2025 Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift Farms: Wasabi Ventures

[Wandering Eyes]

George Adams of Housatonic Bloodstock discusses the 2025 mating plans for the Wasabi Ventures' broodmare band.

Now with its own Kentucky farm, Serendipity Springs, Wasabi Ventures Stables & Stallions continues to try to improve the quality of its breeding program and the commerciality of its foals. Everyone knows that freshman sires tend to be the most commercial, and Wasabi will be supporting several of them in which we have shares.

Specifically, we're sending five mares to Speightstown's only 2-year-old Grade I-winning son, Prince of Monaco at Claiborne. We love Speightstown as a sire-of-sires, and Prince of Monaco's physical and race record make him a hugely exciting prospect.

GUN SLINGIN (6, Gun Runner–Easy Tap, by Tapit) to be bred to Prince of Monoco.

Among the five mares we're sending his way are Gun Slingin, a full-sister to Grade II winner and Grade I-placed Disarm, who we're hoping has another big year at the races. The Gone West sire-line has already worked repeatedly with Gun Slingin's female family, and the Gone West/Candy Ride cross has been successful, too. And physically, Prince of Monaco's substance will complement the leggy, rangier Gun Slingin.

CROQUEMBOUCHE (5, Twirling Candy–Lady Esme, bu Majestic Warrior) to be bred to Prince of Monaco.

The maiden mare Croquembouche is a daughter of Twirling Candy (and half to Grade II winner Lord Miles), so this is the same Gone West/Candy Ride cross as with Gun Slingin, and is another female family that has had success with Gone West-line stallions, including Caledonia Road and Citizen Advocate.

WHY NOT TONIGHT (7, Tapiture–Pay the Lady, by Not For Love) to be bred to Prince of Monaco.

Wasabi's first black-type winner Why Not Tonight also goes to Prince of Monaco. She's a big, rangy mare by Tapiture, and the Speightstown/Tapit cross has been strong with the likes of Lexitonian, Bonny South, and Poster.

Casa Creed | Sarah Andrew

MAD GRACE (10, English Channel–Floating Island, by A. P. Indy) to be bred to Casa Creed.

We are sending two mares to Casa Creed at Mill Ridge. We love what Price and Headley are doing with their roster, and Wasabi is happy to put their money where their mouth is and support a hard-knocking, durable horse like Casa Creed. The first of our mares that will visit him is Mad Grace, a daughter of English Channel who was similarly durable (9 wins out of 41 starts through seven years old.)

WAND WORK (5, Uncle Mo–Mrs. Norris, by Bernardini) to be bred to Casa Creed.

We're also sending Casa Creed the unraced Wand Work, an Uncle Mo half-sister to the black-type 2-year-old Hedwig (whom Wasabi just acquired from Godolphin in November). Hedwig is by Maclean's Music, so the family has succeeded with the Distorted Humor sire-line that Casa Creed comes from. His leg and scope will also complement the more compact Wand Work.

WILD FOR LOVE (15, Not Fo Love-Sticky, by Concern) to be bred to Charge It.

The third first-year sire that we're excited about is Charge It at Gainesway. He's a gorgeous specimen, and we love his pedigree and the brilliance that he showed on his best days. We're sending him Wild For Love, a daughter of Not For Love who produced the first black-type winner bred by Wasabi. That black-type winner, Local Motive, is by a son of Tapit, so Charge It makes perfect sense for her–plus the Tapit/Not For Love cross has been very strong.

QUEEN MUM (10, Paynter–For Royalty, by Not For Love) to be bred to Charge It.

Wasabi also has the black-type placed 2-year-old Queen Mum heading to Charge It. She's a half to Grade I winner Constellation and three more black-type horses, plus to the big-money yearling Edified, by Tapit, who just won an allowance for Steve Asmussen in January. Her broodmare sire is Not For Love, so we get a variation on that cross again, too.

Wasabi is also sending multiple mares to the likes of Annapolis, Honest Mischief, Tacitus and Up to the Mark, and the other stallion that we're supporting very heavily is Army Mule, who will get five Wasabi mares.

FLORAL HALL (6, Bodemeister–Painted Lady, by Broad Brush) to be bred to Army Mule.

We think that Army Mule is poised to be a very successful sire–what he accomplished with his first crop of very average mares (looking at his Comp Index) was incredible, and with two big crops bred on higher fees in the pipeline, it's only a matter of time before he's back in the limelight. We're sending him a Godolphin-bred mare named Floral Hall, who is from the family of Wet Paint and is a half to black-type winners by the A.P. Indy-line horses Sky Mesa and Frosted, so Army Mule will suit.

Army Mule | Sarah Andrew

C'EST MARDI (9, Tiznow–Surging Storm, by Storm Creek) to be bred to Army Mule

C'est Mardi, by Tiznow, was a hard-knocking racemare that Wasabi claimed and campaigned to a few wins. We've picked Army Mule for her given that her half-sister has produced a black-type placed, six-figure earner by an A. P. Indy grandson like Army Mule, her dam is a half-sister to a black-type runner and producer by a Seattle Slew son, and a pair of Grade II winners by other Seattle Slew sons appear further back on her page.

MISS MALIBU (7, Into Mischief–Malibu Pier, by Malibu Moon) to be bred to Army Mule

Finally, Miss Malibu should match well with Army Mule physically, given his power and substance. She is by Into Mischief, whose two best horses as a broodmare sire, White Abarrio and Alva Starr, are both by A. P. Indy-line stallions, while Miss Malibu's full-sister has produced a promising allowance winner by an A.P. Indy-line horse.

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