Maybee Savors Bottle of Rouge's Success

For many in the Thoroughbred industry, spring in Kentucky is synonymous with the vibrant allure of roses and lilies—a sentiment shared deeply by Bottle of Rouge's breeder, Kathie Maybee. Regardless of whether she makes the May 1 Kentucky Oaks (G1) field, the filly has already gifted the veteran horsewoman with treasured memories and a significant milestone—becoming the first American grade 1 winner bred by Maybee. The daughter of Vino Rosso, owned by Jill Baffert, wife of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, got off to an impressive start as a 2-year-old, breaking her maiden by 6 3/4 lengths at second asking and defeating eventual 2025 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Super Corredora in the process.She followed that effort up with a victory over her favored stablemate, Explora, in the Del Mar Debutante (G1). Following a flat sixth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Bottle of Rouge returned to her winning ways last month to capture the Sunland Park Oaks. She currently sits 18th on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 20 points and is entered March 14 in the Virginia Oaks, which awards 50 qualifying points to the winner. "I'm absolutely thrilled," Maybee said. "I'm just a little person in the industry, and I do think this is a really tough industry; you can't always spend the money that you want to, but this shows that the little guy has a chance. It's all about dreams. This industry is all about dreams. You dream that what you breed goes on and does what you believe they can do." Maybee, a 75-year-old Washington native, has been involved in the equine industry her entire life, spending the past 35 years focused on Thoroughbreds. She operates under Phoenix Farm, a 400-acre facility located near Nicholasville, Ky. She has a personal broodmare band of 18, with numerous client horses, bringing her total to around 200 head. "I don't keep any to race," Maybee said. "I can't afford it, but my whole breeding program is not necessarily breeding to new stallions, but breeding to what I think is going to give me a racehorse, and I've been pretty lucky with that." Maybee is responsible for the matings of two Eclipse Award champion 2-year-olds in 2018 champion 2-year-old filly Jaywalk and 2019 champion 2-year-old colt Storm the Court. Vino Rosso didn't blaze a trail in the breeding shed as quickly as he did on the track, yet Maybee saw something special in the Spendthrift stallion, choosing him as a match for Blues Corner, the dam of Bottle of Rouge. "I went and looked at him, and I really liked him," she explained. "Blues Corner crossed well with him, and his physical traits were what she needed. I just felt like I'd get a racehorse, and I guess I did." Maybee offered Bottle of Rouge as a weanling at Keeneland's November Breeding Stock Sale in 2023, where she brought $60,000 from Kids In America Bloodstock. The filly would head back to the sales ring the following year at Keeneland's September Yearling Sale, bringing $100,000 from Big Sky Racing. "She was a real friendly foal," Maybee said. "She was a really good foal, a very nice individual. She was very forward. I was thrilled to death with who ended up with her, and that was Natalie (Jill) Baffert. "Bob and Natalie, they sent me a gift at Christmas, and they sent me her shoes that she wore in her grade 1 win framed, and Jill wrote a very nice note when they sent it. It makes me kind of tear up, because sometimes I think people forget the breeders. It was a big thrill, and it was so kind of them." Maybee sold Bottle of Rouge's dam, Blues Corner, last year privately, along with a full sister she offered to the public, who sold for $150,000 to Elizabeth Morey at Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky October Yearling Sale. "I'm 75, and if I had been 40, I wouldn't have sold her," she said. "But, I'm older, and I got a really good offer, and she went to a great home. They can afford to breed her to really good horses, and that's what will happen for her." Maybee retains a half sister to Bottle of Rouge by 2025's leading freshman sire, Yaupon. The filly is poised to be a high-demand commodity should she head to the sales ring this fall. When asked if she would attend the Kentucky Oaks, should Bottle of Rouge make it into the starting gates, she replied, "No, because I'd probably have a heart attack. If she does go, I am going to get ahold of them and find out if I can come see her. For some reason, all my horses remember me. I would love to see her." Maybee said she loves the behind-the-scenes and underdog stories brought to life on television during the Kentucky Oaks and Derby coverage. "It draws more people in and makes our industry more relatable," she said. "People get in the business, and then they get out, and I think it's because these horses cost so much. They think that unless they spend a whole lot of money, they're not going to be at one of these big races, when the truth is, it's all about the horse. It's not just about what breeders can get when they sell them. That is important, but I breed all of my mares for what I believe will make a racehorse, and that's what's important to me. "I'm seven days a week at the farm, because that's what my life is, my reason for getting up, my everything."