Brought to our readers to promote FTBOA industry members and their success
BY SARAH WELK BAYNUM
For decades, Mike & Martha Borchetta have been successfully breeding and training thoroughbreds.
“In 1964, we won a race with our first horse, Lord Wincliff, at Caliente Racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico,” Mike Borchetta says. “We then won with our second horse, and from there we were on our way to an incredible journey in horse racing.”
In 2011, that journey then took them to Horse Capital of the World ® – Ocala. That same year, they trained at J.J. Crupi’s New Castle Farm. “On our first visit to the farm to see our Tapit baby, Tapa Bay Yankee, we fell in love with the area. We asked Mr. Crupi if anything in this area becomes for sale, let us know.” They ended up buying the farm across the street shortly after and have lived in Ocala ever since.
Their homebred, McGraw, by Florida stallion He’s Had Enough, had a great start to the 2024 new year when he won on New Year’s Day at Mahoney Valley in Ohio.
“Our favorite part of the horse business for us is raising the babies,” Borchetta says. “We are proud of our two new yearlings for 2024. We have a Jess’s Dream colt and a Greenpointcrusader filly. We also have two yearlings by Neolithic that Mike Hall bred.”
But horse racing isn’t the only business venture the Borchetta’s are in. They are also at the heart of Nashville’s music industry and are the founders of Lofton Creek records with some impressive connections there.
“Our son and horse partner, Scott Borchetta, actually discovered Taylor Swift. His label is Big Machine Records—a label he started with fellow horse owner Toby Keith. When they couldn’t agree on which artists to sign, Toby started Show Dog and Scott held onto the Big Machine label. They shared promotion and sales staff for a time, and then it became two separate entities. Scott was also instrumental in Toby’s music career while at Dreamworks Records,” Borchetta said.
During his time at Curb Records, Mike was also an important part of signing Tim McGraw to a record contract.
“I promoted many other major artists including The Beach Boys, Glen Campbell, and Wayne Newton, to name a few,” Borchetta notes.
Now he is in the process of writing a book about his many years in the music business.
But even with their connections in Nashville, and despite having horses being bred in Ohio because of Corfu who now stands in Ohio, the Borchetta’s feel the best place for their horses is Ocala.
“We love Florida, and it is where we spend most of our time. Our horses love the Ocala pastures, and we feel it is the best place to raise our horses,” Borchetta says. “We have had a few horses that we bought in Kentucky and Ohio, but we still raise them in Ocala.” The Borchetta’s also recently purchased a Florida-bred horse of racing age by Greenpointcrusader, The Point Road, who will be racing at Tampa this Spring.
“We take pride in the fact that we have won races at 28 tracks from Mexico to Canada,” Borchetta adds.
