Hill 'n' Dale Purchases Majority Interest in Lady Tak

Hill 'n' Dale announced Wednesday that the farm has purchased a majority interest in Lady Tak, a multiple grade I-winning 5-year-old mare from Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt.

The millionaire filly will continue to be in training until the end of the year, at which time she will be retired and take up residence at Hill 'n' Dale Farm near Lexington.

"This is one special filly," said John G. Sikura, president of Hill 'n' Dale in a release. "As a 2-year-old, Lady Tak posted the second highest Beyer Speed Figure of any 2-year-old, colt or filly, in North America. She went on to become one of only a handful of distaffers, which include Lady's Secret, to have won both the grade I Ballerina Handicap and the grade I Test Stakes at Saratoga. Her stakes-record setting performance in the Test was unbelievable. Hill 'n' Dale is pleased to be involved in a partnership with such outstanding horsemen as Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt. I hope Lady Tak will have the same success in the breeding shed as she did on the racetrack."

Lady Tak, bred by the late John Franks, is a daughter of Mutakddim out of the Lucky North mare Star of My Eye. Mutakddim (Seeking the Gold--Oscillate, by Seattle Slew) is the sire of 32 stakes winners and stands at Hill 'n' Dale. His 2005 fee was $10,000.

A $7,500 Keeneland September yearling, Lady Tak was purchased by Robbins Ranch for $75,000 out of the following year's Keeneland April sale of 2-year-olds in training. She had made all of her starts for the Heiligbrodts and trainer Steve Asmussen.

A winner of 10 of 19 starts and $1,160,792, Lady Tak was two-for-two as a juvenile in 2002, then won three stakes to kick off her 2003 campaign: the six-furlong Thelma Stakes, one-mile Tiffany Lass, and 1 1/16-mile Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) at Fair Grounds.

After running second as the favorite in the Ashland Stakes (gr. I), she was unplaced as the favorite in the Kentucky Oaks. She bounced back big-time in the seven-furlong Test Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga, turning the tables on Oaks winner Bird Town by 4 1/2 lengths. Her final time was 1:20.83.

At four, Lady Tak won three stakes: the six-furlong Winning Colors Stakes at Churchill Downs, the seven-furlong Ballerina Handicap (gr. I) at Saratoga (in 1:21.09), and the 6 1/2-furlong Gallant Bloom Handicap (gr. II) at Belmont Park (in 1:16.04).

In her only start this year, Lady Tak finished third in an allowance race at Churchill Downs May 5.

Lady Tak has four second-place efforts, all coming in graded stakes, and also has a third-place effort in the $500,000 Princess Rooney Handicap (gr. II) to her resume.