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Mares on Monday: A Verdict by Proxy in the Clark Stakes

11/28/2022

It is not a positive comment on the current state of American racing that a $750,000-added Grade 1 race could draw only six starters with a single Grade 1 win between them, but such was the case in the Clark Stakes Presented by Norton Healthcare on November 25. Nonetheless, the race did come up with an interesting winner in Godolphin’s 4-year-old colt Proxy, who turned in a determined performance in his thirteenth lifetime start and his first start back after finishing third in the Stephen Foster Handicap (USA-G2) in June. Stalking the pace throughout, Proxy wore down a game West Will Power (winner of the Hagyard Fayette Stakes, USA-G2, in his last outing) to win edging away by three-quarters of a length.

A son of Tapit, Proxy is from the family of Scotch Verdict, whose family rose to prominence in the 1960s. A daughter of two-time American champion Alsab, Scotch Verdict never raced but produced three stakes-winning fillies in 1967 Ramona Handicap winner Desert Trial (by 1960 Everglades Stakes winner Moslem Chief, a son of Alibhai), 1970 Monmouth Oaks winner Kilts n Kapers (by 1964 Ohio Derby winner National, a son of Nashua), and open stakes winner Memory Garden (by Roberto). All three had some significance as broodmares, beginning with Desert Trial, whose four stakes winners included 1973 American champion 3-year-old filly Desert Vixen (by In Reality) and 1975 Dwyer Handicap (USA-G2) winner Valid Appeal (by In Reality), a perennial leading regional sire in Florida. Desert Vixen, in turn, produced 1982 Grand Prix de Deauville (FR-G2) winner Real Shadai, the Japanese champion sire of 1993, and her half sister Desert Royal (by Rexson) also got into the family act by becoming the second dam of multiple New Zealand Group 2 winner Millennium (by Prized).

Scotch Verdict’s other two stakes-winning daughters did not equal Desert Trial as broodmares but still had their moments. Kilts n Kapers produced 1977 Sorority Stakes (USA-G1) winner Stub (by In Reality), a filly that, sadly, died while still in training. Another daughter of Kilts n Kapers, Seattle Kaper (by Seattle Slew) helped make up the loss by producing 1997 Senorita Stakes (USA-G3) winner Kentucky Kaper (by The Prime Minister). As for Memory Garden, she is the second dam of 2003 Prêmio Presidente Luis O. de Barros (BRZ-G2) winner Puro Brilho (by Nugget Point) and 2010 Niigata Daishoten (JPN-G3) winner Golden Dahlia (by Fuji Kiseki) and the third dam of 2021 Premio Benito Villanueva (URU-G3) winner Don Pata (by Aerosol).

Scotch Verdict’s other foals include Secret Verdict (by 1960 San Carlos Handicap winner Clandestine, a son of Double Jay), who ran third in the 1969 Coaching Club American Oaks and Cotillion Handicap before producing 1980 Golden Rod Stakes (USA-G3) winner Remote Ruler (by King Emperor) and multiple stakes winners Secret’s Out (by Royal Saxon) and A Realgirl (by In Reality). Secret Verdict is also the second dam of three listed stakes winners.

Summer Legend (Raise a Native x Scotch Verdict) won two of 11 starts before retiring to the paddocks, where she too proved a good broodmare with three stakes winners to her credit: 1989 Mazarine Stakes (CAN-G3) winner Legarto (by Roberto); Nafees (by Raja Baba), dam of listed stakes winners Persistence (by Arctic Tern) and Snowy Owl (by Storm Bird) and Group 3-placed restricted stakes winner Camilla Blu (by Storm Bird); and Lean Cuisine (by In Reality), dam of listed stakes winner Health Farm (by Pleasant Colony). Lean Cuisine is also the second dam of multiple Italian Group 3 winner Dream Impact (by Royal Academy) and 2006 Arlington Oaks (USA-G3) winner Cryptoquip (by Cryptoclearance) and the third dam of multiple Grade 2 winner Rocketry (by Hard Spun), 2003 Mazarine Breeders’ Cup Stakes (CAN-G2) winner Dream About (by Cherokee Run), and 2015 Connaught Cup Stakes (CAN-G2) winner Lockout (by Limehouse).

Three of Summer Legend’s non-stakes-winning daughters are also of some importance. Summer Spectacular (by Spectacular Bid) is the dam of Grade 3-placed stakes winner Real Display (by In Reality), while Summer in Seattle (by Seattle Slew) is the second dam of 2006 Kentucky Cup Juvenile Stakes (USA-G3) winner U D Ghetto (by Honour and Glory).

