Horses That Left our Stable in 2024

Adaay in Asia - claimed

Our talented import never faired well on our eastern tracks (Keeneland, Aqueduct, etc.) and was later sent West, where she didn't improve at Santa Anita or Del Mar. She was claimed out of a race, but has since been sent to Tampa Bay Downs where she has scored a 1st and a close 2nd in consecutive races in 2024.

English Jubilee - claimed

Our daughter of English Channel out of a Kitten's Joy mare never seemed to be able to put a solid race together until she won a claiming race at Woodbine on Halloween night and was claimed. She had eight starts with one 1st, one 2nd, and one 3rd and $34,000+ in earnings. In her only stakes entry, the Cup and Saucer at Woodbine, she ran 4th. She has not worked or run back since being claimed, but may have been sent south for the winter, as she was by us the previous year.

Guinevere - sold at Keeneland November / race or broodmare 

Our stunning daughter of Justify only had 5 starts, but won both of her starts on the dirt, and came in 3rd on the tapeta at Turfway Park in her debut. Purchased as a possibly top turf contender, she finished her only two races on turf dead last. She was put through the Keeneland November sale as a racing or broodmare prospect in early November and brought $90,000, purchased by one of the participating partners. She has since been entered into a race at Mahoning Valley, possibly pending her broodmare career in the spring. 

Lady Blitz - retired / sport horse or broodmare project

After showing a ton of talent and ramping up the hopes of many of her owners early on, and finishing 3rd in her debut at Saratoga with Irad Ortiz in the irons, Lady Blitz could never seem to put together a career. She was sent back to Wavertree Farm to retrain in early 2024, and during the process a flap issue was found in her throat. After two unsuccessful surgeries she was retired and sent back to her consignor as a broodmare or sport horse project. 

Lane Way - retired / at Old Friends in Kentucky

After a wonderful career where our son of Into Mischief frequently won or placed in graded stakes, set a new track record on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita, and finished 2023 as 1st alternate to the Breeders Cup Sprint, a decision was made to retire him at age 7. He was sent to Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Kentucky in late Fall, where he can now rub elbows with other famous retired horses such as Silver Charm, Big Brown and Cozmic One.  

Legitify - claimed, has raced

Our chestnut son of Justify was claimed on May 24th. Legitify continued his career in shorter sprint races at Los Alamitos and got a win by 2-2/3 lengths at Santa Anita on October 5, 2024 going one mile on dirt. He ran back on 11/22 in a 1 mile claiming race at Del Mar, ran 7th and was subsequently claimed again. He has not run back since the end of November. 

Magical Ways - claimed and has been racing

Our son of Maclean's Music, Magical Ways, continued his career after being claimed in 2023 at Aqueduct, and has registered some wins and strong performances increasing his current bankroll to $262,000+ with 5 wins, 3 2nds and 4 3rds from 24 lifetime starts. His last two Equibase speed figures at Aqueduct were 104 for 3rd and 108 for 2nd!

Mo Temptation - retired / broodmare in California 

Our promising daughter of Mo Town was retired from racing on May 19th with only one race under her belt. Frequent setbacks led to the decision to retire her from racing in her best interest. She'll be a broodmare in California, with a date with a talented California stallion, Brickyard. 

Pioneer Prince - claimed, has raced

Our gelded son of Pioneerof the Nile was claimed in August by top trainer, Doug O'Neill. He ran back on August 17th with a win, and on September 1, where he finished 7th. 

Straight to Glory - retired / hunter/jumper in Texas

Our son of top UK freshman sire Cotai Glory struggled with a series of setbacks including bulking up which led to the decision to geld him in an attempt to reduce stress due to weight on his joints but he never made it to a debut. As part of the Royal Duet with Guinevere, they were simultaneously retired on October 29th. Straight to Glory has found a home with a young equestrian in Texas who will train him as a hunter/jumper.  

Lady Blitz Retirement

Unfortunately, the second tie-back performed on Lady Blitz has failed. We knew it would be a long shot re-doing the surgery, but given we had come this far, we felt we had to try again. It is apparent now that we have no other option but to retire Lady Blitz.

