It’s been 12 days since we had a baby.  During that time we have had eight runs to the breeding shed and the good news that Maxnmacy, Dinah Lee, Our Unbridled Gem, Golden History, D’ Chili Pepper, Miss Dixie Rose and Orientatious are in foal and four of them are in foal to Goldencents (our Derby Boy of 2013, now in his first year at stud).

The Bed and Breakfast has been crazy busy and I feel like Paris has tried to float away with all the rain.

Tigress Woods filly by Drosselmeyer.

But back to the mares that have been patiently waiting past their due dates.  Key Lime Baby had not been showing any signs of nearing her due date but Annapolitan had been displaying signs for the last two weeks …..giving the B&B guests hope that they might get to see a newborn but nooooooo, she was just teasing them.

Then on Wednesday, April 22nd, our 16-year old mare Tigress Woods easily delivered a 118 lb filly by Drosselmeyer at 1:35 AM right on her due date. If you’ve been to the farm you would have fed her mints I’m sure because she is a Mint Hound.

Pioneer of the Nile filly, out of Key Lime Baby

So then the next morning at 1:50 AM, Key Lime Baby Delivered a 128 lb. filly by Pioneer of the Nile.  Earlier this year Key Lime Baby’s half sister, Hot Buttered Popcorn delivered a filly by Morning Line.

Key Lime Baby is a winner of almost $170,000 and is graded stakes placed.  Her mother is by Pioneering, and this filly is by Pioneer of the Nile….makes for interesting name ideas!

And then the next day, on Friday, the 24th Annapolitan was kind enough to deliver her foal at the quite civilized hour of 11:00 PM…..a beautiful filly by General  Quarters.  Remember him?  He’s the horse that 75-year-old retired school teacher and principal Tom McCarthy claimed for $20,000 to win the Grade I Blue Grass S. and earn a place in the Kentucky Derby of 2009.

Lyra and the General Quarters filly out of Annapolitan.

And now?  Now it’s DERBY WEEK.  Everything ramps up to warp speed, as the eyes of the world (it seems like) turn to Kentucky.

Two years ago, we were on the Ride of our Lives, as Goldencents was one of the Derby favorites and we excitedly took in as many of the Louisville events as we could, and burned up I-64 traveling back and forth between Louisville and Lexington.  This year I’m so busy with babies and the B&B and Lil’s that I haven’t even had time to figure out my pick for the big race.

Our guest blogger, Margaret Layton, has had the privilege of working with four Kentucky Derby winners and will post about one of them later this week.  Stay tuned!