Mares on Monday - American Classic Pedigrees

Mares on Monday: Lightning Strikes Twice for Lavant

11/24/2025

Talk about lightning striking twice. Last week, Perfect Plastic’s win in Cidade Jardim’s Grande Prêmio Diana (BRZ-G1) became the springboard to a discussion of the family of Lavant, who began her life as a “half-bred” and ended it as an acknowledged Thoroughbred due to the merit of her produce. This week, Lavant’s family came through with another Group winner in Brazil thanks to Shallow Now, who won Saturday’s Grande Prêmio Presidente Antonio Grisi Filho (BRZ-G3) at Cidade Jardim.

A 5-year-old mare, Shallow Now picked up her third Group 3 win of 2025 and her seventh victory of the year and has established herself as quite a useful sprinter-miler. She is a daughter of the Kitten’s Joy horse Camelot Kitten, a full brother to Grade 1 winner Bobby’s Kitten who stands at Haras Rio Iguassú. The winner of the 2016 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (USA-G2) and American Turf Stakes (USA-G2), as well as two Grade 3 races, Camelot Kitten was tenth on the Brazilian general sire list in 2023/24 and seventh in 2024/25. He is currently sixth in the 2025/26 standings.

Shallow Now and Perfect Plastic are both great-granddaughters of Brazilian Group 3-placed Femme Fatale (by Clackson), a fourth-generation descendant of Lavant. Their lines diverge at the next generation with the half sisters Next Star (by Royal Academy) and Precious Rafaela (by Know Heights). The former, a winning full sister to 2005 Grande Prêmio Henrique Possolo (BRZ-G1) winner Movie Star, is the granddam of Perfect Plastic. The latter, a winning full sister to multiple Brazilian Group 2 winner Simply the Best, is the granddam of Shallow Now via her daughter Band on the Run (by 2004 American champion sire Elusive Quality). A three-time winner over sprint distances at Gávea, Band on the Run has produced two other foals of racing age, neither of any distinction.

Aside from their common female-line descent, Shallow Now and Perfect Plastic share a common tail-male descent from Sadler’s Wells. In addition, both are maternal granddaughters of Elusive Quality. “Breed the best to the best and hope for the best” is a long-established breeding adage, but just as lightning tends to strike the tallest trees repeatedly, repeating successful pedigree patterns tends to yield more success than more random combinations at the same level of overall quality—a point worth considering when planning a mating.

Mares on Monday: Lavant's Family Proves Fully Thoroughbred in Brazil

11/17/2025

From the viewpoint of a North American observer, Brazil’s Classic scene is a delightful mess with both Gávea (Rio de Janeiro) and Cidade Jardim (São Paulo) hosting “Triple Crowns” for both sexes. As part of the confusion, both tracks host a Grande Prêmio Diana, a Group 1 event that is its host track’s premier event for 3-year-old fillies, and both are contested at the same 2000-meter distance on turf.

Generally, it is the Gávea race that is referred to when a racing enthusiast in the English-speaking sphere mentions the “Brazilian Oaks.” However, the Cidade Jardim race does not lack for prestige, and it is normally contested by quality fields. This year, a dozen fillies ran in São Paulo’s version of the Grande Prêmio Diana, and the winner by a comfortable 1¼ lengths was Perfect Plastic, who added the big race to two previous Group-level scores.

Bred by Haras Belmont, Perfect Plastic is by Irish import Goldikovic, who is as regally bred as any stallion on the planet. A son of the great Irish-based sire Galileo, who in turn was the most important son of the record-shattering Sadler’s Wells (by Northern Dancer), Goldikovic is out of the mighty mare Goldikova, a champion in both the United States and Europe and the only horse to win the same Breeders’ Cup event (the Mile) three times. Goldikovic could not live up to that heritage as a racehorse, managing only one third-place finish in three starts, but his bloodlines virtually guaranteed that he would receive a trial at stud somewhere. So far, he has justified the decision to give him that opportunity in Brazil; currently seventh on the nation’s general sire list, he has finished among Brazil’s top ten sires for the last four years.