Carrie Brogden of Machmer Hall, which consigned at the Saratoga Select Sale in 2021, has generously offered to take Lady Blitz and assist in the process of retraining and rehoming her.

Follow Up

We are pleased to report Lady Blitz arrived safely at Machmer Hall where she will transition into her second career. Carrie Brogden shared a video of her out in the pasture this morning.

Lady Blitz Follow-Up

Lady Blitz underwent a second procedure today and all went smoothly thus far, Dr. Madison reported. As we saw after the first attempt, we are by no means out of the woods yet. The sutures will be removed in 10-12 days, and at that point another scope will be performed, followed by an additional scope at 30 days. Lady Blitz will otherwise be on stall rest and hand walked for the next month.

We’ll remain in contact with the team at Wavertree and will report back with updates on Lady Blitz’s recovery and the status of the tie-back as we receive more information.

Here's The Kicker/Lady Blitz Speedwork Update

Here’s the Kicker had her second work in company with stablemate Lady Blitz on Tuesday morning at Wavertree. Breezing another three furlongs, your daughter of Liam’s Map breezed much better this week according to farm trainer Ciaran Dunne. She is scheduled to work back again next Tuesday.

Lady Blitz breezed three furlongs on Tuesday morning in company with MRH stablemate Here’s the Kicker. This was your daughter of Audible’s second breeze since her break and farm trainer Ciaran Dunne felt Lady Blitz worked good as usual. She is scheduled to breeze again next Tuesday, working a half-mile. We’ll follow up when she breezes again.

Lady Blitz and Here's The Kicker Update

Lady Blitz remains in good order at Wavertree Stables and will have her first work back tomorrow morning. Our daughter of Audible is scheduled to breeze an easy three furlongs from the quarter pole in company with MyRacehorse stablemate Here’s the Kicker.

Ocala Event and Naming of La Cuvee 21 (The Royal Duet)

 It's a very busy day today on the partnership stable front. 

In addition to Secret Crush's debut and 4th place finish at Gulfstream in Florida, the Ocala Showcase was going on in Ocala, FL where three of our fillies were showcased -- Lady Blitz, Here's The Kicker, and the newly named Isle Blue. 

We were particularly happy with the video of Isle Blue, who is maturing beautifully and from what the trainers are saying, is an absolute pleasure to work with. This daughter of the late great sire Speightstown, out of a Curlin mare, is showing a lot of promise to date, and seems to be the barn favorite. We will look forward to her potential debut later this year or in 2025. 

Lady Blitz was also looking sensational, and has added a lot of weight and is carrying a nice shine. She led the filly parade on the track work, and looked like a pro. Being a veteran of several races, she is by far the most experienced of the field, and her professionalism really showed. The added time for her to mature should be a huge plus for her. Lady Blitz is from the first crop of Audible (Into Mischief), and he has already sired a potential Derby horse, so we've got our fingers crossed that she'll blossom in her 3YO year.

Here's The Kicker, our lovely dappled grey daughter of Liam's Map, also ran in the works, but was placed at the back of the pack. Although she looks healthy and happy, we have some concerns about how little she seems to have matured during her break. The team reported she has become fast friends with Lady Blitz, and they share a pasture together. It's possible she just won't have what it takes to be a racehorse, but at this point in the game, she could still completely surprise us. Time will tell.

Finally...

The name for our Cotai Glory son, La Cuvee '21 (temporary name) was announced at the Ocala Showcase today! The name chosen for the colt that's part of our The Royal Duet pair is.....

Once the Jockey Club officially approves the name, we'll make the appropriate changes on the site to the page and labels, however, since he's part of The Royal Duet, the page itself at the top of this site will not change, nor will the label on the side bar and on past posts since he's still a part of The Royal Duet bundle. (Whew! Makes our job a little easier.)

