Meagher Dreaming of Lilies With Taken by the Wind

Last summer at Saratoga Race Course, trainer Kenny McPeek debuted Taken by the Wind, a promising bay filly by Rock Your World. Despite showing some initial greenness, the filly displayed her talent and defied her 13-1 odds by drawing away to win the 7-furlong maiden optional claiming race by 3 lengths. Fresh off her upset at the Spa, Taken by the Wind returned three weeks later to win the Pocahontas Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs by a decisive 5 1/4 lengths under Irad Ortiz, Jr. After spending a significant amount of time on the vet's list following her Pocahontas effort, the filly came back in top form during her sophomore debut to win the Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots by a neck Jan. 17. In doing so, the undefeated filly stamped herself as a Kentucky Oaks (G1) contender with 30 points on the leaderboard for the first Friday in May, and left her breeder dreaming of even bigger successes. "I'm not in control of everything, a lot of it to me is—I'm a believer in God—and I think there's a lot at work there, and there's some luck going on there," Courtney Meagher, who bred Taken by the Wind, said. "Her win (in the Silverbulletday Stakes) and the possibility of running in the Kentucky Oaks is very special." Despite having a roster of just four mares, Meagher—who was named FTBOA's 2018 Florida Small Breeder of the Year—continues to uphold a standard of excellence in her breeding program at her farm located near Citra, Fla. Following her mom's passing in 2009, Meagher, a lifelong horsewoman, decided to take a stab at the Thoroughbred industry, purchasing a few mares over the years, including Mom's Deputy, who ended up producing multiple graded stakes winner Mom's On Strike. A few years later, Meagher purchased the First Samurai mare Up for Grabs for $3,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Fall Mixed Sale in 2013. Ten years later, she foaled the mare's bay daughter by Rock Your World, now named Taken by the Wind. "I was looking for a mare, and I happened to see Up for Grabs," Meagher said. "She was in the Thoroughstock consignment, had come from the same farm, same breeders (as Mom's Deputy). "I noticed that she shared the same second dam with Mom's Deputy. So. I'm like, 'Oh, why not?' "And so I took a chance on her, and it really was the last minute I was looking. I had looked at a couple of other mares, didn't get them, and then I just raised my hand, and I got (Up for Grabs). They were related, and that was really the driving factor: keep it in the family. At that point, Mom's On Strike hadn't come to fruition." Meagher said Taken by the Wind stood out as the prettiest foal from her 2023 crop. "She had a very nice, laid back shoulder, her ears were always up; great presence about her," Meagher remembered. "Her walk, I always noticed her walk, just really cat-like and easy. She was also super friendly, naturally, lovely filly to work with." Meagher had the filly prepped at Beth Bayer's farm near Ocala, Fla., and when Taylor Made's Marshall Taylor came to see her before the 2024 Fasig-Tipton July Select Yearling Sale, Meagher said he was pleased with how well she'd developed. "She came out of the stall, and he was like 'Wow, that's a nice filly.'" Taken by the Wind brought a final bid of $70,000 from Walking L. Thoroughbreds, a client of McPeek's, at the July Sale, a solid price for a daughter from Rock Your World's first crop. The son of Candy Ride (ARG) had stood the 2022 season at Spendthrift Farm, near Lexington, for an advertised fee of $10,000. Just a few months later, the filly was offered once again in the sales ring, this time at Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky October Yearling Sale due to a dispersal of Walking L. Thoroughbreds. Proving his confidence in the filly, McPeek made sure to secure the filly once again, but this time for a bargain price of $20,000. "When I saw that he (McPeek) was the agent, I was really happy, because he was having so much success at that point," Meagher said. "I know he takes good care of his horses. He's got a good team, and he puts them in good spots. He doesn't over race them. So, I was really happy about that." The last few years have brought many ups and downs for Meagher, as most breeders are used to. In addition to industry trials, she beat cancer in 2018 and has experienced many other successes and bumps along the way. "When Taken by the Wind was being pointed to Breeders' Cup, I was like, 'What are the chances that a little breeder like me, with my small herd, is going to have to have two horses compete in the Breeders' Cup?'," she said, referring to Mom's On Strike, who had participated in the 2018 edition of the Filly and Mare Turf (G1T). "That was just mind-boggling. She didn't make it to the Breeders' Cup, but the Kentucky Oaks, that's no small feat either." Meagher has Up for Grabs booked to first-year stallion and multiple graded stakes winner Mullikin, WinStar Farm's millionaire son of Violence, who will stand his first season for an advertised fee of $10,000. "I just keep going at it and plugging away," she said. Meagher hopes that Oaks lilies are on the horizon for the latest filly carrying the banner for her breeding operation. "I'm just going to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride," Meagher said.