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Mares on Monday: Vahva Steps Out in Chicago

6/23/2025

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​After 2024 Derby City Distaff Stakes (USA-G1) winner Vahva followed up two unplaced efforts and a six-month layoff with a seventh-place finish in the 2025 edition of the Derby City Distaff, a fair number of observers wondered if the mare shouldn’t be retired. On June 22, 2025, Vahva said, “Not yet.” Taking the track for the Chicago Stakes (USA-G2) at her favorite oval, Churchill Downs, Vahva pressed the early pace of Gray Lightning, assumed command at the top of the stretch, and ran on gamely for a three-quarters-length score over Claret Beret. Her performance was good for an Equibase speed figure of 113, the highest of her career. 2024 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (USA-G2) winner Zeitlos ran third, beaten another three and one-quarter lengths, with Grade 1 winner Brightwork and multiple graded stakes winners Emery and My Mane Squeeze further back. Now five-for-six at Churchill Downs and ten-for-thirteen at her favorite distance of 7 furlongs, Vahva is closing in on becoming a multimillionaire, having boosted her bankroll to $1,991,010 with the win.

Bred by Woodford Thoroughbreds, Vahva became the sixth graded stakes winner of 2025 for her sire Gun Runner. Currently third on the American general sire list, the 2017 Horse of the Year has finished among the nation’s top five sires for the last three years. Vahva is a member of his second crop, which also includes 2024 Churchill Downs Stakes (USA-G1) winner Gun Pilot.

Vahva was produced from Holiday Soiree who won the restricted Shine Again Stakes as a 4-year-old in 2013 and placed in five other stakes, among them the 2013 Humana Distaff Stakes (USA-G1). A half sister to multiple stakes winner Marquee Prince (by Cairo Prince), Holiday Soiree is by multiple Grade 1 winner Harlan’s Holiday, a rather underappreciated stallion who was the American champion juvenile sire of 2012. Unfortunately, Harlan’s Holiday died the following year at age 14, but he has been more than ably succeeded by his son Into Mischief, now a six-time leader of the American general sire list.

Vahva is inbred 4x4 to two-time American champion sire Storm Cat through his sons Giant’s Causeway, the broodmare sire of Gun Runner, and Harlan, the sire of Harlan’s Holiday. She carries a third cross of Storm Cat at the fifth generation through Holiday Soiree’s great-granddam Casanova Storm. This mare, a Grade-3 placed half sister to stakes winner Casanova Market (by Silver Ghost) and multiple Grade 1-placed Casanova Move (by Langfuhr), produced multiple turf Grade 3 winner Duveen (by Horse Chestnut) and restricted stakes winner Cherry Hill Lady (by Grand Slam). She also produced Casanova Striker (by Smart Strike), who produced four minor stakes winners.

Casanova Striker’s three stakes-winning daughters were unremarkable as producers, but her multiple stakes-placed daughter Try to Remember (by Include) is the dam of Holiday Soiree and Marquee Prince. She is also the dam of Swiss Alps (by Majesticperfection), dam of 2024 Seneca Overnight Stakes (USA-L) winner Miss Justify (by Justify). Holiday Soiree, also the dam of Grade 2-placed Signal From Noise (by Arrogate) and Ahavah (by City of Light), most recently produced Where Luck Lives, an unraced juvenile filly by Nyquist and a yearling filly by City of Light. She was bred to Gun Runner for this spring but has no produce listed for 2025.

A US$280,000 purchase from the 2021 Keeneland September sale, Vahva is undoubtedly worth more than that now if she never races another step. Assuming she remains in form, her most likely year-end target will be the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (USA-G1), which will be held at Del Mar this year. If she can manage to transfer her form to the West Coast, look for her to be a serious contender in this year’s female sprinter division.




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Mares on Monday: Whiskey's In the Air in the Eatontown Stakes

6/16/2025

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​In her first start back after a seven-month break, Whiskey Decision stepped up to the ranks of graded stakes winners with a comfortable two-length score in Saturday’s Eatontown Stakes (USA-G3) at Monmouth. In doing so, she took the measure of a couple of nice fillies in Maggie Go, a Group 2 winner from Argentina, and multiple stakes winner Ozara, who was coming in off a smart win in the Monroe Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Now the winner of half her eight lifetime starts, Whiskey Decision has earned $305,887 for breeder-owners Fred W. Hertrich III and John D. Fielding.

Whiskey Decision is the latest graded or Group winner from the family of 1978 American co-champion filly It’s in the Air, the first champion sired by two-time American champion sire Mr. Prospector and the winner of five Grade 1 races at ages 3 and 4. Foreshadowing Mr. Prospector’s extraordinary accomplishments as a broodmare sire, It’s in the Air was also a fine broodmare, producing a trio of stakes winners (headed by French Group 2 winner Bitooh, by Seattle Slew) and several other daughters who bred on to good effect. Her descendants include Grade/Group 1 winners in Australia, England, Japan, and the United States.