Tamaral, a full sister to Summer in Seattle, won both her starts and produced 1992 Thomas D. Nash Memorial Handicap (USA-G3) winner Danc’n Jake (by Affirmed), but her greater significance is through her listed stakes-placed daughter Adventurous Di (by Private Account), who produced multiple Grade 1 winner Panty Raid (by Include), 2011 Delaware Oaks (USA-G2) winner St. John’s River (by Include), and French listed stakes winner Franc (by Woodman).Panty Raid, in turn, is the dam of Proxy and of his year-older half sister Micheline (by Bernardini), winner of the 2021 Hillsborough Stakes (USA-G2). Panty Raid produced a dead foal in 2019 and was not covered that spring, but she has since produced an unnamed yearling colt by Frosted and a weanling filly by Into Mischief.

Proxy had a history of running “in spurts” during his five career graded stakes placings, according to trainer Michael Stidham, so it will be interesting to see if he has developed the mental maturity to duplicate his effort in the Clark in future races. In the meantime, he has added another top-level win to a family whose record certainly deserves a favorable verdict from any unbiased judge.

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Mares on Monday: La Troienne Finds a Brazilian Beat

11/21/2022

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On November 13, Brazilian import Manuca made off with a substantial prize in Argentina. The 3-year-old daughter of three-time Brazilian champion sire Agnes Gold won the Premio Carlos P. Rodriguez over 1600 meters (the “metric mile”) on the turf at San Isidro, leading a one-two finish for Stud RDI as their Maggie May (likewise sired by Agnes Gold) ran second.

While Manuca was bred in Brazil, a look at her pedigree in back of her parents reveals a strongly North American background, with such familiar names as Sunday Silence, Northern Taste, Mr. Prospector, and Personal Ensign all found close up. American roots are also found in the filly’s tail-female line, which traces back to Fascinating Trick.

Like many members of the great La Troienne family, Fascinating Trick is a product of the Phipps family’s breeding program, which received a huge shot in the arm when Ogden Phipps acquired La Troienne’s daughter Baby League from the estate of Colonel E. R. Bradley. For Phipps, Baby League produced the War Admiral filly Striking, a full sister to 1945 American Horse of the Year Busher and to 1948 Arlington Futurity winner Mr. Busher. Striking also had ability, enough to win the 1949 Schuylerville Stakes, and produced five stakes winners, among them Glamour (by Nasrullah). Glamour, in turn, produced four stakes winners and a stakes-placed filly by Swaps, Intriguing, who became the dam of 1971 American champion 2-year-old filly and notable broodmare Numbered Account as well as multiple Grade 2 winner Cunning Trick and stakes winner How Curious, all by Buckpasser.

A full sister to Numbered Account, Fascinating Trick never made it to the racetrack, so whatever talent she possessed remained unrevealed. She never produced a stakes winner, and her reputation as a broodmare rests primarily on two daughters. One, Northern Naiad (by Nureyev), produced 1996 Premio Lydia Tesio (ITY-G2) winne Grey Way (by Caro), in turn the dam of two-time Premio Presidente della Republica (ITY-G1) winner Distant Way (by Distant View), 2020 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (FR-G1) winner Way to Paris (by Champs Elysees), and 2011 Premio Ambrosiano (ITY-G3) winner Cima de Pluie (by Singspiel).

Fascinating Trick’s other important daughter is Canadian-bred Political Intrigue (by Deputy Minister), who went to Brazil after being picked up by South American bloodstock firm Albatroz Bloodstock for US$23,000 at the 1992 Keeneland January mixed sale and ended up in the broodmare band of Haras Santa Ana do Rio Grande. Bred to five-time Brazilian champion sire Roi Normand (a son of Exclusive Native who won the 1988 Sunset Handicap, USA-G1, prior to export), she produced three-time Grade/Group 1 winner Redattore, the Brazilian champion sire of 2008/2009.

Redattore was still just a yearling when the mating between Political Intrigue and Roi Normand was repeated, and the result was Brave Lady. Group 3-placed in Brazil as a 3-year-old, Brave Lady produced 2008 Grande Prêmio Estado do Rio de Janeiro (BRZ-G1) winner Joe Bravo to a cover by Vettori. Sent to Drosselmeyer in 2012, Brave Lady added another Group winner to her resume in Devil Cat, winner of the 2017 Grande Prêmio João José e José Carlos de Figueiredo BRZ-G3).

