Mating Plans: OXO Equine

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Today we have Taylor Made's Katie Taylor Whalen on behalf of Larry Best, owner of OXO Equine.

Best retired two stallions to Taylor Made–GISW Instilled Regard (Arch) and GSW/GISP Instagrand (Into Mischief)–for their first seasons last year, with both represented by their first foals in 2022. A majority of his broodmare band, over 50 strong, will go to one of the two and are expecting foals by either of the young sires this year, but Best also supports another former runner who also entered stud last year in MGISP Rowayton (Into Mischief) at Diamond B Farm in Pennsylvania. He also uses a number of outside stallions.

With his first recorded start as an owner in 2017, Best has amassed a large and stellar group of broodmares in a short time, and said, “OXO has three priorities. 1, Quality. 2, Quality. 3, Quality.”

“OXO Equine has collected an unbelievably accomplished, well-bred, and beautiful group of mares,” said Taylor Whalen. “It is a joy to work with such an exceptional group. Larry has done a wonderful job of identifying young mares with active families. Breeders should pay close attention to the depth of his support for Instilled Regard and Instagrand. Both Instilled Regard and Instagrand were precocious accomplished racehorses, and they are receiving a caliber of mares that many stallions don't see until they are well established. Great things are in store for both OXO stallions and mares.”

With an addition of 18 maiden mares currently lined up for this season, in 2021 Best bred 33 mares he boards at Taylor Made. All but one of them went to Instagrand, Instilled Regard, or Rowayton. Every one of his maiden mares in 2022 is going to either Instagrand or Instilled Regard and all but 10 of his other mares will also stay with one of his own stallions.

Said Taylor Whelan, “Though OXO is excited and committed to support their own well accomplished stallions, they see the value in rotating top mares to interesting outside stallions. Essential Quality and Practical Joke both fit the mold. They were accomplished on the track, from the top two most powerful sire lines (Tapit/Into Michief) and have racing and commercial upside. We also learn from what goes well! We are taking Hung the Moon back to Quality Road. Her exceptional yearling colt by Quality Road was purchased last summer at Saratoga by Maverick Racing.”

Following is a selection of some of the biggest names in Best's broodmare band and their plans.

BEAU RECALL (IRE) (m, 8, Prancealot {Ire}–Greta d'Argent {Ire}, by Great Commotion), to be bred to Instagrand

Best acquired this MGSW for $350,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale. She went to Instilled Regard for her first season last year and will visit Instagrand this year.

BLUE PRIZE (ARG) (m, 9, Pure Prize–Blues for Sale {Arg}, by Not For Sale {Arg}), to be bred to Practical Joke

Best purchased the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner for a sales-topping $5 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. He sent her to Into Mischief for her first foal, now a yearling filly. The MGISW and $2.6-million earner is due to Instagrand this year and will be bred back to Practical Joke. Taylor Whalen said the farm is very high on Blue Prize's yearling by Instagrand's sire.

CAMBIER PARC (m, 6, Medaglia d'Oro–Sealy Hill, by Point Given), to be bred to Instagrand

Out of Canada's 2007 Horse of the Year who has since produced four graded winners, Cambier Parc was a $1.25-million buy for Best at the 2017 Keeneland September sale and turned into a MGISW for him while under the tutelage of Chad Brown. The mare's first foal is due this year–an Instilled Regard foal–and she will be sent to the court of Instagrand.

CONCRETE ROSE (m, 6, Twirling Candy–Solerina, by Powerscourt {GB}), to be bred to Essential Quality

Another GISW in the OXO broodmare band, Concrete Rose was a $1.95-million acquisition by Best at the 2020 Keeneland November sale. The mare recently made headlines again when she delivered her first foal, which also happened to be one of the first reported foals by Instagrand.

FINITE (m, 5, Munnings–Remit, by Tapit), to be bred to Instagrand

Picked up at Fasig-Tipton November just two months ago for $2.2 million, Finite is a MGSW out of a full-sister to MGSW Tapiture. She is one of the maidens headed to Best's Instagrand.

INDIAN MISS (m, 13, Indian Charlie–Glacken's Gal, by Smoke Glacken), to be bred to Practical Joke

A $1.9-million buy by OXO at the 2020 Keeneland November sale, Indian Miss is the dam of 2019 champion sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya) and additional GISW Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), who is slated to contest the G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 26. The oldest and most accomplished broodmare to date in the OXO broodmare band, Indian Miss is currently in foal to Instagrand and will go back to Practical Joke. Best also has her yearling colt by Into Mischief.

Let us know who you're breeding your mares to in 2022, and why. We will print a selection of your responses in TDN over the coming weeks. Please send details to: garyking@thetdn.com.

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Monomoy Girl Splashes Home First In Bayakoa, Winning For 14th Time In 16 Starts

Two-time Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl registered her 14th victory in 16 career starts on Sunday at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., dispatching five filly and mare rivals on a sloppy track to win her seasonal debut by two lengths under regular rider Florent Geroux.

Trained by Brad Cox for Spendthrift Farm, My Racehorse and Madaket Stables, the 6-year-old mare by Tapizar out of Drumette, by Henny Hughes, took the overland route most of the 1 1/16 miles, stopping the teletimer in 1:45.92.

Our Super Freak edged Finite by 1 1/4 lengths for second place, with Chance to Shine fourth, Istan Council fifth and Another Broad trailing the field. Sent off the heavy favorite, Monomoy Girl paid $2.40 as a heavy favorite.