Note Musicale, an unraced daughter of the great European sire Sadler’s Wells, proved the best of It’s in the Air’s daughters as a broodmare. She is the dam of Musical Chimes (by In Excess) who followed up a win in the classic Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French One Thousand Guineas, FR-G1) in 2003 with wins in the 2004 John C, Mabee Handicap (USA-G1) against her own sex and the Oak Tree Breeders’ Cup Mile Stakes (USA-G2) against males. Note Musicale also produced Music Note, who won five Grade 1 races including the 2008 Coaching Club American Oaks (USA-G1) before producing 2021 Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) winner Mystic Guide (by Ghostzapper) and 2021 Penn Mile Stakes (USA-G3) winner Gershwin (by Distorted Humor). Music Note is still in production and most recently produced a 2025 colt by Nyquist,

Music Note’s full sister Contralto is the dam of El Gran General (by Street Sense), a stakes winner in Panama, and her unraced half sister Music Room (by Unbridled’s Song) has two graded stakes producers to her credit. The first, Distorted Music (by Distorted Humor), is the dam of 2025 Arkansas Derby (USA-G1) winner Sandman (by Tapit) and of 2022 Chilukki Stakes (USA-G3) winner She Can’t Sing (by Bernardini). The other, Funny Song (by Distorted Humor), produced Whiskey Decision as her first foal before giving birth to the 2022 More Than Ready filly Bridgeport (twice placed from six starts), the unraced 2023 filly Cowgirl Paradise (by Not This Time), and a yearling filly by Not This Time.

Produced from A Wind Is Rising (by 1960 Wood Memorial Stakes winner Francis S., by Royal Charger), It’s in the Air is a half sister to Morning Has Broken (by Prince John), the second dam of 1994 European champion 3-year-old filly Balanchine and multiple Irish Group 1 winner Saoirse Abu, so this is a family that has had a remarkable amount of success at the top level given its relatively small numbers. Whiskey Decision would have to step up her game considerably to join the family’s roster of Grade/Group 1 winners, but with a Grade 3 win to her credit, one can be sure she will receive excellent opportunities to add to the luster of her pedigree as a broodmare when the time comes for her to go to the paddocks.
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Mares on Monday: A Charming Contender for a Pellegrini Award

6/1/2025

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​On May 25, Charm joined the ranks of Argentina’s top juvenile fillies by taking the Gran Premio de Potrancas (ARG-G1) over the turf at San Isidro. Second in the Premio Eliseo Ramírez (ARG-G2) over 1400 meters (about seven furlongs) at the same course on April 4, Charm quickened readily to the front in the Potrancas and had no difficulty in holding sway at the end of the 1600-meter distance. Should she go on to the Gran Premio Estrellas Juvenile Fillies (ARG-G1) on June 28 (Argentina’s equivalent to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, USA-G1), she will have to leave the turf for the dirt at Palermo, but this may not be an issue as she won her maiden race on dirt, and she is now proven at the 1600-meter distance.

Charm is the first Group 1 winner for her sire Strategos, who was Argentina’s champion sprinter in 2020. The winner of three Group 1 races at 1000 meters that year while racing on both dirt and turf, Strategos proved that he was more than a pure speedball by winning the 2021 Gran Premio de Honor over 2000 meters at Palermo. Strategos is a son of Zensational (by Unbridled’s Song), a three-time Grade 1 winner over 6 and 7 furlongs in the United States, and is out of 2020 Argentine Broodmare of the Year Candy Woman, a daughter of Candy Ride.

Charm is out of Roman Princess, whose sire Roman Ruler (by Fusaichi Pegasus) won the 2005 Haskell Invitational Handicap (USA-G1) and led the Argentine general sire list three times. A three-time winner over 1400 and 1600 meters at Palermo, Roman Princess is a full sister to Group 3-placed Roman Prince and is out of stakes-placed Queen Annette, a daughter of Grade 1-placed Big Play (by Czaravich). Queen Annette’s full sister Tonguie was sent to Chile, where her son Pecoiquen (by seven-time Chilean champion sire Hussonet) won Chile’s oldest top-level race, the Premio El Ensayo (CHI-G1), in 2004; she is also the second dam of 2017 Premio Carlos Allende Navarro (CHI-G3) winner Going Away (by Seeking the Dia), whose dam is Pecoiquen’s stakes-placed full sister, It’s a Dream.

The next dam in Charm’s tail-female line, Queen Anne, won her only start. Sired by 1970 Polla de Potrillos (Argentine Two Thousand Guineas) winner Cipol, Queen Anne is out of Royale, whose sire Court Harwell won the 1957 Jockey Club Stakes in England and led the combined English/Irish general sire list in 1965 as well as leading the Argentine general sire list in 1970. Produced from 1954 Polla de Potrancas (Argentine One Thousand Guineas) winner Elite (by 1946 Gran Premio Nacional/Argentine Derby winner Seductor, an important sire and broodmare sire), Royale is a half sister to Tibaldo (by Tatan), a good stakes winner in both Argentina and the United States, and to Scelto (by Scratch), a stakes winner in Argentina. This female line has been producing good winners in Argentina since the English-bred mare Jumble arrived in Argentina in 1902.

Charm has something of a “could be anything” pedigree, though tilted more toward miler speed than stamina, and it is premature to speculate how she might fare in either the 1600-meter Polla de Potrancas or the 2000-meter Gran Premio Selección (Argentine Oaks), both of which will be run on dirt at Palermo during the Argentine spring. For now, though, a Pellegrini Award as Argentina’s champion 2-year-old filly appears within reach, and if Charm is as versatile as her sire, that and more may lie in her future,


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Mares on Monday: Seismic Beauty Looks Good in the Santa Margarita

5/26/2025

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​It might not have been an earthquake, but Seismic Beauty’s easy win in the Santa Margarita Stakes (USA-G2) on Sunday at Santa Anita surely registered with those keeping an eye on the older female division in the United States. A daughter of the late Uncle Mo, the Bob Baffert trainee led throughout in her stakes debut to score by five lengths over stablemate Splendora for MyRacehorse.com and Peter Leidel, Never out of the money in six lifetime starts, the bay filly has won three times and has earned US$236,840.

