The Producers: Part 2, Street Appeal and Square Deals

[Wandering Eyes]

Last week in this new series, we put the spotlight on some of the trends–or lack thereof–among the mares that make up the Grade I-producing ranks of 2025 and spent time with multiple Grade I winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner)'s dam, Luna Rosa (Malibu Moon). We asked her connections about her story and the thoughts behind her matings. This week, we do the same with the dams of two Grade I-winning 3-year-olds of 2025: GI Curlin Florida Derby star Tappan Street (Into Mischief) and GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes winner Burnham Square (Liam's Map).

Virginia Key, dam of Tappan Street

Just one horse has beaten GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) this year: another son of Into Mischief known as Tappan Street. The WinStar Farm LLC, CHC, Inc., and Cold Press Racing runner powered clear of Sovereignty in the Mar. 29 Florida Derby and would undoubtedly have been one of the favorites on the first Saturday in May. In his final workout, one week prior to the big event, Tappan Street suffered a condylar fracture to his right front, had surgery a day later, and is now slated to return to trainer Brad Cox in the fall.

Naturally, with Sovereignty unbeaten on the biggest possible stage since Tappan Street defeated him, that begs the question of just how good Tappan Street might be.

“It just makes you wonder what could have been,” said Adam Corndorf, whose Blue Heaven Farm bred Tappan Street, “but you just have to keep trying. It's funny, when you meet someone not in the horse business, the first question they always ask is, 'Have you had a horse in the Derby?' And they don't realize just how difficult that is. We were six days away from being able to say yes! Now we still have to say no, but we did have one that was good enough.”

With good humor and an infectious laugh, Corndorf adds, “No one wants to hear your sob story.”

Virginia Key at Blue Heaven | Sarah Andrew

He emphasizes how one good horse can make all the difference to an operation.

“For the size of our operation, potentially having a horse that we had raised in the Derby wasn't even a once-in-a-lifetime situation, but a once-in-10-lifetimes situation. To have gotten that close and then to have it taken away was devastating and heartbreaking and every word you can use, but we feel grateful for what he did and what he hopefully still can do.”

Corndorf owns Blue Heaven near Versailles, Kentucky with his mother, Dr. Bonnie Baskin. After several years in partnership with her own father, Baskin founded Blue Heaven, first boarding at Taylor Made, and finally purchasing the approximately 200 acres that make up the family farm in 2010. Ten years later, Corndorf bought in after managing it for the first decade.

They've had uncommon success with small numbers.

“We only have 13 or 14 mares and 8 or 10 foals a year, so our numbers are not significant compared to some of the larger operations,” said Corndorf. “Anytime that we have a Grade I winner or a stakes winner or even a maiden special winner at a nice track, it's a big deal. The percentages are not in our favor, so I think we've done really well and are fortunate to have a great team and a great group of mares.”

In addition to breeding Tappan Street, whom they sold at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale for $1 million, they've also bred GISW Grace Adler (Curlin), a fistful of seven-figure yearlings, and an outsized percentage of stakes winners. What is their secret?

“I wish I could say we've had all of these great sales and racing successes with lesser-known stallions, but when I think back, the best horses that we've sold and had on the track are almost all invariably by Into Mischief, Curlin, Uncle Mo, and Tapit,” said Corndorf. “It seems the best way to be a success is to spend money on really good stallions. It's not a coincidence that those horses are who they are.”

Our Khrysty, Tappan Street's granddam and the dam of Monday's newest 'TDN Rising Star' Glory Me | Sarah Andrew

Even the top stallions can't hit with every runner. Corndorf explains Blue Heaven's strategy.

“We don't have a huge number of mares; with the resources that we have, we would rather be at the highest level that we can with a smaller number. Historically the data for us shows that we do better with the higher-end stuff, so I'd rather have five yearlings by the top stallions than 15 by a more modest group. On occasion there will be a stallion that's a little bit less expensive that will have a $700,000 yearling, but the chance of you having that one yearling is not great. Into Mischief will have 20 at that level. You might not have one of those 20, but you give yourself a better chance.”

Corndorf said being so hands-on with the horses also helps, as does having such a small number because he and his team know each mare and their offspring so intimately.

“We really get to know not just the families, but also the individuals. We get to know their quirks and know what has worked before. If you see a mare's foals tend to be on the smaller side, you can seek out stallions that give you a better chance to enhance the good and not double up on the bad. Obviously, all the larger operations do a great job, but for us being able to see these horses every single day and put our hands on them helps.”

Adam Corndorf with Virginia Key, left, and Our Khrysty | Sarah Andrew

Tappan Street stood out from the start, said Corndorf.

