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Mares on Monday: Coffee in Bed Serves Wake-Up Call in Santa Maria

4/22/2024

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​Sometimes good things come to those who wait. That was the case for Spendthrift Farm’s Coffee in Bed, who sat patiently toward the read of the seven-horse field in the Santa Maria Stakes (USA-G2) on April 21 while multiple Argentine Group 2 winner Super Shine (making her North American debut) and long shot Princess Bettina dueled for the early lead. Super Shine, whose credits include four Group 1 placings in her native country, put away that rival and stood off favored Desert Dawn but was just edged by Coffee in Bed, who assumed a short lead at the eighth pole and prevailed by a neck under Mike Smith. The time for the mile and one-sixteenth was 1:45.06 on a fast track.

Bred by Stonestreet Farm and trained by Richard Mandella, 4-year-old Coffee in Bed was scoring her first stakes win. She has now earned $253,860 from three wins and three placings in nine starts.

Coffee in Bed is the 103rd lifetime stakes winner for her sire Curlin, who stands at Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa. No stranger to the top ranks of American sires, Curlin is one of the most reliable sources of two-turn horses in the current market. Although he has sired some good 2-year-olds, he is better known for siring horses that improve as they mature.

On the distaff side, Coffee in Bed is out of stakes-placed Sumptuous (by Hennessy), making her a half sister to 2018 Toboggan Stakes (USA-G3) winner Great Stuff (by Quality Road). Sumptuous, in turn, is out of 2003 Silverbulletday Stakes (USA-G2) winner Belle of Perintown (by Dehere), also the dam of 2010 Boiling Springs Handicap (USA-G3) winner Strike It Rich (by Unbridled’s Song; dam of multiple New York-bred stakes winner Sea Foam, by Medaglia d’Oro) and stakes winners Tomlin (by Distorted Humor) and Ari Oakley (by Gun Runner).

This female line traces back to unraced Beautiful Spirit, a daughter of Bold Bidder whose best runner was 1990 Beverly Hills Handicap (USA-G1) winner Beautiful Melody (by Alydar). She also produced Beautiful Glass (by multiple Grade 2 winner Pass the Glass, by Buckpasser) and Big Spirit (by Big Spruce), dam of 1992 California Juvenile Stakes (USA-G3) winner Big Pal (by Beau’s Eagle) and multiple stakes winner Lovely Habit (by Habitony).

Beautiful Glass won six of seven starts in her two seasons of racing, topped by a win in the 1983 El Encino Stakes (USA-G3) as a 4-year-old. Her best runner was her first foal, Jeanne Jones (by Nijinsky II), who won the 1988 Fantasy Stakes (USA-G1) and ran second in that year’s Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1). A half sister to Avenue of Flags (a Grade 2-placed Seattle Slew horse who became a useful regional sire), Jeanne Jones, in turn, produced Grade 1-placed multiple stakes winner Roman Treasure (by Roman Ruler) and Jeanne’s Honor (by Honour and Glory), dam of listed stakes winner Going to Kukaro (by Speightstown). In addition, Jeanne Jones is the dam of unraced Hot Match (by Mr. Prospector, dam of Belle of Perintown and, thus, the third dam of Coffee in Bed,

While Beautiful Spirit's female line has turned up its fair share of good horses, it also has a history of being less durable than many, and Mandella has already admitted to Coffee in Bed being a rather delicate filly to manage with a tendency toward tying up if not worked daily. Nonetheless, she appears to have been worth the patience Mandella has put into her thus far, and as a daughter of Curlin, she may yet have some room for improvement, making her an interesting filly to watch in the older female division.




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Mares on Monday: Rare Double for Court Lady

4/15/2024

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​Brazilian racing experienced what may be a once-in-a lifetime event on April 7, 2024. On that date, the female-line descendants of a single mare—one alive within living memory—supplied the winners of Triple Crown races for colts and fillies on the same date. The mare is Court Lady, and in the Grande Prêmio Cruzeiro do Sul (Brazilian Derby, BRZ-G1) at Gávea, her great-grandson Underpants powered home in front. Later on the same card, Court Lady’s fifth-generation descendant Uni Te came home first in the Grande Prêmio Zélia Gonzaga Peixoto de Castro, the third leg of Gávea’s Triple Crown series for fillies.

Foaled in Brazil in 1982, Court Lady was sired by 1967 Prix Jean Prat winner Locris, a three-time champion sire in Brazil. Her dam, the Irish-bred Redbrick, is a daughter of 1957 English champion 3-year-old male Crepello (a Derby Stakes winner) out of the winner Rosambre (by two-time French champion Sicambre), thus, represented a cross of miler speed over some stout strains.