Straight to Glory is the last of our unnamed horses, as even the 2YOs (Isle Blue and Good Cop) have already been named. For the first time, we have a stable of fully named horses. (Unless we buy a yearling at some point, but right now, that is NOT in the plan! :) )

Lady Blitz Update

We are thrilled to report that Lady Blitz started back under tack this morning at Wavertree Stable. Following a few days of jogging on the field and on the track, the daughter of Audible will soon transition to galloping ahead of our Ocala Showcase. Farm trainer Ciaran Dunne reported that your 3-year-old has put on plenty of weight and will still keep her turned out while she's back in the light stages of training.

Lady Blitz and Here's The Kicker Update from Wavertree

We received updates on both Lady Blitz and Here's The Kicker, both who were sent to Wavertree in Ocala for a freshening. The two share a large grassy pasture for most of the day, and are taken to the barn in the mornings for feeding and a bath, and then walked on the walker for a time. The two seemed to be getting along splendidly based on the photos and videos sent to us.

Lady Blitz (brown with star), our Audible daughter who Ciaran Dunne remarked has been a disappointment for both Wavertree and her partnership based on the extreme promise she showed early on in training, seems to have adjusted well to her break. Since arriving, she has put on quite a bit of weight and seems to be enjoying her time off. They found no physical issues with the mare, so hopefully the freshening and extra time to mature as a now 3YO will help her to get back on track. She is expected to return to training in the next 30-60 days.

Here's The Kicker (grey), a daughter of Liam's Map, will remain at the farm at least another four to five weeks before beginning training under tack again. They also found no physical issues with Here's The Kicker who also seems to be enjoying her winter break. 

Both horses are expected to be presented at the Ocala Showcase at the OBS grounds in mid-February, along with many of the other MRH horses now stabled in central Florida. 

Pedigree Update on Lady Blitz

I'm very excited to announce that Lady Blitz's 4YO half-sister is stakes placed as of today in the Lady of Shamrock Stakes at Santa Anita! 

Like Lady Blitz, this girl struggled a bit early in her career, and I think this only reinforces the decision to pull Lady Blitz out of training and let her mature a bit before continuing her career. Audible now has some serious contenders in his first crop, including a Kentucky Derby hopeful, so it's looking pretty clear he may sire some major talent. 

We think all this girl may need is a little rest and a "timeout" break from the stress of the track. She was such an absolute star in her training, that we believe she still has great potential. Hope to see her back later in the year.

Lady Blitz Update: Back at Wavertree

Lady Blitz has settled in at Wavertree and has now been there for approximately 10 days. Your daughter of Audible will get some much-deserved turnout time as we will allow her to decompress from the racetrack and get some weight back on her. Ciaran and our team will regroup every 30 days but plan on giving her a total of 60 days off.

Lady Blitz and Here's The Kicker Take a Break

Lady Blitz (Audible) and Here's The Kicker (Liam's Map) have both been sent from Palm Beach Downs to Wavertree Training Center in Florida for a freshener. We'll keep you posted on any news. 

Lady Blitz will Take a Break at Wavertree

Lady Blitz exited her last race in good physical order though it was another underwhelming performance. She was sent back to Palm Beach Downs for a short time, and while she has returned to a normal training schedule at Gulfstream Park, MRH has decided to give our daughter of Audible a break from training. There is no particular reason why the break is necessary outside of the fact that she has not performed to expectations through five races. She has had a fairly extensive campaign as a two-year-old and at this stage with no changes, she would need to run for a tag to be competitive which we prefer to not do at this stage. Lady Blitz will return to Wavertree Stables in Ocala where she went through the breaking and pre-training process. Farm trainer Ciaran Dunne was always high on Lady Blitz so we felt it made the most sense for her to spend her turnout period with him and have her prepped there before returning to the track. Given there are no physical set backs, we will likely give her 60 days off before returning to training. We, like many in the partnership, are in full agreement with this plan. Hopefully the added time to mature will be a big benefit, and Ciaran Dunne can get her back on track and ready to begin her 3YO campaign this spring.

Lady Blitz Race Recap

Sadly, Lady Blitz finished sixth in today’s maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park, beaten by 7 lengths. 

Breaking very well from the rail with the scratch of the #1 Tinta Roja she sat right behind the early leader #5 Time is Magic. Turning for home, our 2-year-old was stuck on the inside and seemed to struggle keeping up with the pace being pushed back to eighth-place. 

