Clara Molski’s late husband David told her back in the early 90’s “You can’t make money in the horse business.” But after the pair bought into Yankee Dreamboat and the promising trotting filly captured the Goldsmith Maid
at Garden State Park in 1992, Clara had convinced her husband that indeed you could.
The couple built Dreamlands Farm, a 105-acre plot in Cream Ridge, New Jersey and pretty much built their own farm with training track included. The pair made a big investment in the fall of 1996 purchasing Hardie Hanover, the 1994 Breeders Crown sophomore pacing champion for broodmare duty. The mare was in foal to Abercrombie at the time and she was bred back to Jennas Beach Boy.
“We sold Hardie back to Hanover Shoe Farms,” recalled Clara. The champion mare would die suddenly after likely being struck by another horse. Her last foal, Dreamlands Hardie has become a foundation mare for the farm with an impressive array of foals to follow.
Myluvmylife, named in honour of Mr. Molski who was tragically killed in a car accident not very far from the breeding farm he developed with his wife, will attempt to capture Saturday’s $600,000 Breeders Crown two-year-old filly pace on Saturday at Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs.
“I kept telling everyone if Dreamlands Hardie had a colt by Rocknroll Hanover I would have to sell it,” said Molski putting on her hat as a business person. “There was no way I could sell a filly…actually I’m not so sure I could have sold a colt either,” she confessed. Molski an absolute animal lover admits to difficulty going to the sales and not finding something to take home with her.
Dreamlands Hardie was a standout two-year-old who finished a respectable third behind Lady Macbeach and future Horse of the Year Bunny Lake at Lexington, in 2000, has been a marvelous success as a broodmare to date. Her first three foals were all six-figure winners including Livestrong, a 1:50.4 performer with in excess of $579,000 banked. Kisskissbangbang, his full sister by Artsplace, earned $145,693 on the racetrack and is listed to sell in foal to Well Said at Harrisburg next month.
Her third foal Dreamlands Latte reached the final of the Breeders Crown juvenile filly pace in 2007 but drew poorly and never contended. Latte was a solid stakes horse at two and three with earnings over $226,000. And perhaps as an omen of good things to come for the family, Dreamlands Latte’s fastest sophomore performance came in a 1:52.3 victory in the Reynolds at Pocono.
Myluvmylife has come on strongly in the last two months. She won three straight stakes events at Freehold including the Lou Babic final for the team of trainer Joe King and driver George Brennan. In the New Jersey Sire Stakes final, her last race prior to the Breeders Crown, she was a solid second, but a bit of a disappointment to Brennan. “She just didn’t finish as well as I’d expected,” he said.
Last Friday she bounced back in a big way closing stoutly in the stretch a solid second to the undefeated Idyllic in her Crown elimination. “She was much better tonight,” said Brennan. That was a pretty good filly she was chasing and she finished well.”
Trainer King was equally pleased with her performance. “We’ve been pointing her all year for this race. I think she’ll be better next week (this Saturday),” he said.
Earlier in her frosh campaign Myluvmylife showed ability but either found herself too far off the pace with bad draws, or up against fillies that had peaked early in the season.
Molski is excited about the Crown opportunity and believes her filly is as good as any in the field. She plans on attending the event with a group of 14. “We have so many people who have helped make this possible. I’d like them all to be there,” she said. Clara operates a successful sign business in Elizabeth, New Jersey and the farm in Cream Ridge. “I have a group I call the “Core 5” that does a fantastic job of helping me run both businesses.”
As for the horse business Molski has three yearlings that she is sending out to train, including a Lis Mara colt out of Kisskissbangbang, named Bangbangkisskiss that she is excited about.
Next year she will have eight yearlings and confesses she will have to sell some. “It is a business,” Molski tried to insist.
As for the prospects of owning a breeding farm in New Jersey, Molski is frustrated with the political slant in the state. “I don’t understand how they can subsidize privately held casinos in Atlantic City, and not help support our business.”
When asked what would happen to her farm should something happen to the Meadowlands, she said “I don’t have any stallions on the farm. I guess I could breed my horses in Pennsylvania, but I’d rather not have to do that.”
Though Myluvmylife is a longshot on paper her story makes her the sentimental favourite.
(Breeders Crown)