'" said Bloom, who purchased Snapper Sinclair for $180,000 out of the Ocala Breeders' Sale April 2-year-olds in training auction. "He was going really short, he broke out of the inside, he was really green. We never thought he's not a dirt horse. He just ran so well on the grass, it was like let's leverage that.

"I think always in the back of our minds, we knew we would come back to dirt. And I think in Steve's mind, it was like, this is a really good horse, now is the time to try it and find out if we can proceed with the Derby trail. We weren't surprised, but at the same time, the horse did need to prove it. And so we kept reminding ourselves that we lost a horrible head bob (in the Risen Star) but he's legit. He's absolutely legit."

When it comes to having back class and solid credentials, Bloom is pretty well-authorized himself.

The California native spent nine years as a jockey beginning in the early 1980s and was one of the primary work riders for legendary trainer Charlie Whittingham. It may not have taken genius to see that future Hall of Famers such as 1989 Horse of the Year Sunday Silence had that exceptional quality about them, but Bloom credits the old-school foundation put into him by San Luis Rey Downs general manager Muzzy Francis during his early days at the track. He learned how to study horseflesh and spot intangibles beyond the obvious.

"I think more than anything else for me ... the well-rounded depth of knowledge comes from the fact that when I first learned how to be a jockey, the person I learned from made sure that before I ever got on the back of a horse, I learned about the horse," said Bloom, who has also served as an analyst for Horse Racing Radio Network since 2014. "When I learned how to ride at San Luis Rey, I learned from the ground up—about the conformation of the horse, how to assist the vets. All I wanted to do was ride, but I was forced to do all that other stuff, and that's what really helped me develop into a full-blown horse person. And it came in handy getting on horses and being able to tell trainers about that."

It served an arguably more vital purpose once Bloom's riding days came to an end.

He earned a degree in finance from San Diego State University, and his business résumé includes a successful venture in software technology sales and corporate business development. What kept pulling at him, however, was the desire to be hands-on again in the development of equine talent. After joining the team at West Point Thoroughbreds—where he headed up its West Coast division for seven years—he decided to put his own stamp on the business with the creation of Bloom Racing in 2011.

True to its namesake and founder, Bloom Racing has its hands in a little bit of everything from pinhooking to bloodstock services. It has also unearthed a string of high-level equine talent ranging from multiple graded stakes winner Majestic City  to its current 30-horse lineup that includes graded stakes winner Skye Diamonds—owned in partnership with Allen Racing, Tom Acker, and Jon Lindo—and stakes winner Run Time, who is set to compete in the $1 million Dubai Gold Cup sponsored by Al Tayer Motors (G2) on Dubai World Cup Day March 31.

"He's excellent to work with. He's like a dream to work with, actually," trainer Bill Spawr, who conditions both Midnight Bisou and Skye Diamonds, said of Bloom. "He gets it, he really gets it, and it's so very hard to find people like that. It makes it a lot easier on us trainers."

About the only thing more full than Bloom's résumé is the demands on his time these days. He will be in Louisiana to watch Snapper Sinclair's seventh career start, and then it's off to Dubai for the World Cup card before getting back to California in time to hopefully witness Midnight Bisou rattle off what would be a third straight graded stakes win in the April 7 Santa Anita Oaks (G1).

Having already worn a plethora of industry hats, Bloom wants to try on a couple more labels for good measure. Namely, he wants to be that guy trying to keep his emotions in check as he makes the walkover to the Churchill Downs paddock on back-to-back days May 4 and 5.

"I can assure you on every level, I do not take it for granted," Bloom said. "We work really hard, but at the same time, it's hard for things to come together. When I look back and think the very first horse I started all of this with (Majestic City) was the morning-line favorite in the (2011) Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf ... what are the chances of that? So it's been an incredible journey.

"I couldn't have done it without the support of a lot of great people. And, believe me, I'm pinching myself every day."