Besides her Group-winning sons, Brave Lady is responsible for three Group-producing daughters. The first, Joe Bravo’s full sister Innocent Lady, is the dam of 2014 Grande Prêmio Ipiranga (BRZ-G1) winner Outplay (by First American). The second, Group 1-placed Lovely Lady (by Our Emblem), is the dam of 2021 Grande Prêmio Presidente Antonio Teixeira de Assumpção Netto (BRZ-G3) winner Royal Lady (by Jeune-Turc). Lovely Lady’s full sister My Fair Lady ran second in the 2009 Gran Premio Eliseo Ramirez (ARG-G1), and she has been the most prolific of Brave Lady’s daughters as a source of stakes horses. In addition to Manuca, she is the dam of Group 1-placed multiple Brazilian Group 3 winner La Louviere (by Agnes Gold) and of Fay (by Drosselmeyer), who won the listed Premio Etoile in Argentina as a 5-year-old. Both Manuca and La Louviere are still in training, and it will be interesting to see if either can add another Group 1 win to the already-glittering collection of top-level victories belonging to La Troienne’s descendants before attempting to write another chapter of their family story in the paddocks of South America.

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Mares on Monday: Scheming for a Grade 2 Win

11/14/2022

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A Grade 3 winner at 3, Our Flash Drive moved up another step on the class ladder in the Bessarabian Stakes (CAN-G2) on November 12. Like most horses sired by Ghostzapper, she has been improving with age, and that improvement was on full display Saturday when she motored away from her field within strides after being tipped to the outside at the top of the stretch. She finished first by 5¾ lengths in the smart time of 1:20.76 for the 7 furlongs over Woodbine's synthetic surface, 0.69 seconds off the track record set by Hollywood Hit in 2010.

Our Flash Drive is a fifth-generation descendant of Sweetly Scheming, whose granddam Conniver was the American champion handicap mare of 1948. Sired by 1966 Jersey Derby winner Creme Dela Creme from the good broodmare Double Agent (by Double Jay), Sweetly Scheming won four of 25 starts before becoming a fine producer in her own right, producing 1983 Coaching Club American Oaks (USA-G1) winner High Schemes (by High Echelon) and 1989 El Camino Real Derby (USA-G3) winner Double Quick (by To the Quick) among 13 named foals.

Never Scheme, Sweetly Scheming’s 1976 filly by 1962 American champion 2-year-old male Never Bend, never made it to the races but hit the jackpot with her fourth foal. Named Very Subtle, the filly by Hoist the Silver won three Grade 1 races including the 1987 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in an upset over American champion sprinter Groovy before going on to a more modest broodmare career in which her best runner was the Grade 2-placed listed stakes winner Dianehill (by Danehill). Very Subtle later became the second dam of Grade/Group 3 winners Splash Point (by Street Cry) and Subtle Aly (by French Envoy) and the third dam of Grade 3 winner Subtle Indian (by Indian Charlie). Very Subtle’s older half sister Schematic (by Upper Nile) won three listed stakes races and produced multiple listed stakes winner Remember Ike (by Gulch), and another half sister, Subtle Raise (by Raise a Native), is the dam of 1996 Astarita Stakes (USA-G2) winner Broad Dynamite (by Broad Brush) and the second dam of 2014 Canadian Derby (CAN-G3) winner Edison (by Bernardini). A third half sister to Very Subtle, Designatoree (by Alysheba), is the dam of multiple Grade 3 winner Voice of Destiny (by Mane Minister) and the second dam of 2007 Pegasus Stakes (USA-G3) winner Actin Good (by Yes It’s True).

Never Scheme’s last foal was unraced Slew City Slicker, by multiple Grade 1 winner Slew City Slew, Bred to the good Mr. Prospector son Silver Deputy, she produced 2006 Ruffian Handicap (USA-G1) winner Pool Land, in turn the dam of Grade 3-placed stakes winner Old Chestnut (by Speightstown). To a cover by 1992 American champion older male Pleasant Tap, Slew City Slicker also produced Grade 2-placed My Chickadee, whose unraced daughter Dynamotor (by the noted stamina influence Dynaformer) produced Our Flash Drive as her second foal. Dynamotor’s most recent foals are a 2020 full sister to Our Flash Dive named Bell Witch and a 2021 filly by Omaha Beach that sold for US$200,000 at this year’s Keeneland September yearling sale.

Generally speaking, Sweetly Scheming’s family has been inclined to produce more speed than stamina, although it has shown the ability to produce good intermediate-distance runners when crossed to more stamina-oriented sires. With a solid family record behind her, combined with her own racing prowess, Our Flash Drive will undoubtedly be a welcome addition to the broodmare band at breeder-owner Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Stud when the time comes for her to leave racing.

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Mares on Monday: A Breeders' Cup Distaff for the Ages

11/7/2022

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Undefeated Flightline garnered most of the attention on Breeders’ Cup day, but while he put on a bravura performance in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (USA-G1), his was not the race of the day when it came to excitement and drama. That palm must go to to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (USA-G1), which ended in as close to a triple dead heat as the Breeders’ Cup has ever seen.