Steve Asmussen-trained Finite jumped out to an early lead under Ricardo Santana Jr., setting fractions of :24.60 for the opening quarter mile and :49.41 for the half. Our Super Freak applied pressure to Finite approaching the far turn after six furlongs in 1:14.13, with Monomoy Girl biding her time just behind the top pair and well off the rail.

Our Super Freak and David Cohen passed Finite, who fought back gamely to her inside, but Geroux and Monomoy Girl had them both measured, and the champion moved to the lead at the top of the stretch, sailing past the mile marker in 1:39.04 en route to her victory.

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Monomoy Girl Makes Highly Anticipated Return in Bayakoa

Dual champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) makes her highly anticipated seasonal debut–albeit two weeks later than planned–Saturday in the delayed GIII Bayakoa S. at Oaklawn.

Named champion 3-year-old filly after a sensational 2018 season, the chestnut was a perfect four-for-four last term after spending all of 2019 on the sidelines due to colic and a hamstring injury. Returning from an 18-month layoff at Churchill May 16, Monomoy Girl scored a decisive victory in a sloppy optional claimer and captured Belmont's GII Ruffian S. next out July 11. A facile winner of the GI La Troienne S. at Churchill Sept. 4, she clinched her second Eclipse award with another victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland Nov. 7. Sent through the ring across town at Fasig-Tipton the very next day, Monomoy Girl was the star of the show, topping the sale on a $9.5-million bid from Spendthrift Farm and was returned to the Brad Cox barn for a 2021 campaign. In the interim, original owner Sol Kumin of Madaket Stables bought back in as co-owner and My Racehorse has also joined in as a lease partner.

This event will likely be bet as a one-horse affair, but the second best horse on paper is Finite (Munnings). Winner of the GII Rachel Alexandra S. last term, the chestnut was shelved after finishing fourth in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks in March. Trying turf in her return to action in the Music City S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 15, the $200,000 EASMAY buy showed the grass was not for her, finishing 11th. Missing by a neck to another daughter of Munnings in Venetian Harbor in Keeneland's GII Raven Run S. Oct. 17, Finite made amends with a win in the GIII Chilukki S. at Churchill Nov. 21 and rallied to be fourth in the GI La Brea S. at Santa Anita Dec. 26.

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Finite Ships West To Take On Merneith In La Brea

In what appears to be a wide-open affair at seven furlongs, Steve Asmussen-trained Finite and Bob Baffert trainee Merneith head a field of 11 sophomore fillies in the Grade 1, $300,000 La Brea Stakes, one of five graded events on Santa Anita's Winter/Spring opening day this Saturday, Dec. 26.

A winner of the G3 Chilukki Stakes going a one turn mile at Churchill Downs Nov. 21, Finite is a three-time graded stakes winner who seeks her seventh win in what will be her 12th career start.

A winner of her last two starts, Merneith, a daughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, seeks her third consecutive win and her first graded stakes win.

FINITE

Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds, LLC, Thomas Reiman, William Dickson & Deborah Easter

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Fresh off a rousing 2 ½ length win going a one turn mile in the G3 Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs Nov. 21, this daughter of Munnings will ship west in search of her first G1 victory. Although she rallied powerfully from off the pace to win the Chilukki, Finite has plenty of natural speed, evidenced by her gate to wire maiden win going 6 ½ furlongs on grass at age two. With three graded stakes victories and an overall mark of 11-6-3-0, she is the leading money earner in the field with $757,869 and looms the post time favorite.

MERNEITH

Owner: HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud

Trainer: Bob Baffert

A game neck winner of an ungraded six furlong stakes at Keeneland on Nov. 7, this daughter of American Pharoah was an emphatic 3 ¼ length allowance winner at the same distance here on Oct. 11 and thus seeks her third consecutive win. A well beaten third by Horse of the Year candidate Swiss Skydiver in her only graded stakes try, the G2 Santa Anita Oaks five starts back on June 6, Merneith appears poised for a top effort as Baffert seeks his record eighth La Brea triumph.

MOTIVATED SELLER

Owner: Klaravich Stables, Inc.

Trainer: Chad Brown

Second, beaten a neck by Merneith going six furlongs at Keeneland Nov. 7, this daughter of top sire Into Mischief is very much on the improve for Brown. A six length first-out maiden winner going six furlongs at Gulfstream Park Jan. 12, she was then idle until Oct. 11 at Belmont Park, where she pressed the early pace and registered a 2 ¾ length allowance win at the same distance. In what will be her fourth career start, Motivated Seller will be trying graded stakes competition for the first time.

THE GRADE I LA BREA WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 11 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT

  1. Princess Mo—Geovanni Franco—120
  2. Merneith—John Velazquez—120
  3. Himiko—Flavien Prat—120
  4. Secret Keeper—Abel Cedillo–120
  5. Finite—Ricardo Santana, Jr.—122
  6. Biddy Duke—Juan Hernandez—122
  7. Provocation—Joel Rosario—120
  8. Motivated Seller—Umberto Rispoli—120
  9. Fair Maiden—Ricardo Gonzalez—120
  10. Golden Principal—Mike Smith—120
  11. Stellar Sound—Victor Espinoza–120

The G1 La Brea, to be contested for the 48th time, is one of five graded stakes on an 11-race card Saturday.

Although there is no public admittance, fans can watch and wager via 1st.com/Bet and they can watch all of Santa Anita's races free of charge at santaanita.com/live. Special early first post time on Saturday is at 11 a.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

 

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