A late developer, Court Lady was an excellent race mare in her own right once she got rolling, winning the 1988 Grande Premio Organização Sulamericana de Fomento ao Puro Sangue de Corrida (BRZ-G1) and six other Group stakes at distances from 1600 to 2000 meters (about 1 to 1¼ miles). She proved even better as a broodmare, her produce including 1995 Grande Prêmio Diana (Cidade Jardim) (BRZ-G1) winner Onefortheroad (by Ghadeer), 2008 Gran Premio Montevideo (ARG-G1) winner Runforthedoe (by Our Emblem), 1994 Grande Prêmio João Cicilo Ferraz (BRZ-G2) winner New Rochelle (by Ghadeer), and multiple Grade 2 winner Molengao (by Royal Academy). Court Lady also produced Route Sixty Six (by Ghadeer), dam of 2008 Santa Maria Handicap (USA-G1) winner Double Trouble (by Wild Event); Parsonage (by Falcon Jet), dam of Brazilian listed stakes winner Manau (by Royal Academy); and Jolie Regina (by Roi Normand), dam of Brazilian listed stakes winner Segura Piao (by Our Emblem).

Onefortheroad was not only the best race mare produced by her dam but the best broodmare as well. Her produce record includes 2008/09 Brazilian Horse of the Year Flymetothemoon, 2007 Grande Prêmio Diana (Cidade Jardim) (BRZ-G1) winner Eissoai, and 2002/03 Brazilian champion 2-year-old male Ay Caramba, all by five-time Brazilian champion sire Roi Normand. She is also the dam of Bye Bye Caroline (by Royal Academy), in turn the dam of 2020/21 Brazilian champion older male Pimper’s Paradise (by Put It Back) and 2013 Grande Prêmio João Borges Filho (BRZ-G2) winner I Say You Stay (by Northern Afleet). Adding to Onefortheroad’s honors, her Roi Normand daughter Chere Gigi is the dam of 2016 Grande Prêmio Margarida Polak Lara (BRZ-G1) winner Nostalgie (by Fluke) and 2018 Grande Premio Adayr Eiras de Araujo (BRZ-G3) winner Platine (by Wild Event), while her Wild Event daughter I’m a Lady is the dam of 2020 Grande Prêmio Roberto e Nelson Grimaldi Seabra (BRZ-G1) winner Perigoosa (by Public Purse). Finally, Onefortheroad is the dam of Kissingafool (by Elusive Quality), dam of Underpants.

With such a slew of top runners being produced by Onefortheroad and her later daughters, one could be forgiven for overlooking the mare’s first foal, a 1999 filly sired by 1995 Prix Conseil de Paris (FR-G2) winner De Quest (by Rainbow Quest). Named Valley Road, this filly was almost embarrassingly ordinary, failing to place in her only start and achieving nothing of immediate note as a broodmare. Her reputation has now been redeemed, first by her daughter Isa Mommy (by Wild Event), dam of 2023 Grande Premio Doutor Frontin (BRZ-G2) winner Callejero (by Agnes Gold), and second by her Roi Normand daughter Forty Carrots, whose Group 1-placed daughter Mud Pie (by Wild Event) produced Uni Te to a cover by Verrazano.

Given that Onefortheroad has a slew of beautifully-bred daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters active in the paddocks, many of them already proven producers, it seems only a matter of time before more high-class runners come along to embellish the reputation of this branch of Court Lady’s family—nor is it impossible that a branch descended from one of Court Lady’s other daughters will add luster to this rising matriarch’s name. As for Underpants and Uni Te, it needs no crystal ball to predict that they will continue to compete at the top level of Brazilian racing, continuing to burnish the reputation of a mare who was a great lady in every way.
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Mares on Monday: A Rose Blooms in the Ashland Stakes

4/8/2024

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Heavily favored in the Davona Dale Stakes (USA-G2) on March 2 at Gulfstream, Leslie’s Rose ran an uninspired third behind front-running winner Fiona’s Magic. Sent on to the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (USA-G1) on April 5 at Oaklawn Park, the daughter of Into Mischief was a 9.45-to-1 shot but ran as she was expected to as the odds-on favorite at Gulfstream, defeating 2023 champion 2-year-old filly Just F Y I by three lengths. The victory was her third win from four starts and secured a Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) starting berth for Leslie’s Rose, who went some way toward justifying the US$1.15 million that Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm paid for her at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale.

Bred by John Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock Services, Leslie’s Rose represents a union of the best of American and European breeding. She is the second foal of Wildwood Rose, whose sire Galileo was the dominant European stallion of his time and continues to build on his record as a broodmare sire. The European champion 3-year-old male of 2001, he has been a consistent source of classic stamina, boding well for his granddaughter’s ability to stretch out another sixteenth of a mile as she will be required to do in the Oaks.

