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Mares on Monday: Didia Flies Home on Pegasus World Cup Undercard

1/29/2024

The Pegasus World Cup card at Gulfstream Park on January 27 saw a number of exciting performances, not least that of Didia in the TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes (USA-G2). Scoring her sixth win in eight North American starts, the Argentine import contended for the lead early and then outgamed late-running Surprisingly to prevail by a neck in a race run faster at the end than the finish: while the first half-mile went in a modest 48.62 on a firm course that made for some lively times in the day’s other races, the third quarter went in 23:39 and the last five-sixteenths in a sprightly 28.89, yielding a final time of 1:40.90 for the mile and one-sixteenth.

Bred by Haras La Manija, Didia earned Pellegrini Awards as Argentina’s champion 3-year-old filly and Mare of the Year in 2021 after winning that year’s Gran Premio Enrique Acebal (ARG-G1) and Gran Premio Copa de Plata-Roberto Vasquez Mansilla-Internacional (ARG-G1). Her other North American wins include the 2023 Rodeo Drive Stakes (USA-G2) at Santa Anita and Modesty Stakes (USA-G3) at Churchill Downs.

Didia is a daughter of Orpen, the Argentine champion sire of 2010 and an increasingly important broodmare sire in that country. The winner of the 1998 Prix Morny (FR-G1) during his own racing days, Orpen is the most important horse sired by the subfertile Danzig horse Lure, whose racing accomplishments—which included back-to-back victories in the 1992 and 1993 editions of the Breeders’ Cup Mile (USA-G1)—won him admission to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 2013.

Produced from Bonita Francita, a granddaughter of Northern Dancer’s dam Natalma, Orpen is inbred 4x3 to E. P. Taylor’s great matron and has a rather similar pedigree to the great Australian and European sire Danehill, a son of Danzig out of another granddaughter of Natalma, Razyana. If not a success on quite the same level as Danehill, Orpen still has some significant credentials to his name as a stallion, with his 120 stakes winners including champions in eight countries.

On the dam’s side, Didia is out of Brazilian-bred Delambre, also the dam of the stakes-winning Orpen gelding Davide and of multiple Group 1-placed Dedini (also by Orpen). Another full sibling to Didia, Delirada, is the dam of 2020 Argentine Horse of the Year Tetaze (by Equal Stripes).

Group 1-placed in her native Brazil, Delambre is a daughter of 1992 Prix de Fontainebleau (FR-G3) winner Rainbow Corner, a son of the important European sire Rainbow Quest. She was produced from Group 2-placed Diya, whose sire, Argentine-bred Ariosto (by 1979 Argentine champion sire Good Manners, by Nashua), won the 1981 Gran Premio Santiago Luro (ARG-G1). Diya’s dam, Sevilla, is also an Argentine-bred; sired by the important Argentine-based stallion Ringaro (a stakes-winning son of Caro), she is a half sister to Seattle (by Southern Halo), dam of two-time Brazilian champion sprinter Pitu da Guanabara (by Ringaro).

Searching, the dam of Sevilla and Seattle, is by 1975 Manhattan Handicap (ARG-G2) winner Salt Marsh (by Tom Rolfe) out of Sun Cry, by the American import Solazo. Bred and owned by the famous Haras La Quebrada, she belongs to a major Argentine branch of Bruce Lowe family 16-e that entered the country via the English import Venusta, who became one of the great matrons of South American history after arriving in Buenos Aires in 1889.

Now a 6-year-old by Northern Hemisphere standards, Didia appears set to grace the turf for one more season before she retires to the paddocks. She has already done quite enough to merit dates with top sires in whatever country she may spend her broodmare career in, but it can be hoped that she will add more laurels to her name before she makes her genetic contribution to her breed.

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Mares on Monday: West Omaha Fires a Bullet

1/22/2024

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As with the 3-year-old colts, 3-year-old fillies active in January tend to be horses that were either lesser lights at 2 or are just starting to come to hand. Either way, they have something to prove before they can step up to take on the best of their peers in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) in May.

At the Fair Grounds, the road to the Kentucky Oaks actually began on December 23, when Alpine Princess earned 10 points toward an Oaks starting berth with a victory in the Untapable Stakes. Her stablemate West Omaha was second that day, but on January 20, it was her turn to step into the limelight. With Alpine Princess remaining in her stall for the Silverbulletday Stakes Presented by Fasig-Tipton (USA-L)—a race contested at the same mile-and-seventy-yards distance as the Untapable—West Omaha had no difficulty romping over five rivals to score a visually impressive five-length win under Luis Saez. The filly now has 25 points on the Oaks leaderboard, good enough for third on the list, and her lifetime record now stands at 4-2-2-0 with earnings of $203,000.

