RON BEEGLE SETS OUT ON HIS OWN VOYAGE
Owner/breeder Ron Beegle with a retired racehorse at Harris Farms
California Thoroughbred Breeders Association member Ron Beegle, who stands Golden State stallion Majestic Harbor, can trace his affinity for horse racing back to his younger days, and in particular to a spectacular Thoroughbred named Alysheba.
“Watching Alysheba stumble and still win the 1987 Kentucky Derby convinced me that Thoroughbreds were extraordinary athletes,” Beegle said. “And, that some horses, like Alysheba, were all heart and determined to win every time they stepped on the track.”
Completely hooked, Beegle followed Alysheba’s career, “like baseball and football fans followed their heroes.” But it wasn’t until 1998 that he met, by chance, a woman who would change his life.
“I was lucky enough to be on a tour of the back-side at the Kentucky Derby, and our guide was a young lady named Loren Hebel-Osborne,” Beegle recalled.
“We started talking, and I shared my admiration for Alysheba. Lori told me she and her husband, now Kentucky’s Speaker of the House David Osborne, also loved Alysheba and they had a broodmare by him on their farm.”
Beegle became a partner in the mare, named Mimicry, virtually instantly, and the first foal she produced for the partnership was Grand Traverse. A stakes winner of $507,015, the Kentucky-bred gelding by Pioneering ran for eight seasons, with 14 wins, 14 seconds, and a dozen third-place efforts in 68 starts.
“Today,” Beegle said, “Grand Traverse and my retired racehorses that I cannot find a second career for are living out their days at David and Lori’s beautiful Deerfield Farm in Prospect, Ky.”
Two years before Grand Traverse even debuted, Beegle bumped into trainer Eoin Harty at Santa Anita’s Clockers’ Corner. Beegle wanted to begin campaigning horses locally, but Harty was hesitant.
“I learned later that Eoin quickly sized me up, determined I was likely a guy on a budget, and fi gured it would be smart to pawn me off on his good friend and trainer Sean McCarthy,” Beegle said. “We laugh about that today because Eoin and Sean are two of my best friends and Sean trains all of my horses in Southern California.”
It was McCarthy who recommended Beegle buy a chestnut mare named Lemon Chiff on. The daughter of Lemon Drop Kid—Cataballerina, by Tabasco Cat, broke her maiden at first asking at Santa Anita, and began racing for Beegle in her second start. The classy mare ultimately earned $282,109 while running in California, Kentucky, and Illinois.
Beegle admires a foal by his stallion Majestic Harbor at Harris Farms
“We campaigned her in graded stakes throughout the country,” Beegle said. “Our motto was ‘Have Racehorse, Will Travel!’ ”
Another horse close to Beegle’s heart is Jagged Ice, a Washington-bred son of Devil On Ice. He exemplified the term “hard knocking” with 10 wins in 37 starts over four years, including four in a row for Beegle in 2005.
“I owned him in partnership with my good friend Joe Fernando,” Beegle said.
Friends are an important part of the industry for Beegle.
“In my experience, most horse racing friends are friends forever,” he said. “About 10 years ago Sean McCarthy introduced me to (current CTBA director and former CTBA president) John Harris. John and I became fast friends, and over the years I have enjoyed racing a number of horses in partnership with him. Five years ago, John invited me to join the board of directors for his company, Harris Farms Inc. I sincerely treasure my relationship with John. He is a kind man, wonderful friend, and an integral part of California’s horse racing history.”
Beegle, the founder and CEO of Carriage House Capital Advisors, currently lives in Arcadia with his wife, Kimberley, and teenage daughters, Hope and Jolie. In 2014 he was with his daughters in Florida at a gymnastics national championship meet when the most magical moment of his racing career took place.
In my experience, most horse racing friends are friends forever.”
— Ron Beegle
The partnership of the Osbornes, Beegle, his brother Ray, good friends Carol and Charlie Hebel, and Rick Campagna and Steve Spare made up Gallant Stable, which had grade 3 winner and grade 2-placed Majestic Harbor on the track at the time. Dismissed at 14-1 in the $500,000 Gold Cup at San-ta Anita (G1), Majestic Harbor took on Game On Dude, Clubhouse Ride, and others to score an authoritative, 61⁄4-length victory in the historic race.
“Both of my daughters did great, and Jolie won the all-around national championship for her age group,” Beegle recalled. “Thinking things could not get any better, I headed to the hotel pool bar and requested that one of the many televisions be tuned to NBC so I could watch my horse race. After a lot of pleading with the bartender and customers watching baseball, not just one but all of the bar’s dozen big screen televisions were tuned to the Gold Cup, and everyone was suddenly vested in Majestic Harbor. There were easily 100 people whom I had never met before screaming for Majestic Harbor, and I really believe their cheers helped carry Majestic Harbor across the finish line that day. Needless to say, a meaningful portion of my winnings from that race went to the many rounds of drinks that I bought for all of my new friends that evening.”
A $20,000 yearling purchase at the 2009 Keeneland September sale, Majestic Harbor went on to earn $1,295,814 over seven seasons. Also included in his 10 wins are the 2016 Mineshaft Handicap (G3) at the Fair Grounds and the Alysheba Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. Given his first equine love, the latter victory was quite fitting for Beegle.
Now Majestic Harbor is a stallion at Harris Farms in Coalinga after beginning his career in Indiana. His daughter Pearl Tiara won the $77,200 Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes at Indiana Grand June 23, scoring by 83⁄4 lengths. Another daughter, Diamond Solitaire, is multiple stakes-placed.
“We are absolutely thrilled with his performance so far as a stallion,” Beegle said. “We believe he is one of California’s best kept secrets. From his first three crops, Majestic Harbor has 39 foals, and 27 foals of racing age. Despite the relatively small number of mares, he was California’s #1 first-crop sire of 2020, and this year he is California’s leading second-crop sire. He got 71% runners from his first crop, and 45% of his starters were maiden special weight winners.”
With Majestic Harbor’s first California-breds to look forward to, and a host of supportive friends to enjoy the sport with, Beegle has plenty to keep him going in the Sport of Kings.