As we approach the opening of the 2023 breeding sheds, the TDN staff is once again sitting down with leading breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why. Andrew Cary of Cary Bloodstock, advisor to Coteau Grove Farms, took time to discuss which sires they have chosen for some of their top mares.
ARTISTIC DIVA (m, 8, Munnings-Diva N Disguise, by Mizzen Mast), booked to Not This Time
Artistic Diva was brilliantly fast, winning the Anoakia S. at Santa Anita as a 2-year-old. She was also second in the GIII Miss Preakness S. as a 3-year-old. Her first foal is a rocket-bodied filly by Justify that we will offer later this year and she's currently in-foal to Constitution. Not This Time's brilliant success from his early crops has been remarkable and he looks poised to be one of the leading sires for the next decade. He has already sired Grade I winner Just One Time from a Speightstown-line mare, so the cross made a lot of sense physically and on paper.
BAYERNESS (m, 6, Bayern-Weight No More, by Pure Prize), booked to to Flightline
Bayerness is a drop dead gorgeous young mare. We acquired her as a broodmare prospect at last year's Keeneland November sale. She was a SW and MGSP on the track and earned over $430,000. We are very excited to be part of the tremendous first book of mares heading to the superstar new sire Flightline, undoubtedly one of the most talented racehorses we have ever seen.
CALL TO SERVICE (m, 7, To Honor and Serve – Game for More, by More Than Ready), booked to Justify
Call to Service is a young half-sister to GSW Isotherm (Lonhro), GISP Gio Game (Gio Ponti) and GISP Giant Game (Giant's Causeway). We purchased her in-foal to HOY Authentic in January of last year and she had a beast of a colt that we will offer for sale later this year. We are hearing good things about her first foal, a 2-year-old by Vino Rosso, and she is currently in-foal to Curlin so this mare is definitely getting every chance. Justify is off to an excellent start at stud with MSW already, and they should only get better with time. Justify has already sired SW Justique and Justa Warrior from Bernardini mares and GIII winner Champions Dream from a Tapit mare, so he made sense for this mare being from the A.P. Indy-Bernardini line.
CILLA (m, 5, California Chrome – Sittin At the Bar, by Into Mischief), booked to Jackie's Warrior
We acquired Cilla at the Fasig-Tipton November sale last year. She won the Grade II Prioress S. at Saratoga among her stakes wins and placed in the GI Frizette S. at Belmont as a 2-year-old. She earned over $509,000 and was tough and genuine as a racehorse. I know her family well, having followed her dam Sittin At the Bar's career closely from the time she was a yearling (we also own Sittin at the Bar's half-sister, Lead Us to the Bar). Sittin at the Bar has produced three SW already in her career and looks sure to add more in the coming years. Jackie's Warrior was as brilliant, tough, and consistent as they come on the racetrack and we love him as a sire prospect. His performance in the GII Pat Day Mile, when he set blazing fractions, fought off multiple challengers and still found a way to win, is a race I'll never forget.
ELFIN QUEEN (m, 6, American Pharoah – Pretty 'n' Smart, by Beau Genius), booked to Life is Good
Elfin Queen is one of our most exciting long-term prospects as a potential foundation mare. She was a $1.2 million yearling and is a half-sister to GISW Cupid (Tapit), as well as GSW Heart Ashley (Lion Heart), GSW Ashley's Kitty (Tale of the Cat) and SW Indianapolis (Medaglia d'Oro). This is also the immediate family of recent GSW fillies Kathleen O. (Upstart) and Ain't Easy (Into Mischief). The first dam literally fills the page. Elfin Queen's first foal is an outstanding Justify filly and she's currently in-foal to leading sire Into Mischief. We felt that Life is Good was one of the most gifted horses of the past 10 or 15 years and he has the phenomenal looks to match his pedigree and racetrack performance. He has all the ingredients to make a future leading sire.
GOLD SOUK (6, m, Medaglia d'Oro – Glittering Tax by Artax), booked to Charlatan
Gold Souk is a half-sister to GISW Miss Temple City (Temple City), GSW Pricedtoperfection (Temple City) and SW Miss Mosaic (Verrazano). Her first foal is a Speightstown colt that will be selling as a 2-year-old later this spring and looks fast as lightning. She is in-foal to Munnings and we tripled down on the ultra-successful Speightstown-Medaglia cross by going to the popular young sire Charlatan this year. I thought on pure talent that Charlatan was up there with the likes of Life is Good and even Flightline. His first four starts were breathtaking and it took an outstanding horse to beat him in the G1 Saudi Cup in Mishriff. Speightstown has been a wonderful sire of sires and Charlatan had probably the most talent and ability of all of his sons. His first in-foal mares averaged over $344,000.
HOT AUTUMN (8, m, Tiz Wonderful – Shesoprovocative, by Orientate), booked to Constitution
Hot Autumn is another mare who had a high cruising speed-second in the GI La Brea S. at Santa Anita. She has a yearling filly by Authentic who is a monster and could be any kind. She is currently in-foal to Essential Quality. I liked Constitution for her this year as a proven, top-level sire who has had excellent results with Tiznow line mares, producing the likes of GISW Tiz the Law, GSW We the People and SW Never Surprised.
LITTLE MS PROTOCOL (m, 14, El Corredor – Character Builder, by Coronado's Quest), booked to Golden Pal
Little Ms Protocol was the first horse ever bred by Coteau Grove, and remarkably, she developed into a top performer on the racetrack as a MSW of over $730,000. She has already produced two winners including The Great One (Nyquist), who was second beaten by a nose in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity and was on the Derby Trail in 2021. Little Ms Protocol foaled a full brother to The Great One in 2022 and we thought it made sense to return to the Uncle Mo sire line with the lightning-fast multiple Breeders' Cup winning Golden Pal this year.
