Joe Imbesi would have purchased future grade 1-placed winner Social Inclusion after the son of Pioneerof the Nile won his debut at 3 at Gulfstream Park by 7 1/2 lengths in 2014, but Rontos Racing Stable didn't want to sell.
In the colt's next start, 17 days later, he beat future grade 1 winner Honor Code by 10 lengths in track record time (8 1/2 furlongs in 1:40.97) at Gulfstream and suddenly seven-figure offers were rolling in. Imbesi got priced out, but he bided his time.
Now Social Inclusion is standing privately at Imbesi's Briardale Farm near Belleview, Fla., south of Ocala, where the owner/breeder hopes to eventually relaunch the stallion's career and reintroduce him to the commercial market.
"I believe in him. He has as great a bottom line as any stallion in the country," said Imbesi, who noted Social Inclusion's first four dams are all stakes performers and stakes producers. "When he first ran, he didn't break and was last. Then within a sixteenth of a mile he was first and that's usually a death knell, and then he started running and won by seven lengths. In the next race 17 days later he was in with Honor Code, and he beats him by 10 and smashes the track record. I mean, he's an early 3-year-old. Who does this?"
Social Inclusion's pedigree also has a connection with the best horse raced by Imbesi's father Anthony, who campaigned multiple champion filly Tosmah in 1963-66. Tosmah, who won 16 stakes and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1984, is a daughter of Cosmah, who is the dam of Halo. Social Inclusion's broodmare sire is Saint Ballado, who is a son of Halo.
"That was one of the attractions to Social Inclusion for me because Halo has been such an important sire and that family gave us Northern Dancer," he said. Cosmah is a half sister to Natalma, the dam of Northern Dancer.
All the promise Social Inclusion showed early on at 3, however, would get sidetracked by injuries that prevented him from performing at his best in top competition. Still, he raced admirably despite the setbacks with third-place finishes in the 2014 Twinspires.com Wood Memorial Stakes (G1), Preakness Stakes (G1), and Woody Stephens Stakes (G2). In his final start at 4 he once again showed his brilliant speed by winning an allowance optional claimer at Parx Racing by 11 3/4 lengths. The colt would be retired with a 3-1-3 record from nine starts and earned $450,800.
Social Inclusion entered stud at Woodford Thoroughbreds near Ocala in 2017, and after two seasons Imbesi bought the stallion in partnership with Glenn Brok, who owns Diamond B Farm in Pennsylvania. Brok managed Social Inclusion's career for three years and attracted 104 mares to the stallion during that time. Last year, Brok decided to step away from owning a breeding farm and sold his interest in Social Inclusion to Imbesi, giving him solo ownership.
Imbesi, a former Thoroughbred trainer for more than 20 years who switched to real estate investing in 1995, has gone all-in on Social Inclusion by buying what was Sienna Farm near Belleview and moving Social Inclusion there along with 23 broodmares he owns. He has bred all his mares to Social Inclusion. The farm also has a six-furlong training track and adjacent barns that are being leased by pinhooker Susan Montanye, who owns SBM Training and Sales. Montanye is handling the early training for Imbesi's 2-year-olds.
"Even though Glenn did a nice job, I thought I would be serving Social Inclusion better if I just put him to some higher quality mares," Imbesi said. "He's totally private because I don't want to deal with people who want to pay half the fee or make another deal. When the time comes that this horse has proved himself, I'll make him commercial again. The proof of the pudding is in the tasting, as they say."
Imbesi also said he thinks the stallion's progeny will have an advantage growing up in Florida versus the harsher winters in Pennsylvania.
"To be honest, I think I'll raise a sounder horse in Florida. The other day it was 2 degrees on our farm in Pennsylvania. I mean, I like living in Florida much better than anywhere else," he said.
Social Inclusion, who to date has sired 20 winners from 38 starters, is off to a good start this year. He sired his first black-type winner Jan. 15 when his son Markhamian won the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs for owner/breeder Sergio Ripamonti. The colt has two wins and a second from three starts and is headed next to the Feb. 12 Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3). Last year, Imbesi bred and raced the stallion's first black-type performer when the filly Harper Be Good was second in the Our Dear Peggy Stakes at Gulfstream.
"The stallion probably got a bit better mare in Pennsylvania than he got earlier in Florida, so this year's 2-year-olds should be better," Imbesi said. "The ones I have at the farm all look outstanding—maybe I think that because they're mine. When we get to the races, we'll all know."
