(2016 dark bay/brown mare by Hard Spun out of Sahara Gold, by Seeking the Gold)
Desert Rendezvous was bred by the multiple Eclipse Award-winning Godolphin, a worldwide powerhouse in the breeding and racing industry, and she is from a typically deep and active female family.
Her sire, Hard Spun, was a tough and durable campaigner who is now consistently among the leading stallions in the country, having sired the likes of G1Ws Spun To Run, Aloha West, Hard Not To Like, Questing, Wicked Strong, Silver State, etc. As a broodmare sire, he is already responsible for the dams of 40 stakes winners, including Eclipse Champion and leading young sire Good Magic, G1W Danon Smash, 2023 multiple graded winner Webslinger, etc.
Placed two times at around a mile on turf at 2 and 3YO during her own five-race career for trainer Michael Stidham, Desert Rendezvous is out of the G2W Sahara Gold, by Seeking the Gold. As such, Desert Rendezvous is a half-sister to: multiple G1W Better Lucky (dam of two black-type runners already, with Quality Road and Essential Quality foals in the pipeline); G3W Sahara Heat; SW Final Frontier; the dam of G3Ws Prevalence and Estihdaaf plus SW Libreta and 2023 multiple stakes-placed Loyal Company; the dam of 2023 G3-placed Groveland; and the dam of Panamanian champion Outskirt Lady.
Desert Rendezvous’s second dam, Desert Stormer, won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint-G1 over males and is the granddam of G2W/G1P Casino Host.
Desert Stormer’s full-sister Desert Stormette is the dam of SW Desert Gold (by Seeking the Gold and thus closely-related to Sahara Gold, and who produced G1W White Moonstone) and the granddam of G2W and exciting young sire Independence Hall plus his G3W half-brother Black Onyx.
Desert Rendezvous herself has produced the following:
- 2021 Favorite Haunt (gelding by Ghostzapper). Finished 3rd in his 3YO debut.
- 2022 After Dark (colt by Ghostzapper). Retained by Godolphin.
- 2023 (filly by Connect). Retained by Godolphin.
Wasabi acquired Desert Rendezvous for $40,000 at the 2023 Keeneland November Sale carrying a foal by the veteran value sire Midshipman.
