Diamond Creek and Bob Boni are harness racing’s Dream Team
by Chris Lomon
Think of the pairing of Bob Boni and Diamond Creek Farm as standardbred racing’s version of the 1992 U.S. men’s national basketball team.
Known as the original “Dream Team,” the 1992 U.S. hoops squad featured some of the greatest players in the game, including Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, and Magic Johnson.
Boni, owner and president of Secaucus, NJ-based Northwood Bloodstock, and Diamond Creek Farm, a leading harness racing breeding operation established by Adam Bowden in 2005 that focuses on producing quality horses through influential bloodlines, are looking to net further success through their partnership known as Alliance Bloodstock.
Alliance sold its first batch of horses at the Ohio Selected Jug Sale on Sept. 12 – a group of 10 yearlings that included the highest-priced pacer, McWallen, a daughter of Downbytheseaside that sold to Greg Luther for $115,000.
At Lexington, Alliance continued its strong run and grossed $3,199,000 total for 53 yearlings.
Now, Boni is hoping to keep things rolling at the Standardbred Horse Sales Company’s (SHSC) auction in Harrisburg, PA with 88 yearlings and 160-plus mixed horses, including stallion shares, in the spotlight.
“We [Diamond Creek and myself] are getting to know each other better all the time,” said Boni, who was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame this July. “I appreciate the energy that Diamond Creek brings. It has allowed me to stick to the horses a little bit more now. I refer to them as young people – I look at that as a compliment. They are good at what they do and they work hard at what they do.
“The team, including Caroline Vazquez, Emily Pursell, Sam Herrington, Andrew Kramer, Ashley Blough, are exceptional.
“Shaun Laungani and I are effectively the sales managers, and we have become closer as the sales season has progressed. I believe our different strengths are quite complementary and together I feel we have a great opportunity to develop a very strong program. We really are just getting started.”
As for what buyers can expect from this Alliance consignment — all as agent — Boni is bullish on the depth, pedigrees, and blend of blue-blood and value offerings that will be available for prospective buyers.
“I am looking forward to our first Harrisburg sale,” Boni said. “We have a very good-sized consignment, but more importantly than big size, we have great quality. We have all the name-brand sires, pedigrees and yearlings who are eligible to compete in all the right races. All indications are that we have the horses that people are going to want.”
The man connected to superstars like Nihilator, Camtastic, and Always B Miki will be at the sale, ready to offer advice, suggestions, and engage in conversation with those looking to add to their respective stables.
“A part of what I provide is that if someone comes looking for a particular horse, I can suggest maybe one, two or perhaps three that they might have overlooked,” Boni said. “You get a sense of what they are looking for, and most people are very receptive if I say, ‘You gave me a list of 10, but there are two or three others who might also fit your objectives.’ That’s a big part of what we do, to make sure that the buyer doesn’t walk away without having a full picture of what we have. A lot of times, people will be grateful for us sharing that insight.”
While sales success is never a slam dunk, having the knowledge, foresight, and track record that Boni and Diamond Creek Farm bring to the table is something everyone associated with Alliance doesn’t take for granted.
“You know what is going to be acceptable, and you know what sires and mares are going to be acceptable in the eyes of the buyers,” Boni said. “To speak in the most general terms at the moment, our biggest function as a bloodstock agency is to make sure we expose to the buyers the horses we have, to make sure people see what they have and that the horses are presented in the right way, in a timely fashion.”