Racing as a homebred for Gary and Mary West, West Omaha is a daughter of the Wests’ West Coast, the American champion 3-year-old male of 2017. A son of the good A.P. Indy horse Flatter and 2000 American champion 2-year-old filly Caressing (by Honour and Glory), West Coast earned his championship with back-to-back wins in the Travers Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (USA-G1) and the Pennsylvania Derby (USA-G1), followed by a third-place finish behind Gun Runner and Collected in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (USA-G1). West Omaha is the fourth stakes winner from the first two crops of her sire, who stands at Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky.

On the distaff side, West Omaha is descended from the good broodmare Carols Christmas (by Whitesburg, a stakes-winning son of Crimson Satan). A winning half sister to Grade 3-placed English stakes winner Al Stanza (by Al Hattab), Carols Christmas produced a very good horse in Olympio (by Naskra), whose six graded stakes wins included the 1991 Hollywood Derby (USA-G1). She also produced 1994 Del Mar Debutante Stakes (USA-G2) winner Call Now (by Wild Again) and stakes winner Your Call (by Wild Again). In addition, Carols Christmas produced Grade 3-placed Carol’s Wonder (by Pass the Tab), dam of 1998 Mervyn Leroy Handicap (USA-G2) winner Wild Wonder (by Wild Again); Christmas Star (by Star de Naskra), dam of 2003 Futurity Stakes (USA-G1) winner Cuvee (by Carson City) and 2007 True North Handicap (USA-G2) winner Will He Shine (by Silver Deputy); Dana Nicole (by Flying Paster), dam of 2005 WinStar Galaxy Stakes (USA-G2) winner Bien Nicole (by Bien Bien); and Bistra (by Classic Go Go), dam of 2001 San Vicente Stakes (USA-G2) winner Early Flyer (by Gilded Time) and 2004 Buena Vista Handicap (USA-G2) winner Fun House (by Prized).

Call Now was rather disappointing in the paddocks, producing four winners from six foals but no stakes winners. She fared better as a producer of broodmares, starting off with her 1998 Deputy Minister daughter, Winning Call, who produced 2012 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (USA-G1) winner Tapizar (by Tapit). Her last foal, the stakes-placed Tapit daughter Tapatia, was also a stakes producer, foaling stakes winners Adhara (by Cowboy Cal) and Pyron (by Candy Ride).

Call Now’s 2005 filly, Twisted Tale (by Tale of the Cat), also showed enough talent to be stakes-placed. While she did not produce any stakes winners herself, her unraced daughter Birthday Bash (by Medaglia d’Oro) produced West Omaha as her fourth foal and third winner from as many foals to race. Birthday Bash produced a filly by Bernardini in 2022 and a Lookin At Lucky filly in 2023.

On paper, West Omaha should have no problem with the nine-furlong distance of the Kentucky Oaks, so it is simply a matter of whether she is good enough to get there. If she improves with increasing maturity as her sire and broodmare sire did, look for her to be a major player in this year’s spring and summer filly races.

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Mares on Monday: Lift a Glass to Gin Gin

1/15/2024

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On January 13, the New York road to the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) kicked off in the Busanda Stakes at Aqueduct. The winner was Calumet Farm’s homebred Gin Gin, who collected 20 points toward an Oaks starting berth with a one-length victory over Princess Mayfair. Race favorite Shimmering Allure, previously the winner of the 2023 Tempted Stakes (USA-L) and second in the 2023 Demoiselle Stakes (USA-G2), was third. Ridden by Trevor McCarthy for trainer Brad Cox, Gin Gin stopped the clock for the 9-furlong race over a muddy, sealed surface in 1:53.31, earning an 82 Equibase speed figure.

Gin Gin is a daughter of the Mineshaft horse Hightail, who picked up his only win from 10 starts in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint (USA-L). Produced from the winning Storm Cat mare Stormy Renee (whose full sister Ominous Cat is the dam of listed stakes winner Dark Artist, by Paynter), Hightail is a grandson of Fleet Renee (by Seattle Slew), winner of the 2001 Ashland Stakes (USA-G1) and Mother Goose Stakes (USA-G1), and is, thus inbred 3x3 to Seattle Slew and 4x4 to Secretariat.

Not many stallions can boast of having Triple Crown winners occupying four places in the first four generations of their pedigrees, along with having horses that earned the title of American Horse of the Year as sire, paternal grandsire, and male-line great-grandsire, and Hightail has made use of his genetic heritage to achieve good results from limited opportunities. He has 87 named foals in his first eight crops (foals 3 years old and older as of January 1), and six of those are stakes winners, including 2019 Awesome Again Stakes (USA-G1) winner Mongolian Groom. This year, in addition to Gin Gin, he is responsible for Khanate, third in the Jerome Stakes on January 6 in his first crack at stakes company.

