Faces At The Races: Joel and Karen Mena

The partners’ bargain mare Fleet Amyanne produced two of the year’s top B.C.-breds: Taylor Said, the Open and B.C.-bred Horse of the Year and Champion Open and B.C.-bred Older Horse, and Taylors Deal, the Champion B.C.-bred Three-Year-Old Male.

Taylor Said, who, like Taylors Deal raced for Glen Todd’s North American Thoroughbred Horse Company, was also nominated for Canada’s Champion Older Male at the Sovereign Awards.

For the Menas, the 2012 season was the culmination of 20 years operating their Can-A-Mex Farms in the B.C. interior town of Merritt.

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The 80-acre former cattle ranch has been the home to only a handful of mares as well as some boarders but the Menas did not need the numbers to power their breeding business.

“Aren’t we lucky?” said Karen Mena, a former exercise rider who has worked for the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society. “We are market breeders and we try to keep it simple. The horses are raised in a herd in a natural quiet environment on rolling pastures.”

Joel Mena, who hails from Mexico (thus the farm name), is a former jockey who rode with greats such as Willie Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay and Chris McCarron. He and Karen have built up the business from the ground up, doing all the day-to-day chores at the farm. In addition, Joel does the shipping and is the racetrack liaison.

The Menas formed a partnership with the Lytles 15 years ago. “We have been so fortunate to have breeding partners likes the Lytles,” said Mena. The team purchased Fleet Amyanne, a daughter of Western Fame from the strong Canadian female family of stakes winner Chelseanna, from the 2005 B.C. Mixed sale in foal to Ontario stakes winner Stephanotis.

“We liked her breeding and she was a good sized mare,” said Mena, who has certificates in Equine Kinesiology and Nutritional Therapy for Equines.

“I was at Woodbine when Stephanotis won the Autumn Stakes on Breeders’ Cup day there in 1996. I just love him.”

Fleet Amyanne’s first foal for the Menas and Lytles was Afleet Deal, who did not reach his $7,900 sales reserve at auction but was later sold privately. He went on to win over $160,000 at the track.

Two foals later, in 2008, Taylor Said, also by Stephanotis, brought $10,000, just barely edging his $9,500 reserve. “We were thrilled just to get him sold,” said Mena.

While Taylor Said was only a maiden winner by the time Taylors Deal, a son of Second In Command, hit the auction ring in 2010, the partners collected a $21,000 for that colt.

Taylor Said and Taylors Deal had huge years in 2012. The former won the Grade III Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs in the fall and four other stakes at Hastings Park before Todd sold the four-year-old for a hefty sum to Dubai interests at the end of the year.

Taylors Deal won an official Kentucky Derby prep race in February, the Turf Paradise Derby, becoming the first B.C.-bred to ever win a Derby prep race.

Last fall, the Menas and Lytles hit a home run when a yearling full-sister to Taylor Said sold for $95,000 at the B.C. Yearling Sale to Nick and Pauline Felicella. The filly has been named Marangella. Can-A-Mex was the leading consignor at the sale as six offerings of their own or as agent sold for $237,000.

Perhaps with a notion to leave on a high note, the Menas have put Can-A Mex up for sale and may leave the breeding business.

“We are getting older and it might be nice to have some time to do other things, like travel. The farm is for sale and if someone offers us the right price, we will think about doing something else. For now, we enjoy supporting the BC racing industry and we will cheer for Marangella.”