“He was just sort of an obvious horse. Sometimes some of them need time to get coordinated and figure themselves out, but he was always a big strapping dude from the beginning. He was just a very strong, substantial, powerful horse, just really straightforward, and he loved to work.”

Normally Blue Heaven does their own prep for yearlings, but when Tappan Street was a yearling, a barn on the farm needed some maintenance, so some of the colts that year went to Archie St George for a few months. Tappan Street was one of them.

“Archie would always say, 'You can't get to the bottom of this horse,'” said Corndorf. “We'd work him twice a day at times just because he needed it for his energy level. He seemed like a racehorse through and through.”

Blue Heaven bred not only Tappan Street, but also his dam, Virginia Key (Distorted Humor). They bought her dam, GSW Our Khrysty (Newfoundland), in 2011 at Fasig-Tipton's November sale for $600,000.

“For us, she was expensive,” said Corndorf, “and when you spend that much money on a mare, you have high hopes, but to say that she's exceeded those would be an understatement. Her production both at the racetrack and at the sales has been out of this world and then the really exciting part is that her daughters are producing.”

Corndorf said when there's a budget involved in buying horses, something has to give. With Our Khrysty, it was her page.

“In the price range that we historically operate in, we can't afford all three main criteria: good looking, good racehorse, good family. To get all three, it usually costs in the seven figures, which is a little bit out of our price range, so we've always had success focusing on race record and looks. Our Khrysty was a stakes winner at two and eventually a graded stakes horse in New York as a 4-year-old going two turns. She was a big, strong, scopey, pretty mare, and she had all the things we were looking for physically.

“The family was a little bit on the lighter side, but she checked a lot of the boxes for us and then the one thing that was light has ended up filling out. It's just been an amazing family, taking us to incredible highs. It's a cliche, but we wish we could have a barn full of Our Khrystys because we'd be sitting pretty.”

In addition to producing Grace Adler and Virginia Key, Our Khrysty is also the dam of GSW & MGISP Pyrenees (Into Mischief) and the 2-year-old Gun Runner filly named Glory Me, who sold at last year's Keeneland September sale for $975,000 to Lael Stable and debuted Monday to 'TDN Rising Star' honors on unveiling at Ellis Park.

Our Khrysty didn't produce a foal the last two years, but is in foal to Constitution for next term.

“She's 19, so it's a blessing anytime she's in foal. We're hoping we can have a few more foals out of her and give her an extremely long and happy retirement here on the farm, where we can pamper her for the rest of her life.”

Virginia Key, dam of Tappan Street | Sarah Andrew

As for Tappan Street's dam, Virginia Key is 10 this year. Blue Heaven sold her 2-year-old colt by Curlin, since named Weekend Glory, at Keeneland September last year for $1.4 million to Bradley Thoroughbreds. Corndorf said he's with Chad Brown. Virginia Key's yearling filly is by Quality Road and Blue Heaven will not offer her for sale.

“We're at the point that it's going to take a lot to pry fillies out of this family away from us because we can't afford to buy ones like that,” said Corndorf.

Virginia Key didn't produce a foal this year, but is carrying to Gun Runner for 2026. Blue Heaven retained another Our Khrysty daughter, a 4-year-old named Prestwick (Uncle Mo), who is in foal to Maxfield for next spring.

“Knock on wood, if things go well, we'll have three out of that family born next year,” said Corndorf. “It's been a really good family for us, so we're just going to lean into it as much as we can for as long as we can. This game is gutters and strikes, highs and lows. When it's good, you got to really try and enjoy it.”

With two of her first three foals bringing seven figures and a Grade I winner among her first two starters, what is it that's made Virginia Key such a top broodmare at this stage?

Corndorf doesn't hesitate. “Distorted Humor is part of it. It just seems like you can't go wrong with him and now as a broodmare sire he's just been incredible.

“Also, there's so many similarities between Virginia Key and Our Khrysty, not just physically, but also temperament, energy level, enthusiasm, and zest for living. You see it flow through to the foals. One of the first things all of the trainers who have their offspring say is that they're high-energy, happy, lively horses; there's no concern about enthusiasm for training.

“We've bred both mares to a bunch of different stallions and it's worked out pretty well every time, so I think they pass along size, strength, bone. They're all correct, high energy, smart, and strong willed, but able to channel that for good. They advocate for themselves. They're just classy. We haven't had a bad foal out of either of them.”

Linda, dam of Burnham Square

While Tappan Street is the only horse to have beaten Sovereignty this year, there's also only one horse who has beaten Tappan Street. Burnham Square won the GIII Holy Bull Stakes over Tappan Street, lost to Sovereignty in the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes, then came back to win the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes.

