‘It’s Extra Special With A Homebred’ – Ryan Has Grade I Plan For Be Your Best

[Wandering Eyes]

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan has not ruled out offering his recent Grade II winner Be Your Best (Ire) at a European sales house but explained that priority number one was to bag a victory at the highest level with his homebred daughter of Muhaarar (GB).

Ryan is perhaps best known for sourcing many champions on behalf of owners Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown but described seeing Be Your Best, who he bred under his own St Croix Bloodstock, landing the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes as “a huge thrill.”

Grade I races are now on the agenda for the five-year-old, who has been transformed since joining the care of trainer Saffie Joseph last autumn. 

Ryan said, “She's very versatile with regards to the trip but she wants the ground very firm. She has great action and firm ground is her best surface by a long way. She has a high cruising speed and can kick off a high cruising speed given firm turf. I made a trainer switch early September of last year and it has turned out to be game-changing. She is three-from-four with Saffie Joseph and I just think she is a different filly now. She's strengthened, developed and matured in every way. Horacio DePaz did a great job with her previously and she is a really sound filly.”

He added, “That's one of the hardest parts of the game right now, keeping horses healthy and sound. Our goal now is to try and win a Grade I with her. She's been second in two Grades Is–both of which was in California, one on good ground and the other on firm. We think she's capable of winning a Grade I and the last three races have been the best of her career. The other day at Gulfstream was a career-best. She stays very well and there is a lot of stamina on the dam's side–her mother is by Medaglia d'Oro, who is a great influence. The second dam [Kotuku (GB)] was a very good mare by A.P. Indy, another good influence, while the third dam [Flagbird] was a top filly in Europe by Nureyev. 

“It's interesting, she trains so well on the dirt, we've even debated running her on that surface. But that conversation is for way down the road. What she's doing on the grass, there's no need to experiment. She's one of these European horses that reminds me of Rushing Fall (More Than Ready), who trained so well on the dirt. Of course, Rushing Fall was American-bred, but we've had other European-breds like In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (LopeDe Vega {Ire}). They all trained very well on the dirt as well.”

Ryan has toyed with the idea of selling Be Your Best on multiple occasions. He resisted offering her as a foal or a yearling and she has been withdrawn from the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale in 2022 and 2023 respectively. However, Be Your Best could well be offered under the hammer at Fasig-Tipton later this year, with the 'Night of the Stars' and the Sceptre Session at Tattersalls put forward as possible destinations for the upwardly mobile filly.

“It is extra special with her being a homebred,” he explained. “I never took her to a sale because Muhaarar wasn't really flavour of the month at the time. His first two crops sold very well but the bloom went off the rose, so to speak. But I liked this filly and said, 'you know what,' let's keep her and put her in training with a view towards helping the mare. The mare had a very nice Too Darn Hot (GB) who we sold to Richard Brown last year.”

Ryan added, “Be Your Best's dam has a really outstanding yearling filly by Baaeed (GB). I actually have two Baaeed yearlings and they are here in America. The other Baaeed filly is out of Sassy Little Lila (Artie Schiller), another mare we raced. I really like Baaeed and am breeding two mares back to him this year.

“Be Your Best's mother is in foal to Cody's Wish and she's going to go back to Nyquist. The plan is to run Be Your Best throughout the year but, if an offer came in, you'd have to give it serious consideration. But we'll leave all options open. We could go to Fasig-Tipton or she could also go to Tattersalls–the Night Of Stars and Sceptre Sessions are very much global markets. More immediately, our hope is to get that Grade I win. She'll get a break now and one of her objectives is the Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland.”

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