On June 20, Joan of Arc came home first in (appropriately) the Prix de Diane Longines (FR-G1), also known as the French Oaks. Her victory gave her dam You'resothrilling entry to two exclusive clubs: one composed of mares that have produced four or more Grade/Group 1 winners, and one composed of mares that have produced at least three foals capable of winning races recognized as 3-year-old Classics in a major racing nation.
Sired by Storm Cat and a winner of the 2007 Cherry Hinton Stakes (ENG-G2) in her own right, You'resothrilling has enjoyed a remarkable association with the great European sire Galileo. Aside from Joan of Arc, her foals by Galileo include 2014 Irish One Thousand Guineas (IRE-G1) winner Marvellous, and 2015 Two Thousand Guineas (ENG-G1) and Irish Two Thousand Guineas (IRE-G1) winner Gleneagles. Both are accounted Classic winners in Ireland (with Gleneagles having scored at the same level in England as well), and You'resothrilling has also produced 2017 Moyglare Stud Stakes (IRE-G1) winner Happily, Australian Group 2 winner Taj Mahal, and Grade 1-placed Irish Group 3 winner Coolmore to covers by Galileo. Her only foal to race that did not win a stakes is Vatican City (by Galileo), who ran second in the 2020 Irish Two Thousand Guineas.
Yet, as remarkable as the accomplishments of You'resothrilling have been, they are only one chapter in the book written by her dam Mariah's Storm. A multiple Grade 2 winner whose comeback from a severe leg injury at 2 inspired a major motion picture, Mariah's Storm has become one of the rare matriarchs of the breed who have impacted racing at the highest level in countries around the world.
As a daughter of Rahy from a Grade 3-winning half sister to 1975 American champion 2-year-old filly Dearly Precious, Mariah's Storm had both the pedigree and performance to be a top broodmare. Nonetheless, no one could have predicted what she has actually accomplished. She served notice with her very first foal, a handsome, muscular son of Storm Cat. Named Giant's Causeway, the "Iron Horse" of Europe was the continent's 2000 Horse of the Year and covered himself with additional glory in a hard-fought runner-up finish to 2000 American Horse of the Year Tiznow in the Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-G1). Three times the champion sire in the United States, Giant's Causeway is also an influential sire of broodmares.
You'resothrilling was the only other stakes winner for Mariah's Storm, but two of her stakes-placed sons by Storm Cat have also made major contributions. Given chances at stud in Chile and New York, respectively, based on Giant's Causeway's prowess, Tumblebrutus became a three-time champion sire in his adoptive country and is rising up the ranks of maternal grandsires there while Freud has been a remarkably good regional sire in New York, leading the state's sire list six times and getting a number of Grade/Group 1 winners.
Aside from You'resothrilling, Storm Cat got one other daughter from Mariah's Storm in the 2006 filly Pearling, and she too has contributed to the record of her dam by becoming the dam of multiple Group 1 winner Decorated Knight. Mariah's Storm finished her broodmare career with five consecutive fillies, and while only Love Me Only (by Galileo's sire Sadler's Wells) has come up with a stakes winner thus far (Group 2 winner Storm the Stars, by Galileo's champion half brother Sea the Stars) from this group, her four half sisters by Galileo are all receiving the best of opportunities, as are the daughters of You'resothrilling and Pearling. Given their circumstances, it seems only a matter of time before a mare of this family catches lightning in a bottle and comes up with another champion or Classic winner to keep the family of Mariah's Storm storming on.
Sired by Storm Cat and a winner of the 2007 Cherry Hinton Stakes (ENG-G2) in her own right, You'resothrilling has enjoyed a remarkable association with the great European sire Galileo. Aside from Joan of Arc, her foals by Galileo include 2014 Irish One Thousand Guineas (IRE-G1) winner Marvellous, and 2015 Two Thousand Guineas (ENG-G1) and Irish Two Thousand Guineas (IRE-G1) winner Gleneagles. Both are accounted Classic winners in Ireland (with Gleneagles having scored at the same level in England as well), and You'resothrilling has also produced 2017 Moyglare Stud Stakes (IRE-G1) winner Happily, Australian Group 2 winner Taj Mahal, and Grade 1-placed Irish Group 3 winner Coolmore to covers by Galileo. Her only foal to race that did not win a stakes is Vatican City (by Galileo), who ran second in the 2020 Irish Two Thousand Guineas.
Yet, as remarkable as the accomplishments of You'resothrilling have been, they are only one chapter in the book written by her dam Mariah's Storm. A multiple Grade 2 winner whose comeback from a severe leg injury at 2 inspired a major motion picture, Mariah's Storm has become one of the rare matriarchs of the breed who have impacted racing at the highest level in countries around the world.
As a daughter of Rahy from a Grade 3-winning half sister to 1975 American champion 2-year-old filly Dearly Precious, Mariah's Storm had both the pedigree and performance to be a top broodmare. Nonetheless, no one could have predicted what she has actually accomplished. She served notice with her very first foal, a handsome, muscular son of Storm Cat. Named Giant's Causeway, the "Iron Horse" of Europe was the continent's 2000 Horse of the Year and covered himself with additional glory in a hard-fought runner-up finish to 2000 American Horse of the Year Tiznow in the Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-G1). Three times the champion sire in the United States, Giant's Causeway is also an influential sire of broodmares.
You'resothrilling was the only other stakes winner for Mariah's Storm, but two of her stakes-placed sons by Storm Cat have also made major contributions. Given chances at stud in Chile and New York, respectively, based on Giant's Causeway's prowess, Tumblebrutus became a three-time champion sire in his adoptive country and is rising up the ranks of maternal grandsires there while Freud has been a remarkably good regional sire in New York, leading the state's sire list six times and getting a number of Grade/Group 1 winners.
Aside from You'resothrilling, Storm Cat got one other daughter from Mariah's Storm in the 2006 filly Pearling, and she too has contributed to the record of her dam by becoming the dam of multiple Group 1 winner Decorated Knight. Mariah's Storm finished her broodmare career with five consecutive fillies, and while only Love Me Only (by Galileo's sire Sadler's Wells) has come up with a stakes winner thus far (Group 2 winner Storm the Stars, by Galileo's champion half brother Sea the Stars) from this group, her four half sisters by Galileo are all receiving the best of opportunities, as are the daughters of You'resothrilling and Pearling. Given their circumstances, it seems only a matter of time before a mare of this family catches lightning in a bottle and comes up with another champion or Classic winner to keep the family of Mariah's Storm storming on.
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