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Mares on Monday: Brilliant Berti Provides Another Graded Win for Clever But Costly

10/28/2024

Sometimes it does seem as If lightning strikes twice. Last week, the family of Clever But Costly was represented by Emery, winner of the Lexus Raven Run Stakes (USA-G2). This week, the family has another Keeneland graded stakes winner in Brilliant Berti, winner of the Bryan Station Stakes (USA-G3) on October 26. The 3-year-old colt is now the winner of five of seven lifetime starts and has earned US$1,601,285.

A fourth-generation homebred, Brilliant Berti is by multiple Group 1 winner Noble Mission—a full brother to undefeated Frankel, the two-time European Horse of the Year—and is from the branch of Clever but Costly’s family descended from her 1991 Timeless Native filly, Clever Bertie. Bred by James Conway and owned by Bert Klein (the father of current Klein Racing head Richard Klein), who bought her for US$14,000 at the 1992 Keeneland September sale, Clever Bertie never raced but produced two multiple graded stakes winners. The elder, Hurricane Bertie (by Storm Boot), won the 1990 Princess Rooney Handicap (USA-G3) and First Lady Handicap (USA-G3) but left no issue. The other, Allamerican Bertie (by Quiet American) won four graded stakes races including the 2002 Falls City Handicap (USA-G2) and 2003 Rampart Handicap (USA-G2). In addition, she was a game second to 2002 American champion 3-year-old filly Farda Amiga in that year’s Alabama Stakes (USA-G1).

Allamerican Bertie had been sold to Saudi interests by the time her son Homerun Berti (by Forestry) won a couple of minor stakes races at Zia Park and Sunland Park in 2013, but she had left behind an unraced daughter by Street Cry, Saint Bertie. This mare produced only three foals, but the first was Believe in Bertie, a Langfuhr mare who won four stakes races in Louisiana while racing at ages 3 and 4. Believe in Bertie, in turn, produced Brilliant Bertie as her third foal.

Brilliant Bertie is the first millionaire for Klein Racing’s racing and breeding programs, and after setting a stakes record of 1:34.40 in the one-mile Bryan Station, he appears to be a colt whose full potential has not yet been tapped. His 2-year-old half sister by Kantharos, Hey Bertie, has yet to race, and Believe in Bertie was sold to Beech Spring for US$8,000 at last year’s Keeneland November sale after failing to produce a live foal in 2023 and 2024. She was bred to Goldencents for 2025.

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Mares on Monday: Emery Continues Upward Flight in Raven Run

10/21/2024

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A rising star in the female sprint ranks, Emery appears to be a case of “pretty is as pretty does.” Frequently admired for her resemblance to her handsome sire, the late More Than Ready, she regularly runs to her looks, as she did when she picked up her second graded stakes win in the Lexus Raven Run Stakes (USA-G2) on October 19. In that race, she stalked the pace before launching a strong bid in the stretch, defeating multiple graded stakes winner My Mane Squeeze (see “Mares on Monday: My Mane Squeeze Heats Things Up for Cool Mood,” September 23, 2024) by two lengths. Emery now owns a lifetime record of 5-1-0 from seven starts with earnings of $655,986.

Emery is the second winner and first stakes winner for the Street Sense mare Athena, who has since produced the unraced American Pharoah 2-year-old Athena’s Secret, a 2023 filly by Improbable (sold for US$280,000 through this year’s Keeneland September sale), and a 2024 filly by Good Magic. Herself the winner of three stakes races including the 2017 American Beauty Stakes (USA-L) at Oaklawn Park as a 5-year-old, Athena is one of six winners out of seven starters for unraced Race Rocks, a daughter of 2002 European Horse of the Year Rock of Gibraltar.

Race Rocks is a half sister to 2001 Carter Handicap (USA-G1) winner Peeping Tom, and is actually more closely related than that as Peeping Tom’s sire, Eagle Eyed, is a full brother to Danehill, sire of Rock of Gibraltar. Her dam, Grade 3-placed Artful Pleasure (by 1978 Brooklyn Handicap, USA-G1, winner Nasty and Bold), is a half sister to 1996 Futurity Stakes (USA-G1) winner Traitor (by Cryptoclearance), multiple Grade 2 winner Sun King (by Charismatic), multiple Grade 3 winner Ocean Drive (by Belong to Me; dam of stakes winners West Ocean, by Elusive Quality, and Hollywood Don, by Tapit), and listed stakes winner Beavers Nose (by Demons Begone). Artful Pleasure is also a half sister to Clever Bertie (by Timeless Native), dam of 1998 Prioress Stakes (USA-G2) winner Hurricane Bertie (by Storm Boot) and multiple Grade 2 winner Allamerican Bertie (by Quiet American; dam of multiple stakes winner Homerun Berti, by Forestry) and second dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Beach Patrol (by Lemon Drop Kid).