Wildwood Rose, who has since produced the unraced 2022 filly Divine Rose (by Good Magic) and a 2024 filly by Not This Time, is an unraced half sister to 2015 Besilu Florida Derby winner Materiality (by Afleet Alex) and to 2014 Gazelle Stakes (USA-G2) winner and Kentucky Oaks runner-up My Miss Sophia (by Unbridled’s Song), dam of 2022 Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes (USA-G1) winner Annapolis (by War Front). The dam of Wildwood Rose and her siblings, Grade 2-placed stakes winner Wildwood Flower (by Langfuhr), is a half sister to 2004 Washington Park Handicap (USA-G2) winner Eye of the Tiger (by American Chance) and to Expanse (by Distant View), dam of 2010 Travers Stakes (USA-G1) winner Afleet Express (by Afleet Alex), 2015 Alabama Stakes (USA-G1) winner Embellish the Lace (by Super Saver), and Grade 2-placed multiple listed stakes winner Reporting for Duty (by Deputy Commander).

The next dam in Leslie’s Rose’s tail-female line, Dial a Trick (by the top sprinter and useful speed sire Phone Trick), is an unraced half sister to multiple Grade 3 winner Fighting Fantasy (by Fit to Fight) and to Group 3-placed Snow Forest, dam of 2002 San Carlos Handicap (USA-G1) winner Snow Ridge (by Tabasco Cat) and listed stakes winner Pavarotti (by A.P. Indy). Produced from the stakes-winning It’s Freezing mare Ice Fantasy (who traces her female line back to the now-rare American Family 5), Dial a Trick is also a half sister to the winning Waquoit mare Ice Beauty, dam of 2006 Illinois Derby (USA-G2) winner Sweetnorthernsaint (by Sweetsouthernsaint) and stakes winner Maria’s Image (by Master Bill).

The one concern with this lineage is not its quality but the number of top runners it has produced that managed only one big win in relatively brief careers. Aside from any pedigree concerns, it is also fair to point out that Just F Y I (who she will probably see again in the Oaks) got a less than ideal trip and probably needed the race. Nonetheless, Leslie’s Rose appears to have come out of the Ashland with all systems go and has earned the right to prove that, in the “Lilies for the Fillies,” she can make everything come up roses. 

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Mares on Monday: Fantasy and Family Point to a Potential Oaks Winner

4/1/2024

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​On March 29, Thorpedo Anna turned in what was arguably the most impressive performance so far along the Lily Lane to the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1). Making her first start of 2024 against a good field in the Fantasy Stakes (USA-G2) at Oaklawn Park, she took command in upper stretch and continued on to win as she pleased while only being shown the whip. Her Equibase figure of 101 for the mile and one-sixteenth event was the highest thus far for any of the potential Oaks contenders.

Bred by Judy Hicks, Thorpedo Anna is from the last crop of 2014 Ketel One King’s Bishop Stakes (USA-G1) runner-up Fast Anna, a son of Medaglia d’Oro out of 2006 American champion 2-year-old filly Dreaming of Anna (by Rahy). To date, Fast Anna has 14 stakes winners to his credit from 279 named foals of racing age and has over $12 million in progeny earnings.

Thorpedo Anna is the second foal and second winner out of the unraced Uncle Mo mare Sataves, who has since produced the 2022 Cloud Computing colt McAtee and the 2024 Known Agenda filly After the Storm. A half sister to four winners, Sataves is out of unraced Pacific Sky, a Stormy Atlantic half sister to 2010 Wood Memorial Invitational Stakes (USA-G1) winner Eskendereya (by Giant’s Causeway) and 2005 Middle Park Stakes (ENG-G1) winner Balmont (by Stravinsky).

Pacific Sky and her siblings were produced from the winning Seattle Slew mare Aldebaran Light, whose half brother Blazonry (by Hennessy) won the 2003 Lazaro Barrera Memorial Stakes (USA-G2). Aldebaran Light, in turn, is out of the unraced Alydar mare Altair, whose dam Stellar Odyssey (by Northern Dancer) is an unraced full sister to listed stakes winner Wassl Touch and a half sister to 1974 Kentucky Derby (USA-G1) winner Cannonade (by Bold Bidder), multiple Grade 3 winner Circle Home (by Bold Bidder) and listed stakes winner Del Sarto (by Bold Bidder). The dam of Stellar Odyssey, Queen Sucree (by Ribot), is an unraced half sister to three-time American champion Tosmah (by Tim Tam) and two-time American champion sire Halo (by Hail to Reason) and is from the immediate female family of Northern Dancer.

Hicks’s decision to stay in on Thorpedo Anna after the filly sold for US$40,000 at the 2022 Keeneland Fall Yearling Sale, is now looking crazy smart; not only will the filly be among the likely favorites at Churchill Downs on May 3, but Hicks still has a piece of a potential broodmare whose extended family is as deep and glittering as any in the American Stud Book. If Thorpedo Anna can come through and win the Kentucky Oaks, those bloodlines will look even better, perhaps helping to revitalize her immediate branch of a great American family.




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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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