We thought that the Tapit sire-line would work well for Desert Rendezvous when we planned her mating for the first time in ‘25, and she’ll try another promising young member of that tribe this spring when she visits Tapit’s son Charge It at Gainesway.
We sent Desert Rendezvous in this direction last year because her female family has had plenty of success with this sire-line. Specifically, her half-sister Better Lucky has already produced two black-type horses by Tapit; her half-sister Enrichment is the dam of a black-type runner by a son of Tapit and of a black-type winner by the AP Indy (he being Tapit’s own grandsire) son Girolamo; another half-sister is the dam of a Panamanian champion by Purge, a son of Pulpit (like Tapit); and Desert Rendezvous and her sisters are all half-siblings to G3W Sahara Heat by AP Indy himself. Then there’s the fact that Desert Rendezvous shares her third dam with the multiple Graded stakes winner Independence Hall, who is by Tapit’s son Constitution — and Desert Rendezvous and Independence Hall actually have very similar pedigrees as their second dams are both by Storm Cat, and their dams are by Seeking the Gold and his son Cape Town, respectively.
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In addition to the female family having worked with Tapit and his sons already, TrueNicks rates the Tapit/Hard Spun cross as a solid “B” thanks to four black-type winners (three of them Graded) by Tapit or his sons and out of Hard Spun mares. So we like that, too.
Physically, Charge It is a big, strong, strapping specimen that has to be among the best-looking stallions in Kentucky, and he’ll be a great match for the well-made but medium-sized Desert Rendezvous — hopefully he’ll contribute a bit of size and substance to her foal.
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As mentioned, Charge It was the most popular first-year stallion of 2025 with 235 mares bred. Some of that is no doubt due to his impressive physical, and he was also an absolutely brilliant runner on his best day, as witnessed by his 23-length demolition of the historic G3 Dwyer Stakes with a 111 Beyer Speed Figure. He also scored in the G2 Suburban at 1-1/4 miles, and was 2nd in the G1 Florida Derby in just his third start. Charge It also comes from one of the best female families in the stud book, as his second dam is Broodmare of the Year Take Charge Lady, dam of G1 winners and sires Will Take Charge and Take Charge Indy, and second dam of G1 winner and hugely promising young sire Omaha Beach.
All of which gives us a lot of confidence in Charge It’s chances at stud, and his chances of producing a successful foal from this pairing with Desert Rendezvous!