While Saturday's four-length win by Hopeful Growth in the Monmouth Oaks (USA-G3) was an upset according to the tote board, it was also the payoff for a trainer's careful provision of learning experiences to a promising but immature filly. After making sure in earlier events that Hopeful Growth knew how to handle being off the pace, being inside horses, and going around two turns, Anthony Margotta Jr. had the pleasure of seeing his pupil put everything together for her first stakes win, in the process trouncing pretty much the same group of fillies that had beaten her into fifth in the Delaware Oaks (USA-G3) on July 4.
Thanks to her victory, Hopeful Growth now has enough points on the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) leaderboard to take a shot at Classic glory if Margotta and owner Vincent Viola (who races as St. Elias Stable) so desire. The daughter of the Tapit horse Tapiture certainly has the pedigree for it, for her family is one of the pillars of Darby Dan breeding, that of Soaring.
Produced from the mating of Swaps to the imported mare Skylarking II and thus a half sister to 1958 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French One Thousand Guineas) winner Yla, Soaring failed to win in five starts but bred two good runners while in Darby Dan's broodmare band. One was Mehmet (by His Majesty), winner of the 1982 Monmouth Cup (USA-G1). The other was 1968 Ashland Stakes winner Miss Swapsco (by Cohoes), dam of stakes winners Vite View (by Reviewer) and Secreto's Glory (by Secreto) and the head of a branch of the family leading to champions Devil's Bag, Glorious Song, and Singspiel.
Aside from her two stakes winners, Soaring produced several other daughters that had some significance, among them the Raise a Native mare Pi Phi Gal. The winner of two of her four starts, Pi Phi Gal produced five foals, with the best runner among them being multiple Panamanian stakes winner Pi Phi Prince (by His Majesty). More importantly, she produced the His Majesty mare Graceful Touch, a solid allowance runner whose daughters and granddaughters provided a fruitful cross with stallions from the male line of 1972 Derby Stakes (ENG-G1) winner Roberto, a champion in both England and Ireland and a most influential sire for Darby Dan.
Graceful Touch signaled what was to come by producing Graceful Darby as her second foal. Sired by the useful Roberto horse Darby Creek Road, Graceful Darby won four Grade 3 races and was Grade 1-placed. She proved a disappointing broodmare, but her full sister Graceful Creek produced Grade 1-placed Grade 2 winner Stalcreek (by Stalwart) and listed stakes winner Graceful Cat (by Forest Wildcat).
Tribulation, Graceful Darby's Danzig half sister, achieved higher honors as a race mare, winning the 1993 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (USA-G1) and two Grade 3 races but showed the family affinity for Roberto as well; to the cover of Roberto's good son Silver Hawk, she produced Grade 3 winner Bold Hawk and English listed stakes winner Coshocton. Adding to her credits, her Dubai Millennium daughter Mizna is the dam of multiple Japanese Group 2 winner Decipher (by Deep Impact).
Tribulation's full sister Ameriflora never raced but produced two top-class horses when bred to Silver Hawk. The first was Grass Wonder, the Japanese champion juvenile male of 1997 and a two-time winner of the Arima Kinen (then a Japanese Group 1 and now a Group 1 race by international standards). The other was Wonder Again, a two-time Grade 1 winner on turf in the United States and the dam of Group 3-placed Japanese listed stakes winner Red Raven (by Smart Strike). Bred to the Roberto grandson Rock Hard Ten, Ameriflora added further luster to her record by producing Maiden America, who produced 2017 Bashford Manor Stakes (USA-G3) winner Ten City (by Run Away and Hide) as her second foal and Hopeful Growth as her fourth.
Since producing Hopeful Growth, Maiden America has given birth to the unraced 2018 Shackleford colt Little Chief and a 2019 full brother to Ten City. Her first foal, the winning Kitten's Joy mare Full of Joy, is also active in the paddocks, having produced a Run Away and Hide colt in 2019 and a Klimt filly in 2020. As for Hopeful Growth, she still has some racing to do before her breeding career commences, and one can hope that whatever happens, she will soar to greater heights than those she has already reached.
Thanks to her victory, Hopeful Growth now has enough points on the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) leaderboard to take a shot at Classic glory if Margotta and owner Vincent Viola (who races as St. Elias Stable) so desire. The daughter of the Tapit horse Tapiture certainly has the pedigree for it, for her family is one of the pillars of Darby Dan breeding, that of Soaring.
Produced from the mating of Swaps to the imported mare Skylarking II and thus a half sister to 1958 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French One Thousand Guineas) winner Yla, Soaring failed to win in five starts but bred two good runners while in Darby Dan's broodmare band. One was Mehmet (by His Majesty), winner of the 1982 Monmouth Cup (USA-G1). The other was 1968 Ashland Stakes winner Miss Swapsco (by Cohoes), dam of stakes winners Vite View (by Reviewer) and Secreto's Glory (by Secreto) and the head of a branch of the family leading to champions Devil's Bag, Glorious Song, and Singspiel.
Aside from her two stakes winners, Soaring produced several other daughters that had some significance, among them the Raise a Native mare Pi Phi Gal. The winner of two of her four starts, Pi Phi Gal produced five foals, with the best runner among them being multiple Panamanian stakes winner Pi Phi Prince (by His Majesty). More importantly, she produced the His Majesty mare Graceful Touch, a solid allowance runner whose daughters and granddaughters provided a fruitful cross with stallions from the male line of 1972 Derby Stakes (ENG-G1) winner Roberto, a champion in both England and Ireland and a most influential sire for Darby Dan.
Graceful Touch signaled what was to come by producing Graceful Darby as her second foal. Sired by the useful Roberto horse Darby Creek Road, Graceful Darby won four Grade 3 races and was Grade 1-placed. She proved a disappointing broodmare, but her full sister Graceful Creek produced Grade 1-placed Grade 2 winner Stalcreek (by Stalwart) and listed stakes winner Graceful Cat (by Forest Wildcat).
Tribulation, Graceful Darby's Danzig half sister, achieved higher honors as a race mare, winning the 1993 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (USA-G1) and two Grade 3 races but showed the family affinity for Roberto as well; to the cover of Roberto's good son Silver Hawk, she produced Grade 3 winner Bold Hawk and English listed stakes winner Coshocton. Adding to her credits, her Dubai Millennium daughter Mizna is the dam of multiple Japanese Group 2 winner Decipher (by Deep Impact).
Tribulation's full sister Ameriflora never raced but produced two top-class horses when bred to Silver Hawk. The first was Grass Wonder, the Japanese champion juvenile male of 1997 and a two-time winner of the Arima Kinen (then a Japanese Group 1 and now a Group 1 race by international standards). The other was Wonder Again, a two-time Grade 1 winner on turf in the United States and the dam of Group 3-placed Japanese listed stakes winner Red Raven (by Smart Strike). Bred to the Roberto grandson Rock Hard Ten, Ameriflora added further luster to her record by producing Maiden America, who produced 2017 Bashford Manor Stakes (USA-G3) winner Ten City (by Run Away and Hide) as her second foal and Hopeful Growth as her fourth.
Since producing Hopeful Growth, Maiden America has given birth to the unraced 2018 Shackleford colt Little Chief and a 2019 full brother to Ten City. Her first foal, the winning Kitten's Joy mare Full of Joy, is also active in the paddocks, having produced a Run Away and Hide colt in 2019 and a Klimt filly in 2020. As for Hopeful Growth, she still has some racing to do before her breeding career commences, and one can hope that whatever happens, she will soar to greater heights than those she has already reached.
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