With Force the Pass retiring to stud in Maryland for Wasabi Ventures Stallions, LLC beginning in 2020, Wasabi will be supporting the horse heavily with many of its own broodmares. In this post, we will outline which Wasabi mares will visit Force the Pass, and why we have decided that each of these mares will fit him better than any other option we might have for them.
Analyzeyurspending (by Overanalyze x Stopspendingmaria, by Montbrook) — 
The foal from this mating will be bred on a variation of the extremely successful Gone West/Dixie Union cross that has already produced three Grade 1 winners, and just picked up a new Grade 3 winner this past weekend with the 2YO High Velocity. Analyzeyurspending also happens to come from lines renowned for their dirt speed and precocity, which are traits that we are definitely interested in having in Force the Pass’s first batch of mates — she herself ran 19 times before her actual third birthday, hitting the board in a dozen of those, including her 2YO debut which came on April 19th despite her June 2nd foaling date. Interestingly, this pairing will result in a foal that is a complete outcross through five generations, something that it very hard to find this day and age, and will hopefully produce a foal with a bit of hybrid vigor.
Animalistic (by Animal Kingdom x Misty Sixes, by Summer Squall) — 
The versatility demonstrated by Animalistic’s sire, Animal Kingdom, is something for which both Force the Pass’s own sire, Speightstown, and broodmare sire, Dynaformer, are renowned, and we think that will make Animalistic an excellent match for Force the Pass in his first season at stud. Not to mention that Gone West-line stallions have already produced a handful of stakes winners out of mares by Animal Kingdom’s grandsire Candy Stripes and his sons, good for a B nick rating. Animalistic also shares her female family with Canadian Champion 2YO Go Greeley, who is by a grandson of Gone West (like Force the Pass). This pairing also results in an interesting pedigree pattern in that Speightstown’s pedigree (by Gone West out of a mare by Storm Cat, a son of Storm Bird from a Secretariat mare) is basically a reverse to that of Animalistic’s dam Misty Sixes (by Summer Squall, a son of Storm Bird from a Secretariat mare, out of a dam by Gone West).
Campaign Vows (by Broken Vow x Who’s Cozy, by Cozzene) — 
As a half-sister to a 3YO stakes winner by Speightstown (who was also a debut winner at 2 and crossed the line first in a juvenile G2 before being disqualified), Campaign Vows is a mare that we are very anxious to match with Force the Pass (he, of course, being a son of Speightstown). In addition, Campaign Vows’s dam is now a half-sister to a stakes-placed 2YO by Great Notion — a grandson of Gone West just like Force the Pass — and Campaign Vows’s broodmare sire, Cozzene, has also had good success when his daughters have been crossed with Speightstown and his sons. Campaign Vows’s sire, Broken Vow, nicks well with Force the Pass on the basis of the success when his daughters have been mated to other grandsons of Gone West. And finally, physically speaking this should be a nice pairing as well: with Campaign Vows being a tad short-legged, the strapping Force the Pass should provide her foal with plenty of size.
Exchanging Ember (by E Dubai x Exchanging Fire, by Exchange Rate) — 
Exchanging Ember won twice at 6 furlongs on dirt, and that speed on that surface is something we’re very interested in getting in mates to Force the Pass in his first book. Her sire, E Dubai, is a son of Mr. Prospector (a broad cross that has worked well for Speightstown) out of a mare by Lord At War, who has crossed very well with Gone West-line stallions. Exchanging Ember’s stakes-winning dam, Exchanging Fire, is by Exchange Rate, a son of Danzig from a Seeking the Gold mare, and both of those horses nick very strongly with Force the Pass, as does Exchanging Fire’s broodmare sire, Caveat. She also happens to be a big, pretty mare, which it never hurts to have in the broodmare band.
Hurryupandcomeback (by Mizzen Mast x Shared Hope, by Gone West) — 
Mizzen Mast mares rate an A++ on TrueNicks with Force the Pass, as the Speightstown/Cozzene cross has produced a handful of stakes winners already, including 2019 2YO stakes winner Kimari (targeting Royal Ascot in 2020 for Wesley Ward). This mating will result in 3×3 inbreeding to Gone West, which has produced ten stakes winners so far (2.1% from foals, five of them Graded), including a Grade 3 winner from just thirteen foals with Gone West appearing in the same positions as he will for this foal. And Hurryupandcomeback’s second dam is a daughter of Pleasant Colony (meaning this foal will also be inbred 5×5 to His Majesty, inbreeding to whom has been quite successful so far), whose daughters and granddaughters have had excellent results with Speightstown and his sons, including with 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf-G1 winner Sharing. This is another matchup where the mare’s family’s proclivities will perfectly suit those of Force the Pass, as well.
