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 $850,000 at the Fasig Tipton Saratoga Sale last August. She produced a filly last year by the same sire and is currently pregnant to Gun Runner for this foaling season. After the success of her first foal and again so pleased with her now yearling filly, we booked Meal Ticket back to Into Mischief for this year. Some additional exciting news for this pedigree is that Meal Ticket's half-brother El Grande O is now a multiple stakes winner in New York and was just recently a strong second in the Jerome S. We will continue to strongly support Meal Ticket in her breedings and we are so excited about all the recent stakes activity in the immediate family. Hopefully, her own foals will run to their exceptional looks!
TOUCHY FEELY (12, Bernardini–Touched by Touch Gold) to be bred to Gun Runner
This is a family near and dear to our collective hearts for over 30 years. From the immediate family of Grade II winner Indian Firewater, Touchy Feely herself was debut maiden special weight winner. She had a minor injury and subsequently became a member of the broodmare band. Her first two foals were modest winners but her daughter Life Talk (Gun Runner) has truly resurrected this family with her smashing victory in the GII Demoiselle S. Going back four generations in this pedigree have all called Mulholland Springs home. Touchy Feely has a 2-year- old filly by Maclean's Music that was a $140,000 Keeneland January short yearling purchase and a yearling filly by Bolt D'Oro that just recently sold for $250,000 at the Keeneland November sale. Touchy Feely is carrying a Cyberknife in the belly and is booked back to Gun Runner for this breeding season. With Life Talk clearly cemented on the Kentucky Oaks trail, we are beyond excited to see new life breathed into a pedigree that has so richly rewarded us for over three decades.
MIDNIGHT UNION (10, Union Rags–Midnight Visit by Henny Hughes) to be bred to Cody's Wish
A recent $350,000 Fasig Tipton November purchase for the farm, Midnight Union is the dam of Grade I placed and multiple graded-placed Awake At Midnyte, who sold for $825,000 to Japanese interests at the same sale. This is a family that we have a lot of direct experience with in recent years. Awake At Midnyte was sold by Mulholland Springs (on behalf of longtime clients) as a yearling and Midnight Union has resided at Mulholland Springs for several past breeding seasons.
Midnight Union | Sarah Andrew
Midnight Union has a Tapit yearling filly, is pregnant to Jackie's Warrior and will be bred back to Cody's Wish this season. After having foaled and raised several of Midnight Union's foals, we are so excited at the opportunity to have acquired this mare and we will continue to strongly support this pedigree that we believe in so much. We were the direct under-bidders (on behalf of clients) when Awake At Midnyte recently went through the auction ring. She was just absolutely stunning to look so we know very well what this mare can produce both commercially and at the race track.
REINA MARIA (15, Songandaprayer–Maria's Pride by Maria's Mon) to be bred to Into Mischief
We acquired this mare privately several years ago and she truly rewarded us to say the least. A half-sister herself to Grade I winner Secret Compass, Reina Maria is the dam of Grade II winner and young leading sire Maximus Mischief. Reina Maria is due to foal an Into Mischief this year and is booked right back to the perennial leading sire again. She has a very precocious 2-year-old colt by Into Mischief that will undoubtedly resurface at one of the spring sales in Ocala. This mare has been so good to us and we firmly believe she has another superstar up her sleeve.
BLAME IT ON ALPHIE (10, Blame–Miss Alphie by Candi's Gold) to be bred to Cody's Wish
Purchased for $200,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale, this mare was a very high caliber winner and stakes performer on the west coast. We had originally purchased her with the plan to breed to City Of Light his first season at stud but those hopes were dashed late in the summer when she slipped the foal. So, we decided to keep the mare and it has been a great decision overall. Blame It On Alphie's 3-year-old named Nullify (American Pharoah) was a $325,000 Fasig Tipton Saratoga graduate and her 2-year-old filly by Into Mischief was a $350,000 Keeneland September purchase. Her yearling filly, also by Into Mischief, was a recent $600,000 Keeneland November purchase. This foal was absolutely stunning and one of the most balanced and athletic babies that we have ever bred and raised. Blame It On Alphie is currently pregnant to Life Is Good and is booked back to Cody's Wish for this breeding season. Lots to be excited for with this young mare.
SISTER (7, Fort Larned–Langara Lass by Langfuhr) to be bred to Elite Power
We purchased this mare a few years ago because she is a half-sister to our Grade I-placed mare Battlefield Angel, the dam of Grade II winner and multiple graded-placed Manny Wah. This has been such a great family to us for over 10 years now. Unfortunately, we lost Battlefield Angel to colic a few years ago so we naturally jumped at the opportunity to get right back into this highly-productive family. When we bought Sister, she was carrying an Arrogate in the belly. That foal went on sell for $200,000 at the Fasig Tipton Saratoga sale and was eventually named Saratoga Secret. The filly would go on to be a smart debut winner and followed up with a second in the GII Schuylerville S. at Saratoga. She is being pointed to the Martha Washington S. at Oaklawn. Sister has a beautiful Maclean's Music yearling filly, pregnant to Jack Christopher at the moment and booked back to Elite Power.
BICAMERAL (5, Constitution–Humble Song by Songandaprayer) to be bred to Bolt d'Oro
Bicameral was a $375,000 Keeneland November purchase in 2022. She was second on debut and then subsequently placed third in the Del Mar Debutante.
Bicameral selling at the 2022 Keeneland November Sale | Keeneland
She would go on to break her maiden at Santa Anita and win an allowance at Del Mar. Bicameral is a tall, powerful mare with great balance and loads of class. She is carrying her first foal by Uncle Mo and is booked back to Bolt D'Oro for this season.
HEAR MY PRAYER (7, Big Beast and out of Additional Prayer by Songandaprayer) to be bred to Cody's Wish
Purchased privately last spring, Hear My Prayer is a listed stakes winner at Gulfstream and Grade III-placed at Santa Anita. She is an absolutely stunning mare with a powerful shoulder, beautifully balanced top line and a strong hind end. Here My Prayer was bred last year to Gun Runner and is booked back to Cody's Wish for this season. We feel this drop dead mare could make a wonderful addition to our broodmare band long term.
ASK BAILEY (7, Run Away and Hide and out of Puype's Dream by Kris S.) to be bred to Taiba
A $255,000 2021 Keeneland November purchase, we tried to send her right back into training but she got sick on us, so we sent her immediately to the farm to join the broodmare band. Ask Bailey was second at Kentucky Downs as a juvenile and then subsequently third in the GII Jessamine S. at Keeneland. Ask Bailey would go on to win a listed stakes at Canterbury Park. We bred Ask Bailey her first year to Medaglia D'Oro and got a rather strong and handsome colt. I'm very pleased with this foal. She is currently pregnant to Life Is Good and is booked back to Taiba for this breeding season. We feel both Life Is Good and Taiba complement Ask Bailey very well physically. This is an exciting mare for us and we will support her strongly to get her breeding career off and running.
Interested in sharing your own mating plans? Email garyking@thetdn.com.
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