Zenyatta

Queen of Racing

Ask The Experts

Ask The Experts: Mike Cline, Part 2

Q:

A question for Lanes End: Your pastures appear so lush and Zenyatta obviously loves to graze. Would you explain pasture upkeep and the type of grasses that grow in your pastures?

Gayle Haushahn

Bismarck, AR

Lane’s End. Photo by Tyler Matson

A:We started putting Lane’s End together in 1980, and it has grown to 2,000 acres. The farm is divided between stallions, broodmares, and yearlings. Each barn has it’s own pasture around it, of approximately 250 acres. Most fields are 30-50 acres in size, and the fences are laid so that they follow the contour of the land.

We’re fortunate because we have a great ratio of horses to pastures; we can rotate pastures and maintain with weed control, fertilize, and move the horses off to rest each pasture.

We maintain a mixture of bluegrass and orchard grass. There’s no irrigation, but we have two growing seasons. We are able to sow grass in the spring and fall, and we do sow about half the farm every year. Grass gets damaged by drought and hot weather, and we have to constantly replace it.

Watch the video above for Mike’s complete response.

Q:

LE grounds are impeccable! Stables look like you could eat off floor! Question, what is involved (manpower) to maintain such a beautiful facility?

Cathy Black

Ashburn, VA

A:We have 150 employees, and we’re very fortunate to have a support staff that is next to none. That’s probably the most important thing about the farm—aside from the facility—the people who work here. I can’t say enough about their loyalty and concern for horses.

We have a good mixture of experienced people, plus we’re constantly trying to lure young people here that can work their way up through the system. That’s been important. Most of our advances in staff, assistant managers and managers, are people who put in their time before they got promoted to their positions. That’s one of the things that we try to do here—our top level people are all home grown.

This keeps young people coming to the farm. We try to create an environment where they have input in what’s going on. They get a lot of responsibility, they all know how we do things, but they get to mix in their own thoughts and actually have a say in what goes on.

Watch the video above for Mike’s complete response.

Our Expert

Michael H. Cline

Farm Manager, Lane’s End

Michael H Cline is the Manager of Mr. and Mrs. William S. Farish’s Lane’s End Farm near Versailles, Kentucky. He has held that position for 33 years and he played a key role in the design and development of the farm from the time Mr. Farish first purchased the land in the late 1970’s.

Mike is a local having graduated from Woodford County High School and attended the University of Kentucky. He is the proud father to two sons, John and Chad and one grandson, Charlie.

Mike’s family has been involved in the Thoroughbred industry beginning with his father John Cline, who managed Haven Hill Farm for Herb Stevens and his brother, Pete is the Manager of Shawnee Farm in Kentucky. Prior to his employment at Lane’s End, Mike was Manager at Big Sink Farm in Versailles.

Reader Interactions

604 Comments

  1. / Reply

    Thanks to everyone for the hard work at the farm and for taking care of not only the Queen and her little Prince, but every Precious horse at your facility. Keep up the good work guys. LOL to all.

  2. / Reply

    you all must be doing it right then lol the ground look great as well as the horses Firm believer in happy emplyee’s will always do the best job they can and when needed go the extra mile

  5. / Reply

    Thank you Mike. Good questions for you from the Zsters. Lane’s End is a beautiful place with above average people and that is what it takes to give great care and do the best job they can for the horses and each other. It is a “paradise” for the horses for certain! Thanks again for the inside view.

  6. / Reply

    Such a beautiful place, hope to visit someday! Your hard work certainly does show in all the pictures I have seen both with the horses and facility! I’d say your employees are pretty lucky to work at such a rewarding operation as yours!

  7. / Reply

    It sure is a lovely place, when we visited a long time ago, the staff was very nice. They went out of their way to pull the stallions out for us, even after we explained that we just wanted to have a look at the stallions that we had in training when they where at the track and that we were not breeders. They even showed us AP Indy and we certainly never had him.

