Why It Worked- Goal Oriented

Why It Worked

GOAL ORIENTED R

RUNNYMEDE FARM’S longtime commitment to building its breeding program around broodmares connected to Blushing Groom continues to reap rewards for the historic Bourbon County farm in Central Kentucky.

By ERIC MITCHELL

Runnymede celebrated its most recent success in the Dec. 28 Malibu Stakes (G1), won by Goal Oriented, a 3-year-old colt by Not This Time. Bred in the name of Runnymede and the farm’s patriarch Catesby W. Clay, Goal Oriented is out of Clay’s homebred graded stakes winner Bizzy Caroline, whose second dam is Kazadancoa. Bizzy Caroline has ties to Blushing Groom through Kazadancoa’s dam Khazaeen, who is a half sister to Blushing Groom’s dam Runaway Bride.

Romain Malhouitre, president of Runnymede Farm, said most of the farm’s mares have a connection to the Blushing Groom line. The broodmare band includes Kazadancoa’s daughters Sacre Coeur and Royal Run, and Royal

Run’s daughter Palace Weekend. Sacre Coeur is the dam of Bizzy Caroline and 2017 champion turf female Lady Eli. Royal Run is the dam of five-time graded stakes winner Tejano Run and grade 2 winner More Royal, while Palace Weekend is the dam of group 1 winner Palace Episode and multiple graded/ group stakes producer Adventure.

The farm’s mares also include Josette and Chancey Squaw. Josette is a Danehill mare and granddaughter of Allicance, who is another half sister to Blushing Groom. Her descendants include grade 1 winner and sire Collected, graded-placed stakes winner Koala Princess, and stakes winners Artilena and Woodwin W. Chancey Squaw is a daughter of Allicance and the dam of

Agnes Digital, who was Japan’s champion older horse for 2001.

“So to see Goal Oriented achieving what he has achieved (in 2025) is very rewarding but also only a chapter of this beautiful relationship and history between Runnymede Farm, its partners, and Blushing Groom,” Malhouitre said.

Bizzy Caroline, by Afleet Alex, was bred and raced by Clay, who died in 2024 at the age of 101. Bizzy Caroline was the fourth

GOAL ORIENTED

NOT THIS TIME, dkb/br, 2014

GOAL ORIENTED

dkb/br, c May 15, 2022

BIZZY CAROLINE, dkb/br, 2008

Giant's Causeway, 1997 13s, SW, $3,078,989 2,487 f, 220 SW, 1.77 AEI

Storm Cat, 1983 8s, SW, $570,610 1,414 f, 181 SW, 2.94 AEI

Storm Bird Terlingua

Mariah's Storm, 1991 16s, SW, $724,895 13 f, 11 r, 8 w, 2 SW Rahy Immense

Miss Macy Sue, 2003 25s, SW, $880,915 7 f, 5 r, 4 w, 4 SW

A eet Alex, 2002 12s, SW, $2,765,800 983 f, 51 SW, 1.28 AEI

Sacre Coeur, 2000 3s, wnr, $34,040 12 f, 10 r, 7 w, 2 SW

Trippi, 1997 14s, SW, $666,220 1,191 f, 100 SW, 1.50 AEI

Yada Yada, 1996 3s, unpl, $1,260 13 f, 13 r, 11 w, 2 SW

Northern A eet, 1993 21s, SW, $626,671 1,434 f, 93 SW, 1.37 AEI

End Sweep Jealous Appeal

Great Above Stem

A eet Nuryette

Maggy Hawk, 1994 4s, wnr, $15,080 12 f, 6 r, 3 w, 2 SW Hawkster Qualique

Saint Ballado, 1989 9s, SW, $302,820 702 f, 70 SW, 2.06 AEI

Halo Ballade Kazadancoa, 1978 9s, wnr, $20,402 13 f, 11 r, 7 w, 3 SW

Green Dancer Khazaeen

GOAL ORIENTED'S RACE AND (STAKES) RECORD

YearAgeSts1st2nd3rdEarned 2025 at 3 7 3(1) 0 2(2)$624,460 Lifetime 7 3(1) 0 2(2)$624,460

Sire: NOT THIS TIME, dkb/br, 2014. Raced 1 yr, 4 sts, 2 wins, $454,183. Won Iroquois S (G3); 2nd Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1).

Lifetime: 7 crops, 687 foals, 477 rnrs (69%), 322 wnrs (47%), 135 2yo wnrs (20%), 71 sw (10%), 2.11 AEI, 1.82 CI, 485 sale yrlgs, avg $280,690, 2.8 TNA.