Bred by 2500 Determined Stud, Seismic Beauty is the first foal produced from Knarsdale, whose sire Medaglia d’Oro needs no introduction. Stakes-placed as a 5-year-old, Knarsdale was purchased from the 2020 Keeneland November mixed sale for US$430.000 with Seismic Beauty in utero and recouped most of her purchase price when Seismic Beauty sold for US$400,000 at the same venue a year later. Seismic Beauty proved a successful pinhook when resold for US$550,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale, and Knarsdale finished buying herself out with her next foal, the Bernardini colt Cincazul, who went for US$500,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale and has now won two of his three starts. Since then, Knarsdale has produced the 2023 Essential Quality filly Steel Magnolia (a US$225,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling who has yet to race) and a 2024 full sister to Seismic Beauty and was bred back to Charlatan.

Knarsdale is out of Secret File, who was runner-up in the 2011 Gardenia Stakes (USA-G3) at Ellis Park as a 4-year-old. She was keeping some excellent company that day; in that race, the daughter of two-time American champion sire Smart Strike was beaten three lengths by future two-time American champion female sprinter Groupie Doll and finished 3¾ lengths ahead of Stage Magic, now famous as the dam of 2018 American Triple Crown winner Justify. This is a case where careful examination of a race record turns up a hint of more ability and class than a bare reading of the record’s summary might indicate.

Secret File, in turn, was produced from Emery Board, who won the listed Go for Wand Stakes at Delaware Park 2001 and was third in the same year’s Florida Oaks (USA-G3). Sired by 1996 Kentucky Derby (USA-G1) winner Grindstone, Emery Board is a half sister to 1998 Flamingo Stakes (USA-G3) winner Chilito (by Strawberry Road) and multiple listed stakes winner Once a Sailor (by Vice Regent). Emery Board is also a half sister to stakes-placed Embraceable (by Dehere), dam of Canadian restricted stakes winners Retraceable (by Medaglia d’Oro; dam of Grade 2-placed stakes winner Another Miracle, by American Pharoah) and Maritime Passion (by Stormy Atlantic; dam of 2016 Highlander Handicap, CAN-G2, winner Passion for Action, by Speightstown). In addition, Emery Board is a half sister to Jealous and Jaded (by Jade Hunter), dam of 2009 Black-Eyed Susan (USA-G2) winner Payton d’Oro (by Medaglia d’Oro).

Emery Board and her siblings are out of 1986 Tempted Stakes (USA-G3) winner Cosmic Tiger (by 1978 Sapling Stakes, USA-G1, winner Tim the Tiger, by Nashua), a half sister to the minor stakes winner El Perico (by Drone) and to Hawaiian Joss (by Hawaii), dam of 1994 Gardenia Handicap (USA-G3) winner Alphabulous (by Alphabatim; dam of restricted stakes winner Fabulous Broad, by Broad Brush). Cosmic Tiger is also a half sister to Heavenly Storm (by Storm Bird), dam of German listed stakes winner Henessy (by Alkalde), and to Codetogo (by Lost Code), dam of stakes winner Cedar Knolls (by Broad Brush). Produced from the winner Cosmic Law (by Delta Judge), Cosmic Tiger is from a family tracing back to the mid-twentieth-century foundation mare Your Hostess.

A big, long-striding filly, Seismic Beauty was given plenty of time to grow into her frame without being pushed, and that time appears to have paid off. She will likely step up to Grade 1 company in her next outing, and the results of that race will probably go a long way in determining whether she will play a part in this season's year-end championships.
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Mares on Monday: Matilda Waltzes to German 2000 Guineas Win

5/19/2025

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​On May 18, Matilda added her name to the list of fillies who have taken the boys to the woodshed in a Classic race. Sent after the Coolmore City of Troy German Two Thousand Guineas (GER-G2) in only her third lifetime start, the filly showed an explosive turn of foot in the final 300 meters and easily cleared off from her eight rivals to win the 1600-meter race by 6½ lengths for owner-breeder Volker Kaufling, trainer Yasmin Almenrader, and jockey Frida Valle-Skar (who, like her mount, was scoring her first black-type success). Over a course rated as good, Matilda posted a final time of 1:33.89.

Matilda is the latest star from the Minnie Hauk branch of the great Best in Show family, which has been featured in a previous “Mares on Monday” post on January 21, 2019 (“War of Will Strikes Winning Note for Minnie Hauk”). Six years is a lot of time in the bloodstock world, and this branch has been quiet of late—quiet, at least, by the standards of one of the top families of modern times.

