With the proliferation of North American-bred stallions appearing in South American pedigrees during the last few decades, it was only a matter of time before top North American female families started migrating south as well. One of those families turned up in Argentina last weekend, when Dona True won the Premio Condesa (ARG-III) at San Isidro. Bred by Haras La Layenda after being imported to Argentina in utero, the 4-year-old daughter of Yes It's True traces her female lineage to one of the Phipps family's matriarchs, Blitey.
Blitey has already had a substantial impact in Chile through her Alydar daughter Home Leave, dam of the Polish Navy mare Weekend Leave. Exported to Haras Paso Nevado in Chile, Weekend Leave produced 2004/2005 Chilean champion 3-year-old male We Can Seek and 2007/2008 Chilean champion 3-year-old filly Weekend Trip, both by the Gone West horse Seeker's Reward. Weekend Leave also produced We Can Leave, a stakes-winning full sister to her champions who in turn produced 2015/2016 Chilean champion 3-year-old filly Wapi (by Powerscourt). Wapi brought the history of this branch of the family full circle by being imported to the United States, where she produced colts by Curlin and Gun Runner before dying of colic in July 2019, but We Can Leave and Weekend Leave both have other Chilean-bred daughters to continue the family in that country.
In Argentina, Blitey's previous influence has been on the sire's side of pedigrees via her great-grandson Pure Prize. A son of Storm Cat out of 1994 American champion 3-year-old filly Heavenly Prize (Seeking the Gold x Oh What a Dance, by Nijinsky II x Blitey), Pure Prize was a Grade II winner in the United States before heading to Argentina, where he has been champion sire twice. His best American-bred runner is Pure Clan, a multiple Grade I winner.
Dona True traces to Blitey through another daughter, the Mr. Prospector mare Fantastic Find. The winner of the 1990 Hempstead Handicap (USA-I), Fantastic Find produced multiple Grade I winner Finder's Fee (by Storm Cat) and the good steeplechaser Tax Ruling (by Dynaformer) and is the second dam of Grade II winner T. D. Vance and multiple Grade III winner Optimizer. Her 2001 Dixieland Band filly Grand Gala did not accomplish much as a racer or broodmare, but her 2010 Tiznow daughter Curly Sue produced Dona True as her first foal. She has since produced Argentine-bred fillies by the El Prado horse Cosmic and by the Bernstein horse Storm Embrujado.
Horse racing and breeding has always been an international business, and Blitey's family simply represents a trend that has been going on for some time. While the increased influx of North American bloodlines into South America has diminished the outcross potential of these genetic pools with regard to one another, it has at the same time produced some top performers on both sides of the equator as well as a lively import/export market going both ways. Whether Dona True can help establish a branch of her distinguished family in Argentina is as yet unknown, but one thing is certain---as the trade in Thoroughbreds continues between north and south, there will be more to follow in her hoof prints.
Blitey has already had a substantial impact in Chile through her Alydar daughter Home Leave, dam of the Polish Navy mare Weekend Leave. Exported to Haras Paso Nevado in Chile, Weekend Leave produced 2004/2005 Chilean champion 3-year-old male We Can Seek and 2007/2008 Chilean champion 3-year-old filly Weekend Trip, both by the Gone West horse Seeker's Reward. Weekend Leave also produced We Can Leave, a stakes-winning full sister to her champions who in turn produced 2015/2016 Chilean champion 3-year-old filly Wapi (by Powerscourt). Wapi brought the history of this branch of the family full circle by being imported to the United States, where she produced colts by Curlin and Gun Runner before dying of colic in July 2019, but We Can Leave and Weekend Leave both have other Chilean-bred daughters to continue the family in that country.
In Argentina, Blitey's previous influence has been on the sire's side of pedigrees via her great-grandson Pure Prize. A son of Storm Cat out of 1994 American champion 3-year-old filly Heavenly Prize (Seeking the Gold x Oh What a Dance, by Nijinsky II x Blitey), Pure Prize was a Grade II winner in the United States before heading to Argentina, where he has been champion sire twice. His best American-bred runner is Pure Clan, a multiple Grade I winner.
Dona True traces to Blitey through another daughter, the Mr. Prospector mare Fantastic Find. The winner of the 1990 Hempstead Handicap (USA-I), Fantastic Find produced multiple Grade I winner Finder's Fee (by Storm Cat) and the good steeplechaser Tax Ruling (by Dynaformer) and is the second dam of Grade II winner T. D. Vance and multiple Grade III winner Optimizer. Her 2001 Dixieland Band filly Grand Gala did not accomplish much as a racer or broodmare, but her 2010 Tiznow daughter Curly Sue produced Dona True as her first foal. She has since produced Argentine-bred fillies by the El Prado horse Cosmic and by the Bernstein horse Storm Embrujado.
Horse racing and breeding has always been an international business, and Blitey's family simply represents a trend that has been going on for some time. While the increased influx of North American bloodlines into South America has diminished the outcross potential of these genetic pools with regard to one another, it has at the same time produced some top performers on both sides of the equator as well as a lively import/export market going both ways. Whether Dona True can help establish a branch of her distinguished family in Argentina is as yet unknown, but one thing is certain---as the trade in Thoroughbreds continues between north and south, there will be more to follow in her hoof prints.
RSS Feed