Final summer time at Saratoga Race Course, coach Kenny McPeek debuted Taken by the Wind , a promising bay filly by Rock Your World . Regardless of exhibiting some preliminary greenness, the filly displayed her expertise and defied her 13-1 odds by drawing away to win the 7-furlong maiden non-obligatory claiming race by 3 lengths.
Contemporary off her upset on the Spa, Taken by the Wind returned three weeks later to win the Pocahontas Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs by a decisive 5 1/4 lengths beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. After spending a big period of time on the vet’s checklist following her Pocahontas effort, the filly got here again in prime kind throughout her sophomore debut to win the Silverbulletday Stakes at Honest Grounds Race Course & Slots by a neck Jan. 17. In doing so, the undefeated filly stamped herself as a Kentucky Oaks (G1) contender with 30 factors on the leaderboard for the primary Friday in Could, and left her breeder dreaming of even greater successes.
“I am not answerable for all the pieces, a whole lot of it to me is—I am a believer in God—and I feel there’s quite a bit at work there, and there is some luck occurring there,” Courtney Meagher, who bred Taken by the Wind, mentioned. “Her win (within the Silverbulletday Stakes) and the potential for operating within the Kentucky Oaks may be very particular.”
Regardless of having a roster of simply 4 mares, Meagher—who was named FTBOA’s 2018 Florida Small Breeder of the Yr—continues to uphold a normal of excellence in her breeding program at her farm positioned close to Citra, Fla.
Following her mother’s passing in 2009, Meagher, a lifelong horsewoman, determined to take a stab on the Thoroughbred business, buying a number of mares over time, together with Mother’s Deputy, who ended up producing a number of graded stakes winner Mother’s On Strike . A number of years later, Meagher bought the First Samurai mare Up for Grabs for $3,000 on the Ocala Breeders’ Gross sales Firm’s Fall Combined Sale in 2013. Ten years later, she foaled the mare’s bay daughter by Rock Your World, now named Taken by the Wind.Join BloodHorse Every day
“I used to be in search of a mare, and I occurred to see Up for Grabs,” Meagher mentioned. “She was within the Thoroughstock consignment, had come from the identical farm, identical breeders (as Mother’s Deputy). “I observed that she shared the identical second dam with Mother’s Deputy. So. I am like, ‘Oh, why not?’
“And so I took an opportunity on her, and it actually was the final minute I used to be wanting. I had checked out a few different mares, did not get them, after which I simply raised my hand, and I received (Up for Grabs). They had been associated, and that was actually the driving issue: maintain it within the household. At that time, Mother’s On Strike hadn’t come to fruition.”
Photograph: Courtesy of Courtney MeagherTaken by the Wind as a foal at Courtney Meagher’s farm close to Citra, Fla.
Meagher mentioned Taken by the Wind stood out because the prettiest foal from her 2023 crop.
“She had a really good, laid again shoulder, her ears had been all the time up; nice presence about her,” Meagher remembered. “Her stroll, I all the time observed her stroll, simply actually cat-like and straightforward. She was additionally tremendous pleasant, naturally, pretty filly to work with.”
Meagher had the filly prepped at Beth Bayer’s farm close to Ocala, Fla., and when Taylor Made’s Marshall Taylor got here to see her earlier than the 2024 Fasig-Tipton July Choose Yearling Sale, Meagher mentioned he was happy with how nicely she’d developed.
“She got here out of the stall, and he was like ‘Wow, that is a pleasant filly.'”
Taken by the Wind introduced a ultimate bid of $70,000 from Strolling L. Thoroughbreds, a consumer of McPeek’s, on the July Sale, a stable value for a daughter from Rock Your World’s first crop. The son of Sweet Experience had stood the 2022 season at Spendthrift Farm, close to Lexington, for an marketed charge of $10,000.
Just some months later, the filly was provided as soon as once more within the gross sales ring, this time at Fasig-Tipton’s Kentucky October Yearling Sale as a consequence of a dispersal of Strolling L. Thoroughbreds. Proving his confidence within the filly, McPeek made certain to safe the filly as soon as once more, however this time for a discount value of $20,000.
“After I noticed that he (McPeek) was the agent, I used to be actually completely happy, as a result of he was having a lot success at that time,” Meagher mentioned. “I do know he takes excellent care of his horses. He is received a great crew, and he places them in good spots. He would not over race them. So, I used to be actually completely happy about that.”
The previous couple of years have introduced many ups and downs for Meagher, as most breeders are used to. Along with business trials, she beat most cancers in 2018 and has skilled many different successes and bumps alongside the way in which.
“When Taken by the Wind was being pointed to Breeders’ Cup, I used to be like, ‘What are the probabilities that a little bit breeder like me, with my small herd, goes to must have two horses compete within the Breeders’ Cup?’,” she mentioned, referring to Mother’s On Strike, who had participated within the 2018 version of the Filly and Mare Turf (G1T). “That was simply mind-boggling. She did not make it to the Breeders’ Cup, however the Kentucky Oaks, that is no small feat both.”
Meagher has Up for Grabs booked to first-year stallion and a number of graded stakes winner Mullikin , WinStar Farm’s millionaire son of Violence , who will stand his first season for an marketed charge of $10,000.
“I simply maintain going at it and plugging away,” she mentioned.
Meagher hopes that Oaks lilies are on the horizon for the newest filly carrying the banner for her breeding operation.
“I am simply going to sit down again, chill out, and benefit from the journey,” Meagher mentioned.