Whereas Goldikovic’s parentage could hardly be more orthodox or more patrician, Perfect Plastic’s tail-female line traces back to a mare whose lineage was not given Thoroughbred status in that most hallowed register of the breed, the General Stud Book, until March 1969. This was Lavant, a 1955 daughter of the useful French racer and sire Le Lavandou. As a son of Djebel and hence from a strain of French horses denied entry to the General Stud Book under the terms of the Jersey Act because of the taint of “impure” American strains, Le Lavandou’s pedigree had only received the cachet of full Thoroughbred status following a 1949 amendment to the Jersey Act that granted GSB admission to animals whose pedigree records showed them to be the result of eight or nine crosses of pure blood, to trace back for at least a century, and to have relatives in the immediate family whose racing merit gave reason to believe in the “purity of [their] blood.”

Lavant’s problem was that, while her female lineage could be traced to the first half of the nineteenth century, it could not show eight consecutive crosses to purebred sires thanks to Lavant’s great-granddam, Verdict (winner of the 1924 Coronation Cup), who was sired by the half-bred stallion Shogun. A good stakes winner at 2 and 3, Shogun also came from a line of mares with less than impeccable antecedents, and so his “half-bred” status canceled all the crosses to pure blood that had been made along Verdict’s dam line before he covered Verdict’s dam, Finale. Lavant, then, came from a female line that had only three consecutive crosses to stallions who were accounted Thoroughbreds, and so was recorded as a half-bred.

Lavant was not much of a race mare, but as a broodmare she was something else again, producing six winners. That number included Lucasland (by Lucero) and So Blessed (by Princelu Gift), both winners of the historic July Cup and accounted as the best or near the best sprinters of their respective crops. Their merit caused the keepers of the General Stud Book to reconsider Lavant’s case for admission, and she was finally recognized as a Thoroughbred after 14 years of being accounted a “half-bred.”

Perfect Plastic’s branch of Lavant’s family was imported to Brazil via Lavant’s Irish-bred granddaughter Rogeria (by Targowice), who produced On Pass Pas to a cover by 1967 Prix Jean Part winner and 1977 Brazilian champion sire Locris. A winner of three races from 1100 to 1400 meters at Gávea, On Pass Pas produced Brazilian Group 3 winner Access (by the top Brazilian racer and sire Clackson) and her Group 3-placed full sister, Femme Fatale. Femme Fatale, in turn, produced 2005 Grande Prêmio Henrique Possolo (BRZ-G1) winner Movie Star (by Royal Academy) and multiple Brazilian Group 2 winner Simply the Best (by Know Heights).

Next Star, a full sister to Movie Star, did not live up to her name; her resume boasted only one minor win from five starts. She did not particularly distinguish herself as a broodmare either but did produce unraced Artista Plastica (by Elusive Quality), who produced Perfect Plastic as her sixth foal. The mare’s most recent foals are Paint Monet, a 2023 full brother to Perfect Plastic who has yet to race, and a 2025 Drosselmeyer filly who has been given the name Raquelita.

For the most part, the caution exercised by the keepers of the General Stud Book over the centuries has been warranted; as a highly specialized breed, it has been long years since the Thoroughbred was apt to benefit as a racehorse by outcrossing to non-Thoroughbreds. Nevertheless, after generations of breeding a half-Thoroughbred and its descendants back to pure Thoroughbreds, there comes a time when the designation of “half-bred” represents a technicality more than it does a genetic distinction. Lavant and her family had clearly reached that point, and as Perfect Plastic demonstrated last Saturday, the breed has only benefited by admission of a mare with imperfect bloodlines but excellent genetics.

Mares on Monday: A Saga Continues in Argentina

9/29/2025

Although the racing at Argentina’s La Plata racetrack is generally considered slightly softer than that at Palermo or San Isidro, La Plata does host some major events during the year, among them the Gran Premio Selección de Potrancas. If not quite on the same level as Palermo’s Gran Premio Selecction (Argentine Oaks, ARG-G1), La Plata’s top event for 3-year-old fillies is still an important prize and has been won by some first-rate fillies, among them Argentine champions Una Arrabalera and Kalath Wells. This year’s edition went to Calida Sonrisa, who took revenge for her lone defeat in La Plata’s Polla de Potrancas (ARG-G2) by leaving that race’s winner, Elenika, back in seventh place.

Calida Sonrisa is a daughter of Cosmic Trigger, a talented but unsound son of 2007 Railway Stakes (IRE-G2) winner Lizard Island and a male-line descendant of the great international sire Danehill. Undefeated in his only two starts and a half brother to Argentine champion and leading American sire Candy Ride, Cosmic Trigger was given a chance at stud at his birthplace, Haras Abolengo. He is currently fourth on Argentina’s general sire list after finishing third last year and fifth in 2023, and Calida Sonrisa is his 13th Group 1 winner.