The next dam in Emery’s tail-female line, Artful Pleasure’s dam Clever but Costly, won two of her 11 starts. A daughter of the good bread-and-butter sire Clever Trick (by Icecapade), she is a half sister to stakes winners Cool Perfection (by Sadair) and Avenging Gossip (by Staunch Avenger) and is one of 13 winners from 14 foals out of Swoonlow (by the stakes-winning Swoon’s Son horse Swoonen). This female line descends from Tea’s Over, a Hanover mare whose five stakes winners include 1904 American co-champion 3-year-old male Ort Wells and his extremely fast full brother Dick Welles, the king of Chicago in 1903.

Although this female line has shown the ability to produce two-turn horses when crossed to sires with the ability to transmit stamina, its strength has lain in speed in the 7-8 furlong range, and this is right where Emery fits in. If she continues to develop as a 4-year-old, look for her to be a contender among American female speedsters in 2025.

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Mares on Monday: Immeasurable Ability, Questionable Soundness?

10/14/2024

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Inconmensurable (“immeasurable” in English) has run only twice in her brief racing career, but she has started her racing career with about as big a splash as possible. In her first start, on September 13, she won the 1800-meter Premio Francisco J. Beazley (ARG-G2) by half a length after being caught five-wide on both turns. One month later, on October 12, she romped home in the 2000-meter Gran Premio Selección (Argentine Oaks, ARG-G1) as the easiest of winners, coming home first by six lengths with jockey William Perevra sitting absolutely chilly.

Bred by Haras Marovi S.A., Inconmensurable is by Cosmic Trigger, who won two 1600-meter races at Palermo before ending his racing career prematurely. A muscular, heavy-topped, rather light-boned horse, he got his chance at stud partly on displayed talent and partly on his standing as a half brother to the brilliant champion Candy Ride, a highly successful Kentucky stallion who has ranked six times among the top 10 American sires.

A rising star in the Argentine stallion ranks (he is currently third on the Argentine general sire list), Cosmic Trigger has gained a reputation for siring precocious speed while standing at Haras Abolengo. This is in keeping with his male line, as he is by 2009 Railway Stakes (IRE-G2) winner Lizard Island, by 1995 Irish champion 2-year-old male Danehill Dancer, by the great Australian/European sire Danehill.

On the distaff side of her pedigree, Inconmensurable is a fourth-generation descendant of 1985 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (USA-G1) winner Twilight Ridge. Sired by 1978 Metropolitan Handicap (USA-G1) winner and good sire Cox’s Ridge, Twilight Ridge is out of Waving Sky, by Fred Hooper’s Argentine import Quibu (a major stakes winner in Argentina and Uruguay) out of a half sister to Hooper’s good racehorse and sire Tri Jet. She was generally considered the second-best American 2-year-old filly of 1986 behind champion Family Style but failed to train on as well as hoped and dropped out of sight after running second in the 1986 Santa Anita Oaks (USA-G1), although she continued racing through age 4.

Twilight Ridge was a successful broodmare, producing 1995 Demoiselle Stakes (USA-G2) winner La Rosa (by Wild Again) and listed stakes winner Daylight Ridge (by Dayjur). La Rosa, in turn, produced multiple Group 2 winner Le Bernardin (by Bernardini) and 2006 Sabin Handicap (USA-G3) winner Taittinger Rose (by Menifee), while Daylight Ridge produced multiple listed stakes winner Independent George (by Cozzene). Another daughter of Twilight Ridge, the Storm Cat mare Itsmylife, produced Revenant One (by Macho Uno), an Indiana-bred restricted stakes winner.

In Twilight, a 1989 daughter of Twilight Ridge by In Reality, never raced and produced only three winners from her 12 foals, the best of which was listed stakes-placed Askara (by Private Terms). Her 1999 daughter Lady Manolo (by Meadowlake) likewise never raced and produced five winners from eight named foals. Among those winners was Mint Brownie, a 2006 Salt Lake filly who won one of her three starts before being exported to Argentina, where she has produced four winners from nine foals. Inconmensurable is much the best of the four, but Mint Brownie also has Group 2-placed China de Arteaga (by Aussie Rules) and Michonne Trigger (by Cosmic Trigger) to her credit. Her only foal since Inconmensurable is a 2024 colt by the stakes-winning Candy Ride horse Reride that has already been named Lusail Lake.