While only eight fillies and mares contested the race, the field was loaded with talent. The headliners were 2021 American champion 3-year-old filly Malathaat, a multiple Grade 1 winner in 2022, and Nest, a heavy favorite to be voted the American champion 3-year-old filly of 2022 regardless of the outcome of the Distaff. The other contenders were multiple Grade 1 winner Clairiere; Blue Stripe, a Grade/Group 1 winner in both the United States and her native Argentina; 2022 Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) winner Secret Oath, 2022 Cotillion Stakes (USA-G1) winner Society, and 2021 Acorn Stakes (USA-G1) winner Search Results. The only clear throw-out in the field was Awake at Midnyte, a 3-year-old whose best efforts in 2022 have netted three Grade 2 placings. The depth of the field may be gauged by the fact that Blue Stripe, winner of this year’s Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (USA-G1) and Santa Margarita Stakes (USA-G2), went off at 24-1.

With one exception, the race could hardly have been more formful. Secret Oath struck the lead in the stretch, only to be overtaken by Clairiere as she sliced up the rail and by Blue Stripe making a powerful move on the outside; Nest was also on the move but was not quite able to go with the Argentine mare. Furthest out and fastest of all, Malathaat was charging forward and overtook the furious duel between Blue Stripe and Clairiere in the final stride, just getting her nose down in front; Blue Stripe, in turn, edged out Clairiere by a nose for place money. If there was a disappointment in the race, it was that Nest was unable to get into the mix at the end; after a wide trip most of the way, she flattened out and finished 3¼ lengths behind Clairiere. Thus, the multiple Grade/Group 1 winners in the race were 1-2-3-4; the fillies with single Grade 1 wins—Secret Oath, Search Results, and Society—filled the next three places; and Awake at Midnyte finished exactly where her previous record indicated she should.

Both Malathaat and Blue Stripe have made appearances in previous “Mares on Monday” posts (“A Lady to Fill the Senses [Malathaat]”, May 3, 2021; “A Saga From Argentina [Blue Stripe]”, May 2, 2022), but the antecedents of Clairiere deserve some attention here. Like Malathaat and Nest, she is the result of breeding two-time American Horse of the Year Curlin to a mare from the A.P. Indy male line, in this case Cavorting. Sired by A.P. Indy’s champion son Bernardini and a half sister to 2019 Penn Mile Stakes (USA-G2) winner Moon Colony (by Uncle Mo), Cavorting was a high-class race mare in her own right, capturing the 2015 Longines Test Stakes (USA-G1) at 3 and the 2016 Ogden Phipps Stakes (USA-G1) and Personal Ensign Stakes (USA-G1) at 4. Clairiere is her first foal, and she is also responsible for 2022 Silverbulletday Stakes (USA-L) winner La Crete (by Medaglia d’Oro). Cavorting’s only other issue to date is Judge Miller, a 2-year-old full brother to Clairiere who has yet to race.

Cavorting, in turn was produced from 2006 Molly Pitcher Breeders’ Cup Stakes (USA-G2) winner Promenade Girl, a daughter of the good speed sire Carson City. A half sister to restricted stakes winner Dattts Awesome (by Awesome Again), Promenade Girl is out of Promenade Colony (by 1981 American champion 3-year-old male Pleasant Colony), a full sister to multiple Grade 2 winner Dance Colony and a half sister to 1989 Santa Barbara Handicap (USA-G1) winner No Review (by Nodouble) and 1992 Californian Stakes (USA-G1) winner Another Review (by Buckaroo). Further back, this is the family of three-time Grade 1 winner Urbane, multiple Grade/Group 1 winner Nobiliary, and 1972 Prix Jacques Le Marois (FR-G1) winner Lyphard, a champion sire in the United States and France.

Malathaat, now virtually certain to be voted her second Eclipse Award as American champion older female, is officially retired and will join the Shadwell Stud broodmare band, while Blue Stripe generated a few more fireworks at the “Night of the Stars” Fasig-Tipton November sale, where she sold for US$4 million to Narvick International. Plans for Stonestreet homebred Clairiere have not yet been announced, but one may be sure there is an honored place in the paddocks waiting for her when she does walk away from racing.

To borrow the opening line of Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, “When shall we three meet again, in thunder, lightning, or in rain?” It will not happen again, at least not on this side of greener pastures than Earth’s, but on November 5, 2022, their coming together produced all the thunder and lightning any racing fan could want. Thanks for a once-in-a-lifetime moment, ladies.

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Mares on Monday: A Verdict by Proxy in the Clark Stakes

Mares on Monday: La Troienne Finds a Brazilian Beat

Mares on Monday: Scheming for a Grade 2 Win

Mares on Monday: A Breeders' Cup Distaff for the Ages

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