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2023 Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift: Woodford Thoroughbreds

As a commercial breeding farm, Woodford Thoroughbreds operates with two principals in mind when choosing our matings. 1) We are producing racehorses. In 2023, Woodford is the breeder of Mimi Kakushi (City of Light), a Group 3 winner on the Oaks trail; Rocket Can (Into Mischief), the winner of the GIII Holy Bull S. who was recently second in the GII Fountain of Youth S. on the Derby trail; SW Drew's Gold (Violence) and 'TDN Rising Star' Sunday Shoes (Pioneerof The Nile). 2) We are bringing a horse to the market that the buyer's bench is excited to purchase based on pedigree and conformation.

With these goals in mind, here are a few of the matings we have picked out for 2023.

HOT CASH (m, 8, Ghostzapper – Collect the Cash, by Dynaformer) and MESSAGE (m, 7, Warrior's Reward – Song'n Dance, by Carson City) to be bred to Flightline.

When you are playing at the upper level, you have to breed to a horse like Flightline although it goes against two of our basic rules. First, he's very expensive at $200,000 which means the fall could be steep if the resulting foal doesn't hit the commercial mark. Second, we are breeding two young mares to him when we would rather breed to a more established horse.

However, we think Grade III-placed Hot Cash will benefit from Flightline's leg and scope. The mare has also already proven her first two efforts, a Curlin filly and Quality Road filly, to be standouts.

Woodford only purchased Message at Keeneland this past November. She was wicked quick on the racetrack, but she's also a scopey mare with a lot of length, leg, power and class to her. We think she'll fit the stallion nicely in a like-to-like way. Her first foal by Charlatan was born in January and he's an exceptional package already.

LASKARINA (m, 9, Distorted Humor – General Jeanne, by Honour and Glory) to be bred to Tapit.

This is really a no-brainer breeding. Besides being by a top broodmare sire, she's a half-sister to the prolific producer Justwhistledixie (Dixie Union), the dam of three sons of Tapit–multiple Grade II winner Mohaymen, Grade III winner Kingly and Grade III winner Enforceable. Laskarina's best-looking individual so far is a Tapit filly that Woodford sold at Fasig-Tipton in Saratoga in 2022. We don't mind going back to the well.

MACHA (m, 13, Majestic Warrior – Giant Leap, by Giant's Causeway) to be bred to Good Magic.

This mare who finished third in the GII Honeymoon H. as a 3-year-old has produced a stakes winner. We also hear some great things about her 3-year-old Dime (Curlin), but that filly has yet to make a start. We're still hopeful!

Her 2-year-old was purchased from the 2022 Keeneland September Sale by Amy Moore, who is the breeder of champion 2-year-old colt and leading Kentucky Derby favorite Forte (Violence). We know the filly now named Wayward (Into Mischief) will get a great start with Amy.

We have been terribly impressed by Good Magic's start to stud and think he's great value. He has better numbers than some other higher-priced horses that started his same year at stud.

PROJECT WHISKEY (m, 6, Tapizar – Over the Moon, by Malibu Moon) to be bred to Uncle Mo.

You can't look at this mare without the thought “pretty” crossing your mind. She's a beautiful mare that won the GIII Delaware Oaks as a 3-year-old and the Parx Juvenile Fillies S. as a 2-year-old. We love that she had speed and class early on.

Uncle Mo is a horse that consistently gets a top racehorse prospect and we think he is ready for another upswing in the market. At $150,000 he's expensive, but he gets you that Saturday afternoon horse and that's what we're looking for. The cross of Uncle Mo with the A.P. Indy line is a strong one.

MAEVE THE BRAVE (IRE) (m, 4, Invincible Spirit {Ire} – Liscune {Ire}, by King's Best) to be bred to Oscar Performance.

You may be wondering how we acquired this particular broodmare. In 2019, Woodford purchased five weanlings at Tattersalls. We re-sold three, retained one who is a stakes winner still running in the U.K. and brought this filly to the U.S. She was bought for nearly $600,000 U.S. dollars, being a full-sister to three black-type horses including Music Box (IRE), whose race earnings total $1.19 million.

Oscar Performance was the clear choice when looking at the stallions standing in Kentucky who are unequivocally grass horses.

LUCY N ETHEL (m, 10, During – Kid Silver, by Silver Ghost) to be bred to Life Is Good.

“Lucy” has one of the strongest race records in our broodmare band having won the GII Prioress S. at Saratoga and the GIII Old Hat S. at Gulfstream Park. She bankrolled nearly $400,000 on the track and she is an athletic and supremely balanced mare.

