BH Interview: Dede McGehee of Heaven Trees Farm

Owner and breeder Dede McGehee loved horses from an early age. After growing up in suburban Jacksonville, Fla., McGehee went to veterinary school and interned at Castleton Farm in Lexington, trading one passionate horse state for another.

"Much to my mother's horror. Before she passed on, she understood," McGehee said.

McGehee has had a hand in several notable horses—Rachel Alexandra , who was foaled at her Heaven Trees Farm; Imperial Gesture ; and St. John's River —all Kentucky Oaks (G1) competitors. While her latest standout isn't going to be in the Oaks, there's a lot of untapped potential.

Nice as Pie , a homebred 3-year-old daughter of Tapiture  , is undefeated since the calendar turned to 2024. 

After losing steam in her August debut on dirt at Colonial Downs, Nice as Pie came back in January at Turfway Park with four straight victories over the all-weather track. After breaking her maiden by a length, she's won an allowance optional claiming race by 7 1/4 lengths, and then put black type to her name with a 2 1/4-length win in the Valdale Stakes and a six-length score in the Serena's Song Stakes. 

"She's been good, I'll just tell you. It's been great," McGehee said of the filly.

McGehee shares with BloodHorse her start, being drawn to old and injured mares, her cautious optimism for Nice as Pie, and why being an owner and breeder has been better than she hoped.

BloodHorse: How did you get your start in the industry?

Dede McGehee: I was a barn rat when I was a little girl. I grew up in suburbia, and my parents did not like animals or dirt. And I was a grubby, dirty, little tomboy who brought all kinds of animals home and loved the horses. And so I went to veterinary school and interned in Lexington at Castleton Farm. I loved it here and I came back.

BH: What was it that drew you to horses and really lit that passion for you? 

DM: I don't know, because I started riding when I was 6. When I was tiny, I begged to go to the pony rides—Uncle Bill's Pony Rides. And I begged to go to Uncle Bill's. And then when I was 8, I got my first pony and it took off from there.

BH: You went to veterinary school. Did you think that you would be focusing on horses or were you looking at small animals?

DM: I never looked at small animals. I never worked for a small animal clinic. I only worked for emergency clinics which did small animals because you can't go to veterinary school without well-rounded experience. So I had to have some small animal experience. So I did do that but I always wanted to do mixed or equine. 

BH: How did you then get into ownership and breeding?

DM: I worked for a long time before I had my first mare. Somebody gave me a mare and I had her and then I started collecting older mares or mares with problems and working on them because you could buy them inexpensively. And that's how I started.

BH: Was that the vet in you coming out?

DM: Yes. And I'm competitive. 

BH: How many horses do you own?

DM: I don't know. I'm going to tell you 20 mares. I'm not sure that's correct. The numbers change. I have a field of retirees; I don't count them. And I don't know how many racehorses. I have eight or 10 maybe. And I don't count because I don't really want to know. I'm a hoarder.

BH: Do you try to keep up with what they're all doing?

DM: I put them in my stable mail. My farm manager is really good about that. He follows them and he sends me their names and he lets me know every time someone's running and what happened.

BH: You've had a fair amount of success with horses you've owned and horses that you've bred, but Nice as Pie is showing signs of potentially being something really special. Do you try to temper any enthusiasm?

DM: Well, I remember that it's synthetic. And it doesn't always translate. And when St. John's River was running, that was my first real horse. And I was a nutcase. I mean, I was psycho. I don't know how anybody lived with me. And so I don't want to do that again. I want to enjoy it and have a great time. And love the filly … I was worked up all the time. And I had mares foaling in the spring of her 3-year-old year (2011), and I was trying to balance being here and being there. And it was really hard.

BH: Did you think that Nice as Pie would have this sort of success so quickly?

DM: No, she was small. A small foal, a small yearling. 

BH: What is your breeding philosophy?

DM: I'm tight, so I shop seriously for my horses. I agonize over it and talk about it and change my mind. Economics comes into it. And also, I want to have a choice to sell or race. I like fillies. I like to keep fillies, not colts. So I need to be able to have a choice if it is a colt to put it in the sale. If I was smart, I'd have five good mares and race everything. But I just can't seem to get myself to that point.

BH: Who do you rely on for opinions on horses? Who is in your inner circle?

DM: I listen all the time. I listen at the sale and I listen to people and when I go and watch the 2-year-olds being broke, I listen to the guys saying who they like and which 2-year-olds they liked the best or which horses they think are going to do well. I listen all the time. So I don't know that I have an inner circle. I probably have had inner circles and they changed over time.

BH: What challenges do you face as a small breeder? 

DM: Last year was really bad. We had very little to sell and the racing stable didn't do that great. So hopefully this year will be better and we have more to sell and the racing stable will be better. But it's always a challenge because there's things we want to do on the farm. There are improvements we want to make and we have to wait until we have the funds to do it. I mean, it's expensive to have a farm and everything is expensive. And, I don't do my own vet work anymore. So that adds to the expense.

BH: Where do you see Nice as Pie running next? Have you gotten that far in the planning? 

DM: We'd like to try her on the grass to see if she likes it. But I don't know when or where that will happen. I kinda wait to hear what (trainer Kelsey Danner) has to say.

BH: What's your current approach to enjoying racing and breeding? 

DM: I worked for years as a veterinarian and I boarded mares for people for years and years. And I watched them race and have fun and love it. And I just wanted to get to the point where I could play, too. And now I'm doing that. And I hope that I get to do that for a long time.

BH: Is it what you imagined it would be?

DM: Might be better. 

BH: What makes it better?

DM: I went to the races with owners and I watched them and enjoyed their fun. There's a little bit of pride in breeding your own—actually being involved from the beginning. It's a sense of pride.