1st dam: BIZZY CAROLINE, dkb/br, 2008. Bred by Runnymede Farm and Catesby W. Clay (Ky.). Raced 3 yrs, 17 sts, 4 wins, $347,935. Won Regret S (G3T), Early Times Mint Julep H (G3T); 2nd Mrs. Revere S (G2T), Glens Falls S (G3T), Pin Oak Valley View S (G3T); 3rd Richmor Aviation Waya S (T). Dam of 9 named foals, 8 rnrs, 4 wnrs, 1 sw.

2014: Go Big Or Go Home, dkb/br g, by Ghostzapper. Raced 3 yrs, 22 sts, 3 wins, $117,006. Died 2019.

2015: Ciaran, dkb/br g, by Malibu Moon. Raced 2 yrs, 3 sts, 1 win, $20,490. ($210,000 keesep yrlg). Died 2018.

2016: Tenacious Jewel, dkb/br f, by Medaglia d'Oro. Raced 2 yrs, 6 sts, 0 wins, $4,116. Dam of 2 foals, 1 rnr, 1 wnr.

2017: Birdwatcher, dkb/br f, by Uncle Mo. Unraced. Sent to Eng 2018. ($1,100,000 keesep yrlg).

2018: Dame of Malta, b f, by Union Rags. Raced 2 yrs, 4 sts, 0 wins, $12,043.

2019: Solidarity, dkb/br f, by Quality Road. Raced 2 yrs, 5 sts, 0 wins, $28,633. ($200,000 keesep yrlg).

2020: Prowling Tiger, b g, by Kitten's Joy. Raced 5 yrs, 26 sts, 3 wins, $108,636. ($190,000 keesep yrlg).

2021: Sweet Odyssey, dkb/br g, by Twirling Candy. Raced 2 yrs, 5 sts, 0 wins, $17,060. ($220,000 keesep yrlg).

2022: GOAL ORIENTED, dkb/br c, by Not This Time. ($425,000 keesep yrlg).

At 3: Won Malibu S (G1); 3rd NYRA Bets Haskell S (G1), Pennsylvania Derby (G1).

2023: Barren.

2024: Dead foal.

2025: B c, by Up to the Mark. ($150,000 keenov wnlg).

Nicking: NOT THIS TIME w/AFLEET ALEX mares: 1 foal, 1 str, 1 wnr (100%), 0 2yo wnrs (0%), 1 SW (100%), 1 GSW (100%)

Broodmare sire: AFLEET ALEX, b, 2002. Sire of 234 dams of 884 foals, 604 rnrs (68%), 399 wnrs (45%), 106 2yo wnrs (12%), 1.10 AEI, 1.27 CI; 37 sw.

2nd dam: Sacre Coeur, b, 2000. Bred by Runnymede Farm and Catesby W. Clay (Ky.). Raced 1 yr, 3 sts, 1 win, $34,040. Dam of LADY ELI (f, Divine Park; $2,959,800. Won Gamely S, G1T, Diana S, G1T, Flower Bowl S, G1T, Belmont Oaks Invitational S, G1T, Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, G1T, Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa S, G2T, Appalachian S Presented by Japan Racing Association, G3T, Miss Grillo S, G3T, Wonder Again S, T; 2nd Coolmore Jenny Wiley S, G1T, Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, G1T, Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa S, G2T; producer), Princesa Caroline (f, American Pharoah; $58,090. 3rd Jimmy Durante S, G3T). Granddam of SACRED

foal out of Sacre Coeur and became her first stakes winner when she won the 2011 Regret Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs for trainer Kenny McPeek. She added a win in the Mint Julep Handicap (G3T) to her resume at 4 and placed in three other graded stakes on her way to earning $347,935.

Sacre Coeur’s second foal after Bizzy Caroline was Lady Eli, a daughter of Divine Park who won five grade 1 stakes, including the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T). Lady Eli raced from 2 to 5, won eight graded stakes overall, and retired with more than $2.9 million in earnings.

Bizzy Caroline’s accomplishments bolstered by the brilliance of Lady Eli meant the expectations were particularly high for Bizzy Caroline’s broodmare career. Her first eight foals, however, produced three modest winners and three other runners that placed at best.

“Her first eight foals did not live up to those lofty hopes, but we never lost faith in Bizzy Caroline or her family,” said Brutus Clay III, one of Catesby Clay’s sons and chairman and CEO of Runnymede. “Romain adjusted his mating recommendations based on what he saw from her progeny, and we caught lightning in a bottle with Not This Time, who gave us Goal Oriented.”

