Choosing the Right Sire Line for Your Thoroughbred Mare

Investing in Your Dream

Say you've got a beautiful mare you’d like to breed. What should you look for in a stallion? How do you choose the right sire line for your thoroughbred? The bloodstock agents at Mill Ridge will be the first to tell you—do your homework, but know that in the end, it comes down to an emotional decision.

A thoroughbred horse farm is a peculiar business. Whether you’re a newcomer to horse breeding, a longtime racing fan just starting to invest in your own horses, or a seasoned expert who’s been following sire lines for decades, it can be difficult to explain it to outsiders. There are nuances aplenty, and you can spend your life in the world of Kentucky bloodstock agents, thoroughbred racing, and breeding, and still feel like you can never know enough. But to succeed in this business you only need one thing—a love of horses. 

Well, that and the gut sense to pursue excellence.

So that’s the definition of success we embody at Mill Ridge. And it’s a simple enough recipe. You see, horse breeding is the conception of a dream. Owning and breeding horses is a financial investment, to be sure. But so is owning a chain of laundromats. Your investment ought to reward you not just in dollars, but in the realization of dreams. You ought to love the process. 

Don’t get us wrong; there is homework to do. We’ll get to that. But other horse racing and breeding blogs—and even other bloodstock agents in Kentucky—may try to sell you an idea of breeding that is clear-cut and definitive. 

We don’t blame them; they’re trying to position themselves as experts, and that creates an incentive to speak only in terms of expertise. If you follow these rules and look for these traits and that lineage, you’re more likely to breed yourself a winner. When it comes to breeding your mare though, beware of anyone who tells you to trust the facts. Because the fact is, you won’t know if you have a good racehorse until you start racing.

That said, you should certainly know the facts. Let’s dig in.

Breeding Season

Before you get too excited to book the perfect stallion for your mare, know that you may have to wait a while. First of all, the breeding season is from February to June every year. That’s when breeders will be taking bookings for their studs—and the more demand there is for a particular stud, the farther out they’ll be scheduling. 

Plan ahead. Have a game plan. And not just because of availability. You also don't want foals born before New Year’s Day, because all horses are assigned a January 1st birthday, regardless of when they were actually born. That means a horse foaled in November will officially turn one year old two months later—no joke. And that means your foal will be at a disadvantage when competing with older, more developed yearlings.

Our bloodstock agents suggest that November isn’t too early to choose and book your stallion. That will help the breeding farm plan for any special needs your mare might have and will give you time to plan and implement an appropriate mare-care regimen.

The Importance of Bloodlines

As you may know, a pedigree blend is important in determining the likely characteristics of any foal. A stallion should complement a mare physically. You want to match a long-boned horse to one that has short bones, for example, to ensure a balance of traits that will yield a good racehorse. Aim to balance out your mare’s weak points.

Conformation isn’t everything, of course. You’ll also want to research a prospective stallion’s pedigree. Anyone who studies genetics can tell you that this is a game of probabilities, not guarantees. Yet the importance of bloodlines is not to be discounted. Heck, that’s why we’re called bloodstock agents! There is some math to it.

A storied pedigree might fetch headlines and a high dollar value, but be wary of heavily-promoted or much-talked-about bloodlines. Instead—and this is critical—know what traits you’re looking for in a stallion, and seek out sire and dam lines that consistently represent those traits. (And for heaven’s sake, remember that “winning” is not a genetic trait, but rather a result of traits and training!). Look closely at the offspring of various lines to get a sense of how well they cross with others. 

Consider these questions:

• Will you keep the foal to raise and train yourself, or will you sell it?

• If you’ll be selling it, at what age? 

• Are you breeding for a specific discipline? Size? Temperament?

• Are you determined to make money at all costs? (If so, you may want to consider investing in a laundromat instead.)

A reputable Kentucky bloodstock agent can help you answer those questions. 

The Mill Ridge Approach

Breeding is a science and an art. The bloodstock agents at Mill Ridge Farm excel in this process due to their rich history, tradition, and strategy.

In terms of process, it’s not all intuition and knowledge: you may be surprised to learn that computers are typically involved when planning matings and nickings. 

Knowledge does carry immense value. However, Nicoma Bloodstock (the agents at Mill Ridge) have lived and breathed thoroughbred bloodlines their whole lives, and have the breadth and depth of knowledge to avoid useless trends and help you pick a stallion that will complement your mare in a meaningful way. 

Now, lest you think Nicoma is long on heart and short on wins, we’d like to turn your attention for just a moment to its history of success. These are some Kentucky bloodstock agents who possess big hearts and a long legacy of breeding and raising graded stakes winners.

Specifically, we’re talking about Headley Bell, the lead bloodstock agent at Mill Ridge. Don’t ask him how long he’s been in the business of horse breeding; he’ll just tell you, “a long time.” Because of his history, his industry relationships, and his knowledge of pedigrees and horse racing, he’s developed a deep winning streak with his clients. Headley himself is a mentor to many of the other next-generation bloodstock agents you’ll meet on your journey to find the right stallion. He carefully balances his clients’ needs and wants with attention to ethics and an eye toward protecting their investments.

Nicoma Bloodstock agents offer experienced, expert guidance when choosing the right sire line for your mare. Indeed, they can assist in every aspect of your portfolio—not just in matings, but in raising, early training, and trainer selection—whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned breeder.

If you’d like to begin a conversation with a bloodstock agent at Nicoma Bloodstock about potentially owning your own piece of thoroughbred racing history, contact us today at (859) 224-1000 or learn more here.