She re-engaged in the final stretch and looked poised to turn in a big performance, but was not a factor in the late stretch, finishing 6th of an 11 horse field. 

Jockey Edgar Zayas discussed with our team following the race and reported that he was positioned well early on but didn't respond when he needed her to change gears. 

Edgar felt she handled the track well but recommended the turf next as most current Tapeta races will be run on turf as the Championship meet begins on the 6th. (She was tried on turf as an experiment in her 3rd start on the Saratoga turf track and finished dead last. It was considered a failed experiment.)

Coming off a solid final breeze and getting more distance today, we hoped to see some improvement but it did not happen. We follow up in the coming days after the Pletcher team has had time to formulate a plan for going forward, but clearly Lady Blitz has not been able to live up to expectations at this point in her career.  

Lady Blitz Workout Report

Lady Blitz remained on schedule and breezed a half-mile in :50.12 at Gulfstream Park on Saturday morning. Our daughter of Audible breezed in company with an unraced stablemate Hazon and has remained in good order. We remain on target for a maiden special weight going one mile and seventy yards on the Tapeta on November 19th. Lady Blitz will have one final breeze next weekend and we will report back after she does.

Lady Blitz Update

As planned, Lady Blitz returned to the work tab yesterday morning at Gulfstream Park, covering a half-mile in :49.17. 

Our 2-year-old Audible daughter remains on schedule for a possible maiden special weight on Nov. 19th at Gulfstream and will have two additional breezes ahead of this targeted race.

We'll keep you posted.

Lady Blitz Race Recap - Gulfstream Park 10/15/2023

Lady Blitz finished fourth in today’s maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park, beaten by 7 1/4 lengths. 

Breaking well from post 5, the daughter of Audible was forwardly placed and battled in between horses throughout the early stages. Lady Blitz entered the final stretch in second a few lengths behind the leader and eventual winner. She was never able to quicken with #4 Sweet Hazely who was quite impressive on debut. She was only beaten by 3/4 lengths for third. 

We caught up with jockey Emisael Jaramillo following the race who reported that Lady Blitz ran a decent race and feels like a longer distance would suit her better along with the addition of blinkers. We will discuss with trainer Todd Pletcher and navigate a plan moving forward.

Lady Blitz Entry

Lady Blitz on Sunday, Oct 15th at Gulfstream Park. 4th race, MSW 6 furlongs, P#5 /7, E. Jaramillo up. Post time 12:23 MT.

Race Not Written for Lady Blitz -- Will Try Again for Sunday

We just received word that the race Lady Blitz was pointed toward at Gulfstream was not written. They are waiting to see if the race will be used on the Sunday card in an attempt to enter her for Sunday.

Here's the full update (edited slightly for context).

The race for Lady Blitz did not fill for Saturday’s race card at Gulfstream Park but was brought back on the overnight for Sunday, October 8th. 

If the race is not used once again, we will keep entering our daughter of Audible and report back when she is successfully entered.

Lady Blitz Update - Relocation and Race Entry

Lady Blitz shipped earlier this week at Palm Beach Downs in Florida and acclimated to her new surroundings in good order. 

Our daughter of Audible had improved breezes back at Monmouth Park and trainer Todd Pletcher feels she is race-fit. The plan is to enter her today in a maiden special weight going six furlongs for 2-year-old fillies at Gulfstream Park which is scheduled to be run on Oct. 7. 

We'll do a subsequent update when the overnight is released later this afternoon.

Lady Blitz Final Work at Monmouth Park Before Shipping

Lady Blitz had a final work over a very muddy Monmouth Park surface yesterday, and shipped out to the Pletcher barn at Palm Beach Downs in Florida today. She worked well but didn't seem really crazy about the mudbath surface, so hopefully the normally dry track at Gulfstream Park may be more her cup of tea. We'll keep you posted. [Photo from a previous start at Saratoga. Irad Ortiz, Jr. up.]

Photo from a previous start at Saratoga.
Irad Ortiz, Jr. up.