On October 4, 2019 Japanese champion 3-year-old filly Gran Alegria nailed down her second Group 1 win of 2020 in the Sprinters' Stakes (JPN-G1). Her victory underscored the loss of her sire Deep Impact, but it also brought back memories of one of the better broodmares of the 1980s and early 1990s. This was Perfect Pigeon, a daughter of Round Table who, while she never attained Broodmare of the Year honors, had a record better than some mares that did.
Perfect Pigeon was one of only three foals produced by the fine stakes mare Pink Pigeon, a daughter of T. V. Lark who would have been a multiple graded stakes winner had the modern graded stakes system been in effect when she was racing in the 1960s. Based on track performance, Perfect Pigeon's year-younger full sister Lexington Lark would have seemed the better bet to make a top producer, as she had enough ability to win a minor stakes race as a 3-year-old; Perfect Pigeon, on the other hand, could not even manage to hit the board in 13 starts. Lexington Lark, however, managed to come up with just two stakes-placed runners from nine named foals, though she is the third dam of Grade 3 winner Shoal Creek; Perfect Pigeon produced five stakes winners, three of them of graded/Group caliber.
Admittedly, Perfect Pigeon took a while to get going. Her first stakes winner, 1984 Dee Stakes (ENG-G3) winner Trial by Excellence (by Caro), was her sixth foal. But after that, she went on a roll. Her seventh foal was the Best Turn colt Aggies Best, a popular performer at Nebraska's Ak-Sar-Ben track where he was a multiple stakes winner. (He also won a stakes at Latonia---now Turfway Park---and was Grade 3-placed at Hialeah.) Foal number eight was sired by the Grade 1 winner but mediocre stallion Providential, but Perfect Pigeon came up with another multiple stakes winner anyway in Supreme Excellence, dam in turn of multiple stakes winner Glenbarra (by Vice Regent).
Returned to Caro in 1985, Perfect Pigeon produced her best runner in 1986. This was Golden Pheasant, a Group 2 winner in France and the winner of the 1990 Arlington Million Stakes (USA-G1) and two Grade 2 races in the United States. Sent to Japan to begin his stud career, Golden Pheasant was exported from there to China in 2002 and disappeared from available records after 2006.
Perfect Pigeon's final stakes winner was the 1988 Pleasant Colony filly Seewillo, who won the 1992 Queen Charlotte Handicap (USA-G3) at Monmouth. Seewillo is the second dam of Grade 3 winner of Time's Mistress and the third dam of 2019 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (USA-G1) winner Henley's Joy and Grade 3 winner Dennis' Moment.
Perfect Pigeon's other foals include three producers of stakes winners. Among them is the winner Pink Dove (by 1980 French champion 3-year-old male but poor sire Argument), who produced listed stakes winners Moonshine Hall (by Spinning World) and Malli Star (by Baldski; dam of Group 1-placed Japanese listed stakes winner Bella Rheia, by Narita Top Road).
Pink Dove also produced the Fortunate Prospect mare Morning Dove, who on the surface enjoyed only a modest broodmare career with four winners from seven named foals. Thanks to her daughter Flying Marlin (by multiple Grade 1 winner Marlin, another indifferent sire), she now appears more important, for Flying Marlin is the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Tapitsfly (by Tapit). Tapitsfly, in turn, is the dam of Gran Alegria, and her Sky Classic half sister Classy Marlin is the dam of listed stakes winner Hesinfront (by War Front).
The family of Perfect Pigeon is not one of those families with a catalog page jammed with stars generation after generation, but in view of the uneven quality of the stallions it has encountered along the way, it has come up with its share of good runners and perhaps a bit more. In Gran Alegria, who will undoubtedly be granted access to the cream of the Japanese stallion population when she retires to the paddocks, there is hope that this family will fly to even greater heights.
Perfect Pigeon was one of only three foals produced by the fine stakes mare Pink Pigeon, a daughter of T. V. Lark who would have been a multiple graded stakes winner had the modern graded stakes system been in effect when she was racing in the 1960s. Based on track performance, Perfect Pigeon's year-younger full sister Lexington Lark would have seemed the better bet to make a top producer, as she had enough ability to win a minor stakes race as a 3-year-old; Perfect Pigeon, on the other hand, could not even manage to hit the board in 13 starts. Lexington Lark, however, managed to come up with just two stakes-placed runners from nine named foals, though she is the third dam of Grade 3 winner Shoal Creek; Perfect Pigeon produced five stakes winners, three of them of graded/Group caliber.
Admittedly, Perfect Pigeon took a while to get going. Her first stakes winner, 1984 Dee Stakes (ENG-G3) winner Trial by Excellence (by Caro), was her sixth foal. But after that, she went on a roll. Her seventh foal was the Best Turn colt Aggies Best, a popular performer at Nebraska's Ak-Sar-Ben track where he was a multiple stakes winner. (He also won a stakes at Latonia---now Turfway Park---and was Grade 3-placed at Hialeah.) Foal number eight was sired by the Grade 1 winner but mediocre stallion Providential, but Perfect Pigeon came up with another multiple stakes winner anyway in Supreme Excellence, dam in turn of multiple stakes winner Glenbarra (by Vice Regent).
Returned to Caro in 1985, Perfect Pigeon produced her best runner in 1986. This was Golden Pheasant, a Group 2 winner in France and the winner of the 1990 Arlington Million Stakes (USA-G1) and two Grade 2 races in the United States. Sent to Japan to begin his stud career, Golden Pheasant was exported from there to China in 2002 and disappeared from available records after 2006.
Perfect Pigeon's final stakes winner was the 1988 Pleasant Colony filly Seewillo, who won the 1992 Queen Charlotte Handicap (USA-G3) at Monmouth. Seewillo is the second dam of Grade 3 winner of Time's Mistress and the third dam of 2019 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (USA-G1) winner Henley's Joy and Grade 3 winner Dennis' Moment.
Perfect Pigeon's other foals include three producers of stakes winners. Among them is the winner Pink Dove (by 1980 French champion 3-year-old male but poor sire Argument), who produced listed stakes winners Moonshine Hall (by Spinning World) and Malli Star (by Baldski; dam of Group 1-placed Japanese listed stakes winner Bella Rheia, by Narita Top Road).
Pink Dove also produced the Fortunate Prospect mare Morning Dove, who on the surface enjoyed only a modest broodmare career with four winners from seven named foals. Thanks to her daughter Flying Marlin (by multiple Grade 1 winner Marlin, another indifferent sire), she now appears more important, for Flying Marlin is the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Tapitsfly (by Tapit). Tapitsfly, in turn, is the dam of Gran Alegria, and her Sky Classic half sister Classy Marlin is the dam of listed stakes winner Hesinfront (by War Front).
The family of Perfect Pigeon is not one of those families with a catalog page jammed with stars generation after generation, but in view of the uneven quality of the stallions it has encountered along the way, it has come up with its share of good runners and perhaps a bit more. In Gran Alegria, who will undoubtedly be granted access to the cream of the Japanese stallion population when she retires to the paddocks, there is hope that this family will fly to even greater heights.
RSS Feed