mating plans

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Brendan Jacobson of Wimberley Bloodstock. HOLIDAY SOIREE (15, Harlan's Holiday--Try to Remember, by Include) to be bred to Gun Runner. Holiday Soiree was a talented racehorse who won the Shine Again S. at Saratoga and placed in the GI Humana Distaff at Churchill. She is the dam of Vahva (Gun Runner), who won the GII Raven Run S. and GIII Charles Town Oaks last year. She is a gorgeous filly with lots of tenacity...

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Erin Fisher of Harper Ridge Thoroughbreds. "We have been working on upgrading our bloodstock over the last several years with a focus on good-running mares that might not have a Kentucky commercial pedigree up front, but still have the ability to create excellent racehorses and future stallion prospects. If you look at the current stallions in Kentucky, you will see that around half are out of mares with non -commercial Kentucky sires. My personal...

As the 2024 breeding season is now underway, the TDN staff is sitting down with breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why. Here we catch up with Chelsey Stone, the Director of Breeding for John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock. Stewart made a huge splash at the yearling and breeding stock sales in 2023 and he purchased the former Shadwell Stud property in Midway, Kentucky to launch Resolute Farm. "We have such an awesome fleet of mares, but we are always looking to add to...

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Denali Stud's Conrad Bandoroff. FLAG DAY (8, Giant's Causeway--Sense  to Compete, by Street Sense) to be bred to Good Magic. This mare's first foal, Hall of Fame, broke his maiden in very impressive fashion and was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' for his effort. The son of Gun Runner and Flag Day's first foal has been a special horse from the day he was born. He was just one of those foals that, when...

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Mulholland Springs' John Mulholland.   MEAL TICKET (10, Malibu Moon--Rainbow's Song by Unbridled's Song) to be bred to Into Mischief Second in the GII Royal Heroine S. at Santa Anita and the listed Golden Poppy S. at Golden Gate, we purchased this mare privately after her final start of her career. Meal Ticket was bred her first year to Into Mischief and produced an absolutely stunning colt that we sold to BC Stables for...

As we approach the opening of the 2024 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. Here we catch up with Christie DeBernardis, CHC's Regional Manager of the Americas. Alberobello (m, 9, Bernardini--Carson Jen, by Carson City), booked to Uncle Mo Alberobello hails from an exceptional family that is constantly improving. Additionally, Bernardini is becoming one of the best broodmare sires we've seen in a while. Alberobello produced an Uncle Mo colt...

As we approach the opening of the 2024 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. Here we catch up with Larry Johnson, the owner of Legacy Farm in Bluemont, Virginia. "I'm trying to go from primarily breed-to-race to more commercial opportunities," said Johnson. A GREAT TIME (10, Street Magician - Short Time, by Clever Trick) to be bred to Constitution A homebred stakes winner of nearly $250,000 by my homebred stallion...

As we approach the opening of the 2024 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. Today we caught up with Williams S. Sparks of Monroe, Louisiana. Originally from Arkansas where he grew up attending Oaklawn races with his grandfather, Sparks has assembled a band which reflects his philosophy of breeding to race. "I'm really deeply committed to breeding a sound racehorse who is going to do what they do best--run," said...

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Robert Tillyer, farm manager of William and Donna Shively's Dixiana Farm. AMERICA'S TALE (9, Gio Ponti - America's Friend, by Unusual Heat) to be bred to Taiba She's in foal to Jackie's Warrior and she's a Grade II winner. We thought Taiba was good value. He's a very attractive son of Gun Runner that won three Grade I races. DIAMOND WOW (5, Lookin At Lucky - Patriotic Diamond, by Hat Trick {Jpn}) to be...

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Hinkle Farms co-owner Tom Hinkle. "In determining the matings for our mares, it is a total team effort by my brother Henry, my daughter Anne Archer and me," said Hinkle. "We work hard to arrive at the best possible mating, at least in our opinions." SEEKING GABRIELLE (17,  Forestry - Seeking Regina, by Seeking the Gold) to be bred to Gun Runner        Seeking Gabrielle is the dam of Nyquist. She is...

Headley Bell has run Nicoma Bloodstock for 40 years, planning matings for clients at his Mill Ridge Farm and beyond. "It's like being an artist," says Bell. "You're crafting, and planning matings is part of that whole creation." Bell said he uses various tools for his matings, including TDN's statistics on percentages of black type to foals, mare produce records, five-cross pedigrees, and examines patterns of broodmare sires with certain families. Finally, he takes physical traits of mares into consideration to determine, he said, "who that mare really is." He...

by George Adams, Housatonic Bloodstock Wasabi has been focused on upgrading the quality of the foals that it's breeding over the last few years, and to that end will be using some higher-end stallions in 2024 than what we've bred to in the past. A stallion that we'll be patronizing heavily this year is Maclean's Music.  He's about to jump from a crop of 2023 2-year-olds numbering 41 and conceived off of a $20,000 stud fee (out of which he already has nine winners, three of whom have also picked...