A cull from Marcel Boussac's breeding program, La Troienne never won a race. Further, the Gainsborough filly she was carrying at the time of her importation was humanely destroyed due to an incurable back problem. It was an ill-omened start to the mare's breeding career, and Colonel Edward Riley Bradley must have wondered about his decision to buy La Troienne after her second foal turned out to be a filly so undersized that she was not nominated to any of the important stakes for juveniles. A year later, any regrets were gone. Under the name of Black Helen, the little filly won seven of nine starts as a 2-year-old and was considered one of the best American juveniles of 1934 in spite of her lack of stakes engagements. The following year, Black Helen was the champion of her division, and La Troienne was off and running on a remarkable broodmare career. Today, she is widely regarded as the most important broodmare imported to the United States during the 20th century and is the foundation mare of her own branch of Bruce Lowe Family #1.
Race record
7 starts, 0 wins, 1 second, 1 third, US$146 (converted from English earnings)
1929:
As an individual
La Troienne was a plain, light-framed, lengthy bay mare with long cannons. She suffered from periodic opthalmia (“moon blindness”) and went blind in her right eye several years into her broodmare career. Her lightly made, rather narrow build resurfaced in a number of her descendants.
As a producer
Designated as a Reine-de-Course by pedigree analyst Ellen Parker, La Troienne produced 14 named foals, of which 12 started and 10 won. Seven of her nine daughters were stakes producers. Her important foals are as follow:
Connections
La Troienne was bred and owned by Marcel Boussac, who apparently had a good opinion of the form she showed in training as he consistently entered her in good-class stakes races. She failed to gain a placing in her four races in France at 2 and 3 and was sent to England, where she placed in two decent sprints at Newmarket before losing what form she had and running unplaced in a welter handicap in her last race. Boussac had her bred to Gainsborough in 1930 before sending her to the December sale at Newmarket with a draft of five other mares. There, Colonel Bradley purchased her for 1,250 guineas through the British Bloodstock Agency. He imported her to his Idle Hour Stock Farm, where she remained until his death in 1946. She afterward became the property of Greentree Stable, which became the breeder of record of the foal she was carrying, Belle of Troy. She was pensioned in 1948 after the birth of her last foal, the gelding Trojan War (by Shut Out), and was maintained in comfort in accordance with the provisions of Colonel Bradley's will. She was humanely destroyed in 1954 due to the infirmities of old age and was buried in the Greentree horse cemetery, near the stallion paddock occupied by her son Bimelech.
Pedigree notes
La Troienne is inbred 4x5 to Bend Or and 5x5 to Galopin. She is a full sister to Leonidas, a winner of the Lincolnshire Handicap. She is also a half sister to 1934 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) winner Adargatis (by Teddy's son Astérus), dam of 1944 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) winner Ardan and the high-class stakes winner Pardal (both by Pharis II). Her dam Helene de Troie is a granddaughter of Doxa, whose full sister Absurdity produced 1913 One Thousand Guineas winner Jest (by Sundridge; dam of 1921 Derby Stakes winner Humorist, by Polymelus) and 1914 St. Leger Stakes winner Black Jester (by Polymelus).
Books and media
La Troienne is one of 24 North American broodmares profiled in Edward L. Bowen's Matriarchs: Great Mares of the 20th Century (1999, 2000, Eclipse Press).
Fun facts
Photo credit
Photographer unknown. From the private collection of Dale Wyatt; used by permission.
Last updated: May 10, 2020
Race record
7 starts, 0 wins, 1 second, 1 third, US$146 (converted from English earnings)
1929:
- 2nd Freckenham Stakes (ENG, 7FT, Newmarket)
- 3rd Snailwell Stakes (ENG, 6FT, Newmarket)
As an individual
La Troienne was a plain, light-framed, lengthy bay mare with long cannons. She suffered from periodic opthalmia (“moon blindness”) and went blind in her right eye several years into her broodmare career. Her lightly made, rather narrow build resurfaced in a number of her descendants.
As a producer
Designated as a Reine-de-Course by pedigree analyst Ellen Parker, La Troienne produced 14 named foals, of which 12 started and 10 won. Seven of her nine daughters were stakes producers. Her important foals are as follow:
- Black Helen (1932, by Black Toney) was the American champion 3-year-old filly of 1935. She is the granddam of eight stakes winners including three-time American champion steeplechaser Oedipus and 1947 American champion 3-year-old filly and handicap female But Why Not. In further removes, she is the ancestress of 1992 American champion older male Pleasant Tap, 1992 New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (NZ-G1) winner Hulastrike, and 1994 Kentucky Derby (USA-G1) winner Go for Gin.
- Biologist (1934, by Bubbling Over), won the 1936 Albany Handicap. A gelding, he had no opportunity to contribute to future generations.
- Baby League (1935, by Bubbling Over) won only once from 11 tries but produced 1945 American Horse of the Year Busher and her high-class full siblings Striking (an important foundation mare in her own right) and Mr. Busher, all by War Admiral. She also produced five-time stakes winner Harmonizing (by Counterpoint).
- Big Hurry (1936, by Black Toney) won the important Selima Stakes as a juvenile. Her five stakes winners from 14 named foals include 1946 American champion 3-year-old filly Bridal Flower (by Challenger II) and Hall of Fame member Searching, dam of two-time American champion Affectionately (by Swaps). Big Hurry is also the granddam of 1967 American champion handicap mare Straight Deal and is the ancestress of 1970 American Horse of the Year Personality, five-time French champion Allez France, four-time New Zealand champion sire Noble Bijou, 1966 American champion 2-year-old filly Regal Gleam, 1981 American champion older female Relaxing, 1983 French champion 3-year-old male and two-time English/Irish champion sire Caerleon, 1988 American champion 2-year-old male Easy Goer and 1993 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Glowing Tribute.
