Taylor Made to purchase Midnight Storm breeding rights

Taylor Made Stallions, in partnership with WinStar Farm, has entered an agreement to purchase the breeding rights to Grade 1 winner Midnight Storm upon his retirement.

The 6-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile is targeting the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 3 at Del Mar. He is trained by Philip D’Amato for the partnership of A Venneri Racing Inc. and Little Red Feather Racing.

“Midnight Storm has absolutely everything you look for in a stallion prospect, and we are beyond excited about his potential at stud and Taylor Made having the opportunity to stand him after his racing career is complete,” said Duncan Taylor, of Taylor Made. “He’s a gorgeous horse, and by a budding superstar stallion in Pioneerof the Nile, who’s proven his impact with 2-year-old champions like American Pharoah and Classic Empire – both top classic horses. Cairo Prince is also showing commercially just how hot the sire line is.”

Midnight Storm has won 10 of 26 starts for earnings of $1,783,110. His most notable wins include the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile Stakes, Grade 2 Del Mar Derby, Eddie Read Stakes, Seabiscuit Handicap, Del Mar Mile Handicap and San Pasqual Stakes, and the Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes. He also placed in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Mile, and three other Grade 1 races.

“Midnight Storm possesses tremendous natural speed like American Pharoah did, and some of the speed figures he’s earned have proven just how gifted he is,” Taylor said. “What I love about him is his versatility and soundness. You don’t see horses that can compete at the highest level and win major graded races on both dirt and turf very often, and do so in very fast times. You also don’t see horses that fast hold up like he has, which is a tribute to his conformation and athleticism. This horse has it all.”

The horse was bred in Kentucky by Alex Venneri and Marjorie Post Dye, and he is out of the winning Bertrando mare My Tina, who is the dam of seven winners from eight runners. Grade 3-placed Flatter Up and Ask Shananie are in the extended family, as is stakes winner Valid Direction.

Taylor Made and WinStar Farm also stand stallions Speightstown and Tiznow in conjunction at WinStar’s Versailles, Ky., base.