Great female families keep coming up with good winners, and this is as true in South America as it is in the United States. In Argentina, the family of Empiric has been one of the leading sources of Group stakes winners from the 1980s onward, and it does not seem to be slowing down any. Its latest star is Escolastic Girl (by two-time Argentine champion Suggestive Boy), who on November 19 captured her first Group stakes in the Premio Marco Levalle (ARG-G2) over 1600 meters at La Plata.
Empiric’s family was touched on in a previous column (“Mares on Monday: Earth God Is the Latest Heir to Empiric’s Realm in Argentina,” May 27, 2024), which focused on the descent from Empiric’s daughter Emboscada (by Gran Atleta). This time, the focus shifts to Escolastica, Empiric’s 1972 daughter by the English import Great Host.
Great Host, a son of two-time French champion and 1966 French champion sire Sicambre, won the 1967 Great Voltigeur Stakes and Chester Vase, making him the equivalent of a Group 2 winner by modern standards. Escolastica inherited at least some of that talent, winning a stakes race at Palermo before retiring to the paddocks. She was imported to the United States in 1982 but not before producing Escolasera Top (by Redtop III), who produced 1993 Gran Premio Comparacion (ARG-G1) winner Escenografo (by Bold Second), and Escola do Samba (by Redtop III), dam of Argentine Group 2 stakes winners Escoltado (by Cinco Grande), Evaluado (by Pepenador), and Escoltada (by Political Ambition) as well as Argentine Group 3 winner Express News (by Confidential Talk).
Escolastic Girl descends through Escolastica’s American-bred daughter Escorada (by the Northern Dancer horse Mari’s Book). This mare never raced and was sent to Argentina in November 1991, spending the rest of her days as a broodmare for Haras Santa Maria de Araras.
Escorada did not produce any stakes winners, but two of her daughters are of some importance. The first is Escoradita (by the Mr. Prospector horse Johnny’s Prospect), who became the second dam of Look Pen (by Lookin At Lucky). This colt won the Chilean Triple Crown for turf runners and was then sent to Hong Kong, where he was renamed “Panfield” and became a Group 1 winner under that name. The second is Escarlatte (by the Group 3-winning stayer Sonus, by Sadler’s Wells) who produced 2011 Gran Premio Gran Criterium (ARG-G1) Escape of Glory (by Lode) and, through her daughter La Laiza (by Put It Back), is the second dam of Escolastic Girl.
Escolastic Girl now boasts a record of four wins and a third from eight starts, with her last two wins coming in stakes races on the dirt. She had raced on turf in five of her first six starts, earning two allowance-level wins but running seventh in her lone stakes attempt on the grass, so she appears to have found her niche as a dirt sprinter-miler. The question now is whether she can step up to Group 1 competition and add yet another top-level winner to the resume of one of Argentina’s great matriarchies.
Empiric’s family was touched on in a previous column (“Mares on Monday: Earth God Is the Latest Heir to Empiric’s Realm in Argentina,” May 27, 2024), which focused on the descent from Empiric’s daughter Emboscada (by Gran Atleta). This time, the focus shifts to Escolastica, Empiric’s 1972 daughter by the English import Great Host.
Great Host, a son of two-time French champion and 1966 French champion sire Sicambre, won the 1967 Great Voltigeur Stakes and Chester Vase, making him the equivalent of a Group 2 winner by modern standards. Escolastica inherited at least some of that talent, winning a stakes race at Palermo before retiring to the paddocks. She was imported to the United States in 1982 but not before producing Escolasera Top (by Redtop III), who produced 1993 Gran Premio Comparacion (ARG-G1) winner Escenografo (by Bold Second), and Escola do Samba (by Redtop III), dam of Argentine Group 2 stakes winners Escoltado (by Cinco Grande), Evaluado (by Pepenador), and Escoltada (by Political Ambition) as well as Argentine Group 3 winner Express News (by Confidential Talk).
Escolastic Girl descends through Escolastica’s American-bred daughter Escorada (by the Northern Dancer horse Mari’s Book). This mare never raced and was sent to Argentina in November 1991, spending the rest of her days as a broodmare for Haras Santa Maria de Araras.
Escorada did not produce any stakes winners, but two of her daughters are of some importance. The first is Escoradita (by the Mr. Prospector horse Johnny’s Prospect), who became the second dam of Look Pen (by Lookin At Lucky). This colt won the Chilean Triple Crown for turf runners and was then sent to Hong Kong, where he was renamed “Panfield” and became a Group 1 winner under that name. The second is Escarlatte (by the Group 3-winning stayer Sonus, by Sadler’s Wells) who produced 2011 Gran Premio Gran Criterium (ARG-G1) Escape of Glory (by Lode) and, through her daughter La Laiza (by Put It Back), is the second dam of Escolastic Girl.
Escolastic Girl now boasts a record of four wins and a third from eight starts, with her last two wins coming in stakes races on the dirt. She had raced on turf in five of her first six starts, earning two allowance-level wins but running seventh in her lone stakes attempt on the grass, so she appears to have found her niche as a dirt sprinter-miler. The question now is whether she can step up to Group 1 competition and add yet another top-level winner to the resume of one of Argentina’s great matriarchies.
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