The New Year's Day holiday weekend kicked off this year's American Triple Crown trail with several interesting hopefuls taking their first stakes brackets in one-mile events. Among them were Santa Anita's Sham Stakes (USA-G3) winner Newgrange (by Violence out of the Grade 2-winning Empire Maker mare Bella Chianti); Courvoisier, a son of Tapit and 2014 American champion 2-year-old filly Take Charge Brandi who won the Jerome Handicap at Aqueduct; and Dash Attack (by Munnings from a half sister to multiple graded stakes winner Song of Navarone), a smart winner of the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
Simplification may have been somewhat under the radar prior to the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream, but he should not be now. The 17th stakes winner from the first and second crops of the young Giant's Causeway stallion Not This Time, he not only scored in convincing fashion but was over three seconds faster than any of the other three. That might not seem particularly noteworthy, given the differences in tracks and track conditions, but he also earned a BRIS speed figure of 103 for his effort, five points better than Newgrange and over 10 points better than either of the other two.
Simplification's performance is backed by a solid family descended from the Smarten mare Wising Up, which has consistently been turning out at least one or two nice horses from each mare in the line. Herself the winner of the 1985 Santa Ynez Stakes (USA-G3) and Grade 1-placed, Wising Up is a half sister to multiple Grade 2 winner Foresta (by Alydar), a good turf runner and to So Easily (by Superbity), dam of 2001 Bashford Manor Stakes (USA-G2) winner Lunar Bounty (by Migrating Moon). Wising Up, in turn, produced 1999 Fort Marcy Handicap (USA-G3) winner Wised Up (by Dixieland Band) and French Group 2-placed stakes winner Smart Wise (by Silver Hawk).
Wising Up produced only two fillies, but her 1987 Blushing Groom daughter Wise Bride has done her part to uphold the family reputation. Her best runner is multiple Grade 3 winner Quite a Bride (by Stormy Atlantic), dam of Brazilian Group 2 winner Dona Flor (by Dynaformer) and Brazilian Group 3 winner Amor Total (by Put It Back), and she is also the dam of Goulash (by the Northern Dancer stallion Mari's Book). A restricted stakes winner who was Grade 3-placed, Goulash cemented her own reputation as a broodmare by producing two-time American champion Ashado (by Saint Ballado; dam of listed stakes winner Westwood, by Bernardini).
Goulash's other foals include three full siblings to Ashado, and all are of some significance. The champion's brothers Sunriver and Saint Stephen won the 2007 Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes (USA-G1) and 2006 Native Diver Handicap (USA-G3), respectively. Ashado's sister Ballado's Halo ran third in two lesser stakes events and produced two stakes-producing daughters: Halo's Verse (by Unbridled's Song), dam of listed stakes winner Halo Again (by Speightstown) and multiple Grade 2-placed/multiple restricted stakes winner Inflexibility (by Scat Daddy), and stakes-placed Simply Confection (by Candy Ride). whose first foal is Simplification. Simply Confection has since produced a 2020 filly by Mendelssohn and a 2021 filly by Audible and is in foal to Union Rags.
Versatility appears to be a hallmark of this family, which has produced everything from graded stakes-winning juveniles to talented turf horses to Ashado, who won at up to 10 furlongs on the dirt. Simplification is still learning the racing game and may or may not prove suited to the Triple Crown trail, but with his demonstrated speed and a pedigree that suggests that some more distance will be to his liking, it just might not be wise to bet against his making his mark in graded company somewhere down the line.
Simplification may have been somewhat under the radar prior to the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream, but he should not be now. The 17th stakes winner from the first and second crops of the young Giant's Causeway stallion Not This Time, he not only scored in convincing fashion but was over three seconds faster than any of the other three. That might not seem particularly noteworthy, given the differences in tracks and track conditions, but he also earned a BRIS speed figure of 103 for his effort, five points better than Newgrange and over 10 points better than either of the other two.
Simplification's performance is backed by a solid family descended from the Smarten mare Wising Up, which has consistently been turning out at least one or two nice horses from each mare in the line. Herself the winner of the 1985 Santa Ynez Stakes (USA-G3) and Grade 1-placed, Wising Up is a half sister to multiple Grade 2 winner Foresta (by Alydar), a good turf runner and to So Easily (by Superbity), dam of 2001 Bashford Manor Stakes (USA-G2) winner Lunar Bounty (by Migrating Moon). Wising Up, in turn, produced 1999 Fort Marcy Handicap (USA-G3) winner Wised Up (by Dixieland Band) and French Group 2-placed stakes winner Smart Wise (by Silver Hawk).
Wising Up produced only two fillies, but her 1987 Blushing Groom daughter Wise Bride has done her part to uphold the family reputation. Her best runner is multiple Grade 3 winner Quite a Bride (by Stormy Atlantic), dam of Brazilian Group 2 winner Dona Flor (by Dynaformer) and Brazilian Group 3 winner Amor Total (by Put It Back), and she is also the dam of Goulash (by the Northern Dancer stallion Mari's Book). A restricted stakes winner who was Grade 3-placed, Goulash cemented her own reputation as a broodmare by producing two-time American champion Ashado (by Saint Ballado; dam of listed stakes winner Westwood, by Bernardini).
Goulash's other foals include three full siblings to Ashado, and all are of some significance. The champion's brothers Sunriver and Saint Stephen won the 2007 Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes (USA-G1) and 2006 Native Diver Handicap (USA-G3), respectively. Ashado's sister Ballado's Halo ran third in two lesser stakes events and produced two stakes-producing daughters: Halo's Verse (by Unbridled's Song), dam of listed stakes winner Halo Again (by Speightstown) and multiple Grade 2-placed/multiple restricted stakes winner Inflexibility (by Scat Daddy), and stakes-placed Simply Confection (by Candy Ride). whose first foal is Simplification. Simply Confection has since produced a 2020 filly by Mendelssohn and a 2021 filly by Audible and is in foal to Union Rags.
Versatility appears to be a hallmark of this family, which has produced everything from graded stakes-winning juveniles to talented turf horses to Ashado, who won at up to 10 furlongs on the dirt. Simplification is still learning the racing game and may or may not prove suited to the Triple Crown trail, but with his demonstrated speed and a pedigree that suggests that some more distance will be to his liking, it just might not be wise to bet against his making his mark in graded company somewhere down the line.
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