Matilda descends from Minnie Hauk through her daughter Aviance (by Northfields), who won the 1984 Heinz 57 Phoenix Stakes (IRE-G1) for Robert Sangster before producing multiple Grade 1 winner Denon (by Pleasant Colony), multiple Group 1 winner Chimes of Freedom (by Private Account), and Group 1-placed stakes winner Imperfect Circle, who distinguished herself as the dam of 1996 Irish Two Thousand Guineas (IRE-G1) and 1997 Breeders’ Cup Mile (USA-G1) winner Spinning World (by Nureyev). Imperfect Circle also produced French listed stakes winner Visions of Clarity (by Sadler’s Wells), dam of 2010 Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (IRE-G1) winner Pathfork (by Distorted Humor), 2019 Preakness Stakes (USA-G1) winner War of Will (by War Front), and listed stakes winner Tacticus (by A.P. Indy).

Chimes of Freedom fared equally well in the paddocks, producing 2004 American champion sprinter Aldebaran (by Mr. Prospector), 2002 Atto Mile Stakes (CAN-G1) winner Good Journey (by Nureyev), 2003 Jenny Wiley Stakes (USA-G3) winner Sea of Showers (by Seattle Slew), and listed stakes winner Tomisue’s Indy (by A.P. Indy). Both Sea of Showers and Tomisue’s Indy disappointed in the paddocks (though Tomisue’s Indy is the granddam of stakes winner Striking Tomisue, by Smart Strike).

While daughters and granddaughters of Sea of Showers and Tomisue’s Indy are still in production, it has been left to Modesty Blaise, a non-winning full sister to Tomisue’s Indy, to carry the family banner forward. She is the dam of multiple Group 3-placed French stakes winner Poupee Flash (by Elusive Quality) and of the gelded High Noon Rider (by Distorted Humor), winner of two restricted stakes races. Modesty Blaise is also the dam of Modesty’s Way (by Giant’s Causeway), who produced Matilda (a daughter of four-time Group 1 winner Soldier Hollow, by In the Wings) as her seventh foal.

Matilda is showing evidence of being a character as well as a highly talented racer, having come home with her tail swishing as though she were using it for a propeller. She displayed the same behavior in her maiden win, so perhaps it is simply her way of waving “goodbye” to her field. At this point, given the speedy proclivities of her female family, she seems more likely to be a miler than a potential Deutches Derby (GER-G1) contender, especially when it is considered that her sire stayed 2000 meters well but did not care for longer trips against top company. Regardless of where she turns up next, she will be an interesting one to follow through the European racing year.
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Mares on Monday: Abaan Stands Tall in Iroquois Winner's Circle

5/12/2025

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​The Calvin Hougland Iroquois Steeplechase is a rite of spring in Nashville, Tennessee, drawing tens of thousands to Percy Warner State Park for a day of fresh air, racing, fashion, and fun. A Grade 1 race according to the National Steeplechase Association, it is also the most prestigious and lucrative event on the spring steeplechasing calendar in the United States. This year’s edition was won by Abaan, who covered the three-mile course in 5:42 to capture his first graded steeplechase win. Also a Grade 3 winner on the flat (he won the 2022 William L. McKnight Stakes, USA-G3), he is the latest star for the family of Take a Stand (by Amerigo), a modern matriarch who can trace her roots back to one of the few old American lines still extant.

A member of American Family 29, Take a Stand produced two stakes winners but did her best work through her stakes-placed daughter Strike a Pose (by Iron Ruler), who was a foundation mare for Pin Oak Stud. The majority of Strike a Pose’s top descendants trace to her daughter Strike a Balance (by Green Dancer), dam of 1995 Canadian Horse of the Year Peaks and Valleys (by Mt. Livermore) and ancestress of Grade 1 winners Higher Power (see “Mares on Monday: Higher Power Takes a Stand in the Pacific Classic, August 19, 2019) and Mucho Gusto among others, but the branch tracing through Strike a Pose’s 1981 Blushing Groom filly, Wedding Picture, is of little less importance.

Wedding Picture was a stakes winner at both 3 and 4, and she produced four stakes winners headed by 1996 Fort Lauderdale Handicap (USA-G3) winner Winged Victory (by Nijinsky II); she also produced stakes-placed Wedded Bliss (by His Majesty), dam of three stakes winners of her own and second dam of 2020 Robert Sangster Classic Stakes (AUS-G1) winner Bella Vella (by Commands), and With This Ring (by Green Dancer), dam of 2004 Nearctic Handicap (CAN-G2) winner I Thee Wed. In addition, Wedding Picture produced Constant Companion (by Relaunch), dam of 2008 American champion turf female Forever Together (by Belong to Me).

Wedding Vow, a 1988 full sister to Winged Victory, was much less accomplished on the track, winning only a maiden race from six starts. She was decidedly better as a broodmare, getting out of the blocks with multiple stakes winner Threshold (by Homebuilder), and improved markedly on that effort with her fourth foal, Broken Vow (by Unbridled). Winner of the 2001 Philip H. Iselin Handicap (USA-G2) and Ben Ali Stakes (USA-G3), Broken Vow became a good stallion for Pin Oak, siring 902 winners and 82 stakes winners so far from 1372 named foals of racing age before being pensioned in October 2021 (he died in 2022).

A full sister to stakes producer Vow That Binds (Miswaki x Wedding Vow), Cross Your Heart is the dam of multiple stakes-placed Anchorage (by Tapit), who produced Abaan to a 2016 cover by 2013 American champion 3-year-old male Will Take Charge. Also the dam of 2023 Hallandale Beach Stakes winner Omaha Girl (by Omaha Beach), Cross Your Heart produced her last foal in 2022; that foal, the Game Winner colt Grand Han, has yet to race.

