Mike Callanan | Horse Racing Free Tips

Sierra Farm was founded by Ed and Sharon Hudon in 2006. Following the passing of her husband in 2018, Sharon took over the operation and the farm was recently sold to Matt Dorman's Determined Stud in December of 2021. Sierra Farm sold four mares at last year's Keeneland November Sale and the remaining mares moved to Greenfield Farm.

Sierra farm manager Mike Callanan said that of the current broodmare band, many will point to this year's Keeneland November Sale but added that Hudon may retain several to maintain a small broodmare band. Callanan said they kept that objective in mind as they prepared mating plans for this year.

“This year is a little different with the farm selling,” he explained. “We had to be a little more commercial than usual. We have one eye down the road in November because we plan to have a couple sold then, so that fact has influenced a lot of what we've done. We're trying to do the right thing by the mares but at the same time cover our bases for on down the road.”

ANGEL NUMBER (m, 6, Lemon Drop Kid – Ascending Angel, by Pulpit) to be bred to Constitution

This mare is a half-sister to GISW Nadal (Blame) and she is currently carrying her first foal by Speightstown. She is due any day. She's a big, strong, beautiful mare so physically, we think we could breed her to anything.

We will be sending her to Constitution. He is really one of the most exciting sires out there right now and she is one of our best mares. She's a young mare, so we want to give her every shot and I think no matter what way it plays out in November, we will be great there.

BSHARPSONATA (m, 17, Pulpit – Apasionata Sonata, by Affirmed) to be bred to Silver State

Bsharpsonata has been a very good mare to us. We sold a million-dollar yearling out of her and she is a multiple stakes producer. She had a late foal in 2020, so we gave her a year off last year and then bred her to Nyquist. She is due any day. She is 17 years old now, so we want to be commercial with her without putting an exorbitant amount of money into her.

We love Silver State at Claiborne. He's a big, beautiful-looking horse. She's a Pulpit mare, so a very strong, powerful-looking mare but not the biggest in the world. If you can breed her to something with a little bit of leg, I think it would really help her and you don't often get Hard Spuns with the kind of leg Silver State has. I think he's is a really nice horse.

MISCHIEFFUL (m, 4, Into Mischief – Shanon Nicole, by Majestic Warrior) to be bred to Essential Quality

This filly was stakes placed sprinting at Saratoga and she was very fast as a 2-year-old. We retired her last year and she is going to Essential Quality. We kind of had Essential Quality in mind for another mare, but Darren [Fox] talked us into sending this mare to him. Darren liked the fact that she was a fast-looking horse and physically, would suit Essential Quality. Normally we don't like to breed maiden mares to first-year sires, but I think Essential Quality was an exceptional racehorse. Physically, it ticks the box and if this horse goes to November, it will be a commercial mating.

JUMP UP (m, 14, Jump Start – Susie Joe's, by Bertrando) to be bred to Maxfield

This is the dam of SW Amy's Challenge (Artie Schiller). She's a big, good-looking mare and she has already produced a really nice horse. I think Maxfield is well-priced and he was a really nice racehorse. From a commercial point of view in whatever direction we decide to go, I like this cross a lot. We bred her to Kitten's Joy two years in a row and Amy's Challenge is by Artie Schiller, so we wanted to try something a little bit different.

SCANDALOUS SONG (m, 12, Unbridled's Song – My White Corvette, by Tarr Road) to be bred to Hard Spun

This mare is a half-sister to champion Stardom Bound (Tapit) and she is already a stakes producer. This year we will be sending her to Hard Spun. I think Hard Spun is a great value at [$35,000]. Every year he produced runners. She's a big, tall mare so I think he should strengthen her up a bit. From a physical point of view, it ticks every box that we're looking for in a mating.

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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Matt Dorman, who began building a boutique broodmare band last year, officially has a new home for his Determined Stud after purchasing Susan Hudon's 216-acre Sierra Farm in Lexington.

“It's a turnkey operation,” Dorman said of the property on Mt Horeb Pike. “I have a lot of respect for what Ed Hudon and his wife did there. Ed unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago, but they built a phenomenal horse farm. It's horse ready and it's human ready–which is kind of hard to find. But it fits what we are doing perfectly because it is really geared towards broodmares and yearlings and foaling. So we got lucky.”

Dorman first made a splash at last year's breeding stock sales, purchasing several high-priced broodmares, and his original plan was to base the band in his native Maryland.

“I made the decision, given the investment in the broodmares, that it's probably better to have a farm in Kentucky rather than try to build out a farm in Maryland,” Dorman said of the change in plans. “With COVID and supply issues, the costs were really challenging and we couldn't get a guaranteed time line. So that forced me to look at different options. We looked at some different properties down in Kentucky. There are really nice farms and obviously some good land. And then things came together selling the property here in Maryland which allowed me to look at a different level. Sierra had been on the market for a while, so that one just fell into the spot as far as the size.”

Ed and Sharon Hudon founded Sierra Farm in 2006 and Sharon took over the growing commercial operation after her husband's death in 2018. Sierra had its first seven-figure sale when Larry Best purchased an American Pharoah colt for $1.4 million at the 2018 Keeneland September sale and the farm was also birthplace of Grade I winner Nadal (Blame).

“It's bittersweet, but it's probably the right time for everybody on this side of things,” longtime Sierra farm manager Mike Callanan said of the sale. “We've kind of been moving towards this in the last couple of years anyway, after Ed died, just reducing the number of horses we had and the horses in training.”

Sierra Farm sold four mares at the Keeneland November sale last month and will offer six mares and two yearlings at next month's Keeneland January sale.

“That will be Sierra Farm's last sale,” Callanan said of the January consignment.

Sierra Farm's remaining horses will relocate to Greenfield Farm.

“There are 14 weanlings who will go in the sale next year. And I think there is 12 mares left,” Callanan said. “My father-in-law is Bruce Gibbs, who owns Greenfield Farm, and the plan is for everything that is left to go there and then we will figure out the next stage.”

Dorman expects his broodmares to begin moving into the new facility next spring.

“Scott [Mallory] and I got together and decided we would get through the majority of our foaling and then move over there,” Dorman said. “So we probably won't be over there until March or April. We would just rather keep the mares where they are and keep them happy and not have to deal with the challenges of foaling season and moving to a new facility at the same time. Once they foal, we will start moving them over there.”

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