In 2003, Cheryl Prudhomme, a former chemist, decided to roll the dice on a lifelong dream of running a horse farm. She moved from Boston to New York ,where she purchased Shamrock Hill Farm in Fort Edward, N.Y., just a short drive from Saratoga Race Course.
"I always loved horses since I was a little kid," Prudhomme said. "I begged my mother when I was 5 to take me horseback riding for my birthday; it's something I always wanted to do."
Over the years, Prudhomme and her husband Dr. Michael Gallivan have bred many top runners including the likes of 2020 Remsen Stakes (G2) winner Brooklyn Strong, who was also crowned 2-year-old champion male in New York that year, and multiple stakes winner Allure of Money, who is a half sister to their most recent success story—Leon Blue, winner of the Rick Violette Stakes July 18.
The 3-year-old gelding by Mo Town had to dig in deep in the stretch at Saratoga to hold off Smooth Breeze and Sounds Like a Plan to win by a neck.
"It makes you feel good, like we must be doing something right," she said. "We depend on the (New York) breeders' awards; we've done really well with them."
Prudhomme and her husband do nearly all the work on the farm themselves, something they take great pride in.
Prudhomme has fond memories of Leon Blue as a foal, saying he was very much a gentleman. She sold him as a weanling via the Vinery Sales consignment for $15,000 in 2022 at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale. He was purchased by New Horizon Bloodstock and resold as a yearling for $100,000 at Fasig-Tipton's New York Bred Saratoga Yearling Sale in 2023 to Paul Braverman.
"He was absolutely beautiful," Prudhomme said. "He was such a pretty, pretty horse. Still is. I remember him as just being remarkable."
Being from the second crop of Mo Town, Leon Blue may have lost a little appeal due to the competition of the first-crop sires who had their progeny on offer at the sale. His $15,000 price tag ended up being below what his connections were hoping for.
"I was totally disappointed when we went to sell him," Prudhomme said. "He was gorgeous. I ran around that sale begging people to buy that horse. I knew he was a good horse."
Leon Blue's page received a timely update just hours later that day when his half sister Allure of Money broke her maiden by nearly 12 lengths at Finger Lakes. She followed that win with a victory a week later in the Tin Cup Chalice Stakes, making Leon Blue even more desirable.
Some of Prudhomme's best broodmares were true rags-to-riches stories.
"She was foaled here," Prudhomme said of Alana's Allure, dam of Allure of Money and Leon Blue. "The irony was her mother was given to us. The dam of Brooklyn Strong was (also) given to us."
Prudhomme said when Alana's Allure was born, her knees were in such bad shape most people would've had her put down. But, Prudhomme saw something in her and decided to take a chance on breeding her to one of the best stallions on the New York circuit—Central Banker . That mating ended up being Allure of Money.
In 2023, she had a colt by 2024 leading freshman sire Vekoma that is now named Kirkwood. Prudhomme sold him as weanling in 2023 for $100,000 and last year, he commanded $300,000 at Fasig-Tipton's New York Bred Yearling Sale from the late Christophe Clement. Kirkwood is now in training at Belmont Park with Clement's son, Miguel Clement.
"She had a gorgeous Cyberknife filly (this year), that we will be selling as (a) weanling," Prudhomme said. "She's in foal to Jackie's Warrior."
Although Prudhomme only had three foals born this year, she's hoping for more future stars.