LITTLE MISS ZAPP (m, 7, Ghostzapper – Little Ms Protocol, by El Corredor), booked to Corniche
Little Miss Zapp is the first foal out of Little Ms Protocol. She was unraced but we are excited about her broodmare potential with her pedigree and looks. Her first foal, a McKinzie colt, is a crackerjack and she is currently in-foal to the red-hot Good Magic. I'm intrigued by the potential of Corniche as he was a brilliant 2-year-old and has incredible strength and athleticism. His breeze at OBS when he topped the sale was sensational and I loved his dam Wasted Tears when she was racing. The Quality Road-Ghostzapper cross is a proven one as well.
MIDNIGHT FANTASY (7, m, Midnight Lute – St. Jean, by Macho Uno), booked to Uncle Mo
Midnight Fantasy is one of our newest purchases, we bought her at Keeneland November last year in-foal to Quality Road. Similar to Bayerness and Cilla, I followed her racing career very closely from the time she was a yearling and she always showed tremendous talent from the beginning. She was a MSW on the track and earned over $340,000, displaying terrific speed and ability. Uncle Mo is coming off another excellent season and has consistently shown he can get Grade I Saturday afternoon horses, year-in and year-out.
MISS HOT LEGS (7, m, Verrazano – Expo Gold, by Johannesburg), booked to Flightline
Miss Hot Legs is a SP half-sister to the champion 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver. She is an incredible physical and was very talented in her own right with tons of speed. Her first foal is a very athletic yearling colt by Curlin that we have very high hopes for both as a sales prospect later this year and then for his racing career. Miss Hot Legs is also booked to Flightline this year, we're hoping that foal can break the sound barrier!
MYLADY CURLIN (8, m, Curlin – Ladyledue, by Slewdledo), booked to Life is Good
We purchased Mylady Curlin at Fasig-Tipton November last year in-foal to the exciting first season sire Charlatan. Mylady Curlin was an excellent racemare, as MGSW and earner over $800,000. Her biggest score came in the GII Falls City H. at Churchill Downs for trainer Brad Cox. We have been trying to steadily upgrade our broodmare band the past few years and adding these types of mares really moves our program to a different level. She is another mare we have going to the brilliant Life is Good, whose elite speed is a great match for Mylady Curlin's stamina. Recent SW Dazzling Blue (Into Mischief) is also a successful product of the Into Mischief-Curlin cross.
PLUS ONE (14, m, Bluegrass Cat – License Free, by Miswaki), booked to Olympiad
Plus One is the dam of the brilliantly fast GISW No Parole (Violence), the first for that farm, and now a stallion we are standing in partnership with in Louisiana. We took at shot breeding to Gun Runner last year and thankfully it looks like that choice has turned out well! For 2023 we are going with Olympiad. He is a stunning horse physically ($700k yearling), big and stretchy and full of quality. He is much more reminiscent of his broodmare sire Medaglia d'Oro than Speightstown. Seeing as Violence is by Medaglia d'Oro, I thought that bringing that blood back to Plus One for this mating made a lot of sense and it's a great physical match as well.
TOUCH MAGIC (13, m, by Lion Heart – Unifier, by Deputy Minister), booked to Maxfield
Touch Magic had a big year in 2022, as her 3-year-old son Touchuponastar (Star Guitar) won four of sixth starts including the Louisiana Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds by nearly five lengths. He is one of the most exciting Louisiana-breds currently in training. Touch Magic is booked back to Maxfield, who we think has a great shot at developing into a classic stallion in the mold of his sire Street Sense. This mating also creates 4×4 linebreeding to the influential mare La Affirmed, ancestress of such luminaries as Bernstein, Sky Mesa, Caress, Country Cat, Della Francesca, Good Samaritan, Wiseman's Ferry, Matareya and Maxfield himself. Maxfield also carries Quiet American blood through his broodmare sire Bernardini, an added bonus as Star Guitar, sire of Touchuponastar, is also by Quiet American.
WILLFUL WOMAN (5, m, by Nyquist – Foxt Dansuer, by Mr. Greeley), booked to Life is Good
We acquired Willful Woman at Fasig-Tipton November last year, in-foal to Medaglia d'Oro. She is just an incredibly good-looking mare–big, fancy and powerful. She was a $400,000 Saratoga yearling purchase by Bo Hunt for the Lieblongs and certainly looked the part. She translated those good looks into top level performance as well, winning three of 10 starts and running a strong second to Army Wife in the GII Black-Eyed Susan S. Life is Good was another easy choice for this mare with his potential and pedigree-wise it makes a lot of sense too–Into Mischief has already sired GISW Dayoutoftheoffice and GSW Frank's Rockette out of Indian Charlie line mares.
YOU LAUGHIN (15, m, by Sharp Humor – Livermore Leslie, by Mt Livermore), booked to Mandaloun
You Laughin is the dam of GISW Zenden (Fed Biz) and she is a half-sister to GISW Sweet Reason (Street Sense), GSW Don't Forget Gil (Kafwain) and SW Battle Girl (Midshipman). We purchased her for $55k a couple years before he won his Grade I, so we got fortunate there that he fulfilled his potential. We sold her Audible yearling for $175,000 last Sept. and he will go to Steve Asmussen. I really like the Into Mischief-Distorted Humor cross that has been so effective with Life is Good and Practical Joke among others, so it was logical to go with the first-year sire Mandaloun. He is a big, beautiful stretchy horse for an Into Mischief and has one of those mesmerizing walks to him. I thought he was great value for his pedigree, looks and race record and I know he has proven popular at Juddmonte.
Interested in sharing your own mating plans? Email garyking@thetdn.com.
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