On the dam’s side, Calida Sonrisa descends from the important broodmare Sea Saga, who already holds a treasured place in Argentine pedigrees as the maternal granddam of 11-time Argentine champion sire Southern Halo. The winner of the 1971 Ladies Handicap (which became a Grade 1 race when the North American graded race system was instituted in 1973), Sea Saga had a fair measure of the talent of her brilliant sire, the great Sea-Bird.

Sea Saga produced only four foals, but two were stakes winners. One, 1977 Test Stakes (USA-G3) winner Northern Sea (by Northern Dancer), became the dam of the aforementioned Southern Halo to a cover by Halo and also produced Excellent Lady (by Smarten), dam of multiple Grade 1 winner General Challenge (by General Meeting) and 2000 Oak Leaf Stakes (USA-G1) winner Notable Career (by Avenue of Flags), and Northern Pageant (by Spectacular Bid), dam of multiple Grade 2 winner Snow Dance (by Forestry). The other, Key to the Saga (by Key to the Mint), won the 1978 Pucker Up Stakes (USA-G3) and became the second dam of 1983 Santa Anita Handicap (USA-G1) winner Sir Beaufort and 2012 Premio Cyllene (ARG-G2) winner The New Yorker.

Dancer’s Saga, a full sister to Northern Sea, won only once from 13 tries but made up for her failings on the track in the paddocks. She produced stakes winners Exclusive Story (by Exclusive Native), Colonial Saga (by Pleasant Colony), and Pleasant Tango (by Pleasant Colony) and is also the dam of Epic Villa (by Pancho Villa), dam in turn of multiple Argentine Group 1 winner Knock (by Luhuk).

Given the previous successes experienced in Argentina by this family, it is not really surprising that Key Cure (by Cure the Blues), a granddaughter of Dancer’s Saga through her Key to the Mint daughter Dancer’s Key, should also have made her way to the paddocks of Argentina. She produced 10 Argentine-bred foals, headed by multiple Argentine Group 2 winner Blues for Sale (by Not for Sale) and listed stakes winner Cure for Sale (by Not for Sale). If the name of Blues for Sale sounds familiar, it should; she is the dam of multiple Grade/Group 1 winner Blue Prize (by Pure Prize), whose victories include the 2019 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (USA-G1), and of Blue Stripe (by Equal Stripes), another multiple Grade/Group 1 winner who fell only a nose short of duplicating her sister’s triumph in the 2022 Distaff. Blues for Sale is also the dam of 2025 Premio Coronel Miguel F, Martinez (ARG-G3) winner Blue Caviar (by Equal Stripes).

Calida Sonrisa is out of Key Cure’s last foal, Chica Canalla (by Not for Sale), who won two of her 13 starts, both over 1400 meters at San Isidro. Also the dam of the winner Flor de Atamisque (by Cosmic Trigger), the mare has since produced the unraced Mootasadir filly Pelusa Cosmica, a foal of 2023, and a yearling son of Equal Stripes who has been named Triste Adios. She was barren to Cosmic Trigger for 2025.

Calida Sonrisa was making only her third lifetime start in the Selección de Potrancas, so it appears that she has a bright future ahead of her if she proves sounder than her sire. If she does, she may add another worthy chapter to the illustrious saga of her female family.

Mares on Monday: New Moon Rising in the Polla de Potrancas

9/15/2025

While the trainers of top North American 3-year-olds are for the most part making a decision as to whether to train up to the Breeders’ Cup or get a prep race in against their elders, the Argentine Classic season kicked off on September 6 at Palermo with the Gran Premio Polla de Potrillos (Argentine Two Thousand Guineas, ARG-G1) and Gran Premio Polla de Potrancas (Argentine One Thousand Guineas, ARG-G1), both over 1600 meters. The latter race was the first test of her 3-year-old season for multiple Group 1 winner and likely Argentine champion 2-year-old filly Charm (see “Mares on Monday: A Charming Contender for a Pellegrini Award,” June 1, 2025), who came into the Polla de Potrancas off a June 28 win in the Gran Premio Estrellas Juvenile Fillies (ARG-G1). She ran well but ended up in second behind undefeated Moon Frank, who won her second straight Group stakes race at 3 after taking the Premio General Luis Maria Campos (ARG-G2) over the same track and distance on August 2.

