2025 Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift: Pin Oak Stud

[Wandering Eyes]

Founded by Josephine Abercrombie in 1952, Pin Oak Stud has entered a new era under the ownership of Jim and Dana Bernhard. The Bernhards purchased Pin Oak Stud in November of 2022 and acquired an additional 465 acres from Adena Springs in September of 2023. “Pin Oak has always strived to breed horses that can compete at the pinnacle of our sport, this vision begins with the decisions that we make when selecting our matings each year,” Pin Oak's Michael Hardy said. “Our team works in close collaboration, carefully selecting physical profiles that suit each mare and then determining the most promising crosses to maximize performance on the track. This decision-making process is a collective effort, driven by our shared commitment to success on the racetrack.” Below is a look at a selection of matings for Pin Oak Stud in the final edition of TDN's 2025 Mating Plans series, presented by Spendthrift Farm.

LOVE TO SHOP (5, Violence–Tiffany Case, by Uncle Mo) to be bred to Not This Time

Pin Oak Stud's most recent ($700,000) purchase from the Keeneland January Sale. She is a stakes-winning mare with an active young family that traces back to a very successful Pin Oak pedigree from the Abercrombie era. She will visit Not This Time for her maiden season. It is a cross that we believe will suit her physically and get her broodmare career off to a great start. He is a stallion that we like a lot; we purchased two of his yearlings last year in the September Sale.

SHOPPINGFORPHAROAH (6, American Pharoah–Smart Shopping, by Smart Strike) to be bred to Not This Time

Another recent ($850,000) purchase from the Fasig-Tipton November Sale. She is a stakes-placed, half-sister to GI Preakness Stakes winner Seize The Grey (Arrogate). She too will visit Not This Time. We believe he is a great option to give a young mare the chance to succeed.

MIDNIGHT TREASURE (7, Tapit–Midnight Lucky, by Midnight Lute) to be bred to Street Sense

We purchased both ($100,000) Midnight Treasure and her ($100,000) Good Magic weanling at the Keeneland November Sale. She is currently in foal to Charlatan and will visit Street Sense for 2025. Street Sense continues to produce horses at the top level and looks like he will become an important sire of sires. He is great value for such a proven stallion.

SWEET SAMI D (9, First Samurai–Treaty of Kadesh, by Victory Gallop) to be bred to Constitution

She is a young, graded stakes-placed mare who earned over $250,000. She has a yearling by Flightline and produced a colt by Gun Runner this year. This year she will visit Constitution, who we've had success with on the track, and physically we think he will really suit this mare.

Sweet Sami D with her '25 Gun Runner colt | Courtesy Pin Oak

QUERELLE (9, Violence–Orbital Affair, by El Corredor) to be bred to Nyquist

She is an attractive, black-type mare by Violence who earned $187,000. She has a racy 2-year-old filly by Constitution that we have retained, and a yearling by Tapit. She will visit Nyquist this year. The cross is producing a high percentage of winners, and we hope that the mating can also add some size and scope.

MIND OUT (8, Tapit–Kid Majic, by Lemon Drop Kid) to be bred to Nyquist

Mind Out is a stakes-placed Tapit mare with a nice, young pedigree. She has a Curlin yearling on the ground and is in foal to Gun Runner. Nyquist was a bit of a no-brainer for her; he had a tremendous 2024 and the Tapit x Nyquist cross has produced the very talented Grade I winner Tenma. We are happy to have a few mares going to him this year.

BROADWAY LADY (8, Constitution–Livi Makenzie, by Macho Uno) to be bred to Twirling Candy

She is a very attractive half-sister to GIII Ohio Derby winner Tawny Port (Pioneerof the Nile). She had colt by Candy Ride (Arg) this year and will visit Twirling Candy. We like the combination of Tapit and Candy Ride in this mating and physically we think that Twirling Candy will work well with the mare.

CORE VALUES (7, Honor Code–Sweet Awakening, by Street Cry {Ire}) to be bred to Not This Time

Core Values is a very attractive stakes winner. She is a half-sister to Canadian champion Are You Kidding Me (Run Away and Hide) and the pedigree received another update with Kehoe Beach (Omaha Beach) winning the GII Mrs. Revere at Churchill in the fall. She will visit Not This Time this year; we love the cross over the A.P. Indy line mare, which has produced G1 winner Sibelius.

DIAMOND SPARKLES (8, War Front–Diamondsandrubies {Ire}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) to be bred to Twirling Candy

A young mare with an exceptionally deep pedigree. She got her broodmare career off to an excellent start in 2024 with her first foal, Into Diamonds (Into Mischief), winning at Keeneland in April and subsequently collecting black type at Woodbine. We have retained her Quality Road 2-year-old and she had a colt by Not This Time this year. She will be covered this year by Twirling Candy, which looks like a strong cross for her with his Grade I winner Concrete Rose coming from the Twirling Candy x Sadler's Wells cross.

COMPETITIVE SPEED (7, Competitive Edge–Shopped Out, by Mineshaft) to be bred to American Pharoah

A talented racemare, she is a multiple Grade II-placed earner of $190,000. Her first foal is a very attractive Maxfield colt that we have retained and she has a yearling filly by Justify. She is in foal to Candy Ride and will visit American Pharoah this year. The Maria's Mon-line cross with American Pharoah has already produced Grade I winner American Theorem.

GLITTER AND GOLD (10, Bodemeister–Expo Gold, by Johannesburg) to be bred to Not This Time

She is a winning half-sister to MGISW and champion Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil). She has produced a very nice Tapit colt that we have in pre-training at the farm and she has a yearling filly by Essential Quality that we like a lot. She has a Tapit colt of 2025 and is booked to visit Not This Time this year. She consistently produces a strong, solid, attractive foal, so we are excited to see the foal from this cross.

Glitter and Gold with her '24 Essential Quality filly | Courtesy Pin Oak

CHECKERED EMPIRE (7, Empire Maker–Checkered Past, by Smart Strike) to be bred to City of Light

Checkered Empire is a full sister to multiple Grade III winner and Grade I-placed Messier (Empire Maker). She is an attractive young mare currently in foal to Twirling Candy. We believe in mating young mares with proven sires that will suit them both physically and from a pedigree standpoint. She will visit City of Light this season; the cross will be very similar to the cross that produced City of Light's champion 2-year-old Fierceness.

OMA THE GREAT (6, Tapit–Rise Above, by Violence) to be bred to American Pharoah

She is a well-bred, young Tapit mare. Her first foal is a very attractive, racy Candy Ride yearling. She had a filly by American Pharoah and we like that cross so much that we plan to repeat it this year again. The cross has produced Grade I winner Harvey's Lil Goil among others.

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