Linda, dam of Burnham Square | Sarah Andrew

Burnham Square races as a third-generation homebred for Whitham Thoroughbreds, but more than 10 months before he debuted, the family operation sold his dam, Linda (Scat Daddy), at the 2024 Keeneland January sale. Springwood Farm jumped on the opportunity, plucking the gray out of the Denali Stud consignment for $55,000.

Kim Nardelli, who operates Springwood with her brother, Rodney, explained why they had their eye on the mare.

“We first bought into this family of Mrs. Whitham's in 1996. It was a 2-year-old Storm Bird filly named Listen Now out of the Secretariat mare Listen Well, who is the grandmother of much of the Whitham stuff. We were able to get Listen Now as a 2-year-old because she was too crooked to train, so we were able to buy her as a broodmare.

“I don't think they even broke her, but she did well for us. We raised lots of nice horses out of her. [2017 GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes winner] La Coronel was a granddaughter of that mare and La Coronel's dam was the first Grade I-producing mare that we owned out of that family. We've still got two daughters and a niece, a couple of granddaughters.”

Linda's dam, the GSW & GISP Beautiful Noise (Sunny's Halo), was a half-sister to Listen Now.

Linda and her Life Is Good filly at Springwood | Sarah Andrew

“We love the family,” continued Nardelli, “so we try to buy it whenever we can find it. When Linda came up, she was sold in foal to Oscar Performance and it was before he was really, really hot. Burnham Square hadn't hit yet, so we grabbed her. We were grabbing her anyway because of her family. We keep as much of it as we can.”

Linda won the GII Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill in 2015. She produced five foals for the Whithams before the Nardellis acquired her.

“I've never met Mrs. Whitham, but I'd love to,” said Nardelli. “I'd like to thank her for the farm. Her good breeding has kept us going.”

Nardelli is modest to a fault, as it's not just with Whitham bloodlines that Springwood has found success. The brother-sister team has about 25 mares on their property near Midway, Kentucky and has bred and/or sold plenty of good horses. One of them was the $3.4-million Not This Time sales topper at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. Another was 2010 GI Humana Distaff Stakes winner Mona de Momma (Speightstown), the dam of MGISW and current leading second-crop sire Vekoma. Yet another is GSP and 'TDN Rising Star' Coach Prime (Quality Road), who hammered for $1.7 million at Keeneland September in 2022.

“We sell only our own and our partners' horses,” said Nardelli. “When you have a horse do well, whether on the track or in the ring, that's what it's all about. That's what we're doing, or trying to do.”

Linda produced an Oscar Performance colt last year and a Life Is Good filly this year. The yearling is entered in Keeneland September and the foal will take the same route. The mare is now in foal to Gun Runner.

“Her Oscar Performance is a lovely colt, a really nice colt, so we're lucky. We didn't know what Linda was going to throw because she's not overly big, but the family kind of speaks for itself,” said Nardelli. “There's not much we can add to it that's not already in black and white. It's just been lucky for us.”

Linda at Springwood near Midway | Sarah Andrew

Nardelli said the current foal is something of a spitfire. Burnham Square himself reportedly can owe his gelding to a tough disposition.

“You've got to wonder,” said Nardelli with a laugh. “This is just Linda's second foal for us, but I would say a little fire and attitude might be something she's passing on. We knew something was up when we saw Burnham Square was gelded. When we bought Linda, we kept waiting to see if she was wicked or something. The [Life Is Good] filly has got a touch of attitude to her. She's pretty strong minded, so we're thinking, 'Yep, this is why your brother got gelded. I see it. I can tell you're a little tough.'

“The mare hasn't shown any attitude to us yet, except the first time we went to suture her. She wasn't very polite then, but you can't blame her for that. Other than that, she's been very much a lady, but we don't ask a lot of her.”

Burnham Square ran in the Derby for the Whithams and trainer Ian Wilkes, finishing a troubled sixth, then returned to serve as runner-up to GISW and 'TDN Rising Star' East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GIII Matt Winn Stakes.

“We had nothing to do with the breeding of Burnham Square, but we're very happy to own his mama,” said Nardelli. “You never know where a good one is going to come from.

“Linda is always muddy and a flea-bitten gray mare,” added Nardelli. “She just loves to wallow in the mud, but in her own unique way, she is a pretty mare. She actually is beautifully balanced. We went to Gun Runner this year because we're trying to get her up to the upper end.”

Up next, we'll check in with the dams behind a few homebreds of 2025: GI Fasig-Tipton La Troienne Stakes winner Raging Sea and GI Maker's Mark Mile Stakes winner Carl Spackler (Ire).

The post The Producers: Part 2, Street Appeal and Square Deals appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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