Bred and owned by Haras Gran Muñeca, Moon Frank is from the first crop of the farm’s home stallion, Gidu, an Irish-bred import who did his racing in the United States before being sent on to Argentina. Gidu had enough ability to win two restricted grass stakes races and to place twice at the Grade 3 level, but his primary attraction was his pedigree. He is sired by the great European champion Frankel, who has been following in the hoof prints of his sire Galileo and his grandsire Sadler’s Wells in continuing this branch of the Northern Dancer sire line, and is out of Manerbe, a winning daughter of Unbridled’s Song from a deep Claiborne Farm family, that of Courtesy. His results so far have been promising. Currently third on the Argentine first-crop sire list (his foals of 2023 will not actually begin racing until the spring of 2026), he has sired four Group winners from 22 starters.

Moon Frank is the fifth foal and fourth winner produced from 2015 Premio La Mission (ARG-G2) winner Moon Sale, a daughter of 2000 Gran Premio Ciudad de Buenos Aires (ARG-G1) winner Not for Sale. Sired by the stakes-winning Caro horse Parade Marshal out of 1994 Argentine Broodmare of the Year Love for Sale (by the good Swaps son Laramie Trail), Not for Sale is a full brother to 1994 Argentine Mare of the Year Stars and Stripes and a half brother to 1994 Argentine champion miler Off the Record (by Over the Ocean). He has lived up to his excellent pedigree by heading the Argentine general sire list in 2014 and is currently third on the Argentine broodmare sire list, the same position he occupied in 2024.

Moon Sale’s dam is the winner Lunación, whose sire Petit Poucet (by 1996 French champion sire Fairy King, a full brother to Sadler’s Wells) won the 1996 San Francisco Handicap (USA-G3) but was not particularly successful as a sire in Argentina. She is a half sister to multiple Argentine Group 2 winner Liz for Sale (by Not for Sale), who placed three times in Group 1 events, and is out of the winner Lu Toss, whose sire, the Grade 2-placed Buckpasser horse Egg Toss, earned two Pellegrini Awards as Argentina’s Stallion of the Year and was a notable broodmare sire.

A half sister to 2000 Gran Premio Nacional (Argentine Derby, ARG-G1) winner Tapatio, who was Argentina’s Horse of the Year that season, Lu Toss is out of the Group 3-placed winner Tenacita (by Prince John’s Grade 3-winning son Lefty, a good sire and broodmare sire in Argentina). Also the dam of Tenace (by Acceptable), dam of 2014, Premio Vicente Dupuy (ARG-G3) winner Tenaz Igual (by Equal Stripes), Tenacita represents a female line that has been resident in Argentina since the 1925 mare Tasha (by Golden Myth) was imported from England.

Moon Frank’s pedigree is slanted toward miler speed, as is Charm’s, indicating that both fillies may be vulnerable as the distance stretches out in Argentina’s next filly Classic, the Gran Premio Selección (Argentine Oaks, ARG-G1), which will be contested over 2000 meters at Palermo. Then again, perhaps not. Class often tells quite as much as distance, and given the class Moon Frank and Charm have shown thus far, as well as close relations who were able to stretch out further, it is entirely possible that they may continue their domination of their division as well as continuing a budding rivalry.

Mares on Monday: Bombacha Veloz Stars for a Rising Family in Chile

9/1/2025

Bombacha Veloz is a filly on the rise in Chile. After a terrible race in her first attempt at Group 1 company in the Tanteo de Potrancas (CHI-G1) on June 28 at Hipódromo Chile, she regrouped to win her third Group 3 race, the Premio Carlos Allende Navarro y Roberto Allende Urrutia, on August 2. On Saturday, she put it all together as she tried Group 1 company again in the Premio Mil Guineas Maria Luisa Solari Falabella (CHI-G1), the second leg of Chile’s Filly Triple Crown. The bettors were apparently willing to forgive her earlier misstep, sending her off as the second choice in the field of 14, and she repaid their faith with a handy gate-to-wire score in the 1600-meter event. She also avenged her earlier defeat, with Tanteo de Potrancas winner Diosa del Rock checking in a well-beaten sixth.

