Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift: Puca to be Bred to Frankel on Southern Hemisphere Time

[Wandering Eyes]

The biggest surprise of the two-and-a-half hour livestream which revealed Resolute Racing's mating plans for 2025 was that Puca will be bred to Frankel (GB) on Southern Hemisphere time.

That was only one of the revelations as John Stewart–accompanied by Coolmore's Adrian Wallace, Resolute Racing's Director of Breeding and Bloodstock Chelsey Stone, farm manager Noel Murphy, and general manager Gavin O'Connor–discussed the 2025 matings for his 41 mares in the livestream.

Several stallions will receive multiple mares; Resolute will send four mares to Justify, three to American Pharoah, two to Not This Time, four to Seize the Grey (including Goodnight Olive, as previously announced), two to Nashville, two to Nyquist, and four to Complexity, among others. In all, they will be using 26 different stallions for their 41 mares.

Thursday night, Stewart also announced that Argentine Champion Didia (Arg) was being retired and bred to Nyquist.

Highlights of the matings appear below. The full list is posted on Stewart's Twitter feed.

 

PUCA, 13, Big Brown-Boat's Ghost, by Silver Ghost. To be bred to Frankel (GB) on Southern Hemisphere time

The biggest surprise of the night was that two-time Classic producer Puca (Mage, 2023 Kentucky Derby; Dornoch, 2024 Belmont) will be bred to Frankel on Southern Hemisphere time. “Puca should undoubtedly be broodmare of the year this year,” said Stewart. “She had a colt by Good Magic (a full-brother to Mage and Dornoch) and he's a freak. He's definitely something to watch. He breathes different air. We bred her back to Good Magic last year, and she's in foal with a filly. She went a little over last year which we assume she'll do this year, which will put her a little late.” Her Good Magic yearling, whom Stewart has dubbed “Preak,” in reference to the one Classic her resume lacks, was born April 4, 2024.

“Puca is going to Frankel to be bred on Southern Hemisphere time,” said Stewart. “Then she'll stay and be bred to Frankel on Northern Hemisphere time. The baby who is bred on Northern Hemisphere time will come here and win the Kentucky Derby, and the one on Southern Hemisphere time will go to Australia and win the Melbourne Cup. You can't do any of these things if you don't try. How can I do it? I bought her, and y'all didn't. We're really excited to get the team at Juddmonte to agree to that plan. We appreciate their support.”

 

PINK DOGWOOD (IRE), 9, Camelot (GB)-Question Times (GB), by Shamardal. To be bred to Justify

Listed Stakes winner and G1 Investec Oaks runner-up Pink Dogwood was also three times Group 1 placed in Europe. She is a full-sister to Group 1 Irish Oaks winner Latrobe (Ire), and a half-sister to Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). Stewart acquired her privately from Coolmore in a trip to the farm in 2023. “She's an outstanding individual, full of quality,” said O'Connor. “Her race record speaks for itself. Given the quality of animal that she is, she's built on the base of foundational broodmare sire power. There's a lot of Black Type all through three dams. We bought her in foal to Frankel, and she give us an absolute stamp of an animal. As breeders, to get a product like that, by Frankel, you couldn't wish for more to go forward with. She could potentially be a foundational mare for our operation.”

“She's in foal to Justify and will have a foal on the ground so we'll get to see what this mating looks like,” said Murphy.

 

TOUCHING BEAUTY, 18, Tapit-Victory Road, by Pulpit. To be bred to Justify

Grade III Comely Stakes winner Touching Beauty was second in the GII Matron S. She is the dam of the 2024 GI Blue Grass runner-up Just a Touch (Justify), and is in foal to Justify and is due to deliver a filly on February 5. “We're expecting a big year from him,” said Stone. “He's back on the track, and gearing up,” said Stone. She was purchased from Don Alberto in 2024 at the age of 17. “We bought her with the idea of going to back to Justify and creating a full sibling to Just a Touch.”

 

CHAMPAGNE (Ire), 6, Galileo (Ire)-Red Evie (Ire), by Intikhab. Will be bred to Not This Time

This winning full-sister to G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and GI Breeders' Cup Turf winner Found (Ire) will go to Not This Time. She was purchased privately in foal with her first foal to Siyouni (Fr). “She's a great-size mare,” said Murphy. “She has her quirks and sassy attitude, but she's a class individual,” added Murphy. “She has a regal pedigree.” She's currently in foal to Justify with a colt.

 

CARAVEL, 8, Mizzen Mast-Zeezee Zoomzoom, by Congrats. To be bred to Dubawi (Ire)

The Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner was purchased privately from Sheikh Fahad after RNAing at Keeneland November. “She's a phenomenal horse with a lot of great accomplishments on the track,” said Stewart. “With her turf accomplishments, we made the decision to send her over to be bred to Frankel last year, and she's in foal with a colt,” said Stewart. “I've been dreaming about this mating,” said Stone. “Fingers crossed for a filly.”

 

HAPPEN, 9, War Front-Alexandrova (Ire), by Sadler's Wells. Will be bred to Into Mischief

Happen was another private purchase from Coolmore, and was the winner of the G3 Coolmore Gleneagles Irish EBF Athasi Stakes. “She's by War Front, who is really the only Danzig (-line stallion) that we have over here now. That's why we're making some of these purchases overseas,” said Stewart.

 

QUEEN CAROLINE, 12, Blame-Queens Plaza, by Forestry. Will be bred to Violence

Resolute will replicate the mating that produced Champion Two-Year-Old colt and four-time Grade I winner Forte. “We bought Puca and Queen Caroline within a day of each other,” said Stewart. “The reason I went to Night of the Stars was to buy her. She has a filly by Flightline. That filly is amazing. She is beautiful. She is not for sale.” Queen Caroline is currently in foal to Tapit, carrying a filly. “That's something we're really excited about, having some Tapit blood as he's getting older,” said Stewart, “but this year, we're going to take her back to Violence to produce a full-sibling to Forte. It will be the first full-sibling.”

 

PRINCESS CALLA (SAf), Flower Alley-Princess Royal (SAf), by Captain Al (SAf). To be bred to McKinzie

The 2023 South African Horse of the Year and Champion Older Mare will be bred to McKinzie for her maiden season. “I think she'll be a fantastic broodmare,” said Stewart. “How many Flower Alley horses do you see around here? We're really excited about having her here on the farm. We've bought horses from five continents this year, and she came to us out of South Africa.”

“Princess Calla's race record stands for itself,” said O'Connor. “When you first set eyes on her, she looks like a high-quality individual. She's a multiple Group 1 winner. Physically, herself and McKinzie really complement each other.”

2025 Resolute Matings https://t.co/3kUVLZchem

— Jstewartrr (@jstewartrr) January 30, 2025

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