“I was still in the tough part of my recovery watching that race because I couldn’t jump up and down and scream, but it was really exciting,” Kristen Esler said.
The Eslers operate Thirty Year Farm near Saratoga Springs, NY Kristen, a retired medical industry executive, and Matt, CEO of Esler Companies, purchased the farm in 2018 on their 30th wedding anniversary, hence the name of their farm. They currently own 14 broodmares and have not only fulfilled their lifelong dream of being involved in the Thoroughbred industry, but have also created a name that is respected beyond the New York circuit.
Kristen said that when her husband was about 17, he sold t-shirts Saratoga Race Course. They grew that business, and that’s what fueled their love for horses.
“We both fell deeply in love and made an offer on the farm on the occasion of our thirtieth wedding anniversary,” she says. “It was truly his lifelong dream, and it became mine along with him, and once we found this place, there was no turning back. It’s absolutely beautiful.”
Matt and Kristen Esler at Thirty Year Farm near Saratoga Springs, NY
Usha was bred by the Eslers and Jeff Raine, their farm manager and advisor. Esler said Raine came on board as soon as they started the farm, and there was the day they purchased Usha’s mother Animal Appeal, a stakes-placed daughter of Leroidesanimaux, for $35,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.
Esler said Usha was special from day one, noting that she was awake in no time after she was born.
“From the beginning, she was strong, furious, smart, stubborn and fast,” she said. “She always had to be the fastest in her paddock, always be the leader. Plus, she was super affectionate, so we loved her. The team loved her, and that face of hers – so cute. Her nickname was Tizzy, and we were just in love.”
The Eslers sold Usha to Bella Racing for just $30,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s 2023 New York-bred Yearling Sale. The daughter from the first year of Tiz the law fetched significantly less than they thought the filly was worth.
“She didn’t sell for what we thought she would do,” Esler said. “We were very disappointed about it.”
Despite her low price as a yearling, the May-born filly flourished during her two-year-old year, selling for $600,000 after flying a furlong in a fast :09 4/5 at the Ocala Breeders’ Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. She was sold to the Three Amigos partnership of Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. The trio have campaigned for many grade 1 winners including Hoppertunity , Watching Lucky , McKinzie And Nevada Beach among others.
“We knew she was fast, we knew she was very smart,” Esler said. “It’s one of those things where you almost beat yourself up if you don’t keep her, but we’re building this program, and we’re building this farm; our goal was to sell and reinvest.”
Usha wins the La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita Park
Usha got off to a slow start in her junior season, finishing second or third in her first four attempts to break her maiden. It wasn’t until last July that she put it together and won a first special weight Sea with 11 1/2 lengths. After that effort, trainer Bob Baffert led her in an optional claim race in September, where she again crushed her opponents, winning by 5 1/4 lengths.
She finished seventh in her first attempt against a graded stakes company, the Raven Run Stakes (G2). Keeneland in October. Baffert had noticed that she was losing her cool in the paddock that day, most likely sapping a lot of her energy. Two months later, the chestnut filly showed her brilliance again when she won the La Brea and became the first Grade 1 winner for Tiz the Law.
Esler said the goals for her and her husband are simple: to continue breeding successful racehorses. They have spent a lot of time researching and learning about the industry, a never-ending process.
“The unfortunate thing we’ve seen over the last few years is that the bottom end of the market really seemed to disappear, and the middle market has so much risk,” Esler explains. “It’s so hard to get that right, so we’ve invested in higher level mares, and we’ve invested in really strong families that we breed and try to create healthy individuals.
“I hope our plan works. It seems like we’ve made real progress in recent years.”
The Eslers expect a high-quality crop of foals this season Good magic , To justify McKinzie, Practical joke in the pipeline, among other things.
“I think there are (more stakes winners) coming,” Esler said.
That the industry is full of ups and downs, such as selling Usha’s mare before the aforementioned filly came to fruition, is one of the many lessons the couple has learned.
“You deal with the bad news and wait for the good news,” she said.
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