First Mares Confirmed In Foal To Pleasant Acres Stallions' Quintet Of Incoming Residents

Pleasant Acres Stallions is pleased to announce the confirmation of mares in foal for all five of the Florida stallion station’s newest stallion additions in 2024. To date, each stallion has multiple mares confirmed in foal.

“Since the breeding shed opened this season, we have had a very active stallion barn,” says director of stallion services Christine Jones. “We have recently received confirmation that all five of our exciting new stallions have mares in foal, so we are off to a great start.”

“Our goal at Pleasant Acres Stallions was to bring in a new level of horse for our breeders,” Jones continued. “We spent a lot of time searching for stallions that we believed would be quality enough to keep breeders in Florida and so far, we are seeing this goal realized. These stallions have been well received by Florida breeders who sometimes take their mares to Kentucky. We are so happy many have decided to stay here instead.”

Pleasant Acres Stallions has four first year stallions this year – Verifying, Doppelganger, Simplification, and Chess Chief – and one stallion new to Florida – Bodexpress.

Doppelganger (Into Mischief / Twice the Lady, by Quiet American) - $10,000 S&N

A $570,000 yearling, Doppelganger is out of the stakes-winning and multiple graded stakes-placed Quiet American mare, Twice the Lady, who was in the money in nearly 70 percent of her races. Doppelganger's namesake is Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic – due to his shared physical resemblance – another son of Into Mischief campaigned by a partnership that included SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables. On debut as a juvenile, Doppelganger was named a TDN Rising Star after his 3 ½ length win at Los Alamitos. At three, he placed in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes and G3 Affirmed. With four wins at four, Doppelganger captured the G1 Carter Handicap and the Battery Park Stakes.

Verifying (Justify / Diva Delite, by Repent) - $10,000 S&N

Verifying is regally bred with a very high-profile pedigree. He is the half-brother of the 2019 champion older dirt female – Midnight Bisou. In four seasons, she won 13 graded stakes – including five Grade 1 events – and she earned nearly $7.5 million. Their dam, Diva Delite – a Florida-bred mare – showed class and stamina to win the G3 Florida Oaks, Gasparilla Stakes, and Suncoast Stakes. She was purchased at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale for $1.2 million while in foal with Verifying. Verifying is one of only two sons of Justify standing at stud in 2024. The other is Arabian Lion who stands at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky for $30,000. Verifying won the G3 Indiana Derby and had runner up performances in Grade 1 events including the Champagne Stakes, Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, and H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes. He won the G3 Matt Winn Stakes. Overall, Verifying was first or second in seven of his 11 lifetime career starts and averaged nearly $80,000 per start.

Simplification (Not This Time / Simply Confection, by Candy Ride) - $6,500 S&N

Simplification is one of only three Not This Time sons at stud and is the only one in Florida. The other two – Coolmore’s Epicenter, who stands for $40,000, and Lane’s End’s Up to the Mark, who stands for $25,000 – are both in Kentucky. Simplification is out of the stakes-placed Candy Ride mare Simplify Confection who hails from the family of champion Ashado (Saint Ballado). Simplification broke his maiden in his second start by almost 17 lengths. The following year he had a four-length victory in the one-turn-mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes, then finished second in the G3 Holy Bull Stakes, followed by a 3 ½ length victory in the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes. Next, he finished third in the G1 Florida Derby – his final prep for the Kentucky Derby, where he was fourth in a field of 20. Simplification went on to place third in the G2 West Virginia Derby, G3 Harlan’s Holiday Stakes, and the G2 WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes.

Chess Chief (Into Mischief / Un Blessed, by Mineshaft) - $5,000 S&N

Chess Chief is a son of Into Mischief and is out of a daughter of Grade 1 winner Plenty of Grace (Roberto), who is half-sister to Soaring Softly (Kris S.) – the multiple graded stakes winning 1999 champion grass mare who won both the G1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf and the G1 Flower Bowl Invitation Handicap. Chess Chief raced from two through seven and is four-times graded-stakes placed – including the G3 West Virginia Derby, Oklahoma Derby, and Mineshaft Stakes, and the G2 Alysheba Stakes. He won the 2021 G2 New Orleans Classic Stakes and Tenacious Stakes and retired with nearly $1 million in earnings. Chess Chief was Horse of the Year and Virginia-Bred Older Horse Champion in 2021. Chess Chief beat Grade 1 winner Mucho Gusto, Long Range Toddy, and twice he beat Roadster – all in graded events.

Bodexpress (Bodemeister / Pied A Terre, by City Zip) - $5,000 S&N

With his first crop 2-year-old’s hitting the track this year, Bodexpress relocated from California to Pleasant Acres Stallions for the 2024 season. Bodexpress won the 2020 G1 Clark Stakes, has three triple-digit Beyers, and set a track record at Gulfstream Park, finishing one mile in 1:35.58. He was runner-up in G1 Florida Derby and third in the G3 Harlan’s Holiday Stakes and Hal’s Hope Stakes. He is out of the City Zip daughter, Pied a Terre, who is a half-sister to graded stakes winning millionaire Stormy Lord (Stormy Atlantic) and stakes winner Incredicat (Discreet Cat.) The immediate family produced multiple Grade 1 winner and course record-setter Influent, Grade 2 winner Whadjathink, and six-time black type stakes winner Explosive Kate – the third dam of Bodexpress. At the OBS March Sale, a colt by Bodexpress, out of Tart’s Knickers (Ghostzapper), sold to agent Steve Young for $85,000.

Pleasant Acres Stallions’ roster includes Bodexpress (Bodemeister), Chess Chief (Into Mischief), Curlin’s Honor (Curlin), Doppelganger (Into Mischief), Gone Astray (Dixie Union), Gunnevera (Dialed In), Leinster (Majestic Warrior), Magic on Tap (Tapit), Neolithic (Harlan’s Holiday), No Never No More (Scat Daddy), Simplification (Not This Time) and Sweetontheladies (Twirling Candy), and Verifying (Justify).

Pleasant Acres Stallions is a 220-acre farm located just northwest of Ocala. Pleasant Acres Stallions has received many accolades for excellence, including 2021 Florida Freshman Sire of the Year for Neolithic, 2017 Florida Freshman Sire of the Year for Poseidon’s Warrior, 2017 DRF Florida-bred Beyer Award, 2009 Florida Breeder of the Year, 2009 Florida Broodmare of the Year, Breeder of the 2009 Florida Horse of the Year, and was ranked third in the nation for leading breeders in 2009 by average earnings per starter with 10 or more starters.