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Our mating philosophy is to try to replicate pairings that have already worked with a mare’s female family when at all possible. In the case of the recently-acquired young mare Wand Work (known as Molly Mo when she went through the Keeneland January Sale last month), she is a half-sister to a 2023 stakes-placed 2YO by Maclean’s Music, and we are very high on Maclean’s Music heading into the 2024 breeding season, as you might’ve read on this blog or in the TDN. As such, Wand Work makes perfect sense to send to Maclean’s Music for her maiden voyage to the breeding shed this spring.
A brilliant winner of his only start when he was awarded an astronomical 114 Beyer Speed Figure — the highest Beyer ever earned by a first-time starter — Maclean’s Music was given a chance at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm and has made the most of his opportunities. He sired Preakness winner Cloud Computing in his first crop (conceived off a $6,500 stud fee), and has since added G1W 2YO Complexity, G1W 3YO Drain the Clock and Eclipse Champion Sprinter (a G1W at 2, 3 & 4) Jackie’s Warrior to his resume, among his 32 total black-type winners (good for a solid 5% of his foals of racing age).
What makes Maclean’s Music even more exciting at this moment is the fact that he’s about to jump from a crop of 2023 2YOs numbering 41 and conceived off of a $20,000 stud fee, to a crop of 2024 2YOs numbering 182 and conceived off of a $25,000 stud fee, which will be followed by two more triple-digit crops conceived off of $50,000 stud fees.
His 2024 2YOs include 114 that sold at yearling sales this year for an average of $117,701 (up over last year’s average of $100,857 for 21 sold), including individuals that brought $625k, $500k, $460k, $400k, $350k, $310k, $300k (x4), $275k (x2), $250k (x2), etc. Purchasers of Maclean’s Music yearlings in 2023 include the likes of the “Avengers” group, Stonestreet, Klaravich, WinStar, Rigney Racing, Cherie DeVaux’s Belladonna group, Mike Ryan, etc. Meanwhile, his 2023 weanlings averaged even more than those yearlings, even when counting a handful of 2024 short yearlings so far (one of which brought $300k a few weeks ago).
So we believe that Maclean’s Music is poised to take a big step forward in 2024 and 2025, and at his $40,000 stud fee heading into this breeding season, we think he offers excellent value.
As referenced above, Wand Work is a half-sister to one of those three black-type 2YOs of 2023 by Maclean’s Music, namely Hedwig. Campaigned by Godolphin and Eoin Harty, Hedwig won first time out at Ellis, “geared down”, then was a “game” 2nd in the Juvenile Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs, and closed his juvenile campaign with a gutsy allowance victory at Del Mar in November. He earned a total of $176,400 in those three starts, and has been breezing regularly towards his sophomore debut. If he shows even moderate improvement this year he could be a stakes winner, which would be a very nice update for Wand Work while hopefully carrying his 3/4-sibling.
And there are reasons to think that he should improve — Maclean’s Music made his only start as a 3YO, and Wand Work’s dam Mrs. Norris ran her best races at 3 when she picked up her black-type. Second dam Burmilla didn’t start until she was 3 and won four of five at 3YO and 4YO, including a G2 at Saratoga, while Burmilla’s daughter (and Mrs. Norris’s half-sister) Snowbell scored all three of her wins at 3YO, including the G3 Comely.
Meanwhile, Wand Work herself is a daughter of Uncle Mo, who was a champion juvenile during his racetrack career, but has had more success with his 3YOs and older as a sire.
TrueNicks gives this matchup a “C+” (so slightly more successful than expected), with the likes of G2W Quip and G3W Marchman bred on the Distorted Humor/Indian Charlie cross, plus Maclean’s Music’s own stakes winner Firecrow. And if you nick Maclean’s Music with Mrs. Norris, that’s a solid “B” on the basis of five black-type winners which include the G1W Serengeti Empress and G2W Soothsay by Distorted Humor from Bernardini-line mares.
Physically this is a pairing that we love, as well. Maclean’s Music is a stout, strongly-made horse and very correct, and he should add a bit of substance to the more angular Wand Work. And their proclivities match up nicely, too — those successful runners noted from Wand Work’s family have done their best running as sprinter/milers, including on turf, and that range tends to be right in the wheelhouse of the Maclean’s Music offspring.