Indiana-bred Soul Streit (Maclean’s Music – Yodeladytoo, by Swiss Yodeler) stormed onto the scene at Del Mar over the weekend, winning his first race under a hand-ride by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith in a maiden special weight race contested over five furlongs on dirt. Soul Streit is a 2-year-old ridgling, bred by Pat and Dennis Doran of Oak Ridge Farm in Palmyra, Indiana. The Dorans have been Thoroughbred breeders for 30 years and have been participating in the lucrative Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development Program for the past eight.
“What attracted us to Indiana from Michigan was the strong breeding program and the breeder’s awards in Indiana,” explains Dennis.
The Dorans use a program to keep up to date with all of their foals they’ve bred and raised and were able to watch Soul Streit’s debut at Del Mar for Hall of Fame and Triple Crown winning trainer Bob Baffert, who also owns the bay in a partnership that includes ESPN College Gameday analyst Kirk Herbstreit. The win earned the colt the distinction of being named the Thoroughbred Daily News’ Rising Star for August 13.
“Wow! That was fun! Can’t wait to watch this young horse keep growing!” Herbstreit tweeted following the win. Soul Streit is Herbstreit’s first ever racehorse.
The Dorans use a combination of intensive research and gut feelings when it comes to breeding their horses on their Southern Indiana farm.
“We always do research about how the horses rank, and in Soul Streit’s case he ranks A++ in the nicks ratings,” says Pat.
“When we saw Maclean’s Music, there was a connection there and I knew we had to breed to him. Soul Streit’s dam also won her first race out, and won more than a quarter million dollars, so we have some high hopes for this colt.” Youdeladytoo is carrying a Maclean’s Music foal for 2018.
“We’re just small breeders,” says Dennis. “This is what you dream about every time you foal one out.”
“We are always happy to celebrate our breeders, and the Dorans are no exception,” says Jessica Barnes, Director of Racing and Breed Development for the Indiana Horse Racing Commission. “We can’t wait to see what Soul Streit does with his fabulous connections in the future.”
Soul Streit sold for $85,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale.
(from Indiana Horse Racing Commission news release)