Ms. Tart likely to be bred in spring, but return to racing possible

Ms. Tart, who won the Wishing Well Stakes on Friday night at Turfway Park, is likely to be bred this spring, trainer John Ennis said prior to the race. But that doesn’t necessarily mean her 2 3/4-length victory will be her last appearance on track.

“She’s been a joy to have in the barn,” said Ennis, who took over the mare’s training late last year. “I think she’s going to be bred this season. In the spring, she’s going to be in foal. Whether she comes back into training in foal is a possibility. She’s been a dream to have in the barn, and big thanks to her owners Judy Pryor and Mulholland Springs for letting me train her.”

Breeding sheds around Kentucky open this week, and mares gestate for roughly 11 months. All else being uncomplicated, competing early in pregnancy is generally considered safe. One major example in recent years came when Oleksandra defeated males in the Grade 3 Poker Stakes in June 2021 while in foal.

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Ms. Tart’s value has risen exponentially in the last year. The now 5-year-old Maximus Mischief mare was claimed for $35,000 out of a win in January 2025 at Gulfstream Park. Racing for trainer Kevin Rice and owner Nathan McCauley, she won the Grade 3 Royal North at Woodbine and the Satin and Lace at Presque Isle Downs, and was also third in the Grade 3 Whimsical at Woodbine.

Ms. Tart was then purchased for $375,000 at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale as a racing or broodmare prospect by Mulholland Springs, and transferred by that farm and new co-owner Pryor to Ennis.

In her first start for Ennis, she was third in the Holiday Inaugural Stakes in December at Turfway, a race in which she set a pressured pace after drawing the rail. In the Wishing Well, she sat a perfect stalking trip, took over under her own power, and kicked clear, earning an 88 Beyer Speed Figure, one of her better career numbers.

“She’s super easy to train, mentally and physically,” Ennis said, noting that the mare’s natural fitness helped her cope with a lack of serious training during a spate of frigid weather in Kentucky. “You wouldn’t know she’s around – super quiet, very professional.”

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