LEXINGTON, KY—NOVEMBER 8, 2019—According to an article published today by Jonathan Linter on HorseRacingNation.com, 2019 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Belvoir Bay could possibly be bred to a Quarter Horse.

Mike Shannon, the agent who signed for a $1.5 million auction purchase of Belvoir Bay, has declined to disclose other partners in his venture, however he told Linter on Friday the group is nearing plans to breed the 6-year-old mare.

After winning the $1,000,000 Breeders' Cup Turf Spring-G1 on November 2, the daughter of =Equiano (FR) sold at Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale on Tuesday.

According to Shannon, several options are on the table for the bay mare including:

• Keeping Belvoir Bay in Kentucky to be bred
• Sending her to Europe given proficiency on the lawn
• Mating her with Quarter Horses, which don’t require a live cover

"I haven’t been around Quarter Horses in almost 50 years," Shannon said of the latter choice. "I don’t know how they do this embryo transplanting an all that stuff. I have no knowledge of it."

Through embryo transfer to Quarter Horses, mares are able to produce multiple foals in a single season and potentially remain in training.

"She is fast," Shannon said, "and we’ve thought about it. We don’t have anything concrete." Shannon did indicate if there was a lean in any direction it’s to breed to a Kentucky stallion, naming Medaglia d’Oro (2020 Fee: $200,000) and American Pharoah (2020 Fee: TBA) as potential suitors.

Trainer Peter Miller saddled Belvoir Bay to victory in last Saturday’s Turf Sprint, setting a Santa Anita Park five furlong turf course record of :54.83 seconds.

"Peter Miller did a hell of a job," Shannon said, with Belvoir Bay entering the championships off a layoff dating back to June. "He breezed her four times, put her in the Breeders’ Cup and she won wire to wire."

It concluded a successful comeback for the mare following the California fires that raged through Miller’s training base at San Luis Rey Downs in December of 2017. Days after the blaze, Belvoir Bay was found alive but burned, in need of medical care.

She returned in March of the following year to win Santa Anita’s Mizdirection Stakes. She has earned $1,699,787 with 12 wins in 28 career starts.

"I think this is one of the great stories of all time the way the mare was in the fire," Shannon said.

Upon inspecting her on the sales grounds, "I thought she had ringworm," he added. "That’s where the embers were on her."

Shannon has found the mare "an absolutely sweetheart to be around," and he’s looking forward to determining her next chapter within a week’s time.