by Murray Brown

Like so many in this business, Joe McLead was, in effect, born into it. His grandfather, Dr. Dale Walters, was a veterinarian who established Sugar Valley Farms, the breeding operation that McLead, together with his uncle Billy Walters, owns and runs.

“Grandpa stood the first stallion to stand here, a horse by the name of Sugar Tree, who was best known as the sire of the great Ohio filly Saccharum,” McLead said. “Through the years, the farm passed down to uncle Billy and me.

“I started working as a groom in Billy’s racing stable. It was alright, but even then, I realized that I was more interested in the lineage of these great horses who I was privileged to take care of. Along the way I was fortunate to meet Patty Thomson, the lovely lady who was to become my wife. As fate would have it, she is a cousin of Joe Thomson who owns Winbak Farms. Joe invited us to visit Winbak. In the course of our visit, he offered me a job. I thanked him, but felt I wasn’t quite ready for that adventure. A year later, I felt I was. I joined the team at Winbak.”

I’ll pick things up at that point. What can you tell us about your time at Winbak?

“I was there for five years, starting as the assistant farm manager and then becoming the farm manager. Knowing Joe Thomson and working for him was one of numerous exceptional breaks that have defined my years in the business. Although life was good under the Winbak umbrella, my wife was lonely and wanted to get closer to her family in Kentucky and mine in Ohio and we both missed living there. They say once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye. There’s some truth to that. I received a good offer to go to work for a major pharmaceutical company I and took it.”

How long did you do that?

“I was with that company for five years. I was making a good living. But the work required me to be on the road a lot. My son was growing up. I didn’t want to miss out on those most important years of his life. At about the same time there were rumblings that Ohio would be getting slots at the racetracks and that a significant purse upgrade for both overnight racing and especially Ohio Sires Stakes racing might be coming.

“It looked to be a promising time for Ohio racing and breeding. My uncle Billy was slowing down a little and life at the racetrack became less attractive to him. I approached him about the two of us getting together and establishing Sugar Valley Farms as a commercial breeding farm standing stallions primarily for the burgeoning Ohio Sires Stakes.”

What can you tell us about Sugar Valley Farms?

“We are comprised of 157 acres and are situated less than a five-minute drive from the Delaware County Fairgrounds, the home of the world famous Little Brown Jug. For all intents and purposes, I would describe us as being primarily a stallion station, although we have about 50 resident mares, some owned by the farms and some by select customers. When we broke camp in 2012, we stood four stallions Pilgrims Taj, Mr Wiggles, I’m Gorgeous and Woodstock. Today we are fortunate enough to be standing six including Ohio’s and one of the world’s best, Downbytheseaside.

“The turning point in our farm’s success came with my meeting and becoming friends with one of the greatest people it has been my privilege to have known, the man known as Mr. Ed, Ed Mullinax. Ed was boarding a few mares here. One day he called me. He wanted to come over and see the farm. He told me that he had already spoken with Jim Simpson at Hanover about possibly moving Dragon Again to Ohio. Would I be interested in standing him? Would I ever! That move, probably more than any other single event put us on the map.

“I have been so fortunate in meeting, getting to know and becoming friends with so many great people in this industry. Folks like Joe Thomson, Ed Mullinax, Jim Simpson, George Teague and in recent years Adam Bowden, all who in their own way contributed to any success that we have had with Sugar Valley Farms.”

Speaking of Ed Mullinax and Dragon Again, it’s no secret that you have been trying extra hard for years to get them both to elected status in the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in Goshen.

“If you are asking for a reason why I’ve failed to help get them in where they belong, I’m unable to come up with one. I think that Ed and Dragon meet all the criteria. If there is an owner who has been more beneficial to harness racing and its people than Ed Mullinax, I don’t know that person. His kindness and generosity to harness folk is unmatched. The only reason why perhaps his great deeds are unknown to some is because that wasn’t Ed’s way. His love of and generosity to people was always done quietly.

“In my arguably prejudiced opinion, Dragon Again is at the very least comparable to the majority of most of the racehorses and stallions already in the Hall of Fame and superior to some. I just don’t get it.”

Let’s speak of Ohio and its racing and breeding programs. Most people might say that if you are going to become involved in harness racing, the first place to be might be Kentucky. In second place would likely be Ohio.

“Ohio has always been a great place for harness racing. We have, in my opinion, the world’s premier harness racing event the Little Brown Jug. No other race draws more people to see it. We had a few years when the racing in the state was down and the breeding industry was hurting. Things today, are better, much better.

“Our stallions and the yearlings we raise are competitive with the best on the world stage. Next year, we will be hosting the Breeders Crowns at the newly refurbished and rebuilt Scioto Downs. It’s my belief that all this has come about through cooperation. Cooperation between the legislature, the racetracks the horsemen and the state fair program. Ohio has 88 county fairs and 66 of them host harness racing.”