Remembering Sitiby You

Sitiby You was one of our first homebreds, a daughter of Devon Lane and Netta Gayle Bell, who was a Slewvescent daughter out of a stakes-winning mare. (We have no idea what her name means. We didn't name her.)  

We purchased her dam in foal to Devon Lane for a very good price at a small sale in the El Paso area (at a location that would later serve as the training track for the movie 50-to-1, the story of the Kentucky Derby winner from New Mexico, Mine That Bird). Another auction attendee told us he thought we'd made the buy of the century. We felt pretty good about that!

The following spring "Netta" produced a lovely bay filly, one of very few ever born at our ranch instead of at a breeding farm. Sadly, we weren't in a position to race a homebred at that time, and had to pare down the broodmare band that year so Netta and her foal were part of a package deal we put together for a New Mexico owner.

She later had a short career of only six starts, but was a winner and ran 2nd on another occasion. 

We caught up with this girl before a race at Albuquerque Downs and upon seeing her in the saddling paddock for the first time in over three years, we were shocked! When we sold her, she was a tiny bay baby...and she'd grown into a stunning, tall grey mare. We definitely did a double take! The grey, of course, came from her sire, Devon Lane, a son of Storm Cat who was one of our state's best producing stallions in his day. 

Here's a photo from that day at Albuquerque Downs. 

Sitiby You was foaled in 2008, and ran from 2010 - 2012 (three to five years old). This photo is from the September - November 2012 time frame when she was four. 

As a baby, she was a bit of a dynamo. She was always active and usually into some sort of mischief. Our first halter lessons with her were a complete rodeo! One morning our barn manager found her laying in the water trough, up to her neck in chilly water. He fished her out and she was fine, if a bit tired. 

We will always remember our girl fondly.