What's in a name?

Al Shaqab's TM Fred Texas has made an impact on the breed both on the track and with his early runners such as Marid and Methgal. TM is prefix of Todd Moak Arabians, here Rene Moak explains the story behind the name.

TM Fred Texas (US)

What’s in a name? At the farm of Todd Moak Proven Bloodstock the answer is often that it is chosen to honour a family member or friend with a namesake horse. 17 months after Todd and I bought a little farm near the town of Fred, Texas, our beloved mare Queen Kong gave birth to her first foal by Burning Sand. It was Todd’s father Fred Moak who received the honour, though we loved the secondary significance of the nearby town and the catchy sound of the name. The arrival of TM Fred Texas on January 26, 2007 was a longanticipated event. What that little colt became is exactly what Todd Moak hoped for when he bought Fred’s dam Queen Kong.

To tell the story, it’s necessary to give some background on Todd Moak’s involvement in the Arabian racing industry. Thirty years ago Todd bought his first Arabian broodmare with proceeds from a winning bet on Burning Sand. It was through his nationwide transportation business AAA Quality Horse Transfer that Todd gained exposure to the Arabian racing breed, established many clients and met numerous others involved in Arabian racing.

In the mid 1990’s Todd became active in racing – buying many of his prospects and breeding others. It was great fun and provided an outlet for his love of horses and competitive nature –a welcome diversion from the gruelling stretches of time spent on the road. Studying pedigrees became a passion for Todd.

In the early 2000’s as Todd began to witness changes in breeding trends, he started to consider French sires that were becoming more popular in the USA. Witnessing the talent of B urning Sand years earlier had made a lasting impression; and the prospect of breeding to him became increasingly appealing. Cost was a concern but failing to breed astutely would adversely affect his objectives. Contemplating options for breeding his mares was a struggle.

It was during this period that he made contact with some newcomers to the industry who had just “inherited” a herd of horses from Dr. Stephen Hollis, who exited the industry with the sale of his farm (horses included). became clients and friends. With the involvement of a mutual friend Jim Morris, part owner of Burning Sand, some interesting horse trading commenced involving the predominately French lines bred by Dr. Hollis and breedings to Burning Sand. Queen Kong (Kong X Sahara Croixnoire) was purchased from the Momans in 2001 along with two other young horses. (Of note – purchased with Queen Kong was Luna Tiki (Esmet Arbi X Lanatiki) national track record holder 4! furlongs.)

Queen Kong was impressive looking and her pedigree had everything Todd was seeking. She was a pleasure – intelligent, level headed and loved to interact with people – a welcome addition to the small operation at our farm. As much as we loved her, the following year we sold her to Jim Morris. He wanted to race her; and as our focus was changing to breeding and reducing the number of horses on the track, we thought it was best to give her a chance to live up to that winning pedigree.

Queen Kong (US) with TM Fred Texas (US)

Methgal (FR) TM Fred Texas's first UK PA Group winner

She showed great talent, but trainers had difficulty controlling her speed. Although she won three races and placed in three others, after a third-place finish in a stakes race, Jim was not willing to continue. It was time for her to come home. When Todd picked her up, the trainer was hugely disappointed. He had seen her capability and felt certain he could get her to relax and use her speed strategically. For Todd this was the opportunity he had long foreseen, because now we owned Burning Sand. And we had our Queenie back. Queen Kong promptly had “a date” with Burning Sand. Unfortunately, the first foal was lost in the trauma of Hurricane Rita in 2005. But the second result of that union was TM Fred Texas. Not only did he make Todd’s dream of breeding a horse to win the prestigious Dubai Kahayla Classic come true – TM Fred Texas won numerous stakes races in the United States and Qatar. Under the ownership of Sam Vasquez, he accomplished amazing feats, setting t rack records and winning historic stakes races at Churchill Downs and Pimlico on Preakness Stakes day. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar bought TM Fred Texas in 2011 and campaigned him internationally. It was for Sheikh Joaan’s Al Shaqab Racing that TM Fred Texas brought home the trophy in the 2012 Dubai Kahayla

Classic!

TM Fred Texas (US) with Fred Moak

TM Fred Texas now resides in France and stands at stud. It is through management of Al Shaqab that TM Fred Texas has sired foals from some of the most highly regarded mares in the world of Arabian racing.

Queen Kong (now owned by Al Shahania Stud in Qatar) produced 3 more exceptional foals by Burning Sand – all multiple winners with great accomplishments. TM Junior Johnson is owned by HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi UAE, Dhaan (formerly TM Queen B) is owned by Al Shaqab R acing and Deebal (formerly TM Mine all Mine) is owned by the Qatari military. But it was the special individual and unique set of circumstances that resulted in the realization of a dream for Todd Moak and the success and legacy of TM Fred Texas. His legacy, that of his sire Burning Sand and the impact of the breeding program of Todd Moak Proven Bloodstock will endure. Of that we are extremely proud and most grateful to every individual who has contributed to his tremendous success.

www.burningsandinternational.com

Photos: Rene Moak, Al Shaqab Arabians, Debbie Burt

TM Fred Texas (US)