Aidan O'Meara

For Leah and Aidan O'Meara, the path to producing the first Kentucky Oaks starter bred by Stonehaven Steadings has been a six-year masterclass in persistence and prowess in the face of high-stakes decisions. By trusting their instincts and taking one leap of faith after the next, the O'Mearas have seen a long-term vision come to life in Meaning (Gun Runner), a filly with such undeniable class that she was a Book 1 standout for her buyers Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Bridlewood Farm. Now, that same professionalism has carried her from...

Five years ago, Stonehaven Steadings enjoyed one of its biggest days in the sales ring when a colt by Quality Road, co-bred by the Reddoch family's operation, topped the 2021 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring sale on a bid of $1.5 million. The youngster went on to become champion Corniche. Leah and Aidan O'Meara, daughter and son-in-law of the farm's founders Jeff and Chiquita Reddoch, will be back in Ocala next week and dreaming of a similar result when they send a filly by Curlin (hip 800) through the ring...

As we approach the opening of the 2025 breeding season, the TDN staff is once again sitting down with leading breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why. In recent years, Stonehaven Steadings has been responsible for breeding a Breeders' Cup champion and Eclipse Award winner in Corniche as well as a $2.5 million Keeneland September sale topper. Today, the farm's Aidan O'Meara discusses the mating plans for Stonehaven Steadings in 2025. VENETIAN SONATA (16, Bernardini--Moonlight Sonata, by Carson City) and Miss Costa Rica...

Today we'll consider some of the sires standing between $10,001 and $19,999. For a long time, I called this the Lookin At Lucky zone. But don't worry, we won't be deploring his neglect yet again: he's staying in Chile, where they evidently appreciate him rather more. Plenty of horses in this bracket have recently relinquished their brief window of commercial opportunity, and are now hanging around to discover whether they might join the very small group whose first runners generate a fresh vogue. Even with the newcomers out of the...

With the breeding season underway, the TDN staff is continuing the '2023 Mating Plans' series, presented by Spendthrift Farm, to find out what stallions breeders have chosen for their mares this year, and why. Here Aidan and Leah O'Meara of Stonehaven Steadings talk us through their plans for the year. Before getting into their individual mares, Aidan discusses their process for drawing up the farm's mating plans each year. We usually begin our matings by drawing up a short list of stallions that we intend to use for the coming...

By Christie DeBernardis & Jessica Martini LEXINGTON, KY--Demand remained high as did the competition for quality individuals, both mares and weanlings, as Book 2 of the Keeneland November Sale concluded with its second of two sessions Wednesday. The third day of selling at Keeneland was highlighted by the million-dollar sale of GSW Proud Emma (Include). In foal to Charlatan, the chestnut was purchased by Jane Lyon of Summer Wind Farm, who also purchased Tuesday's $1.45-million session topper Park Avenue (Quality Road). Proud Emma will visit Lyon's homebred superstar Flightline (Tapit),...

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which surpassed $400-million in gross sales for the first time in its history, concluded Saturday with new records, not just for turnover, but also for average and median and with 30 seven-figure yearlings doubling the number from the 2021 auction. Keeneland sold a total of 2,847 yearlings through the ring for $405,495,700 during the 12-day auction, surpassing the previous record of $399,791,800 set during the 2006 September sale. The cumulative average and median prices surpassed September sale records set last year, with the average price...

Five years ago, Aidan O'Meara left his position at Hill 'n' Dale Farm, where he served as Stallion Division Manager for 20 years, to join his wife Leah and her family in running Stonehaven Steadings. The decision was not an easy one. As Leah O'Meara recounts, John Sikura had seen something in Aidan when the native of Ireland was fresh out of college. Over the years, O'Meara worked his way to managing the likes of Curlin, Medaglia d'Oro and Candy Ride. The O'Mearas lived on site at Hill 'n' Dale...

We've all seen those old thrillers where the sports car is twisting along a road cut into a coastal cliff, and suddenly one of the wheels is spinning over the sea far below. Well, that's pretty much how it feels when a commercial breeder decides to bring home a Book 1 yearling at $385,000. In both cases, you're putting an awful lot of trust in horsepower, admittedly in its sleekest form, getting you back on the road. Unlike Cary Grant in North By Northwest, however, you don't even have the...

By Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis OCALA, FL - A pair of million-dollar juveniles punctuated a day of lively trade in Central Florida as the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds reached its midway point with a second session Wednesday. "We certainly picked up where we left off yesterday and the action was just as good, if not better, and we hope it continues to move forward into the next two days," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. "We came into the sale with some expectations given...

As we approach the end of the calendar, we turn our attention to the incoming sire class of 2021. We asked several judges who their favorite incoming sire is for next year and if there are any other stallions, new or otherwise, that have caught their eye as under-the-radar picks. AIDAN O'MEARA, Stonehaven Steadings  Authentic (Into Mischief), $75,000, Spendthrift Farm  The horse we're most excited about this year is a bit of an obvious one, but it has to be Authentic. His sire has developed into the preeminent sire of...