When Todd and Angie Lewis of Westbrook Stables started breeding Thoroughbreds in 2016, they never thought just ten years later they’d be the breeders of a champion female sprinter and Breeders’ Cup winner in Soul of an Angel and have two homebreds on the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail.
California Burrito a 3-year-old colt by Army Mule bested his former pasture-mate Baby Max by half a length in the Battaglia Stakes at Turfway Park Feb. 22 to earn 20 and 10 points respectively on the road to the Kentucky Derby.
“We’re still on cloud nine with Soul of an Angel,” said Todd Lewis. “Who would’ve ever dreamed as a small breeder on our budget would come up with an Eclipse champion and a Breeders’ Cup winner?”
“In the last eight years, we’ve gone from zero to 100,” echoed Angie Lewis. “I’m very proud of my husband (Todd). It shows how the hard work and dedication finally does pay off. He works so incredibly hard, and so do our guys that work for us. We couldn’t do this without them.”
The Lewises currently have about 34 of their broodmares and 12 boarders on their farm located near Nicholasville, Ky. Todd Lewis does all the matings himself, making their recent success extra special. Lewis said they normally keep around 20-22 mares, but after selling Soul of an Angel’s dam Factor One for $350,000 at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, they decided to reinvest some of that money with hopes of more success.
Soul of an Angel, a 6-year-old mare by Atreides was a $3,000 RNA at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale, most likely overlooked because of her sire being sold to River Oaks Farm in Oklahoma the year prior.
The Lewises knew their filly was worth more than $3,000 so they took her home, where they were approached by Gerald James. He purchased her privately and raced her for her first five races before she was transferred to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. for new owners C2 Racing Stable and Agave Racing Stable.
“We knew the horse was really nice,” Todd Lewis explained. “We don’t have the means to race a lot of horses, so when we brought her home and Gerald (James) wanted to buy her, we did sell her.”
Soul of an Angel’s story was a family affair, right up until her record-breaking sale of $2.6 million on Fasig-Tipton’s digital platform March 4.
The Lewises' daughter, Olivia Bryant, helped foal Soul of an Angel, as well as California Burrito and Baby Max, and the Lewises were on site for Soul of an Angel’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) win at Del Mar Nov. 2. Olivia works for Fasig-Tipton and the story came full circle when she was able to be a part of the mare’s success in a different way.
Soul of an Angel boasts a race record of 6-7-6 in 42 lifetime starts, with earnings of $1,205,175. She was purchased by Chatsworth Stud of Australia.
Coming off the high of breeding an Eclipse champion and a Breeders' Cup winner, the Lewises are still on cloud nine with hopes of two of their homebreds making it to the Run for the Roses May 3.
California Burrito a $60,000 yearling purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton July Sale by Lauren Carlisle, agent on behalf of owners Aaron and Victoria Haberman, has ignited the Derby dream. His hard-fought win in the Battaglia earned him 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, currently placing him 22nd on the leaderboard.
Baby Max, who was purchased by Sam Aguiar for $20,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton October Sale, sits 33rd on the leaderboard for owners J S Stables. The former pasture mates will meet again in the $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway Park March 25 when Kentucky Derby points are offered on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10. With both of the colts sitting on the outside looking in, the race is critical to them making it to the Churchill Downs starting gate the first Saturday in May.
“They were both really nice,” said Todd Lewis of California Burrito and Baby Max. “They were born a little over a month apart, so they were raised here on the farm together. Baby Max wasn’t huge as a baby where California Burrito had a lot more leg. They were raised in the same pasture even after they were weaned where they were in the group of boys up until we started sales prepping them.”
As natives of Kentucky, the Lewises are both children of farmers and have always dreamed of having a horse to make it to the Kentucky Derby. Todd Lewis worked at Buck Pond Farm as a teenager before going on to work for Juddmonte where he had a stint in Europe, learning from the best in the business.
“It’s exciting,” Todd Lewis said of having homebreds on the Derby trail. “It’s the kind of thing this business needs right now. For the little guy, it’s very hard for us right now. Stud fees are higher than they’ve ever been, and to breed something that somebody will pay you for is tough.”
Even on a budget, Westbrook Stables is making it happen. They will be on site for the Jeff Ruby Steaks March 25, cheering on their homebred colts and, they hope, eventually cheering the pair on down the stretch at Churchill Downs come May 3.