- Bimelech (1937, by Black Toney) was an American champion at both 2 and 3. The winner of the 1940 Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, he proved a useful sire.
- Big Event (1938, by Blue Larkspur) ran second in the Selima Stakes. The dam of 1951 American Derby and Arlington Classic winner Hall of Fame (by Shut Out), she is the granddam of the top turf horse and good sire The Axe II, the good stakes winner Malicious and 1960 Wood Memorial Stakes winner Francis S.
- Businesslike (1939, by Blue Larkspur) produced the top staying mare Busanda (by War Admiral) and stakes winner Auditing (by Count Fleet). Through Busanda, she is the granddam of the great Buckpasser. She is also the ancestress of 1993 American champion 3-year-old male Prairie Bayou and multiple South African champion Splendid Ann.
- Besieged (1940, by Balladier) won once from four races. She produced the multiple stakes-winning English sprinter Hook Money (by Bernborough) and stakes-placed Make Tracks (by Eight Thirty), a five-time champion broodmare sire in Argentina.
- Bee Ann Mac (1944, by Blue Larkspur) won the 1946 Selima Stakes and was third in the Alabama Stakes as a 3-year-old.
- Belle Histoire (1945, by Blue Larkspur) failed to win in three starts but is the dam of stakes winner Royal Record (by Nasrullah) and the granddam of six stakes winners. She is the great-granddam of 1972 champion handicap male Autobiography.
- Belle of Troy (1947, by Blue Larkspur) did not race but produced the speedy Cohoes (by Mahmoud), winner of the 1958 Brooklyn Handicap and Whitney Stakes and a useful sire.
Connections
La Troienne was bred and owned by Marcel Boussac, who apparently had a good opinion of the form she showed in training as he consistently entered her in good-class stakes races. She failed to gain a placing in her four races in France at 2 and 3 and was sent to England, where she placed in two decent sprints at Newmarket before losing what form she had and running unplaced in a welter handicap in her last race. Boussac had her bred to Gainsborough in 1930 before sending her to the December sale at Newmarket with a draft of five other mares. There, Colonel Bradley purchased her for 1,250 guineas through the British Bloodstock Agency. He imported her to his Idle Hour Stock Farm, where she remained until his death in 1946. She afterward became the property of Greentree Stable, which became the breeder of record of the foal she was carrying, Belle of Troy. She was pensioned in 1948 after the birth of her last foal, the gelding Trojan War (by Shut Out), and was maintained in comfort in accordance with the provisions of Colonel Bradley's will. She was humanely destroyed in 1954 due to the infirmities of old age and was buried in the Greentree horse cemetery, near the stallion paddock occupied by her son Bimelech.
Pedigree notes
La Troienne is inbred 4x5 to Bend Or and 5x5 to Galopin. She is a full sister to Leonidas, a winner of the Lincolnshire Handicap. She is also a half sister to 1934 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) winner Adargatis (by Teddy's son Astérus), dam of 1944 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) winner Ardan and the high-class stakes winner Pardal (both by Pharis II). Her dam Helene de Troie is a granddaughter of Doxa, whose full sister Absurdity produced 1913 One Thousand Guineas winner Jest (by Sundridge; dam of 1921 Derby Stakes winner Humorist, by Polymelus) and 1914 St. Leger Stakes winner Black Jester (by Polymelus).
Books and media
La Troienne is one of 24 North American broodmares profiled in Edward L. Bowen's Matriarchs: Great Mares of the 20th Century (1999, 2000, Eclipse Press).
Fun facts
- While La Troienne's sale price of 1,250 guineas would seem cheap in light of later events, it was over three times the sale average of 404 guineas, suggesting that she was fairly well-regarded in spite of her lack of racing success.
- Years later, Marcel Boussac referred to La Troienne as his greatest mistake in culling his broodmare band.
- La Troienne was nearly lost at the age of 12 when she was spooked by a November thunderstorm and ran into a tree. Round-the-clock nursing saved her life, but she was left with severe scarring and muscle loss in her right shoulder. The foal she was carrying at the time was Businesslike, granddam of Buckpasser.
- When Colonel Bradley died, Ogden Phipps, John Hay Whitney and Robert Kleberg, Jr., jointly purchased most of Bradley's remaining bloodstock and drew lots for ownership of the horses in the group. As a result of this division, La Troienne's descendants came to play an integral role in Phipps' bloodlines and those of the Bieber-Jacobs Stable, which picked up La Troienne's granddaughters No Fiddling and Searching as culls from Phipps' program. La Troienne's descendants also played important roles in Whitney's Greentree Stable and Kleberg's King Ranch.
- The original La Troienne Stakes was a sprint for fillies and mares contested at Churchill Downs beginning in 1956. In 2009, it was renamed in honor of the filly Eight Belles. In 2010, the Louisville Handicap was renamed the La Troienne Stakes and was contested as a Grade 3 race for fillies and mares 3 and up. It was elevated to Grade 2 status for 2011-2013 and then to Grade 1 status in 2014. As of 2020, it is carded at 8½ furlongs on dirt.
Photo credit
Photographer unknown. From the private collection of Dale Wyatt; used by permission.
Last updated: May 10, 2020