My Racehorse recently hosted a wonderful day of farm visits to see multiple horses affiliated with them, as well as a few standouts that are not. Departing from Keeneland Racecourse on a Gold Shield bus, the first stop was WinStar Farm, where Miss Macy Sue noisily greeted the group (she was typically turned out at that time but kept in a little longer to be shown). Mark Taylor hosted the visit at WinStar, and shared insights gleaned from his years at the farm. He pointed out the best attributes of Miss Macy Sue, a stellar-looking mare for any age, but especially at age 20. Taylor said she is a perfect example of what a Thoroughbred should be, and further noted that there are mares who will dominate the stallions they are bred to every time, mares that will dominate half the time, and some who always have the influence of stallions show in the foals they produce. He said Miss Macy Sue was one who dominated every time, and that she has two stallion sons to her credit in Liam’s Map and Not This Time is another feather in her cap. He also said her owners know she did enough for them with the foals she produced, so she has been retired from breeding. Taylor said as good as she looks, it could have been tempting for some owners to breed her still.

Then Wicked Lick and her 4 1/2 month old colt by Authentic came out to meet the group. Mark Taylor went through conformation points of note the colt possesses. After that, it was on to meet 2019 Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress and her gray pasture buddy Noted and Quoted.

Leaving the mare and foal division of the farm, we went to see stallions Knicks Go and Not This Time, with Mark Taylor again providing insight into their conformation. He had a wealth of knowledge that I found interesting, more so for it being geared to industry professionals with existing familiarity with horse racing. He also mentioned how Taylor Made was considered to be on the outskirts of top farms with good soil, but with their nutrition program that did not hold as much relevance as it could have, and the stakes winners raised on the property attest to that. I enjoyed that he conducted that part of the day’s events for how much I learned, and it seemed to be a continuation of what I gleaned from classes that were specifically encompassing the equine part of the University of Kentucky’s Equine Science and Management Degree.

After WinStar, it was on to Spendthrift to see another Horse of the Year, Authentic, and the primary reason I booked this tour – to meet Monomoy Girl at last! As I avidly followed her career since shortly before she won Keeneland’s Ashland Stakes en route to Kentucky Oaks victory and jumped at the chance to buy microshares in her last year of racing in 2021, I was quite excited for the opportunity. Seeing her featured a bonus visit with Beholder, freshly inducted into the Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. She was stabled directly across from Monomoy Girl, so our group got to feed both mares carrots and Got Stormy as well, stabled further down the barn.

Feeding Monomoy Girl the carrot was a wonderful moment of communion with a mare I’ve admired for years. Though it was a simple moment, it was giving her something she loved and finding connection and joy in that. And what a beautiful thing to experience when first meeting a horse who means so much. I am grateful to My Racehorse and Spendthrift for providing that opportunity. Not long from now, I will be moving out of Kentucky and away from these horses I’ve had such pleasure in being around over the years. It was an unexpected change, so I am even more glad to have met Monomoy Girl before I go. As I will be in a state without a racing industry once more, I know I will look back on that memory and others made over the years fondly. Yet I hope one day to be back in a racing industry, once I’ve had a bit of a reset, particularly as I will soon tackle the Racing Officials Accreditation Program and would like to utilize that training eventually.

But that is in the future, and this day was about enjoying the visits with all the horses we got to see. The visit wrapped up with future offerings for My Racehorse, and some who are sold out and on layup. There was also a polydactyl cat in their training barn; the first time I’ve ever seen one outside of photos.