Racing has always been a game of association for Don Robinson of Winter Quarter Farm. He bred Cambodia, a fourth-generation member of a Thoroughbred family he has worked with, in partnership with late friend Eric Kronfeld, best known as the breeder of Zenyatta. Robinson now races Cambodia in partnership with Alan Schubert, who bought in after Kronfeld’s death. Cambodia has not missed the board this year, and stamped herself as a prominent contender for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf with victories in the Yellow Ribbon and John C. Mabee, both Grade 2 events at host track Del Mar. “I’ve had this filly’s entire family,” Robinson said. “It’s the ultimate breeder’s reward. I’ve never had a horse of my own of this quality.” :: Breeders' Cup PPs, Clocker Reports, and more The victories at Del Mar and a return to that track for the Breeders’ Cup are particular rewards for Robinson, who has a long association with the seaside track. “I came here in 1966 and walked hots for Charlie Whittingham,” he said. “I came back when Zenyatta won the Clement Hirsch.” Cambodia’s win in the Yellow Ribbon marked Robinson’s third visit to Del Mar, and he called the victory “an amazing thrill.” Robinson’s association with Cambodia’s family began more than two decades ago, with stakes winner Lonely Beach, who was boarded at Winter Quarter, which Robinson’s father founded in 1948. Don Robinson raised a number of her progeny and said they were “very attractive, well-made horses.” He later claimed one of her daughters, Lonely Fact, who produced the Smart Strike filly Sassifaction, dam of Cambodia. Kronfeld and Robinson’s association began in the 1980s, when the owner sent mares to board at Winter Quarter. The farm raised several future stakes horses for him, including 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta, who Kronfeld sold as a yearling. When Kronfeld died at 71 in 2013 following a battle with cancer, his family elected to disperse his Thoroughbred holdings for financial and logistical reasons. :: BREEDERS’ CUP 2017: Fields, odds, comments, and more “Eric sired brilliant kids,” Robinson said at the time. “They’re all smart. They don’t have any delusions. We all share the same sadness. I’ve been, probably, the voice of cold reason with them. As much as I’d like [to keep the horses], I advised that this is probably the best thing. There are costs, investments, ongoing expenses. A person has to be well-off financially and very committed to this business, whether it’s breeding, racing – very focused to have success. It requires an individual, or at least a couple, that are like that – and if not, you don’t do it.” Winter Quarter acted as agent for the Kronfeld dispersal at the 2013 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. The highlight was Eblouissante, Zenyatta’s winning half-sister, who sold for $2.1 million to St. George. Had Kronfeld not died, Robinson said Eblouissante would have retired to Winter Quarter as a broodmare. “It’s kind of like selling the farm – that’s what’s very sad,” Robinson said of the dispersal. “You’re not selling the crop, you’re selling the farm.”