Preakness contender Conquest Mo Money has New York roots – Albany Times Union

Conquest Mo Money’s first owner sold him, but kept his mother.

His second owner quit the racing business.

His third owner paid a bargain-basement price of $8,500 for him.

The New York-bred colt has traveled a long, improbable path from his birth at Sequel New York in Hudson to the starting gate of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course next Saturday.

“It was a gift from God. Nothing more, nothing less,” said Tom McKenna, a New Mexico horseman who purchased Conquest Mo Money this past November at a dispersal sale in Kentucky.

Since then, the horse has won more than $500,000 and finished a close second in the Arkansas Derby last month. He’ll try to become the fourth New York-bred to win the Preakness, and in the process, derail Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming’s bid for a Triple Crown.

Sequel New York owner Becky Thomas will be rooting for Conquest Mo Money, who spent the first three or four months of his life on her farm that’s also home to Travers champion Alpha and Jim Dandy winner Laoban, among other stallions.

“It’s always great fun, anytime you have one,” Thomas said. “We’ve had several Grade I stakes winners that have come off that farm, and it’d be really nice to have a Classic winner come off it, too.”

Conquest Mo Money could have been born on some other farm in another state. Instead, he was foaled at Sequel New York on Feb. 16, 2014, mainly because Steve Davison and Randy Gullatt liked the broodmare who was carrying him.

Davison and Gullatt are partners in Twin Creeks Racing, located in Versailles, Ky. They’re also active in New York breeding and own the majority interest in Mission Impazible, a stallion who stands at Sequel New York, a 223-acre property in the Hudson River Valley.

Davison and Gullatt paid $80,000 for a pregnant mare named Stirring at the Keeneland Breeding Stock Sale in Lexington, Ky., in November 2013. They valued her pedigree and shipped her to be bred back to Mission Impazible in Hudson.

The fact that Stirring was already in foal by Eclipse Award winner Uncle Mo was just a bonus.

“We have Mission Impazible up there, and we are there getting quality mares to him,” Gullatt explained. “So (Stirring) just happened to have Conquest Mo Money. We’re just trying to support Mission Impazible and give him a great chance to succeed in the New York program.”

Davison and Gullatt put Conquest Mo Money up for auction as an unnamed yearling at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred sale in Saratoga Springs in August 2015. Sequel acted as their agent at the sale.

Conquest Stables paid $180,000 for the colt and named him. It was more than double what Davison and Gullatt paid for his mother. Also, as the breeder, Twin Creeks still can make money if Conquest Mo Money wins races in New York through the New York Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund’s awards program.

“He was gorgeous,” Gullatt said. “He was a beautiful yearling. Selling the foal out of that mare for $180,000 after paying $80,000 (for Stirring), we were pleased with. We made money, and now we basically have a free mare to support Mission (Impazible), so win-win.”

Conquest Mo Money never ran a race for Conquest Stables and its trainer, Mark Casse, who picked out the horse at Saratoga. Conquest Stables’ owners decided last year to put their entire stock of 115 horses up for sale at Keeneland in November.

Casse said Conquest Mo Money had some ankle problems and only breezed for him in Florida a couple of times.

“I never did enough with him to know if he was talented or not talented,” Casse said.

McKenna pounced and bought Conquest Mo Money for only $8,500 at the dispersal sale.

“Everybody keeps bringing this $8,500 up,” McKenna said. “Every agent in the country at that dispersal, why didn’t they buy him for $8,500? Nobody ever poses that question. What I liked about him the most is the price and the fact that he was an Uncle Mo that I didn’t think I could touch. Way out of my price range. You’re talking a poor boy here.”

After skipping the Kentucky Derby, McKenna will have his first Triple Crown starter in the Preakness. He’s paying $150,000 to supplement Conquest Mo Money to the Preakness because he wasn’t nominated to the Triple Crown series. Conquest Mo Money is trained by Miguel Hernandez and ridden by Jorge Carrena, who also are making their Triple Crown debuts.

Conquest Mo Money didn’t make his racing debut until January at 3 years old. He won his first three starts at Sunland Park in New Mexico before finishing second in the Sunland Derby. His fifth start came in the Arkansas Derby, which he nearly won on the lead at 17-1 before being caught near the wire by 2-year-old champion Classic Empire.

Casse trains Classic Empire, who finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby and will run back in the Preakness. Casse thinks Conquest Mo Money, his former thoroughbred, could be a factor in the Preakness by pressuring Always Dreaming with his speed.

“He’s a good horse,” Casse said. “I think if one horse is going to make Always Dreaming run, it’ll be him.”

Casse said he’s twice approached McKenna about buying back Conquest Mo Money but been turned down. McKenna, 81, said he’s gotten many offers but has no interest in selling.

If all goes well in the Preakness, he plans on bringing Conquest Mo Money back to his home state of New York to run in the Belmont Stakes and at Saratoga this summer.

“Twenty years ago, I wouldn’t have blinked an eye,” he said. “I would have taken one of these offers. I’d have figured down the road I’ll get back this thing. But at my age right now … we’re just going to stick with ol’ Mo Money, which was a gift from God, and do the best we can for him.”

msingelais@timesunion.com • 518-454-5509 • @MarkSingelais