As a gelding, Abaan will have no opportunity to contribute to future generations but at age 8 is at the height of his powers by steeplechase standards and should be a fun one to watch in the American steeplechase division during the rest of the 2025 season. As for the family of Take a Stand via Strike a Pose, it has plenty of well-bred female descendants around and will probably continue doing what it does best: producing a steady stream of solid stakes horses and occasionally coming up with one that rises to the top level.
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Mares on Monday: A Truly Royal Matriarch

5/5/2025

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​Over the Kentucky Derby weekend, much was made of the fact that Secretariat appears in the pedigree of every horse that ran in this year’s Run for the Roses. (If that doesn’t torpedo the persistent myth of “Secretariat was a bust at stud,” I don’t know what will.) But, as with every important man, behind every important stallion is his mother, and this seems a very good time to review the influence of Secretariat’s dam, Somethingroyal—especially since she is the direct female-line ancestress of the final Classic winner of the weekend, Desert Flower, who triumphed in the One Thousand Guineas (ENG-G1) on May 5.

Even if she had never produced Secretariat (who was the 13th of her 18 named foals), Somethingroyal would still merit memory as a remarkable producer. One could say that as a daughter of eight-time American champion broodmare sire Princequillo and the blue hen mare Imperatrice, she was bred to be a broodmare, and she lived up to the best of that heritage.

She took a couple of stutter steps getting started, producing the unraced gelding Havildar (by Bryan G.) as her first foal and then coming up barren the following year. Cherryville, a tough but not particularly talented Correspondent filly, followed. Stakes-placed as a juvenile, she was not an outstanding producer, but her branch of the family includes Strategic News and The Verminator, Group 1 winners in South Africa and Australia, respectively, and Mor’edah, a two-time champion in Saudi Arabia.

Somethingroyal’s fourth foal was Sir Gaylord (by Turn-to), a top-flight colt who headed the Daily Racing Form’s Free Handicap for 3-year-old males of 1962. After devastating his competition in Florida (which included American co-champion juvenile male Ridan and eventual Kentucky Derby winner Decidedly), he cracked a sesamoid on the day before the Kentucky Derby, for which he would have been favorite. That ended his racing career, but he became a successful sire in the United States and France, getting 12.9 percent stakes winners from foals and siring several successful stallion sons. He was also a noteworthy sire of broodmares. His 1962 three-quarters brother First Family (by Turn-to’s champion son First Landing) won the 1966 Gulfstream Park Handicap and three other stakes races but was nowhere near his equal as a stallion.

Swansea, Somethingroyal’s 1963 foal, was a full sister to Sir Gaylord but was unable to win or place in 10 starts. Her son Chairman Walker (by Buckpasser) never made it to the track at all but had some success as a sire in Chile, while his full sister Buck the Tide produced Arbulus (by Liloy), who ended up in Brazil, There, she produced 2002 Gran Prêmio Zeila Gonzaga Peixoto de Castro (BRZ-G1) winner Aviación (by Know Heights), Brazilian Group 2 winner Cerutti (by Ghadeer), and Brazilian Group 3 winner Persane (by Tampero). Aviación, in turn, produced the aptly named Intercontinental (by Mark of Esteem), a champion stayer in Mauritius, before being imported to the United States, where she produced multiple Group 2 winner Promising Run (by Hard Spun), now the proud dam of Desert Flower (by Night of Thunder) and Group 3 winner Aablan (by Dubawi). Other top horses descended from Swansea include two-time Turkish champion Tiramisu, Chilean champions Paula’s Girl and Domaine, multiple Group 1 winner Chichicastenango, and 2002 Gran Criterium (ARG-G1) winner Eddington.

Secretariat had two older full sisters that made their own marks, and the elder, Syrian Sea, won the 1967 Selima Stakes (then a race of Grade 1 importance) and two other stakes races before producing multiple Grade 2 winner Alada (by Riva Ridge). Alada, in turn, became the granddam of 1992 American champion 3-year-old filly Saratoga Dew, herself the granddam of 2013 Japanese Horse of the Year and important sire Lord Kanaloa. Somethingroyal’s 1969 Bold Ruler filly, The Bride, showed none of the talent that had marked Syrian Sea, but she produced Argentine Group 2 winner At Ease (by Hoist the Flag) and stakes winner Heavenly Match (by Gallant Romeo. The Bride is the second dam of 1990 John A. Morris Handicap (USA-G2) winner Personal Business and the third dam of three-time Japanese champion filly Nishino Flower.

Somethingroyal’s level of production dropped off following Secretariat’s birth, with her final five foals yielding two stakes-placed runners. Nevertheless, those foals were not without significant merit: Somethingfabulous (by Northern Dancer), third in the 1975 Flamingo Stakes (USA-G1), became a useful regional sire in California, and Queen’s Colours (by Reviewer) is the third dam of multiple Australian Group 1 winner Typhoon Zed and Australian Group 3 winner Captain Bax,

Somethingroyal was pensioned from broodmare duty in 1978 after failing to produce a foal the previous year, but the incredible vitality that she had put into her foals still persisted. She lived on as a pensioner for another five years, dying in 1983 at the advanced age of 31. During her last years, she served as a babysitter for new broodmares who were just coming off the track, and it is pleasant to think that this venerable matriarch had a few choice words of equine wisdom regarding the art of motherhood to pass on before heading on to the greener pastures that she truly deserved.