Intrepid Forest (by Forestry x Hongkong Tour, by Broken Vow) — 
Intrepid Forest offers yet another example of why nick ratings, though useful as a tool, should not be the be-all-end-all in planning matings. This particular pairing rates a “D” on TrueNicks (though responsible for a dozen stakes winners, good for 5% of runners), but upon closer look, Speightstown and his sons have been crossed with daughters of Forestry to produce 20 foals of racing age, of which 16 have raced and twelve have won, for total earnings of $943,348 (an average of $58,959.25/runner) — nothing too shabby about those numbers, even if the cross hasn’t yet produced a stakes winner. Her own dam is by Broken Vow, the nick rating with whom is much stronger, and this foal will be inbred 5×5 to His Majesty, inbreeding to whom has been very successful relative to opportunities. With Intrepid Forest having been a big, speedy, hard-knocking dirt runner, she is exactly the type of mare that we want in Force the Pass’s first book.
Participate (by Include x Wings of the Storm, by Valley Crossing) — 
We believe that daughters of Include will prove to be among the most successful with Force the Pass, as although Speightstown and his sons have so far produced just five foals out of daughters of Include, two of those are already stakes winners (an incredible 40%)! Because he’s out of a Dynaformer mare, Force the Pass also brings a strain of Hail to Reason to this cross, which has been a very successful pattern (this foal will be inbred 5×5 to both Hail to Reason and His Majesty, who has been another successful inbreeding target). Participate’s size and racetrack versatility make her an even more exciting mate for Force the Pass than does her pedigree alone — as big, strapping mare who liked a mile or more on turf or dirt, she should fit Force the Pass to a “T” and we cannot wait to see this foal.
Ride the Tide (by Stormy Atlantic x Jesse’s Justice, by Lear Fan) — 
There are plenty of things in Ride the Tide’s pedigree that suggest she will be a perfect pairing with Force the Pass: her own sire, Stormy Atlantic, is already the broodmare sire of a Grade 2 winner by Speightstown, and of a 2018 & ’19 stakes winner by a son of Speightstown from just 22 foals bred on this cross; her dam, Jesse’s Justice, has already produced a winner by a son of Gone West (he being the grandsire of Force the Pass) and is a half-sister to the Graded-placed stakes winner Willard Straight, who is by a full-brother to Gone West; Jesse’s Justice herself is by Lear Fan, whose daughters have crossed well with Gone West-line horses to produce the likes of BC Turf-G1 winner Johar; and Lear Fan is a son of Roberto, meaning this foal will be inbred 4×4 to that former Darby Dan luminary, which is a pattern we’re actively seeking out for Force the Pass as 26 of 50 stakes winners inbred 4×4 to Roberto (2.7% from foals) are Graded winners, and eleven of them are Grade 1 winners. This will be an excellent matchup to produce Ride the Tide’s first foal.
Seville’s Princess (by Seville x Rap and Dance, by Pleasant Tap) — 
Just about every name in the pedigree of Seville’s Princess is one that should cross extremely well with Force the Pass: her sire, Seville, is a son of Galileo (he a son of Sadler’s Wells) — Speightstown has a G3 winner out of a daughter of Galileo, and the nick with Sadler’s Wells-line mares is a strong B+ featuring a trio of G1 winners; Seville’s broodmare sire is Silver Hawk, a son of Roberto — so this foal will be 4×5 to Roberto (a pattern we’re actively trying for with Force the Pass’s mates); and Seville’s Princess’s broodmare sire is Pleasant Tap, who rates an A nick with Force the Pass, as Speightstown has sired 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf-G1 winner Sharing out of a Pleasant Colony-line mare (this also leads to 5×5 inbreeding to His Majesty for this foal, a successful pattern). In addition, fillies from Seville’s Princess’s female family have already produced the stakes-caliber runners Donttellmewhattodo and Greeley Awesome by Gone West-line stallions. There is plenty of surface versatility in Seville’s Princess’s female family, and as a tall, leggy filly, she should compliment Force the Pass nicely physically as well.
