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Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift Farm: China Horse Club USA

As we approach the opening of the 2024 breeding season, the TDN staff is once again sitting down with leading breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why.

Here we catch up with Christie DeBernardis, CHC's Regional Manager of the Americas.

Alberobello (m, 9, Bernardini–Carson Jen, by Carson City), booked to Uncle Mo

Alberobello hails from an exceptional family that is constantly improving. Additionally, Bernardini is becoming one of the best broodmare sires we've seen in a while. Alberobello produced an Uncle Mo colt for us in 2023 and we were so pleased with him, that we decided to breed her back to that Coolmore super sire after she produces her Justify foal this spring.

Always A Joker (f, 4, Into Mischief–Halo Humor, by Distorted Humor), booked to Justify

We purchased this full-sister to MGISW and successful sire Practical Joke at Keeneland November and look forward to her future. She is as beautifully made as she is bred. We thought Justify was a good physical and pedigree match for her first mating, plus he and her sire Into Mischief are two of the hottest stallions on the market right now.

Cozze Up Lady (m, 15, Cozzene–The White Lady, by Johannesburg), booked to Constitution

A Grade III winner during her racetrack career, Cozze Up Lady brought that same class and talent to the breeding shed, producing GISW Kimari (Munnings). Her 2021 colt by Constitution, now named Tucson, brought seven figures as a yearling and is currently training towards his debut for WinStar/Siena Farm with Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher. We decided to send her back to that leading stallion for 2024.

Embellish the Lace (m, 12, Super Saver–Expanse, by Distant View), booked to Life Is Good

Grade I winner Embellish the Lace has already produced a pair of million-dollar yearlings. One of those seven-figure sellers was a daughter of the great Into Mischief, now two-time winner Pumpkin Scone. We retained that filly's full-sister Into Amore and she is training very well as she prepares for her career bow with Pletcher. Given her success with Into Mischief, we decided to send Embellish the Lace to one of his fastest sons, Life Is Good.

End Times (m, 9, War Front–Last Full Measure, by Empire Maker), booked to Americanrevolution

CHC homebred End Times is the second foal out of Grade I winner and producer Last Full Measure. We sold a lovely Audible filly out of her for $255,000 at this year's KEESEP sale and she has a very nice Improbable yearling filly and newborn colt from the first crop of Nashville. She is one of three mares we are sending to our new stallion, GISW Americanrevolution, as we make our first foray into the New York breeding program.

Last Full Measure (m, 16, Empire Maker–Lazy Slusan, by Slewvescent), booked to Into Mischief

GISW and producer Last Full Measure's offspring have proved quite popular at auction, including her 2022 Constitution filly, who summoned $800,000 at KEESEP last year. The topper at that auction was a $3-million Into Mischief colt out of an Empire Maker mare and that cross is also responsible for MGISW Mandaloun and Grade II winner Laurel River. We hope to add to the success of that cross as Last Full Measure visits Into Mischief this year.

Summer Solo (m, 14, Arch–Summer Solstice {Ire}, by Caerleon), booked to Not This Time

We purchased this GISP mare in 2022 and her first foal for us is a knockout. She is now the dam of two black-type horses thanks to the recent exploits of her daughter Solo Album (Curlin). Arch is phenomenal broodmare sire and Summer Solo has proven to be a versatile broodmare. We are sending her to Not This Time, who has already produced a SW and GSP horse out of an Arch mare in Howling Time.

Yellow Agate (m, 10, Gemologist–Lemon Sorbet, by Lemon Drop Kid), booked to Quality Road

Yellow Agate was CHC's first Grade I winner in America and continues to reward us as a broodmare. She has three winners from three foals of racing age, including GSW and $650,000 KEESEP buy Agate Road (Quality Road). His two older siblings, Gasoline (Curlin) and Plentitude (Quality Road), combined to win five races in 2023 and appear poised to add more black type to this family. Her 2022 filly by Quality Road summoned $650,000 at Saratoga last summer. Given all of her success with Quality Road, it seemed like a no-brainer to send Yellow Agate back to the Lane's End kingpin this year.

Interested in sharing your own mating plans? Email garyking@thetdn.com.

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Thanks To Explosive Finish From Agate Road, Repole Wins Another Saratoga Maiden

Just five races after Mike Repole was visiting the Saratoga winner's circle with 2-year-old winner Life's an Audible (Audible) in Saturday's first race, the owner wasted little time getting back to that same spot. Repole won his second maiden special weight race on the day and his seventh at the meet when Agate Road (Quality Road) unleashed a furious stretch drive to win the day's sixth race, a maiden on the turf.

Repole's 2-year-olds continue to be a relentless force at the Spa.