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Mares on Monday: The Numbers Game

4/28/2025

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​Trick question: Who was the last Kentucky Oaks winner to produce a Kentucky Oaks winner?

Answer: It hasn’t happened yet. And the record in the Kentucky Derby isn’t much better; only Princess Turia, the 1956 Oaks champion, has a Kentucky Derby winner to her credit, and that was by disqualification when Forward Pass was moved up after apparent winner Dancer’s Image tested positive for Bute, then illegal under Kentucky racing regulations.

The next trick question is a bit subtler than the first. In 150 years, why haven’t Kentucky Oaks winners had much luck in reproducing themselves in America’s biggest races?

The likeliest answer is simple math. Unlike a Kentucky Derby-winning stallion, who may be represented by over 200 foals in a single year, a Kentucky Oaks winner can have only one. Given that no more than 10 Oaks winners are likely to have 3-year-old foals in a given year—and in most years, it has been less than that—the odds are heavily stacked against them even compared to their Kentucky Derby-winning brethren, who in any given year will have hundreds of foals of the requisite age between them. For 2022, the year in which this year’s Derby and Oaks contenders were born, 17,146 Thoroughbred foals have been registered in the United States. Even if only foals out of stakes-winning or stakes-producing mares are considered, the Oaks winners’ progeny are outnumbered by hundreds if not thousands to one by other foals which at least have some chance of having inherited the genetic wherewithal to be top-level winners.

At this time, eight Kentucky Oaks winners have current 3-year-olds. While a review of these offspring proves nothing in itself, it does serve as a snapshot of the odds against even a well-bred, high-performing mare with excellent breeding opportunities to produce a runner showing high enough class in the spring of its 3-year-old season to make the starting gate on Churchill Downs’ biggest days.

2004 Kentucky Oaks winner Ashado’s 2022 foal is Bernardo, a Bernardini gelding who has placed third twice from 10 starts. He is a full brother to 2018 Runhappy Stakes (USA-L) winner Westwood, Ashado’s only black-type winner from 12 other named foals.

Lemons Forever (2006 Oaks) has an unraced 2022 filly by Speightstown, Forever Speighty. The only Kentucky Oaks winner to be named the Kentucky Broodmare of the Year, Lemons Forever is the dam of 2017 American champion dirt female Forever Unbridled (by Unbridled’s Song) and her Grade 1-winning full sister, Unbridled Forver, who took her top-level win in the 2015 Ballerina Stakes.

Proud Spell (2007 Oaks) was exported to Japan, where her 2022 filly by Duramente, Proud Moment, was foaled; this filly has started once without placing. Proud Spell’s first foal, indian Spell (by Indian Charlie), is her only stakes winner, having captured the 2013 Miss Woodford Stakes at Monmouth.

Plum Pretty (2011 Oaks) is the dam of the 2022 Speightstown filly Pretty Speightful, who has not raced. Plum Pretty has produced only one winner during her broodmare career.

Believe You Can (2012 Oaks) is the dam of Bells of Maranello, a Nyquist filly who is unraced, Believe You Can has previously produced multiple Grade 2 winner Conclude (by Collected) and Grade 3-placed stakes winner Believe in Royalty (by Tapit) from five previous named foals.

Lovely Maria (2015 Oaks) was exported to Japan. Her 2022 foal, the Lord Kanaloa filly Heart Meteor, has raced once without placing. Neither of Lovely Maria’s two previous foals were winners.

Abel Tasman (2017 Oaks) has a 2022 filly by Into Mischief named Take a Look. She is unplaced in two starts, and Abel Tasman has yet to have a winner from three foals of racing age.

Serengeti Empress (2019 Oaks) produced the Into Mischief colt Invictus as her first foal in 2022. He has won one of his two starts.

Rags to Riches (2006 Oaks), Blind Luck (2010 Oaks), Untapable (2014 Oaks), and Cathryn Sophia (2016 Oaks) had no live foal in 2022 although they were still active producers at that time. None of the Oaks winners from 2020-2024 began producing foals until after 2022.

Among this year’s Oaks and Derby contenders, the one with the closest connection to an Oaks winner is Bourbonette Oaks (USA-L) winner Bless the Broken, whose dam is a half sister to 2013 winner Princess of Sylmar. She’s currently listed at 30-1. Take that for what it’s worth, and perhaps next year the stars will come together to bring the son or daughter of an Oaks winner into the spotlight on one of racing’s biggest days.
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Mares on Monday: Remembering Winning Colors

4/21/2025

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With the 2025 Kentucky Derby fast approaching, this seems an appropriate time to review the last filly to win the great race. Winning Colors lived up to her name in 1988, flying the colors of Eugene Klein to a neck victory over Forty Niner. She failed to live up to hopes as a broodmare, but on April 19, her granddaughter Princess Aliyah became a stakes winner and continued the growth of her legacy through her daughters.

Bred in Kentucky by Echo Valley Horse Farm, Winning Colors was sired by 1971 French champion older male Caro, a big, strong horse whose other North American progeny included 1989 Canadian Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year With Approval and Siberian Express. The last-named horse crossed the Atlantic back to his sire’s native land and won the classic Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand Guineas, FR-G1) in 1984, a race that Caro had won in 1970 on the disqualification of Faraway Son. Caro’s male line persists today through the sons and grandsons of Siberian Express’s grandson Indian Charlie, whose son Uncle Mo was the American champion juvenile male of 2011. Uncle Mo, in turn, sired the line’s current banner-bearer, Nyquist, who was the American champion juvenile male of 2015 and won the 2016 Kentucky Derby.