  9. / Reply

    I got to visit after last years Breeders Cup. Truly a beautiful farm and everyone was so friendly. That starts from the top down. Keep up the great work

  10. / Reply

    It sounds like heaven for horses! I hope to be able to visit someday. And thanks again for another informative interview.

  11. / Reply

    Really great questions and another chance to learn more about what it takes to run Lane’s End. Thank you so much, Mr. Cline, for your time.

    If only more businesses were run on the model of LE and employee relations, what a difference it would make. They certainly got it right.

    So happy Zenyatta lives here and that her foals will get their starts in life here. Yea, Mr. and Mrs. Moss, for choosing Lane’s End.

  12. / Reply

    It is so beautiful. I know if I were a horse I would want to be at Lanes’s End. Heck , I am not a horse but I still want to live there.
    Truly beautiful, and immaculate. What the hey, can I come live in the stall with our Queen? I promise I would not take up too much room.
    Seriously tho, ya’ll are wonderful and I feel good about Zenyatta being at Lane’s End. Don’t forget now to let us know when her adoring fans can come to see her.
    Thank you so much Lane’s End.
    Love hugs and kisses

    • / Reply

      Dear Lane’s End Staff and Z Team:

      Lane’s End is a beautiful place with a very caring and knowledgeable staff. So glad Z, The Prince and little Newbie are getting such great care. Thank you for sharing with us. Hugs, JB

  13. / Reply

    Dear Max:

    The more I learn about Lane’s End, the more appealing is your idea of living there. Wonderful Retirement Community. Ha, ha. Hugs, JB

    • / Reply

      JudyB. Yes indeed. We could handle the personal correspondence of Z, Baby Z, TT and Baby TT. Never dull. We can work for carrots, peppermints and apples. Toss in some Fiji water and the living is easy. Hang on always to our dreams.

  14. / Reply

    Thank you Lane’s End and Michael Cline to take time out to provide us with his very informative information. Lane’s End is a place befitting a Queen and hey, look! the Queen resides there.

  15. / Reply

    I am once again helping my friend who previously had cataract sutgery as the other eye was done yesterday. I will be off the blog for a few days. Hope everything is going well for everybody.

  19. / Reply

    Dear Max:

    Left a post for you with a question Page 8 of Ask The Experts Part 1. Hugs, JB

    • / Reply

      JudyB. I do not understand this year. It is a bad one. It might be just bad luck or maybe there is just too much pressure from the Triple Crown on horses, who are expected to produce their best results within a limited framework and have a 3 year career only. It takes speed and stamina to do that TC test and it is tough to get both in a young horse. The Brits have a much longer period between their TC races, and they have had no winner since 1970. Nijinsky the last winner was a Canadian bred horse. Most of the winning British and Irish horses have North American pedigrees, from Native Dancer through his grandson, Northern Dancer. Frankel has ND on both sides of his pedigree. Frankel and Zenyatta are however examples of how a horse does have to be on the TC trail to have a great career.

      • / Reply

        Dear Max:

        Yes, you’re so right about Z and Frankel. Do you think because the UK trains their young ones on the grass, there’s less injury? Also they don’t race at Two Years Old, do they? There’s the two sides about racing at Two. Some say it helps the horses bones develop. The other side says it puts too much stress on young bone development. Maybe training and running on grass is better. Don’t know the injury stats in the UK.

        I do think having more time between TC races is a good idea. This year could be bad luck, but it just seems beyond the pale. Hugs, JB

        • JudyB. Yes, they can race at 2. Frankel could be very difficult to settle down at 2. He did not like to be given orders. If you notice his elaborate head gear, you will see how much strength that it takes to control him. He is very powerfully built, something that he inherited from his mother. He is in her image. Bullet Train also looks like her. Noble Mission resembles his grand sire, Sadler’s Wells.