On the distaff side, Gin Gin is the second named foal produced from Grade 3-placed Before You Know it (by Hard Spun), previously responsible for the winning American Pharoah colt Know It Now. The mare also has a newly-turned 2-year-old colt by City of Light, named Quick City, and was barren for 2023; she was bred to both Hightail and Lexitonian for 2024. She is a half sister to Grade 3-placed Instant Reflex (by Quality Road), dam of 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (USA-G1) winner Hard to Justify (by Justify).

A US$170,000 purchase as a broodmare prospect from the 2015 Keeneland November mixed sale, Before You Know It is out of the winning Seeking the Gold mare Without Delay, a half sister to 2013 La Coupe (FR-G3) winner Slow Pace (by Distorted Humor) and 2018 Pat Day Mile Stakes (USA-G3) winner Funny Duck (by Distorted Humor). Without Delay is also a half sister to Slow Sand (by Dixieland Band), dam of 2020 Lambolm South Tampa Bay Derby (USA-G2) winner King Guillermo (by Uncle Mo) and second dam of 2021 July Cup (ENG-G1) winner Starman (by Dutch Art). In addition, Without Delay is a half sister to Jolie Chanson (by Mount Nelson), dam of Group 3-placed English listed stakes winner Majestic Dawn (by Dawn Approach).

Without Delay’s dam Slow Down (by Seattle Slew) won the listed Hillsborough Handicap as a 4-year-old in 2001 and is a half sister to Grade 1-placed multiple Grade 3 winner Olmodavor (by A.P. Indy) and two-time Prairie Bayou Stakes winner Dac (by Distorted Humor). Slow Down, in turn, is out of 1994 Beverly Hills Handicap (USA-G1) winner Corrazona (El Gran Senor x Heartbreak, by Stage Door Johnny), a half sister to 1990 Wood Memorial Stakes (USA-G1) winner and Belmont Stakes (USA-G1) runner-up Thirty Six Red (by Slew o’ Gold). Gin Gin, thus, is inbred 4x4x4 to Seattle Slew and also carries a 4x4 cross to the great sire Mr. Prospector.

As a stakes winner with such a potent genetic package, Gin Gin will doubtless be a welcome addition to the Calumet broodmare band when the time comes. She has other tasks to attend to first, however, and her next step on her quest for a possible Oaks start may well be in the Gazelle Stakes (USA-G3) in April, another 9-furlong event at Aqueduct and one that carries 100-50-25-15-10 in Oaks qualifying points to the first five finishers. A first or second-place finish would lock up a Kentucky Oaks berth, and a third-place finish would put her in the hunt.

Only one previous Busanda winner, Princess of Sylmar (2013), has gone on to wear the lilies in Kentucky, and Gin Gin is going to need to make substantial progress this spring to become the first Kentucky Oaks winner for Calumet Farm since Davona Dale took the spring classic on the way to an Eclipse Award as the champion 3-year-old filly of 1979. Still, as the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and the filly made her first step along the Lily Lane a good one. Time will tell whether that is as far as she goes or whether she will earn the right to proceed further.

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Mares on Monday: Introducing Genetic Gems

1/8/2024

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Great sires have always gotten the lion’s share of attention when it comes to Thoroughbred breeding. This is not without reason. Proverbially, the bull is half the herd, and the stallion occupies a parallel role in horse breeding; many a renowned farm has ridden to the heights on the progeny of a single exceptional sire. Economically, a top stallion is also a huge moneymaker that can generate income from stud fees and the sale or racing of its progeny over a period of two decades or more.

As important as a good stallion is, the great breeders who have sustained excellence over many years have cherished something even more precious: their foundation mares and their families. The same limitation that tends to keep mares out of the limelight—the fact that a mare can produce but one foal a year—is also the reason why the daughters of old families maintained by operations such as Claiborne, the Phipps family, Juddmonte Farms, and Darley do not often come on the market; there are not very many of them. It is far easier to buy the services of a good stallion than to purchase a mare that comes from a deep, rich family. The alternative method for the breeder looking for long-term success is to build up one or more families in-house, a process that can literally take a lifetime.

Over the history of the Thoroughbred, some mares have come to have an outsized influence on the breed in spite of the tiny number of foals that even the most prolific broodmare produces compared to the number sired by a top stallion. While there have been some attempts to identify these mares, most notably by the late Ellen Parker with her Reines-de-Course, the identification of a matron as a “superior female” or “foundation mare” or “matriarch” is of necessity affected by the criteria selected by the pedigree expert identifying a mare as such—criteria that are often not made explicit. Many countries have “Broodmare of the Year” titles, but these are by definition based on a mare’s production during her lifetime, too soon to reflect her long-term importance.