Lucy gave us a beautiful foal right off the bat, a Quality Road filly that brought $600,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. Lucy is currently pregnant to Into Mischief. Breeding to his son Life Is Good will be the same cross.

We're excited to be breeding to Life Is Good. His speed was his weapon and he was much the best when winning the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile as a 3-year-old. He continued his winning ways with three Grade I races at four.

VIVA VEGAS (m, 9, The Factor – Viva Vega, by Cobra King) to be bred to Munnings.

The Factor is one of those conundrums where he has the ability to get a quality racehorse, but his commercial appeal is underrated. Viva Vegas is a big, scopey mare and you can imagine how lovely she is knowing she brought $190,000 at OBS as a short yearling. On the racetrack she won a stakes race and is multiple graded stakes placed.

Munnings will make a nice physical compliment, giving her a little substance and some additional speed. He also has a liking for the turf which will benefit this mare's sire line.

Cedar Hall will visit Woodford-bred Independence Hall in 2023 | photo courtesy Woodford Thoroughbreds

DON'T LEAVE ME (m, 11, Lemon Drop Kid – See How She Runs, by Maria's Mon) to be bred to Not This Time.

Don't Leave Me is a multiple Grade III winner and is out of a Grade I-winning dam. Woodford is proud to have purchased this mare out of the Pin Oak Dispersal in 2021 carrying an Authentic colt and she's currently pregnant to Into Mischief. We were very impressed with the year Not This Time had in 2022 and when looking for proven stallions, he has become a standout. We think he'll be a nice physical match for the mare.

CEDAR HALL (m, 6, Bayern – Dahteste, by Majestic Warrior) to be bred to Independence Hall.

In hindsight, Cedar Hall might have been a value play, being stakes placed, when we purchased her pregnant to Volatile for $95,000 in 2021. She probably would have brought twice that this past November! This is a really pretty mare and we actually purchased her with the purpose of breeding her to Independence Hall.

Woodford bred Independence Hall, sold him as a yearling, bought back into him during his race career and now owns a considerable number of shares in the horse, which means we will support him. His first crop of foals are hitting the ground now and from photos we have seen, they look to be very racey individuals.

RITE MOMENT (m, 19, Vicar – Moments of Joy, by Lost Code) to be bred to City of Light.

Rite Moment is one of the oldest and most proven mares in the band. She herself was a multiple Grade II winner and has produced two previous black-type horses, but her standout produce is current graded stakes winner Mimi Kakushi (City of Light). Mimi Kakushi won a stakes race and then followed that up with a win in the G3 U.A.E. Oaks. She is potentially being pointed to the GI Kentucky Oaks. It only makes sense to go back to the well and should the mare have a filly, we'll likely retain her as a broodmare prospect.

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2023 Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift: Stonehaven Steadings

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 season. We'll break them into three groups of proven, up-and-coming and freshmen sires and we try to diversify as much as possible amongst our broodmare band of 30 mares. We'll have a short list of potential mates for each mare which, when considering stud fee ranges, usually ends up being a list of four or five stallions. This is refined further with pedigree and conformation considerations before reaching the ultimate choice.

This year we had a particularly deep draft of incoming freshman sires and you're not always able to use as many of the younger stallions that you would like to depending on a mare's particular fit or the make up of your broodmare band. Some of the up-and-comer stallions can take a huge and somewhat unwarranted jump in stud fee due to supply demands. That can make you sit out a year and wait to see if it's legit or not, especially if a younger stallion has a couple of weak crops coming down the pipeline.

Proven

VENETIAN SONATA (m, 14, Bernardini – Moonlight Sonata, by Carson City) and STUNNING SKY (m, 6 Declaration of War – Sky Walk, by Unbridled's Song) to be bred to Quality Road

This will be Venetian Sonata's second time to Quality Road. One of our top two yearling fillies for this year is her daughter by Quality Road and he has been the pick for her again for this year for quite some time. She is smaller mare, but despite that she has been a big producer at the track and in the sales ring. Quality Road is one of the better stallions out there to get a little commercial leg under a mare and he has already had a significant filly out of this family in MGISW Abel Tasman. The Quality Road-Bernardini cross has been a potent one.

We had some great success mating a classy turf filly with Quality Road in the past and hope lightning might strike twice here with Stunning Sky, who was herself a Grade III winner at Keeneland and was Grade II placed at Saratoga. She is a big, robust filly and will benefit from the refinement Quality Road brings to his offspring.