“He's a nice Quality Road and we really liked him,” Repole said. “Todd (Pletcher) is having a great meet, we're having a great meet and my team is doing a great job. A lot of these are 2-year-olds we bought at the sales. Our 2-year-olds are running really well. We're really loading up for this year and next year.”

Agate Road was a $650,000 Keeneland September purchase and the dam, Yellow Agate (Gemologist) won the GI Frizette S. for trainer Christophe Clement. Though there didn't appear to be a lot of turf breeding in the colt's pedigree, Pletcher must have known something. He entered Agate Road in an Aug. 5 maiden that was washed off the turf. Agate Road finished second in the one-mile event, losing by just a nose.

But rather than staying on the dirt, Pletcher placed the juvenile right back in a turf maiden. The result was a much- improved effort from the even-money favorite. Breaking from the 10 hole in a field of 10, Agate Road came out at the start and by the time he could be straightened up by Irad Ortiz, Jr. he was last. Ortiz got the colt going near the top of the stretch, but it still looked like a lost cause. At the eighth pole, he had just one horse beat. But from there launched a stretch rally for the ages. He passed eight horses and made up about six lengths inside the final furlong to win by a neck over Stolen Magic (Good Magic).

“I wouldn't say it was a masterful ride from Irad when he went 10-wide,” Repole said. “He's had better rides. When he broke a little slow from the 10 post he was going to be wide. He must have come home in under 12. He was flying at the end.”

The final time for the mile-and-a-sixteenth run over a firm turf course was 1:46.79 and Agate Road paid $4.10.

From his army of 2-year-olds, Repole may not be done. On Sunday, he will run Scalable in a six-furlong maiden special weight race and Miz Sense (Street Sense) in the GI Spinaway S. On Monday, he will send out Be You (Curlin) in the closing-day feature, the GI Hopeful S.

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China Horse Club’s Breeding Operation Continues To Branch Out

A new chapter in the evolution of China Horse Club has been written with confirmation that the first yearling produced by one of its American-based Grade 1-winning racehorses is now taking its formative steps towards a racing career.

Yellow Agate, who became the China Horse Club's inaugural Grade 1 winner in the United States, is again blazing a trail for the internationally-minded operation, closing the final loop in a long-standing plan to buy and race elite fillies before breeding them to sell at major markets the world over.

“This is an exciting time for the Club. A long-term plan set in process several years ago is now coming full circle,” said Michael Wallace, chief operating officer for the China Horse Club. “In 2015 we started a plan to selectively purchase quality fillies from major sales around the world. The objective being to develop some of them into Grade 1 winners on the track and, in time, for these Grade 1 winning fillies and mares to become a cornerstone of our breeding operations in major markets.

“That has now happened,” he continued. “Earlier this year we had First Seal's first yearling offered publicly at auction in Australia and this spring we have the first yearling by one of our American stars, Yellow Agate, taking the first steps in his career for his new owners.”

In April, a Snitzel colt out of G1 Flight Stakes winner First Seal topped the 2020 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, Australia's premier yearling sale, when Coolmore Australia won out with a final bid of $1,800,000 Australian (US$1,315,751). The athletic colt has recently turned two and is in the care of champion trainer Chris Waller.

The Curlin x Yellow Agate colt is currently being broken in at Stonestreet Farm before joining the operation of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Pletcher's record grows season upon season and its achievements with the China Horse Club and partners are representative of this. He trained former G1 Florida Derby winner and now WinStar Farm-based sire Audible, Kentucky Oaks contender Ivy Bell and currently oversees the careers of the stakes-winner Valiance and the above-average Fearless.

Yellow Agate was purchased from the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and franked that assessment by becoming a Grade 1 winner at just her second start in the 2016 Frizette Stakes. That explosive performance was a career highlight for the athletic bay who joined China Horse Club's U.S.-based breeding operation after an injury setback.

The 2008 Eclipse Horse of the Year, Curlin, was chosen as the first mate for Yellow Agate. In the ensuing years the champion racehorse has continued to build on his imposing record as a sire and there is every reason to be buoyant about this latest prospect by Yellow Agate.

“The Curlin x Yellow Agate yearling is a stunning colt, he really is,” Wallace said. “He has always been highlighted rated in our system and just continue to develop physically. He is a really powerful type who gets over ground well.

“Earlier this year Yellow Agate delivered a filly by Quality Road and she is just exceptional,”Wallace continued. “The mare is doing a wonderful job to China Horse Club. She is the racetrack graduate we hoped for and she is throwing her athletic frame into her progeny and giving them the chance to replicate what she was able to do on the track.”

Yellow Agate was covered again by star stallion Quality Road in March. In Australia, China Horse Club's talismanic First Seal was covered by champion first, second and third-season sire Zoustar earlier this month.

The post China Horse Club’s Breeding Operation Continues To Branch Out appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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