Given the history of both her sire and of the first three generations of her dam line, the question may well be how long Inconmensurable can remain sound. Her full sister Michonne Trigger lasted only six starts, although she won four in addition to her Group 2 placing, and this is not particularly encouraging in hoping for more than a brief career for what is clearly a highly talented filly. But if Inconmensurable can keep four good legs under her, she may well prove that her name is a good reflection of her ability.

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Mares on Monday: Grateful for Tepin's Memory

10/7/2024

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When Grateful crossed the line first in the Qatar Prix de Royallieu (FR-G1) on October 5, 2024, memories of another horse galloped with her in her final brilliant charge to the finish line—her dam, Tepin, whose 2023 death was officially confirmed by trainer Aidan O’Brien during the winner’s circle ceremonies. Known as the “Queen of the Turf” during her own racing days, Tepin won six Grade/Group 1 stakes and two titles as American champion turf female, and many experts rank her as the best American-bred turf female thus far in the 21st century.

Sired by the Group 3-winning Storm Cat horse Bernstein (a two-time champion sire in Argentina), Tepin traced her female line to a top regional family founded by the Maryland-based matron Turn Capp. Sired by 1966 Tropical Park Handicap winner Turn to Reason (a son of Hail to Reason) out of the Thinking Cap mare Capped (a half sister to 1962 Leonard Richards Stakes winner Noble Jay), Turn Capp was no champion, but she was a good, honest, hardy performer whose 20 wins from 44 starts included three minor stakes races at ages 4 and 5. Sent to the paddocks as a 6-year-old in 1978, she became a Maryland Broodmare of the Year. As hardy and consistent a broodmare as she had been a racer, she threw 18 foals, 14 of which became winners. Three—Capp It Off (by Double Zeus), Capp the Power (by Lines of Power), and Say Capp (by Oh Say)—became stakes winners, and Turn Cap also produced Queen’s Crown, second dam of 1997 American champion sprinter Smoke Glacken (by Two Punch).

Capp It Off was the best of her dam’s runners. A consistent mare who won half her 18 starts and placed in six more, she won the listed Key Bridge Stakes at Aqueduct and two other stakes events as a 4-year-old in 1986 and the following year ran third in the Interborough Handicap (USA-G3). She produced only three foals, but one of them was multiple graded stakes winner Miss Slewpy (by Slewpy), whose biggest win came in the 1996 Ladies Handicap (USA-G2) as a 5-year-old.

Miss Slewpy left no issue, and it was up to her stakes-placed half sister Round It Off (by Apalachee) to continue the line. Round It Off’s first foal was 2000 Jersey Shore Breeders’ Cup Stakes (USA-G3) winner Disco Rico, who won six other stakes races during his career, but the important foal for the purposes of this discussion was Round It Off’s 2001 filly by 1999 European champion sprinter Stravinsky, Life Happened. Life Happened never made it to the racetrack, but she more than made up for any failings there by producing multiple Grade 2 winner Vyjack (by Into Mischief) as her third foal and Tepin as her fourth.

Possessed of a brilliant turn of foot, Tepin won 11 stakes races during her career, with the highlights including the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Mile (USA-G1), the 2016 Queen Anne Stakes (ENG-G1) at Royal Ascot, and the 2016 Ricoh Woodbine Mile Stakes (CAN-G1). It took 2016 Fourstardave Stakes (USA-G1) winner Tourist throwing a mile at her in 1:31.71—just 0.02 seconds off the Santa Anita course record set by Tepin’s half brother Vyjack four weeks earlier—to prevent her from repeating in the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 2016, and she retired having won US$4,433,358.

Sadly, Tepin produced only four named foals, but Grateful is the only one to have shown much of her dam’s talent, although Tepin’s 2-year-old son Delacroix has a win and two seconds from three starts. Grateful’s retirement was announced immediately following her big win, sending her to join her unraced sisters Siwrl (by Galileo) and Tepin Thru Life (by Curlin) in the paddocks, and it is to be hoped that she can continue the memory of a truly great mare as a broodmare as she did for a fleeting moment at Longchamp.

UPDATE: Delacroix won the Emirates Autumn Stakes (ENG-G3) on October 12.

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Mares on Monday: Brilliant Berti Provides Another Graded Win for Clever But Costly

Mares on Monday: Emery Continues Upward Flight in Raven Run

Mares on Monday: Immeasurable Ability, Questionable Soundness?

Mares on Monday: Grateful for Tepin's Memory

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