Caro bequeathed his rugged make and a fair measure of the rather infamous disposition of Grey Sovereign (his grandsire and a son of the tempestuous Nasrullah) to Winning Colors, a US$675,000 yearling purchase by trainer D. Wayne Lukas on behalf of Eugene Klein. Her price reflected her size and excellent conformation as well as an excellent female family. Produced from the stakes winner All Rainbows (by Bold Hour), she is a “niece” to 1974 American champion 3-year-old filly Chris Evert (by Swoon’s Son), whose branch of the family includes 1984 American champion 2-year-old male and good sire Chief’s Crown and Grade/Group 1 winners Classic Crown, Dominican, Etoile Montante, Giulia, Lambent Light, Pasqualetti, Sightseek, Special Duty, and Tates Creek. Miss Carmie (by T. V. Lark), the dam of All Rainbows and Chris Evert, was a stakes winner in her own right and had several other stakes-producing daughters.

After winning at first asking in a seven-furlong maiden race at Saratoga, Winning Colors did not run again until the winter/spring Santa Anita meeting. She picked up wins in a six-furlong allowance race and the 1988 La Centinela Stakes before running into a tough customer in Goodbye Halo, who handed her a surprise loss by a neck in the one-mile Las Virgenes Stakes (G1). The Caro filly avenged herself in their next meeting, the Santa Anita Oaks (USA-G1), which Winning Colors took by eight lengths from Jeanne Jones with Goodbye Halo third.

With the Southern California sophomore colts appearing to lack any clear standouts, Lukas had no qualms about wheeling his big filly back in the Santa Anita Derby (USA-G1) four weeks later. She won laughing by 7¼ lengths in her usual front-running style over Lively One, who would win the Swaps Stakes, USA-G1, at the Hollywood meeting later in the year. That race punched her ticket to the Kentucky Derby. She trained splendidly up to the race and entered the starting gate as second choice in the betting behind Private Terms, who held favoritism by a razor-thin margin.

The story of the race is simply told. Gary Stevens put Winning Colors on the lead from the start and no one went with her, letting the filly coast through fractions of :46-4/5 for the first half-mile, 1:11-2/5 for the three-quarters, and 1:36 for the mile. It took her 26-1/5 seconds the run the last quarter-mile, but that was just enough to hold Forty Niner’s furious closing run by a neck.

Winning Colors followed 1980 Kentucky Derby winner Genuine Risk through the Triple Crown races, becoming the second filly to compete in all three, but a suicidal speed duel with Forty Niner in the Preakness Stakes (USA-G1) cost both any chance of winning the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. Winning Colors ended up a leg-weary third behind Risen Star, who had been third in the Derby after a rough trip; Forty Niner finished seventh and was not seen again until the Monmouth summer meeting, when he won an epic duel against Seeking the Gold in the Haskell Invitational Handicap (USA-G1). The two turned in an encore performance in the Travers Stakes (USA-G1) at Saratoga, with Forty Niner again winning by a nose, and Forty Niner was later a strong second to eventual Horse of the Year Alysheba in the Woodward Handicap (USA-G1) and won the NYRA Mile Handicap to finish his year.

Winning Colors probably should have skipped the Belmont Stakes (USA-G1) as well; a shadow of what she had been in the Derby, she led for the first mile but was easily overhauled by eventual American champion 3-year-old male Risen Star, who won the “Test of the Champion” by 14¾ lengths with the filly sixth and last. The remainder of her year is remembered for two tremendous races against unbeaten Personal Ensign, the year’s American champion older female. In the one-mile Maskette Stakes (USA-G1), Winning Colors ran a game race on the front end before going down to her 4-year-old rival by three-quarters of a length. In the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (USA-G1), Winning Colors was back to her very best form and caught a wet Churchill Downs track that she relished and Personal Ensign did not. Winning Colors ran what would have been a winning race against any other rival, and that Personal Ensign managed to catch her in the final stride to win by a nose marked her as a champion for the ages. Scrappy Goodbye Halo, whose four Grade 1 wins during the year included both the Kentucky Oaks and the Coaching Club American Oaks, was another half-length back in third, rounding out the top three in one of the best Breeders’ Cup races ever.

At four, Winning Colors failed to recover her best form and retired to the paddocks at the end of the season with eight wins and US$1,526,837 in earnings to her credit from 19 starts. She produced 10 named foals, all by top Kentucky stallions, but none were remotely close to what she had been as a racer. To say that her results were disappointing was an understatement, especially considering the record of her much less accomplished half sister All Dance (by Northern Dancer), who produced 2003 Japan Cup (JPN-G1) winner Tap Dance City (by Pleasant Tap) and two other stakes winners. Another half sister, Forever Rainbows (by Deputy Minister), is the second dam of 2018 Gran Premio General San Martín (ARG-G1) winner Tiger Feet.

