Charlotte Weber's Live Oak Stud has dominated the racetrack for more than half a century. Founded near Ocala, Fla., in 1968, the farm has earned Weber five Florida Breeder of the Year honors presented by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. Live Oak earned the title in 2017, 2019-2021, and 2025.
Weber's 4,500-acre operation is home to more than 100 horses—including broodmares, foals, yearlings, horses in training, and retirees—and also includes a cattle division. Weber has always bred to race, campaigning many top horses such as 2006 champion turf male Miesque's Approval and 2017 champion turf male World Approval, both out of Live Oak's 2017 Broodmare of the Year Win Approval. Live Oak also bred and campaigned grade 1 winner Win Win Win , Florida's leading first- and second-crop sire in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
The upcoming Keeneland September Yearling Sale, held Sept. 14-26, brings an exciting shift for Live Oak as it offers its very first public consignment. Warrendale Sales will offer 11 yearlings from one of Florida's most prestigious programs.
Kimberly Cookson, operations manager for Live Oak, explained that Weber, known for developing a blue-blooded broodmare band through homebreds and auction purchases, will present a diverse selection of yearlings to the public across Books 1-5. The majority of the offerings will be colts.
"It means a tremendous amount to represent them here," said Kitty Day, owner of Warrendale Sales. "We're very honored to represent Live Oak and Mrs. Weber because the history of the farm and her program is just phenomenal.
"Anybody who's ever been to that farm and knows how these horses have been raised— to get into those bloodlines is incredibly important for everybody."
Souper Grand, consigned as Hip 41, will be the first yearling to go through the ring. The colt by 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify is the second foal out of the graded stakes-winning Curlin mare Souper Sensational. Weber purchased Souper Sensational as a yearling at Fasig-Tipton's The Saratoga Sale in 2019 for $725,000. She went on to win the 2021 Victory Ride Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course, and was graded stakes-placed multiple times, including a runner-up finish in the 2021 Test Stakes (G1), where she ran second to Bella Sofia.
He hails from the immediate family of grade 1 winner and millionaire Tiz Miz Sue, who has produced two black-type horses, including group-placed Serein.
"He's beautiful and Justify stamps them. You know when you're looking at a Justify," Day said. "This particular horse has a beautiful hind leg, just an extremely correct physical, and the thing about the Live Oak horses is they have been raised very organically, and they've been bred to race. They have been raised to race. They have not been raised to pinhook. They've not been raised for anything other than to race.
"You're getting into a program of the equivalent of Stonestreet. You're getting into those kind of bloodlines."
Hip 302 is a colt named Souper Thunderbolt from the last crop of Uncle Mo and out of the graded stakes-winning Into Mischief mare Let it Ride Mom. Weber purchased the mare in 2016 for $375,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.
Let it Ride Mom won the 2018 Whimsical Stakes (G3) at Woodbine for Live Oak, along with two other stakes wins and five graded stakes placings. She has had three foals to race, two of which are winners.
"He's the prettiest Uncle Mo I think I've ever seen," Day said about Hip 302. "If he can run, he's a stallion. He's just stunning."
In Book 2, Warrendale will offer four Live Oak-bred horses, including two colts out of Tapit mares—Hip 820, a colt by Uncle Mo and out of a half sister to multiple graded stakes winner and millionaire Awesome Slew and Hip 821, a Justify colt whose second dam is grade 1 winner My Typhoon. My Typhoon is out of the great Urban Sea and is a half sister to sires Galileo and Sea The Stars.
"This sale is going to be a barn burner," Day said about her expectations for the sale. "It's going to be a really good sale. Our traffic has been phenomenal at the barn."
The 12-day sale will feature 11 opportunities to purchase a yearling from the elite Live Oak breeding program, offering buyers a gateway to racetrack excitement and long-term breeding value. The excitement begins at 1:00 p.m. ET Sept. 14 with hips 1-184 slated to head to the ring.
