After an initial career beginning with Quarter Horses, Tami Bobo started buying Thoroughbreds over a decade ago. Her first purchase was grade 1 winning-millionaire and sire, Take Charge Indy , an $80,000 RNA at the 2010 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She purchased the son of A.P. Indy privately and sold shares in him to Chuck and Maribeth Sandiford, who eventually bought her out before the 2012 Florida Derby (G1), which he won. As she did with Take Charge Indy, Bobo purchased the Not This Time colt, Simplification , privately, after he failed to meet his reserve as a weanling. Bobo is the sole owner of Simplification, who finished third in this year's Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1) after winning the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and placing second in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) this season at Gulfstream Park.
MarketWatch: Take me through your thinking during the Florida Derby April 2.
Tami Bobo: During the day, of course, there's a level of anxiety building up to the race. After the race, I was just very thankful. He ran a good race; he set the pace. He hooked up early, first with Classic Causeway , and he put him away, then hooked up with Pappacap , and put him away, and by the time White Abarrio hit, he was getting tired. It was a lot. This colt again was very impressive. He ran a great race, and it's essential for us, as horsemen, to know what's going on during the race to see how tough that was for him.
He's so full of heart. Every race, we learn a little more, and thank goodness he's a sound, solid colt who's as happy as he can be. Our plan, God willing, is to go on to the Kentucky Derby.
MW: Are you having Take Charge Indy flashbacks?
TB: They're two completely different horses. Indy was very challenging and had a hard time staying sound. This colt has never struggled in that area. Simplification has always been a solid colt to train and go on with. It's exciting to be a part of both horses' careers.
Take Charge Indy was like my pet. He was the first horse I bought coming into the Thoroughbred industry. He was a very kind, loving horse. He loved the attention he got and had fun with it.
Simplification has a lot of grit about him. He's not going to let you scratch him or kiss all over him. I used to ride Indy bareback when he was at my training center; that's not happening with Simplification. But he's eating it up as he gets more seasoned and is around more people and more cameras.
He's a training machine. He loves to train, and he's fun. I visited him the other day in his stall, and pigeons were flying in and out, and he just stood there. A lot of horses would be losing their minds with birds flying around. He's such a neat, pretty horse, a great physical specimen that, God willing, will become a stallion.
MW: How did you come to buy Simplification?
I bought him privately from his breeders France Weiner and Irwin J. Weiner. He was at the de Merics' farm in Ocala, Fl. and Valerie de Meric called me to say she had a horse she thought I should look at. I'm a long-time de Meric client.
Simplification was physically very correct, very pretty. He had a lot of look to him. I knew nothing about his auction history, and I paid significantly more than he RNA'd for at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. I was surprised that no one was willing to go over $50,000 for him. His sire, Not This Time, seemed to be doing well at the time. I liked him, and it's worked out well. I don't base my opinions on what other people think about a horse.
MW: Simplification is a Florida-bred, and you're based in Florida. Did that make him more attractive to you?
TB: Not at all. I buy 100% based on the individual and pedigree. It doesn't matter at all what state they were bred in.
MW: You originally started in the Quarter Horse world, then began working with Thoroughbreds. What's your business model?
TB: First Finds is a business that I started with my husband, Fernando De Jesus, and it's a weanling-to-yearling pinhooking business. About six years ago, I bought a farm in Ocala, the old Plumley farm. And before that, I had built a training center at the de Merics' farm. When I first came into the business, I was pinhooking 2-year-olds, focusing on a boutique, small operation. The 2-year-old numbers were small, so I sold the training center and bought a farm to focus more on weanlings.
I still buy a lot of yearlings to sell as 2-year-olds, and I send them mainly to the de Merics; this year, I also started working with Randy Bradshaw.
I pinhook about 20 weanlings a year, focusing on a niche boutique market, and horses with desirable pedigrees and physicals.
Secure Investments is how I came into the business and was based at the training center I built. My silks were designed for Secure Investments and are a padlock and key. People would laugh at me, saying that there's nothing secure about Thoroughbreds, but it all made sense to me.
MW: You decided to sell Take Charge Indy early in his 3-year-old year. What made you choose to keep Simplification, as you've undoubtedly had offers?
TB: The right offers and partnerships haven't been what I wanted to entertain at this point, so I just decided to go on with him.
With Indy, I was green. I made many mistakes, not knowing what the true value of racehorses or stakes horses was at the time. It's been a big learning curve for me in this industry. I'm a business-minded person, and I'd entertain the right offer. Just because the right offer hasn't come in doesn't mean that it won't go forward.
