A trio of horses sired by Smallwood Farm’s (Crozet, Virginia) Friend Or Foe competed at Saratoga this past week as thoroughbred racing’s most anticipated race meet completed its first full week of action this summer.
Mr. Buff took second in an $80,000 allowance/optional claimer last Wednesday, and on the same day, Chillin With Friends had a solid third place finish in his first lifetime start — a $75,000 maiden special weight race. The former, a 4 year old gelding out of the Speightstown mare, Speightful Affair, collected his fourth runner-up finish this year in New York and saw his lifetime bankroll top the $230,000 mark. The latter, a 2 year old filly out of Hout Bay by Harlan’s Holiday, was squeezed between four foes at the start of her race but came on strong and rebounded to collect third. Under Suspicion was seventh in a $77,000 allowance race on Saturday. The 3 year old filly, out of the Stormin Fever mare, Misty Rosette, broke her maiden February 3rd at Aqueduct and had finished fourth or better in all four of her starts prior to Saturday.
Smallwood Farm’s stallion Friend Or Foe is shown at the Crozet, Virginia farm.
All three Friend Or Foe horses were bred by Chester Broman and Mary Broman, and they also own Mr. Buff and Under Suspicion. Smallwood Farm has been in business for over 50 years and is located one mile from Braeburn Farm (Felix Nuesch) in Crozet. Phyllis Jones owns Smallwood with her daughter, Robin Mellen, who is on the Board of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association.
Mr. Buff, by Friend or Foe, breaks his maiden at Belmont on September 23, 2016. Photo by Adam Coglianese.
“We’ve bred everything from Clydesdales to event horses at Smallwood”, said Jones, who started the operation in 1960. She currently has a lot of pride in Friend Or Foe. “His oldest crop is now 4 years old and his offspring have turned out to be wonderful and calm horses.”