          Racing on turf can produce as many injuries as dirt but of a different kind. The turf in England is not like running on a well manicured lawn. There are hills and valleys which can be hard going for these horses. Both dirt and turf horses are athletes and unfortunately like all athletes they can get hurt. It is remarkable in the case of Zenyatta that she was so injury free. This says a lot about her basic soundness of constitution and the care that she was given. Luck also should be considered. The racing gods smiled on our Queen.

        • Dear Max:

          So you think it just comes down to good sound genes and racing luck? And I guess another consideration would be not breeding lines where known weaknesses exist. Hopefully, this year was just a fluke.

          It’s so true, Z is really remarkable. Everything came together there just right. Soundness, talent, luck and great handling by her Team. Hugs, JB

  21. / Reply

    Lane’s End is beautiful! Everyone is obviously doing a great job. I’m sure all the horses that live there are very happy and content. Thanks for the information!
    Hugs to all,
    Leslie

    • / Reply

      Pati,
      So enjoyed the Gus pics…..he looks marvelous. So sad the story of the old mare, I hope she gets a loving family someday. Maybe Our Mims would consider taking her they have only old mares. Just a thought. Hugs

  24. / Reply

    hi judy thanks for the frankel article it was touching to see sir henry’s love for frankel and vice versa!i was in tears when he said it was a day he would cherish all his life everyone loves him overhere a charming modest man. be great if frankel and Z got togetherdo you have a jumps season in theUS?ours will start about mid october.love and hugs to allZ fansXXX.’

    • / Reply

      Dear Sheena and Z Fans:

      Sir Henry Cecil seems like a really nice man. Can you imagine the possibilities of a foal from Frankel and Zenyatta! Wouldn’t that be something.

      I’m linking an article about Steeplechase racing in the US. Flat Racing and Harness Racing are more popular in the States. Saratoga has a Hurdle Race on the card every week during their meet on Thursdays. I’m squeamish about watching them, because someone usually goes down. Can’t bear it. Hugs, JB

      http://www.quaterhorses.info/steeplechase-racing/

  25. / Reply

    Thank you Mr. Cline,
    Ah yes, the farm of my dreams, if I wasn’t so old I’d pack my bags and apply for a job there. The people are wonderfully friendly, I’ve made two trips on the days they had open house. Catered food, desserts, beverages…….there was a huge urn I thought had coffee in, only to find out it was Woodford Reserve ( I settled for a cup, ha, ha) And best of all they brought out my love A P Indy. He isn’t shoved in a paddock somewhere out of view now that he is pensioned. He has his same stall and the royal treatment, and when I was there everyone wanted to see him. Actually he’s gotten a tad pudgy from all the treats but he deserves it. The place is stunningly beautiful and I felt like I was meant to be there, my soul was at peace……..anyone ever get that feeling? And I knew across the pasture was our beautiful Queen so I blew her a kiss and sent it off. Oh, guess I got long winded but it has brought back beautiful memories of this Shangri-la for horses. Hugs

    • / Reply

      Great story, Sue. Were you at Lane’s End open house on the Sunday after last year’s BC? If so, I might have seen you there! It really is a wonderful place. It’s so beautiful and the people there are so friendly and helpful. I always thought that I’d like to get a job there after I retire, but I don’t have any experience and I’m definitely not young, so I’ll just have to be happy as a visitor!

      • / Reply

        Yes Debby I was!! Both times!! Wow would have been fun to meet you, I did meet a lot of people that went to BC and Zenny’s party. I’m drawn like a magnet to LE each time I go, and to your beautiful state. Sometimes I think in another life I was a born and bred Kentuckian………I always get this feeling of coming home when I’m there. Hugs

  28. / Reply

    Mike, you present a lovely picture of LE. It seems to be heaven on earth or a place “fit for a Queen”. No wonder the Mosses choose this facility for their horses.

  30. / Reply

    Great interviews, Mike. LE seems like the perfect place for Zenny and 12Z. No wonder they seem so healthy and happy.

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