Shall Try (by Orientate x Dearie Be Good, by Scrimshaw) — 
A pretty, strongly-built filly who won twice on the dirt a 6 furlongs and a mile, Shall Try nicks very well with Force the Pass. She is by the Eclipse Champion sprinter Orientate, who is the broodmare sire of a Grade 3 winner by a son of Speightstown, and Orientate, in turn, is a son of Mt. Livermore, who is the broodmare sire of a stakes winner by Speightstown, as is another of his sons. Orientate’s dam is a daughter of Cox’s Ridge, who rates an A++ with Force the Pass. This foal’s pedigree will also contain some interesting parallels on the top and bottom halves, with Speightstown’s broodmare sire, Storm Cat, being by Storm Bird and out of a Secretariat mare, while Shall Try’s second dam, Youwantmetodowhat, is also by Storm Bird and out of a Secretariat dam. With ten winners from eleven runners under this foals first three dams, we have expectation that this pairing will produce another solid winner.
Starr Gate (by Mineshaft x Stellar, by Grand Slam) — 
Starr Gate is another mare we are very excited to send to Force the Pass despite an *only* average nick rating (C+) which we don’t believe tells the full story. Of the fourteen stakes winners (7% from runners, which is a very strong number) bred on the Speightstown/A.P. Indy cross, eight of those earned black-type victories in 2019 (including a half-dozen new stakes winners, three of them 2YOs) — so this is a cross that has been successful and is improving. As a big, gorgeous mare with plenty of dirt sprinting ability (which she got from her precocious and pricey dam), Starr Gate is another who we think will be a perfect fit in Force the Pass’s first book.
Tiz Emily and Jill (by Tiz Wonderful x Lakefront, by Deputy Minister) — 
A tall, leggy, tough and quick dirt mare, Tiz Emily and Jill exhibited many of the traits that we’re looking for in mares to breed in Force the Pass’s first book. She also happens to come from a fabulous female family that has exhibited much of the surface versatility that Force the Pass’s sire and broodmare sire are known for — not to mention plenty of class. There are already a trio of stakes winners by Gone West-line stallions out of Tiznow-line mares, two of them Graded winners, and Tiz Emily and Jill’s broodmare sire is Deputy Minister, a daughter of whom produced the Travers-G1 winner Golden Ticket by Force the Pass’s sire Speightstown. Combined with the fact that her size will make this pairing a nice case of like-to-like, Tiz Emily and Jill will be an excellent choice for Force the Pass.
Vibrant Spirit (by Kitten’s Joy x Spirit Line, by Indian Charlie) — 
Fillies by Kitten’s Joy are among those that we are most interested in mating with Force the Pass. First of all, Kitten’s Joy is a son of El Prado, whose daughters and granddaughters have had loads of success when mated with Speightstown and his sons. But beyond that, Kitten’s Joy is out of a mare by Lear Fan, he a son of Roberto, and as we’ve already mentioned, inbreeding to Roberto has been a successful pattern in general. However, it’s been especially effective for Kitten’s Joy as a sire (he has five Grade 1 winners inbred to Roberto in the first four generations to his credit already), and we think the pattern can be just as successful with Kitten’s Joy mares as with Kitten’s Joy himself (the foal from this mating will be 4×5 to Roberto). Kitten’s Joy and Force the Pass had similar proclivities on the track, too, which bodes well for their chances of meshing well in pedigrees. In the case of Vibrant Spirit more specifically, she also happens to be out of a mare by Indian Charlie, whose daughters have produced a pair of stakes winners (one Graded) from just thirteen runners by Speightstown and his sons.
Waveland (by Woodman x Wave On, by Caveat) — 
Having already produced a stakes winner and a pair of additional $100,000 earners, Waveland is a mare that we are excited to have in the first book of Force the Pass. She herself was a turf runner, and she’s from a family of turf horses that all prefer a mile or slightly longer as their best distances. This matches up perfectly with Force the Pass’s own racetrack proclivities. The cross of Gone West over Woodman has already produced a G1 winner, while Gone West over Caveat (Waveland’s broodmare sire) is responsible for a pair of G1 winners among nine total stakes winners bred on the cross. Although she herself is a bit short-legged, she has consistently produced foals with plenty of size and height, and we expect just that in her foal by Force the Pass.
Yes My Love (by Successful Appeal x Coquettish, by Not For Love) — 
As a member of a precocious and classy female family full of runners (her second dam produced fifteen foals, *all* of them winners!), Yes My Love should be a perfect fit for Force the Pass in his first book. Her own dam was a stakes-winning 2YO who eventually earned black-type on dirt as well (not to mention being a half to three other stakes winners on both turf and dirt, one of them the dam of another 2YO turf stakes winner), and Yes My Love is half to a stakes-placed turf 2YO among her dam’s five winners. Given that Successful Appeal is already the broodmare sire of two stakes winners by two different sons of Speightstown (from just fourteen foals bred on this cross), and having seen the big, strapping weanling colt that Yes My Love delivered in 2019, we are very excited about this particular matchup.