In the early 2010s, Runnymede recognized that its blood was very turf oriented and wanted to balance it, so Bizzy Caroline’s first two foals are by Ghostzapper and Malibu Moon, respectively, according to Malhouitre. He said both foals were good-looking individuals with plenty of balance and strength.

Generally speaking, Kazadancoa’s daughters are leggy and quite athletic with not being overly heavy, European body shapes that are elongated in the middle part of their bodies, according to Malhouitre. He said they possess and pass along a powerful, loose way of moving at the walk but also at other gaits. Bizzy Caroline’s body shape is a bit more compact than her dam’s, her sisters, and some of her daughters, but Malhouitre said after her first few foals he learned that “Bizzy” didn’t need any more length from her matings.

“She had been bred to very scopey sires that may have produced something slightly too long for America and its training,” he said.

By 2021, Malhouitre had set his sights on rising sire Not This Time. Taylor Made Stallions’ son of Giant’s Causeway ranked third by progeny earnings as a freshman sire in 2020 but was only one of three in his stallion class to sire a grade 1 winner.

“It became obvious early on that Not This time was going to become an exceptional sire, and we have always had incredible respect for Giant’s Causeway as a racehorse and a stallion,” Malhouitre said. “We were keen to jump on the Not This Time bandwagon and, hopefully, be a part of the continuity of this incredible bloodline.

“Also, he remained a decent priced stud fee as ‘Bizzy’ passed the time of her life where we were going to invest a lot of money in stud fees,” he continued, noting that Not This Time stood for $40,000 in 2021. This year, Not This Time stands for $250,000. “His bloodlines were matching on paper very well with ‘Bizzy’s’ and physically he was the kind of wellbalanced horse that we believed matched well for her.”

Another attractive attribute of Not This Time’s runners is their determination, according to Malhouitre.

“There is some competitive temperament in Kazadancoa’s family. It is well-documented that Lady Eli and Bizzy Caroline didn’t always display the kindest demeanor but always loved to work and run,” he said. “They also displayed a determination and strong will, and many times during races this family has shown to overcome tight situations with a will to win that is not teachable.

“What we also wanted to bring in back to this pedigree

(with Not This Time) was even more determination. Not only the spice of the temperament, but the determination to win races or to fight when legs are starting to get weary. In that respect, I believe that Goal Oriented showed that result.”

Malhouitre described Goal Oriented as one of the top three foals produced by Bizzy Caroline along with her 9-year-old daughter by Uncle Mo named Birdwatcher and her 2025 colt by Up to the Mark, who is a grade 1-winning son of Not This Time. Bizzy Caroline was given a rest and not bred in 2025 and her mate for 2026 has not been decided yet.

Goal Oriented was highly regarded during Book 3 of the 2023 Keene-land September Yearling Sale where bloodstock agent Donato Lanni went to $425,000 to buy him on behalf of SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables. With trainer Bob Baffert, Goal Oriented won his debut by 3 1 4 lengths last April at Santa Anita Park. He would not make his first stakes start until the Preakness Stakes (G1) where he finished fourth behind Journalism, Gosger, and Sandman. He continued to assert his place among the best 3-year-olds with a third in both the Haskell Stakes (G1) and Pennsylvania Derby (G1). Goal Oriented would finish unplaced in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) but rebound with a last-to-first flourish in the 7-furlong Malibu that he won with a driving late kick. He won by 1 length in a sharp 1:20.97.

Goal Oriented now races for a larger partnership that also includes Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan.

“It took a versatile stallion to bring back to this family some sort of dirt quality that has always been there,” Malhouitre said. “We have been astonished by the versatility of Not This Time—long, short, turf, dirt, early, late—he really carries the traits of his sire. The middle road, after all, may always be the most successful.”

Brutus Clay said the success of Goal Oriented just reaffirms that the Thoroughbred breeding and racing game demands patience, persistence, and resilience.

“That the ties between the Kazadancoa family and the Clay family run so deep makes this moment with Goal Oriented especially meaningful,” Clay said, noting a particularly personal connection with Bizzy Caroline, who his father named by combining the nickname of Brutus Clay’s niece “Bizzy” Blee with the name of his daughter Caroline, who he said is always busy.

“The extra time it took for ‘Bizzy’ to finally meet those early expectations has made this achievement especially gratifying and all the sweeter,” he said. B