Fortunately for Winning Colors’ legacy, four of her daughters have become stakes producers. The first, Shbakni (by Mr. Prospector), produced 2014 Swiss champion steeplechaser Shaabek (by Byron) and is the second dam of three stakes winners including 2010 Czech champion sprinter and 2011 Slovakian champion sprinter Line Honey. She is also the third dam of Indian Horse of the Year Adjudicate. She was followed by Golden Colors (by Mr, Prospector), dam of Japanese Group 3 winner Cheerful Smile (by Sunday Silence), and Stormin Winnie (by Storm Cat), dam of French listed stakes winner La Conseillante (by Elusive Quality).

Winning Colors saved the best for last with Silver Colors, a daughter of the good Mr. Prospector grandson Mr. Greeley. This mare is the dam of 2018 Alabama Stakes (USA-G1) winner Eskimo Kisses (by To Honor and Serve) and is also the dam of 3-year-old Princess Aliyah (by Into Mischief), now the winner of the Valley of the Vapors Stakes at Oaklawn Park. She is trained by none other than D. Wayne Lukas, and though she won’t be going in either the Kentucky Oaks or the Kentucky Derby, she brings the story full circle, back to a fire-eating filly who showed the boys her heels in America’s most storied race 37 years ago.



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Mares on Monday: Naturally Good in Brazilian Classics

4/14/2025

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​With the starting lineup for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) fairly well settled, this seems a good time to turn attention back to South America. April 6 saw a very good card at Rio de Janeiro’s Gávea track, topped by the Grande Prêmio Zelia Gonzaga Peixoto de Castro (BRZ-G1), third leg of Rio’s Filly Triple Crown, and the Grande Prêmio Cruzeiro do Sul (BRZ-G1), also known as the Brazilian Derby.

The Grande Prêmio Zelia Gonzaga Peixoto de Castro drew only four entries, and the presence of Naturalizada is the presumed reason. A solid third in the Grande Prêmio Diana (Brazilian Oaks, BRZ-G1) on March 9, she took full advantage of the absence of Diana winner Ethereum and runner-up Night of Rose (previously the winner of two legs of São Paulo’s Filly Triple Crown). She also took advantage of the 2400-meter distance, which she clearly relished. Keeping company with her three overmatched rivals through the first 2000 meters, she said “Adeus” at that point and kicked on for home. That was the last the others saw of her as she rolled to victory by 16¼ lengths. Her time of 2:34.65 was 3.05 seconds faster than the time for the next race on the card, a Group 2 stakes for all horses ages 3 and up that was won by multiple Group 1 winner Underpants, last year’s Grande Prêmio Cruzeiro do Sul winner. It was also 1.73 seconds faster than the time Nudini posted in winning the Grande Prêmio Cruzeiro do Sul three races after that.

In fairness to the boys, it did start raining at Gávea after the fillies’ race, though how much of a difference that made is beyond my ability to answer. As shown by the race replay, Naturalizada and company were already kicking up some pretty fair divots, so the course seems to have already had some cut in it at the start of the day. In any event, it was a visually impressive performance by a filly who was making only her fifth lifetime start.

A full sister to Lah Lah Lah, who won the Grande Prêmio Zelia Gonzaga Peixoto de Castro in 2022, Naturalizada is a daughter of 2012 Forego Stakes (USA-G1) winner Emcee. Sold to Brazilian breeder Haras Santa Maria de Araras (the breeder of Naturalizada and Lah Lah Lah) in 2018, the son of Unbridled’s Song is also the sire of Underpants and two Group 3 winners of 2025 and is currently ninth on the Brazilian general sire list

Haras Santa Maria de Araras has breeding operations in both Brazil and Argentina, and Naturalizada’s dam Macchiatta was bred by their Argentine facility. Sired by the A.P. Indy horse Jump Start, she never raced. She was produced from the Royal Academy mare Ma Cherie, a product of Brazil-based Stud TNT and a half sister to Stick Around (by Roi Normand), dam of 2017/18 Brazilian champion 2-year-old filly Bay Ovar (by Drosselmeyer) and 2019 Grande Prêmio Julio Capua (BRZ-G2) winner Bavaro Beach (by Agnes Gold) as well as listed stakes winner Fronteira Around (by Drosselmeyer). Produced from Lady de Paris (by the stakes-winning Nureyev horse Nugget Point), Ma Cherie is also a half sister to Toujour Paris (by Our Emblem), dam of Gran Premio de Honor (URU-G2) winner Cerro Largo (by Drosselmeyer). This female line has been in South America since the early 20th century and traces to the Persimmon mare Reine Claude, whose full sister Lisma is the dam of 1917 Kentucky Derby winner and co-champion American 3-year-old male Omar Khayyam (by Marco).

Drosselmeyer, whose racing career was highlighted by wins in the 2010 Belmont Stakes (USA-G1) and 2011 Breeders’ Cup Classic (USA-G1), has been doing well as a sire in Brazil, including two-runner up finishes among his six appearances in the top 10 on the nation’s general sire list. He currently holds a narrow lead in the Brazilian sire standings thanks to Nudini, who is yet another representative of the Brazilian branch of Lady Be Good’s family via her great-granddaughter Ex Facto. This clan has been reviewed recently in greater detail (“Mares on Monday: Lady Be Good Just Gets Better in Brazil,” March 17, 2025), but suffice it to say that in Brazil, as elsewhere in the world, deep female families keep proving their worth again and again.
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    I'm Avalyn Hunter, an author, pedigree researcher and longtime racing fan with a particular interest in Thoroughbred mares and their contributions to the history of the breed.

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