Reincarnate went off at the longest odds of any of Bob Baffert’s trio of entries in the Sham Stakes (USA-G3), but he was money in the bank at the end of the one-mile trip. Moving up in class from a maiden victory over the same distance at the Del Mar meeting, the son of 2017 American champion 2-year-old male Good Magic held off a strong challenge by stablemate Newgate to win by a neck with favored National Treasure another three-quarters of a length back. The victory confirmed the colt’s apparent improvement after switching from turf to dirt and marked him as a possible contender for the Triple Crown events.
Reincarnate’s family is no stranger to Classic success, though one does have to go back a bit to find the link. The colt is a fifth-generation descendant of Admiral’s Belle, a War Admiral mare whose first foal was 1959 Preakness Stakes winner Royal Orbit (by Royal Charger). Produced from 1940 New Zealand Oaks winner Belle Cane and, thus, a half sister to 1949 Santa Margarita Handicap winner Lurline B. (a high-class broodmare with four good stakes winners to her credit), Admiral’s Belle stands at the head of a family that has managed to maintain a decent record despite often receiving only moderate opportunities.
Royal Orbit was Admiral’s Belle’s only stakes winner, but five of her daughters had some importance as broodmares. Klondike Annie (by Arctic Prince) is the dam of multiple Canadian stakes winner Yukon Eric (by Tudor Minstrel) and the third dam of 1987 Indian Oaks winner Slipstream; Taratan (by Summer Tan) is the dam of 1980 Round Table Handicap (USA-G3) winner The Messanger (by Big Spruce) and stakes winner More Than Intended (by Laomedonte); Timalin (by Court Martial) is the second dam of multiple Grade 3 winners Raise Your Skirts and Coastal Voyage and the third dam of four-time German champion sire Big Shuffle, a multiple Group 3 winner, as well as 1989 E.B.F. Meld Stakes (IRE-G3) winner Slender Style and 1994 Ancient Title Breeders’ Cup Handicap (USA-G3) Saratoga Gambler; and Lady Bellaston (by Tudor Minstrel) is the third dam of 1991 Illinois Derby (USA-G2) winner Richman and 1993 Shoemaker Handicap (USA-G2) winner Journalism.
Corner Table, Admiral’s Belle’s 1969 filly by Sword Dancer, failed to win or place in six starts but produced Fling Ding (by Jungle Savage), a winner of four minor stakes races and the dam of four minor stakes winners. She is also the dam of Stubborn Star (by 1983 Metropolitan Handicap, USA-G1, winner Star Choice), a filly that never raced but produced listed juvenile stakes winner Dixie Two Star (by Dixie Brass) and multiple restricted stakes winner Winning Agenda (by Twilight Agenda). The last-named mare is the dam of Zeide Isaac (by Freud), a multiple Group 2 winner and two-time champion in Peru. Stubborn Star’s other foals include Bold Genius (by Beau Genius), dam of stakes winner Loan Me a Fen (by Fenter); Bloomin Genius (by Beau Genius), dam of Grade 3-placed stakes winner Mavoreen (by Sir Cat); and Star in the Corner (by Holy Bull), whose stakes-winning daughter Allanah (by Scat Daddy) produced Reincarnate as her fourth named foal. Allanah has since produced a 2021 colt by Goldencents and a 2022 colt by Liam’s Map.
Like Baffert’s other horses, Reincarnate does face the complication of Baffert’s ongoing suspension at Churchill Downs, which means that he did not pick up the 10 points toward a Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (USA-G1) starting spot that he would ordinarily have gained by winning the Sham. He could still be considered for the Preakness, however, and as Baffert’s suspension with the New York Racing Association runs out on January 25, the Belmont could be a possibility as well. The question is whether he will improve to the level of a Royal Orbit as he continues to develop and mature. Time will tell.
Reincarnate’s family is no stranger to Classic success, though one does have to go back a bit to find the link. The colt is a fifth-generation descendant of Admiral’s Belle, a War Admiral mare whose first foal was 1959 Preakness Stakes winner Royal Orbit (by Royal Charger). Produced from 1940 New Zealand Oaks winner Belle Cane and, thus, a half sister to 1949 Santa Margarita Handicap winner Lurline B. (a high-class broodmare with four good stakes winners to her credit), Admiral’s Belle stands at the head of a family that has managed to maintain a decent record despite often receiving only moderate opportunities.
Royal Orbit was Admiral’s Belle’s only stakes winner, but five of her daughters had some importance as broodmares. Klondike Annie (by Arctic Prince) is the dam of multiple Canadian stakes winner Yukon Eric (by Tudor Minstrel) and the third dam of 1987 Indian Oaks winner Slipstream; Taratan (by Summer Tan) is the dam of 1980 Round Table Handicap (USA-G3) winner The Messanger (by Big Spruce) and stakes winner More Than Intended (by Laomedonte); Timalin (by Court Martial) is the second dam of multiple Grade 3 winners Raise Your Skirts and Coastal Voyage and the third dam of four-time German champion sire Big Shuffle, a multiple Group 3 winner, as well as 1989 E.B.F. Meld Stakes (IRE-G3) winner Slender Style and 1994 Ancient Title Breeders’ Cup Handicap (USA-G3) Saratoga Gambler; and Lady Bellaston (by Tudor Minstrel) is the third dam of 1991 Illinois Derby (USA-G2) winner Richman and 1993 Shoemaker Handicap (USA-G2) winner Journalism.
Corner Table, Admiral’s Belle’s 1969 filly by Sword Dancer, failed to win or place in six starts but produced Fling Ding (by Jungle Savage), a winner of four minor stakes races and the dam of four minor stakes winners. She is also the dam of Stubborn Star (by 1983 Metropolitan Handicap, USA-G1, winner Star Choice), a filly that never raced but produced listed juvenile stakes winner Dixie Two Star (by Dixie Brass) and multiple restricted stakes winner Winning Agenda (by Twilight Agenda). The last-named mare is the dam of Zeide Isaac (by Freud), a multiple Group 2 winner and two-time champion in Peru. Stubborn Star’s other foals include Bold Genius (by Beau Genius), dam of stakes winner Loan Me a Fen (by Fenter); Bloomin Genius (by Beau Genius), dam of Grade 3-placed stakes winner Mavoreen (by Sir Cat); and Star in the Corner (by Holy Bull), whose stakes-winning daughter Allanah (by Scat Daddy) produced Reincarnate as her fourth named foal. Allanah has since produced a 2021 colt by Goldencents and a 2022 colt by Liam’s Map.
Like Baffert’s other horses, Reincarnate does face the complication of Baffert’s ongoing suspension at Churchill Downs, which means that he did not pick up the 10 points toward a Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (USA-G1) starting spot that he would ordinarily have gained by winning the Sham. He could still be considered for the Preakness, however, and as Baffert’s suspension with the New York Racing Association runs out on January 25, the Belmont could be a possibility as well. The question is whether he will improve to the level of a Royal Orbit as he continues to develop and mature. Time will tell.
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