JILTED BRIDE (m, 6, Wicked Strong – Cry At My Wedding, by Street Cry {Ire}) and MISS COSTA RICA (m, 5, Hit It a Bomb – Five Star Daydream, by Five Star Day) to be bred to Into Mischief

These are two new graded stakes fillies we added to the broodmare band this year. We try to give the younger mares as much opportunity as possible and there is no better sire than Into Mischief for that job. Both are bigger, well-conformed mares. Those traits will complement Into Mischief physically. Pedigree selection is a little easier with Into Mischief as he works so well with so many lines.

BECKLES ROAD (m, 14, Smart Strike – Padmore, by French Deputy) to be bred to Gun Runner

Beckles Road is another mare that has been a big producer for us at the track and sales. She has another beautiful Into Mischief filly this year that rivals her full-sister Class on Class that we sold in Book 1 last year at Keeneland September. When breeding at the upper echelons of the stallion ranks, we try to use mares that have shown us that they can consistently produce the kind of quality and ability in their offspring to warrant such a strong investment. She is a big, beautiful-profiled mare who is a little offset in front, but hasn't been passing that on. Gun Runner will suit her beautifully in the pedigree and physique department.

Figure of Speech broke her maiden on debut at Saratoga in 2019. This year she will be bred to Curlin | Sarah Andrew

FIGURE OF SPEECH (m, 6, Into Mischief – Starlight Lady, by Elusive Quality) to be bred to Curlin

Figure of Speech is a young, Grade I-placed Into Mischief filly currently in foal to Gun Runner. Curlin is the preeminent sire of Classic horses in the country and a mix of blood of these two stallion rockstars can only be a positive thing. Figure of Speech is a very classy-looking filly who will complement Curlin's powerful physique.

LUCY IN DIAMONDS (m, 11, Rock Hard Ten – Spritz, by Relaunch), THISSMYTIME (m, 6, Carpe Diem – Seraphic Too, by Southern Halo), CHAMPAGNE IVY (m, 5, Shackleford – Wonder Upon a Star, by Street Cry {Ire}) and BERNIN MIDNIGHT (m, 8, Midnight Lute – Venetian Sonata, by Bernardini) to be bred to Uncle Mo

These are all young mares and Uncle Mo is probably the best value now of the top-tier stallions. All are very clean-legged fillies in front, which tends to help with this sire too. Uncle Mo brings such diversity in his offsprings' abilities, whether it's distance or surfaces, and he works so well with such a variety of sire lines that he helps make the decision-making process a lot easier. He gives breeders a great shot at building a strong foundation under their younger mares.

Lucy In Diamonds had her best foal to date by this horse that sold well in September to SF Bloodstock and company. Part of the play here would be anticipating that this colt may develop into a promising runner by the time a full sibling gets to auction in a couple of years.

Thissmytime is a young, stakes-winning filly and a track record holder. She lacks a little size and Uncle Mo is one of the better stallions out there to help a mare in that department.

Bernin Midnight's first three foals have been impressive, most notably the Street Sense yearling from last year, and she continues to get an increased opportunity with quality of her perspective mates.

Champagne Ivy is a maiden stakes filly with a big family backing her up.

Freshmen

Aidan O'Meara with the Quality Road colt out of True Feelings that topped the 2022 Keeneland September Sale | Keeneland

TRUE FEELINGS (m, 14, Latent Heat – Grand Charmer, by Lord Avie) to be bred to Flightline

True Feelings is the jewel of our broodmare band. She has consistently produced quality stock from multiple sire lines that have different looks physically, but all had the quality physical and stylish walk that has stood them well in the sales ring. Flightline is a rare talent that is arguably the most impressive dirt runner of the modern era. The plan in this case was simple: breed a special mare to a special stallion and hope for something special.

NOTAPRADAPRICE (m, 9, Paddy O'Prado – Brenda's Slew, by Straight Man) to be bred to Life Is Good

We are very fortunate this year to have two very high-caliber incoming freshmen sires that had that “next level” natural ability. Life Is Good's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile was arguably the most impressive performance in that race's history and, coupled with his ability to take that speed a little further, his physique takes him to the top of the list of the best-looking sons of Into Mischief.

Prada is a graded stakes winner and a stakes winner on both surfaces. She is a big, beautiful filly who should work well physically with Life Is Good.

