Since 2016, Walt Borisenok continues to build upon his Old Tavern Farm with breeding, racing, winery, flowers, and tours.
It’s quite amazing what Walt Borisenok has built and continues to accomplish.
More than 30 years ago, Borisenok co-founded and became president of Fortitech, a successful global company based in Schenectady that specializes in customized ingredients for foods, drinks, and dietary supplements before retiring and selling it for $634 million to the Dutch company DSM in November 2012.
Nearly ten years later from that sale, Borisenok continues to build on another business – Thoroughbred breeding and racing, as well as a winery, farm tours, and even a flower garden, at Old Tavern Farm.
Since he and his wife Michelle started Old Tavern Farm in 2016, the former site of Palmer’s Maple Shade Farm on the East Side of Saratoga Lake, has gained traction with mares, foals, and horses in training that includes homebred Two for Charging, who graduated from the maiden ranks on July 29 to also give Borisenok his first Saratoga Race Course victory.
“It’s special here to win at Saratoga, especially since we are a Saratoga farm,” he said. “You couldn’t have scripted it better. Life is pretty good. We know how special Saratoga is and how hard it is to win here. If you win at Saratoga, in any race, you have done well. To be able to pull that off with a homebred, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
The first mare to be part of the Old Tavern Farm is Comme Chez Soi, bred by a Grade 1 winning sire and dam (Empire Maker and Downthedustyroad), after Borisenok purchased her for $210,000 at the Keeneland Breeding Stock Sale in November 2015.
Since then, he has purchased other mares, including Two for Charging’s dam To the Moon Alice for $125,000 nearly five years ago and Uplifted for $265,000 last fall to work with a roster of ten.
So far, his mares have been producing weanlings and yearlings for the sales. In the November 2021 Keeneland Sale, his weanling colt by Omaha Beach and Comme Chez Soi sold for $185,000. Borisenok is hoping that trend continues going into the Fasig-Tipton New York Bred Sales on Aug. 14-15.
“[Comme Chez Soi] got us started and we have been buying mares ever since,” he said. “That’s our target [ten mares]. If we can bring ten yearlings to sale, life is good. We sold weanlings in November, for which we did very well. We were getting yearling prices for our weanlings down at Keeneland. This year, we have four [yearlings] going to the New York sale.”
One of those yearlings who Borisenok would like to see get some attraction is a filly bred by Uncle Mo and a half-sister to Two for Charging.
“That’s a nice update to bring that filly into the sale,” Borisenok said about Two for Charging’s performance and the connection to this yearling. “Obviously, we are excited about that.”
While Old Tavern Farm continues to move forward with its breeding program, Borisenok said the COVID-19 pandemic did create a minor setback in selling his horses, which resulted in him keeping horses that included Two for Charging and another winner, Salsa a Parte.
“We had ten yearlings and they all vetted right, which is a miracle,” he said. “Then all of a sudden, the sales were pushed back. We basically sold five at slim margins, then we kept five.”
Along with breeding and racing horses, Borisenok also has a winery and flower garden on site, though Borisenok’s vision has not stopped there. This year, he has partnered with the New York Racing Association and the Capital District Transportation Authority for the Breakfast and Breeding Farm Tour.
Each Friday during the Saratoga meet, fans experience a buffet breakfast at the track while horses are training, an open-air trolley ride to Old Tavern Farm for a 90-minute tour, and track admission for that day’s racing.
Borisenok had this partnership vision in 2019, but the pandemic forced a pause on his idea until this year.
“It was just a general conversation at various times,” he said. “We came up with this idea where they could come to breakfast and do a tour later. We were looking to launch it in 2020. Obviously, that didn’t happen. This year, I said let’s go ahead and try it.”
Breakfast and Breeding Farm Tour has been a success with sold-out tickets, though Borisenok was more surprised that 60 percent of the tickets were sold within two days of the announcement at the end of May. Shortly after, all seats were sold, even with the addition of a second bus.
“We thought this would be pretty cool, but we never thought it would be the way it is right now,” Borisenok said. “The breakfast and breeding [program] has been amazing.”
Not only has Borisenok has been pleased with the outcome, he has been impressed with the engaged audience and their questions about horses, breeding, racing, and more.
“When they look at the program and see Old Tavern Farms, they are excited to come out,” he said. “Then, there is the backstory on Two for Charging. We show them the sister who is going to the sale. They are really interested in learning about the life cycle of a great athlete who goes on the track and where they came from and how they grow up. People love it. We have a great time being with them.”
Borisenok is involved in other racing partnerships that includes Twin Farms Stables, whose colt Steerage finished third in Sunday’s last race. As much as Borisenok enjoys the racing aspect, his passion is still the breeding, especially the outcome of the foal is like having a child who becomes an athlete.
“Whether you’re breeding or racing, what never gets old is having a mare who drops a 140 or 150-pound foal. It’s amazing to see what comes out of that mare. An hour later, that foal is nursing. Then the next day, that foal running around in the field. If you’re breeding and racing, that’s like having one of your kids doing well.”
