What does 2023 have in store for Mareworthy? 
That's an exciting question and also a tough one that requires calling out something that fell off the list of priorities.

So much of what I thought would be the focus for this year is actually the main item that I decided to completely remove from the list. It's no secret that I've been dreaming of taking Dyana to the RRP Thoroughbred Makeover ever since the day I decided to breed Freja, but after lots of deliberation I decided to withdraw my application to compete in the Makeover this year yesterday. That means Dyana will never compete at the Makeover since she won't be eligible after this year, but it doesn't mean I don't still plan to get her out to shows this year.

There is definitely a fair bit of regret that comes with this decision because so much of Dyana's journey was focused on the Makeover since Freja never got to go. That intense focus means I'm already putting extra unnecessary pressure on Dyana and myself to perform on a deadline, and I have to recognize that I wanted this Makeover more for me than for my horse. Dyana will not miss anything by not participating in the Makeover, but what we will gain together as a team is the ability to ensure her training develops at her pace without a deadline and stress of aiming for a high profile event. Don't get me wrong, I'm still setting goals for our show season this year (see below), but without the stress of being under the microscope in October I believe we'll actually have more fun taking one day at a time.

So now that I've let that cat out of the bag. What WILL we be doing over here at Team Mareworthy this year? There are so many options for which way to go. 

2022 has been a very exciting year for us filled with ups, downs, and pivots. We bought the new farm in Kentucky this summer, Dyana retired from racing, we began the process for establishing Mareworthy Charities as a 501c3 organization, and we added three more mares, two donkeys, and one deaf puppy to the family.

With all the changes in 2022, we are even more excited for the future of Mareworthy and our little farm. Our experience breeding and racing Dyana taught us a lot, and now we get to take the lessons we've learned and build an even more exciting future. We look forward to remaining transparent about our experiences, and we will always keep equine welfare and education at the forefront of every decision we make.

Abraham Lincoln famously said, "The best way to predict your future is to create it," and that is exactly what we intend to do. We are dedicated to fulfilling our mission of ensuring all retired Thoroughbred broodmares and warhorse mares are protected from suffering and cruelty. Sean and I put a lot of research and thought into our decision to breed again next year, and we decided it was the right decision as part of our mission as ambassadors for Thoroughbred mares and the future we are creating for Mareworthy Charities.

With the purchase of Abastada and Empress Luciana at the Keeneland November sale and Dyana's retirement from racing, our broodmare options went from a single mare - Lady Macjazz - to four eligible broodmares. That meant the first decision we had to make was whether we are going to breed one or all four.

Some photos of Dyana for consideration of her conformation and how it will pair with a stallion.

Step 1: Should you breed your mare?
I have a mare, so that means I am obligated to breed her, right? HELL NO!!!!

It should come as no surprise that I have decided to breed Lady Dyanaformer in 2023, but before we get too far into this adventure I wanted to give a strongly worded warning about breeding. This is definitely NOT a decision to take lightly, and if you're considering it I highly recommend doing LOTS and LOTS of homework and thinking it over at length - I have experience breeding and have been contemplating this decision and continually educating myself ever since I first decided to breed Dyana's dam, Lady Macjazz back in 2017. The decision to breed your mare will not only be very costly but it also can be very risky, so it should never be taken lightly.

First and most importantly, TALK TO YOUR VET! Then seek out experienced breeders - not ones that have only bred a handful of horses but ones who have a strong professional reputation and a history of breeding foals that become successful athletes. If you're only breeding for temperament, reconsider your decision. You cannot guarantee anything about a foal, but you can confidently assess the temperament of a horse that is already alive and waiting to meet you. While I obviously take temperament into equal consideration with athleticism, I would never breed a horse strictly for her personality. It's important to assess health, conformation, pedigree and temperament equally.

In addition to speaking with your vet and professional breeders, I also recommend taking lots of time to research reliable sources such as this article from TheHorse.com ​​

Step 2: Goals for the Foal

I often hear that horse racing is unethical because it's all about money and making people rich, so I thought I'd do a fully transparent deep dive into the 2021 finances for Lady Dyanaformer to expose the real profits of horse racing.

For starters, it's important to point out that Dyana ran her first ever races in 2021, so it also was her first chance at making any money. There were obviously expenses in the years since she was born in 2018 that increased when she went into full-time training in June of 2020, but I'm only going to share the expenses from 2021 to show a full calendar year profit and loss.

Additionally, it's important to note that Dyana finished 2021 with a Starts Percentile Ranking (SPR) of 87. Dyana's SPR of 87 means her average earnings per start were greater than 87% of ALL 3-year-old Thoroughbred fillies in North America registered with The Jockey Club who raced in 2021. To calculate a horse's SPR, the horse's average earnings per start are compared to the average earnings per start of like horses (i.e. same sex, age and year(s) record). That means only 13% of 3-year-old female horses in North America earned more per race than Dyana in 2021 with the other 87% earning less per race.

Certainly we got very rich in 2021 having such a talented filly, so, here are the numbers....