EASY LIVING (m, 12, Big Brown – Jaramar Miss) and EARLYBIRD ROAD (m, 19, Cherokee Run – Kiss N Make Up, by Private Terms) to be bred to Corniche

Corniche is obviously our pride and joy and we are fortunate enough to still be minor shareholders in him, so we are trying to play our part in helping him in his future career. Both mares are quality stakes producers and consistently throw the right kind of physical.

Easy Living's Into Mischief colt will be our best colt headed to auction this year and her daughter My Kentucky Girl (American Pharoah) is a current-year stakes filly with potential to add to her resume as the year progresses. She had a beautiful Quality Road filly a few years back and should hopefully work well here again.

Corniche was a magnificent-looking foal. Still to this day he is the most impressive-looking foal we've ever had on the farm and he has the potential to be one of the standouts of this very deep group of freshmen sires when the first foals hit the sales next year and go on into their yearling stages.

Up-And-Coming

DEBBY D'ORO (m, 10, Giant's Causeway – Dashing Debby, by Medaglia d'Oro) and QUIRL (m, 8, More Than Ready – Beckles Road, by Smart Strike) to be bred to Good Magic

STEELIN MEMORIES (m, 3, Quality Road – Steelin' by Oreintate) and CANNY (m, 9, Big Brown – Sharp Instinct, by Awesome Again) to be bred to Justify

SCOOTER BIRD (m, 13, War Pass – Miz Emmalou, by Well Decorated) to be bred to Bolt d'Oro

PRINCESSDIANE (m, 7, Uncle Mo – Romantic Fibs, by Prized) to be bred to Violence

MIZ KELLA (m, 11, Harlan's Holiday – Steelin' by Orientate) and MIDNIGHT DIVA (m, 5, Midnight Lute – Pizza Lady, by Dance With Ravens) to be bred to Constitution

In any given year, we are lucky to have one stallion that shows enough early ability with his first crop of two-year-olds to suggest long-term viability as a major Kentucky stallion. But the deep group this year has three very solid candidates, all with strong early commercial success and strong groups of mares bred each year to help maintain the momentum.

All the above mares are younger and these stallions give breeders the opportunity to access a somewhat proven stallion without the steep stud fees of the older brigade.

Violence has the potential to have a huge year with Forte on the Derby trail, Newgrange headed to the GI Santa Anita H. and Dr. Schivel back on the warpath.

Constitution is entering the upper echelons of the sire ranks, but with his current production and more importantly his potential for even further success when his bigger, better-bred crops hit the track, we think he is still in the up-and-coming stage. Some of the best opportunities for breeders comes with riding the success of these young stallions as they climb the ladder and it has stood us well in the past.

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Flightline, Born From The Heart of a Lyon

Within minutes of Flightline crossing the wire in another jaw-dropping victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic, the question buzzing across the racing world was whether we would get the chance to see him race again. Many argued against his retirement, saying racing needs a hero and, at least right now and for the foreseeable future, he is certainly it.

Some 16 hours later, we got our answer. The unbeaten sensation was retired to the Lane's End stallion barn, where he is already in high demand. Many were saddened to see their hero ride off into the sunset (though I have no doubt he will remain in the headlines for many years to come). However, what those people don't realize is racing still has the hero it needs, and her name is Jane Lyon.

First of all, without Jane, there is no Flightline. Along with her trusted team, Jane picked out his dam Feathered and, in true Jane Lyon fashion, fought off all comers to secure the mare she wanted. The Arkansas native and her brain trust chose Tapit for the mare's 2017 breeding and on March 14, 2018, Flightline was born in a deep bed of straw at Lyon's beautiful Summer Wind Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky. I'm sure Lyon was right there to towel the colt off and mark him with her lipstick.

It took more than choosing the right mare and stallion to create Flightline. It was also the top-notch care, extreme attention to detail and, most importantly Jane and her giant heart. She loves every single animal on her property with everything she has, especially her foals, who all get plenty of carrots, kisses and sweet words from their breeder throughout their life at Summer Wind. Jane keeps track of them all long after they leave the farm and welcomes them back home if they ever need a soft place to land.

Jane makes sure everyone in her employ is aware of the kindness she expects her horses to be shown. She always says you can teach horses with sternness and punishment or with love and kindness, and she chooses the latter. Her outlook and endless devotion create horses who are good-minded, very people friendly, smart and kind. Flightline has been described to have all these attributes.

I know what you're thinking. There are plenty of owners and breeders who love their horses and are kind to them. You're right. But I assure you, none of them are like Jane Lyon.

