Barbara Banke tells us the sires set to cover her Stonestreet stars

Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Farm, home to one of the world’s most impressive broodmare bands, has revealed mating plans for 2018 that are highlighted by the matching of the dam of brilliant sprinter Lady Aurelia to Medaglia D’Oro and the pairing of New Zealand champion Bounding with War Front.

The Lexington farm also plans to send eight of its best mares to Curlin, the two-time American Horse of the Year and now top sire who raced in Stonestreet’s yellow and red silks. Among that group is Glinda The Good, dam of Curlin’s son Good Magic, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile for Stonestreet and partner e Five Racing Thoroughbreds.

D’Wildcat Speed, the now 18-year-old dam of King’s Stand Stakes winner Lady Aurelia, joins 2011 champion filly My Miss Aurelia and Grade 1 winners Cavorting and Dreaming Of Julia as Stonestreet mares in the book of Medaglia D’Oro, who led all American sires with seven Grade/Group 1 winners in 2017.

A $1 million purchase in 2005, D’Wildcat Speed produced a filly by Munnings last May, while Miss Aurelia delivered an outstanding filly by Medaglia D’Oro in 2017 and was bred back to Tapit.

Lady Aurelia: her dam D'Wildcat Speed is set to be covered by Medaglia D'OroCredit: Edward Whitaker

“One of our best yearlings is the Medaglia D’Oro out of My Miss Aurelia and we're hoping for an equally impressive one for 2020. We’ve had great racetrack and sales success with Medaglia D’Oro and, as a commercial breeder, he’s an obvious choice,” Banke said.

With Bounding — an eight-year-old by Lonhro from the family of American Grade 1 winner November Snow who earned honours as New Zealand’s champion sprinter and champion three-year-old filly and was multiple group-placed in Australia — Stonestreet sought a match to capitalise on early speed.

“We imported Bounding ahead of the 2016 northern hemisphere season and she is expecting her first foal by Curlin. Physically, she’s flawless, and we are looking for a fast, precocious two-year-old so she will visit War Front,” Banke said of the A$1.9m purchase at Magic Millions.

Curlin has become an increasingly significant pillar in Stonestreet’s breeding programme. In addition to Glinda The Good, a nine-year-old by Hard Spun bred last year to Pioneerof The Nile, other mares Stonestreet will send to Curlin include:

• Grade 1 winner and $1.35m acquisition Molly Morgan, by Ghostzapper, who has a yearling colt by the sire.
• Forest Music, dam of young Stonestreet-bred sire Maclean’s Music (whose first crop included 2017 Preakness Stakes winner Cloud Computing) and a three-year-old Curlin filly named Electric Forest that Stonestreet regards highly.
• Catch The Moon, a nine-year-old by Malibu Moon whose first two foals are Grade 3 winner Cocked and Loaded and Grade 1 winner and $1.56m earner Girvin.
• Grade 1 winner Hot Dixie Chick, whose first foal was Curlin’s multiple stakes-winning son Union Jackson.

Among Stonestreet’s collection of broodmare jewels, Rachel’s Valentina is one of the most precious as she is the only daughter of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra. A Grade 1 winner at two, Rachel’s Valentina, by Bernardini, is booked to Pioneerof the Nile.

“He’s a sire with size who gets two-year-old, three-year-old and Classic horses, which makes him a good match for this precocious Grade 1-winning filly,” said Stonestreet bloodstock adviser John Moynihan.

There are no plans to breed Rachel Alexandra, who suffered severe complications after foaling Rachel’s Valentina in 2013 and has not been bred since then.

Stonestreet’s other marquee mares include Dayatthespa, a nine-year-old by City Zip who reigned as champion turf mare in 2014 and who was a $2.1m purchase. Dayatthespa has produced a filly by Curlin in 2016, a colt by Medaglia D’Oro last year and is in foal to Tapit; she is one of seven mares that Stonestreet has booked to Ghostzapper.

“Stonestreet owns an interest in Ghostzapper,” Moynihan said, listing multiple Grade 1 winner Sassy Image among the other mares that will visit the stallion at Adena Springs. “For Dayatthespa, we were looking for a Northern Dancer line sire that can get runners on both dirt and turf.”

A foal from this intriguing mating would be inbred 2x3 to 2005 Broodmare of the Year Baby Zip, the dam of both Ghostzapper and City Zip as well as Grade 3 winner City Wolf.

Another high-profile Stonestreet mare, millionaire multiple Graded winner Fiftyshadesofhay, an eight-year-old by Pulpit who cost $1.3m, will be bred to Candy Ride.

“This cross produced Mastery, and we love Candy Ride,” Moynihan said. “To get our younger mares off to a good start, we look for proven stallions that get precocious runners which go on at three and four.”

Stonestreet is also supporting Maclean’s Music, the son of Distorted Humor who stands alongside Curlin at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm, and Carpe Diem, the multiple Grade 1 winner by Giant’s Causeway who Stonestreet raced in partnership with WinStar Farm.

Clay’s Rocket, dam of two stakes winners and two stakes-placed runners, and Yes Liz, whose Into Mischief colt sold for $500,000 at Saratoga last year, will be bred to Maclean’s Music.

R Heat Lightning, a Grade 1 winner and $1.6 million purchase, has been booked to Carpe Diem, whose first foals are yearlings.

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