Rich Mendez has gone from fielding calls about platinum-selling recording artists to a series of surprise offers for his potential Kentucky Derby (G1) starters. The Puerto Rican native, a music mogul through his successful record company, Rich Records, made his first foray into the world of thoroughbred racing. He barely had time to appear after scoring his stable’s first graded stakes win with There’s no time left (via Not this time ) in the February 10 Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) at Tampa Downs Bay.
Founding Morplay Racing with son Josh and partners Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo, Mendez talks to BloodHorse about his racing venture, No More Time’s progress from $40,000 purchase to money winner graded bets and the surreal possibility that he could become a partner in the second Kentucky Derby contender in Victory Avenue .
BH: As someone who comes from the music industry, how did you get into horse racing?
RM: I’ve always loved horses. My uncle (Victor Sanchez) used to be a jockey and my mother used to walk horses at Saratoga. I always enjoy watching races on TV. I live in Orlando and my office is in Miami. I drove to Ocala just to see all the farms and thoroughbreds and always dreamed of having one. A few years ago, we bought our first property in Ocala—20 acres—and then I met Randy (Hartley) and we kind of hit it off and I started buying and selling horses with them. Randy and Dean (DeRenzo) let me in on their hookup. And then we just started racing.
BH: What is your goal when participating in this sport?
RM: I really like racing. It’s a passion and I love being around horses. I don’t know if there is a specific goal or not. When you grow up watching TV, you always see the white-haired guy on TV (Bob Baffert) and you see the big races. I don’t even understand what the dynamics of the race are. I don’t understand the way to the Derby. I just really like it. It’s not ‘Oh my gosh, one day I want to win the Kentucky Derby.’ I think it has been a dream to be involved in this sport and now it has become a reality.
BH: Before diving into No More Time, how did you get into Victory Avenue? (Victory Avenue was scratched in his scheduled start March 2 in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park. Before Saturday, the son of Arrogate had finished an impressive second in his debut January 27.)
RM: We bought him as a retriever (for $150,000 at the September 2022 Keeneland sale) for pinhook. He was thrown very heavily into his cage as a yearling. He was able to get to the hospital and was able to get up. That horse had a strong will to live – we didn’t think he would make it.
After all, he started late and we went into the June sale after only 30 days of really serious training. But the son of a gun went in: 10 flat. Ramiro Restrepo came to us after the show and said he loved the horse and we decided to continue being partners with him after he sold. (Restrepo is signed as Marquee Bloodstock to Victory Avenue for $325,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ June 2022 Two-Year-Old and HRA Sales.)
No More Time won the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs
BH: You don’t often see an Iowa-bred horse on the Derby trail. I see Hartley and DeRenzo picking up No More Time for just $40,000 as an aspiration. What do they like about him?
RM: They thought he was a good fit for their program, so to speak. They have a certain horse they like. What happened was that when they auctioned, for some reason the horse didn’t sell. Dean went back to the consignor and offered $40,000 and the horse was sold.
Strange; I bought Urban Legend (a 3 year old colt by into mischief ) for $1.3 million (at the April 2023 OBS sale) and I still think he’ll be a great horse, and it’s ironic knowing this little guy is worth $40,000 is leading us to where we are going.
BH: When No More Time took his first win last October at Gulfstream Park, was he the first official winner for Morphy Racing?
RM: Correct. So the day before I went to California because Urban Legend started with Bob (Baffert). Of course it was our bad luck to start the game against Nysos that day. I thought that on the contrary, Urban Legend would win and No More Time would come in second. Urban ranked second. We flew back to Miami. Well, that was our first official win. It was a great feeling and to see how he won.
BH: After that nice first win, he seemed to be in a bit of trouble in Mucho Macho Man with such a wide start and run. What gave your team the confidence to try again for the holding company at Sam F. Davis? Are you confident going into the race?
RM: If you go back and watch the video, he will pop up. And then what was he—10 years ago? And then Jose (Ortiz) took him off the field because the dirt was on him and he didn’t like it. And then he started moving on. He never gives up. I got a lot of calls after the race where people said what a beautiful horse he was. Mucho Macho Man is just a weird ride.
We knew we had a good horse. And so when (coach Jose D’Angelo) said, ‘Look, we can go to Holy Bull or Sam F. Davis,’ Jose thought he needed a different wind and skipped Holy Bull—and when we saw that breeze, he looked like a completely different horse. And we took him to Tampa and he was able to do what he did.
Rich Mendez (left) and jockey Paco Lopez lift the winning trophy for the Sam F. Davis Stakes
BH: He won by 1 1/4 lengths from Sam F. Davis wire-to-wire and earned 20 points in the Road to the Derby. What do you think when you watch his performance?
RM: I was scared. I think it’s very bold to take the lead. Especially with some graded betting winners on the scene. But he showed a lot of determination and heart. A few times horses came close to him but he showed that he would not let them pass him. We were excited to say the least. He made a big impression on us.
BH: What do you think about No More Time’s chances in his next race, the March 9 Tampa Bay Derby (G3)? He seems like a horse who only gets better with more distance.
RM: Of course, Agate Road was coming towards us (in the Sam F. Davis) but when we saw him galloping later, he kept going and that impressed us too. We are very happy. I like our chances. The chip may fall wherever it falls, but I think we have a great chance.
BH: What is your relationship like with emerging South Florida coach Jose D’Angelo? Is No More Time the only horse you have with him?
RM: I have another horse, Zeke’s Heart, with him. We also have some other nice horses that we want to bring in this year. He did a great job. He’s young but the passion and knowledge he has is crazy. That’s not normal for a 31 year old. No more time that week is all the horse needs. I love his confidence and I love his work ethic. I really feel that he’s going to be someone that’s going to be around for a long time and people are going to have to take him into account as well.
BH: And now after winning your first graded stakes with No More Time, you have two horses on the Derby track. What does that mean for you and your family?
RM: It’s so surreal. When I look back at when we first started in the music business, we were really beginners. We don’t know much about it. But what we did as a group, with my son and my brother, we saw some artists that we thought could do well. And we worked very hard and were able to succeed with the first four, five artists. And the same thing happens with horses. We are so lucky to be a part of this team and to have such success so early on. I’m just enjoying it with my family.
I told Dean (DeRenzo) recently that there is no amount of money that someone could pay me to sell my horse before the Derby because the opportunity to get there is priceless.