Jane is a bright light in an industry that has been plagued with darkness, especially over the last few years. She always says I oversell her, or I'm biased, when I describe her to others, but I have yet to find one person who disagrees with me. Jane is as kind and generous to people as she is to her animals, always offering a kind word and her signature million-dollar smile to everyone she meets.

Jane happily shares her farm, elite broodmares and regally bred foals with any horse lover, which is how I came to know her. The first time I spoke to Jane was a phone interview after American Pharoah won the Triple Crown. It was just two years into my career, and we had a lovely, 30-minute conversation about her pride and joy Littleprincessemma, after which I realized my recorder had missed it all. Embarrassed, I called back, and Jane graciously went through it all again. I had the pleasure of interviewing Jane a few more times over the next few years, and she was equally gracious each time, always remembering my name. In 2018, the opportunity came to do a story that would bring me to Summer Wind, a dream come true, and she welcomed me with open arms.

The first time I stepped foot on Summer Wind, a farm I now know as well as my own neighborhood, it was just six weeks after Flightline was born. I can't say I remember him from that day or knew I was looking at a future superstar as my focus was on his barnmate Triple Tap, a half-brother to my hero at the time, American Pharoah. What I did know however, is I was among greatness at Summer Wind, both human and equine.

Jane Lyon & Flightline | Sarah Andrew

I ended up spending the entire day with Jane, even witnessing the foaling of Princess Arabella's 2018 Union Rags colt. Long after the interview had ended, we chatted away like old friends. It is an anomaly among horsewomen. When they recognize a kindred spirit whose passion for horses burns as bright as their own, it bonds them instantly and that is what happened that fateful day in Georgetown.

Ever since that day, Summer Wind has become a regular stop on my frequent trips to Kentucky. I spend at least one day of my trip driving through the farm with Jane looking at (and feeding carrots to) racing's past and future stars, wondering which of the beautiful foals before me will be the next McKinzie, Moonshine Memories, Chasing Yesterday, Game Winner or Flightline.

While neither Jane, myself, nor anyone else could have ever predicted Flightline would become what he did, it does not surprise me that a horse like that came off Jane's farm. And, in my opinion, there is no one that deserves it more.

Jane has faced plenty of adversity throughout her life and has been tested time and time again, but that is her story to tell. What I will tell you though, is she is as fierce as she is kind and doesn't let anything keep her down for long. Jane has put in plenty of time, effort, sweat, tears and, of course, love to get to be the highly respected breeder, and person, she is today.

I've met a lot of great people over the past decade working in this industry, but there is no one like Jane. I have never seen another horsewoman of her stature lay in the stall with a motherless foal and stroke her to sleep, giving her the motherly love she was lacking, like Jane has on more than one occasion. She takes in every stray dog dropped at her doorstep and provides them a dream life. She claims any Summer Wind-bred she finds running at a cheap track somewhere and brings them home to live out their days in her retirement field. She opens her door and her heart to anyone I or any other friend asks to bring along for a one-of-a-kind day at Summer Wind (as well as the Littleprincessemma fans who reach her office manager). She cooks for three people as if she has 10 coming for dinner, so she can also feed her staff as a mother feeds her children. She will go above and beyond to help anyone in need and always puts others before herself.

Jane's most endearing quality is her humility. In fact, she will probably hate that I spent so many words gushing over her in such a public forum, but I assure you all, every one of them is true and well deserved.

The other day, a friend of mine, who has met Jane on two occasions now, said, “the world doesn't deserve Jane,” after I told her a heart-warming anecdote about Jane from earlier that day. I told the same story to another friend, whom I brought along for one of those very special Summer Wind days, and her response was, “we need more people like Jane in this world.” They both could not be more right.

Jane is one of the few truly kind, genuine and selfless people left in this world. When things in the industry get a bit dark and I begin to get discouraged, I look to Jane and see everything that is good in this sport. She gives me hope and reminds me why I love racing.

So, while I'll miss seeing Flightline on the racetrack as much as everyone else, I'm just so glad those of us in racing still have a hero among us in Jane Lyon. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see what she gives us next.

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Lyon Strikes Again For Proud Emma

PROUD EMMA (Include) (Hip 876) is likely to visit Flightline for her next mating after summoning $1 million Wednesday at KEENOV from that superstar's breeder and part-owner Jane Lyon of Summer Wind Farm. The Grade III winner sold carrying her first foal by Charlatan. She was consigned by Bedouin Bloodstock.

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