In the tradition (or perhaps hubris) of other long-time pedigree students, I am introducing the category of “Genetic Gems” to honor those mares that I believe have had exceptional influence on the Thoroughbred, either through breeding careers in the Americas or through offspring imported to the Western Hemisphere. Since my focus is on the long term, my criteria are as follow:

The mare must have at least fifth-generation descendants, with sixth-generation descendants coming on the scene. This means that my selections will have been foaled at least 50 years ago and probably more.
The mare must have been an above-average producer of racing stock, or have an exceptional record as the dam of successful stallions and/or good broodmare daughters, with preference given to a combination of the above. If the mare is remembered today on the basis of only one or two foals, she certainly deserves respect for that but will not qualify as a “Genetic Gem.”
The mare’s family must have one or more branches that are continuing to produce top racehorses, successful sires, and/or exceptional broodmares. There have been a number of fine broodmares that enjoyed considerable success over their own lifetimes but whose families have petered out as sources of good horses. I am looking for sustained success. Obviously, some mares are far enough back in time that daughters, granddaughters, or great-granddaughters have established major families of their own, and these mares may receive identification as “Genetic Gems” in their own right.

“Genetic Gems” will be designated as such in the header of their horse profiles, just below their family numbers. Some of my selections will be quite obvious, being well known to even the relatively casual student of pedigrees; others may be less familiar, especially when it comes to South American families (I still have much to learn there). I am hoping that in due time, I can provide some sketches of my selections’ families to outline how they have have achieved importance. Like much else that is on my plate, this is a long-term project, but one that I am hoping will be both useful and enjoyable as it goes along.

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Mares on Monday: North Ridge Finishes First in Year's Last Classic

1/1/2024

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On December 29, Santiago hosted the last of South America’s Classic races for 2023. This was Las Oaks (Chilean Oaks, CHI-G1), which was won by Stud La Nonna’s filly North Ridge. It was a good day for Stud La Nonna and trainer Jorge Andrés Inda, who also captured third-place honors with Neroli.

North Ridge is a daughter of Ivan Denisovich, who stands at leading Chilean stud Haras Don Alberto. A beautifully bred son of Danehill and 1993 American champion 3-year-old filly Hollywood Wildcat (by Kris S.), Ivan Denisovich is closely related to War Chant (Danzig x Hollywood Wildcat). He won the 2005 TNT July Stakes (ENG-G2) as a juvenile and placed in five Grade/Group 1 stakes at 2 and 3. North Ridge is his third Las Oaks winner, following Marie Madelaine in 2016 and Mama Lili in 2022.

A half sister to Group 3-placed Diocleziano (by No Nay Never), North Ridge is out of Group 3-placed Nueva Castilla, a half sister to Neroli (like North Ridge, a daughter of Ivan Denisovich) and to 2018 Chilean champion older male Nuevo Maestro (also by Ivan Denisovich). Sired by listed stakes winner and Arlington Park track record setter Pavarotti (A.P. Indy x Snow Forest, by Woodman), Nueva Castilla is also a half sister to Nettina (by Ivan Denisovich), a multiple Group 3 winner who was runner up to Mama Lili in the 2022 Las Oaks.

Nueva Castlla and her siblings are out of Netta (by seven-time Chilean champion sire Hussonet), whose dam Vitra (by multiple Group stakes winner Wagon Master, by Rainbow Quest) won the 2001 Premio Carlos Campino (CHI-G2). Produced from the Roy mare Villa Torlonia (a full sister to 1994 Chilean Mare of the Year Via Sixtina), Vitra is a half sister to Grade 3-placed Ramatuelle (by 1993 Citation Handicap, USA-G2, winner Jeune Homme, by Nureyev), dam of 2014 Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (USA-G1) winner Texas Red (by Afleet Alex). This family is a Chilean branch of a major Argentine branch of Bruce Lowe family 3-b which came to Chile via Villa Torlonia’s dam Noble Sixtina (by Noble Quillo).

North Ridge is inbred 4x5x4 to Mr. Prospector, not an uncommon pattern nowadays in the Americas. As she is only halfway through her 3-year-old year by Southern Hemisphere standards, she should have several more opportunities to confirm the form she showed in Las Oaks (her first win at the top level) before she retires to the paddocks.

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Mares on Monday: Didia Flies Home on Pegasus World Cup Undercard

Mares on Monday: West Omaha Fires a Bullet

Mares on Monday: Lift a Glass to Gin Gin

Mares on Monday: Introducing Genetic Gems

Mares on Monday: North Ridge Finishes First in Year's Last Classic

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