Stallion Spotlight offers stud farm representatives a chance to address breeders and answer questions as they plan their future matings.
In this edition, John McMahon of McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds and bloodstock agent Chad Schumer discuss Redesdale, a son of Speightstown whose first foals are 3-year-olds of 2023.
Redesdale
B. h., 2013, Speightstown x Harpia, by Danzig
Race Record: 4-3-0-0; $90,300
Advertised Fee: $2,500
Question: What makes Redesdale an attractive stallion for potential breeders?
John McMahon: I would just have to say the outstanding pedigree, being a son of Speightstown, and affordability. You just can't get a pedigree like that; a Juddmonte-bred stallion. That's heavy-duty.
Chad Schumer: He had speed, for sure. He was unbeaten in his first three starts, and was without a doubt graded stakes quality, but an injury prevented that from carrying that on. He has quality and speed, and obviously the strength of his pedigree and the value therein.
If I've got a mare lacking in a physical aspect, what can Redesdale best contribute to that equation?
McMahon: I would say conformation and size. His foals all have tremendous conformation, so I'd say if I had a mare that was back at the knee or maybe offset at the knee, or a sweepy hind leg, he'd be good. If you're breeding your mare and you're seeing a physical defect in her, it'd be nice to breed to a stallion that gives you solid conformation all the time, and plenty of size to boot.
Schumer: He brings speed and quality to the equation. He's got size, he's got substance to him. He's got bone, and a lot of power behind. I think some mares, if they're lighter or if they just need tidying up, he'd be ideal, physically.
What would a breeder looking to capture the magic of his sire Speightstown find familiar in Redesdale?
Schumer: When I think of Speightstown, I think a lot of tenacity. So many of his runners win photo finishes. They seem to last, even though it took Speightstown a while to get going, and there were some breaks in his racing career. The same can be said for Redesdale. It doesn't seem to show up in their progeny. They tend to be sound and durable, and especially in a state-bred program, that's incredibly important.
What are some of the common traits you've seen among the Redesdale foals, both as young horses getting ready for the sales and as racehorses?
Schumer: I've been struck by what nice types they are. Sometimes with stallions in regional programs, you kind of don't know what to expect. I've seen every Redesdale that's come to the 2-year-old sales. While I've been doing work for other things, I make sure I see all of them, and I've just been struck by how they're all pretty nice types. They have that same quality that he has, and they've done well.
Interestingly, almost across the board, considering the location and fee, I think the price for his 2-year-olds has been really strong.
What makes Redesdale a good fit for the New York-Bred Program?
McMahon: New York is an interesting place to race a horse, because we love turf racing here. We're all into it nowadays. I see the future as being bright for the horse because of the presence of that, and the tremendous international appeal of his pedigree.
Schumer: Soundness and versatility. New York is one of the most lucrative programs in the country, and they want horses that are going to show up as 2-year-olds, be back as 3-year-olds, and so forth. So far, the Redesdales seem to be doing that. It's a little early. His oldest foals are just three at the moment, but they seem to carry on, start after start.
The other thing that I like of what I've seen so far is they seem equally adept at either dirt and turf, which I think is wildly important in a regional program, especially.
What are some of the physical and pedigree traits in broodmares that you've found have produced the most successful crosses with Redesdale?
McMahon: He nicks well with the Mr. Prospector-line mares and A.P. Indy-line mares.
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If you appreciate our work, you can support us by subscribing to our Patreon stream. Learn more.Redesdale has some serious sire power on his page, with the likes of Danehill and Northern Dancer. What is your philosophy on how much having successful stallions in the female family can influence an active stallion's potential?
McMahon: I think it kind of evolves over the course of the years. When you're retiring a stud and you see those names within a pedigree, it's going to attract you a better book of mares. You can get better mares than you would normally get because of those stallion names. Then, in year two or three of a stallion's career, you're seeing some racehorses hit, and now we're seeing some better turf horses coming out of those matings, and we're saying, “Where is this coming from?” Speightstown has been kind of a dirt speed horse, so I think that pedigree is influencing the current crops moreso than we gave it credit for the first couple years. The first couple years, I think we were using it more as a selling point, but now we're using it now to explain what you're going to get.
What is something about Redesdale that you think goes overlooked?
McMahon: Something we haven't talked about much is he threw the highest-priced yearling by a New York sire in 2021. That was $140,000 and ended up being [stakes winner] Ramblin' Wreck, who's trained by Danny Gargan. He can throw you a sales horse out of the right mare. We know they're good-looking, we know the pedigree's there. He can be a commercial stallion with the right broodmare on board.
Schumer: His actual racing class. Because of his stops in his racing career, it took him a while to make his first start due to some niggling things as a 2-year-old, but he ran as a 3-year-old at Churchill Downs in a maiden special weight, then came back and won two more allowance races, and he was undoubtedly graded stakes class.
I think he's easily overlooked because it shows him in the book only as a winner, but he was without a doubt a stakes-quality horse.
Robby Albarado rode him for us, and after his last start, he told me he reminded him so much in terms of quality of a horse he rode at the Fair Grounds, and that was Mineshaft. If he was half as good as that, he'd be a proper stakes winner. It gave us a lot of confidence in using him.
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