Just outside the south side of Lexington is Hartwell Ranch, home to Robbie and Susie Lyons, breeders of winner Lecomte Stakes (G3), Call me at midnight . The 3-year-old pony added success to his January 22 Nésumè with an upset win at Fair Grounds & Slots.
“Yesterday was fun. Call Me Midnight broke his maidenhood pretty impressively and he didn’t run a terrible race at (Kentucky) Jockey Club Stakes (G2); it didn’t follow suit. his way,” Robbie Lyons said Sunday. “Yesterday’s race was set up great for him. He had a great ride by fellow Irishman James Graham, and great coaching by Keith Desormeaux.”
Peter Cantrell’s Call Me Midnight went into the race with a 1-1-0 record in six starts. He broke his maiden in the required fifth place at Churchill Downs was a teenager who walked a mile then was sent two weeks later to the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, in which he failed to get the ride he wanted, finishing in seventh place. His Saturday performance was an attempt to break away from the favored opponents Epicenter and Pappacap , with level 3 achievements added to his accolades.
The Lyons family picked up Call Me Midnight’s dam, like Juddmonte, unrated First defense Overseen mare, for $16,000 from the Mill Ridge Sales shipment at the November 2013 Breeding Stock Sale in Keeneland. Despite her small stature, the mare comes from a family as old as the second dam Somewhat dangerous , a group 3 winner on grass in England and second in the Epsom Oaks (G1).
By Roberto, Slightly Dangerous went on to produce nine stock horses including Warning, who captured the Swettenham Stud Sussex Stock (G1), Queen Elizabeth II Shares (G1) and Queen Anne Shares (G2) ; Deployed, finished second in the Budweiser Irish Derby (G1) and a stallion in both Great Britain and Ireland; Commander-in-Chief, winner of the Epsom Ever Ready (G1) Derby and the Irish Derby and who later stood in Japan; group 3 is set Total; Dushyantor, a classification multi-team/stakes winner who has been ranked multiple-team/#1 in the UK and the United Stakes, including when placing third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1T), before finishing in Ireland; and agile Danzig Yashmak, who has run in the UK, France, Ireland and the US, where she won the Flower Bowl Invitational Handicap (G1T). Overseen is beyond Jibe, daughter of Danzig, slightly dangerous, stake winner, second in Fillies’ Mile (G1).
Lyons recalls Call Me Midnight, son of Midnight Lute , at weaning and initially sent him under the hammer at a November 2019 sale in Keeneland, where the foal changed hands for $25,000 to Milton Lopez.
“He really is a nice pony at weaning. Midnight Lute is a bit of ‘taste of the month.’ I worked really hard to get him to sell for $25,000,” commented Lyons. “Mare, I bought her on a whim from Juddmonte, mainly because of her family. She was a tiny mare, very small; I deeply regretted my decision at the time. In fact, after the November 2013 Keeneland sale, I entered her in the Fasig-Tipton February Sale but failed to sell her there either. “
Overseen has created a deposit due to Bayern , Bayerly Seen , who finished second in the Woodbine Cares Stakes in 2019 as a minor. The mare has four ponies on the ground, all of them fugitives, and is expecting a Frosted ponies this year.
“She’s also small at Bayern. She was sold for $25,000 to Gastar Thoroughbreds (at Keeneland September Yearling Sale). She initially went to Brad Cox. Lyons,” said Lyons.
‘Call Me Midnight’ makes his mother proud! @Fairgroundsnola pic.twitter.com/ucR6Jctzp6
– Hartwell Farm (@HartwellFarm) January 23, 2022
Hartwell Ranch, located in Jessamine County, raises about 50 mares each year, 10-12 of which are mares private to the Lyons family and the rest to customers. Lyons originally came to the states from Ireland in 1978 and has owned and operated Hartwell for the past 28 years.
“We have everything on the farm. We sell them as weaners if they look like they have a limited future or we need cash, one or the other to stay afloat.” , said Lyons.
As for mating, Call Me Midnight is more of a horror play for Lyons.
“I have bred (Supervised) a horse proven in Temple City in 2015 and then got a one-season contract from Bayern in 2016, finally sending her to Midnight Lute in 2018, another proven stallion — because I ended up having to raise the mare,” said Lyons.
“Honestly, we didn’t have to give much thought to whom we crossed her. Midnight Lute is a well-proven stallion that comes up with a classy horse every once in a while. , that’s the hope.”
The Hartwell Ranch is primarily bred for sale and has a consignment at each Kentucky sale throughout the year. Last year they sold the dam of the $2 million earner and many 1st place winners Queen Serengeti , Havisham, in the coming pony Uncle Mo for $1.15 million at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton’s flagship breed in Lexington, for Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings — their flagship offering in 2021.
Havisham, Queen Serengeti .’s dam
“We bred for sale, but I got to the point where I wouldn’t cross a mare with a stallion I didn’t want to race,” says Lyons. “With that in mind, we have an easy-to-win campaign, Waiting for Nairobi . She will run on January 29 at Lawn Park in Wish Well Staking, and she’s partnering with SF Racing. “
Waiting for Nairobi, by Carpe Diem , which was bred by Hartwell Farm and SF Bloodstock. She went through the November 2018 Keeneland sale as a weaning, failing to meet her reserves at $50,000.
Waiting for Nairobi to win the 2021 Cincinnati Trophy Stakes at Turfway Park
“If you do commercial breeding, I think you really have to breed early-season stallions for that enjoyment and excitement, but you can get caught very easily doing that,” added Lyons. .
When asked what keeps him motivated, Lyons chuckles: “It’s the rose, it’s the love of the game. When you have to work through a day like yesterday and the weather a few weeks ago, it’s the same. is something you have to be passionate about and really enjoy.”
Lyons commented: “Yesterday’s win will get us through the rest of this spawning season. And hopefully, Call Me Midnight will get another race or two under his belt. I think. Kent thinks the race is well set up for (Call Me Midnight) to win, but I imagine he will pull him back, all is well, if there is a start. (well done) in the Derby with some long shots. We’ll see what happens.”