Bred by Haras San Ignacio, Bombacha Veloz represents a family that has done quite well in South America in recent years. Sired by multiple Grade 2 winner Good Samaritan (by Harlan’s Holiday), she is a half sister to 2019 Chilean champion 3-year-old filly Bella Khaleesi (by the Grade 2-winning El Prado horse Grassy). The two fillies are among eight winners produced from Aún Así, whose sire Monthir (a Grade 2-placed son of Gulch) ranked five times among Chile’s top five general sires.

Aún Así was a winner over 1200 meters and 1600 meters at Santiago during her racing career and is a half sister to 2012 Gran Premio Suipacha (ARG-G1) winner Animas (by Easing Along), whose big win over 1000 meters ranked her among Argentina’s better sprinters that year. Their dam Anick won the 2004 Premio Geoffrey Bushell (ARG-G3) over 1600 meters at Santiago. She is a daughter of Hussonet, a son of Mr. Prospector and American champion 3-year-old filly Sacahuista who parlayed his excellent pedigree into seven consecutive sire championships in Chile along with five titles as champion broodmare sire and six as champion sire of juveniles.

Anick, in turn, is out of Navy Blue, a two-time winner over 1200 meters at Santiago. A daughter of multiple Group 3 winner Kazaroun (by Alleged), Navy Blue is a full sister to Chilean listed stakes winner Crazy Moon. She is also a half sister to Isola Tiberina (by Rich Man’s Gold), dam of 2010 Gran Handicap de Chile (CHI-G3) Mister President (by Cruise King) and Group 1-placed Chilean listed stakes winner India Coquetona (by Indy Dancer), and her dam Set Blue (by the Grade 3-placed Buckpasser horse Settlement Day, a successful sire in Chile) is a half sister to 1979 Premio Domingo 2 Herrera (CHI-G1) winner Transistora (by El Tirol).

Good Samaritan had the pedigree to suggest that he might go longer than the 9 furlongs of his biggest wins at 3 and 4, but his best Chilean runners appear to be milers. Combined with Bombacha Veloz’s speed-oriented female family, this suggests that she is not likely to stretch out much further than the 1600 meters she has already shown herself capable of handling. Still, a top miler is not a bad thing to be, and this will be a filly to keep an eye on as the 2025-26 Southern Hemisphere racing season progresses.

Mares on Monday: Empirical Evidence of a Great Broodmare

7/28/2025

At the rate Empiric’s family is going in Argentina these days, one wonders what might have been had she not died relatively young; a foal of 1966; she delivered her last foal in 1977. Still, the five daughters she left behind her have established her as one of the greatest Argentine foundation mares of all time. Over fifty Group 1 winners trace to Empiric in the direct female line, including The Great Racing, successful in Saturday’s Gran Premio Dos Mil Guineas (ARG-G1) at San Isidro. For good measure, Empiric’s family has been represented by two more Group stakes winners in the last two weeks, with Elenika scoring in the Premio Miguel Luis Morales (ARG-G2) on July 15 and Elvitas winning the Premio Eudoro J. Balsa (ARG-G3) on the undercard of the Dos Mil Guineas.

The Great Racing and Elenika both descend from Empiric’s daughter Emboscada, whose branch of the family was touched on in connection with multiple Group 1 winner Earth God (“Mares on Monday: Earth God Is the Latest Heir to Empiric’s Growing Empire,” May 27, 2024). Like Earth God, Elenika is descended from Emboscada’s daughter Esencia (by El Virtuoso), whose Group 3-winning daughter Esnaola (by Ringaro) is Earth God’s fourth dam. Elenika’s granddam East Dancer (by Oak Dancer) is a half sister to Esnaola and is represented by two stakes-producing daughters: Easter Flower (by Ride the Rails), dam of 2016 Premio Carlos P. Rodriguez (ARG-G2) winner Esmeralda Nobleza (by Halo Sunshine), and Electric Dancer (by Editor’s Note), dam of Elenika to a cover by 2012 Argentine champion miler Winning Prize (by Pure Prize).

The Great Racing is more distantly related to Elenika and Earth God as his tail-female line traces to another daughter of Emboscada, Embouche (by Ringaro). The dam of 1993 Grande Prêmio Barão de Piracicaba (BRZ-G1) winner Endurance (by Equalize) and 1992 Premio Fortunato Damiani (ARG-G3) winner Evasif (by El Asesor), Embouche also produced Embrasser (by Candy Stripes), second dam of 2013 Gran Premio Eliseo Ramírez (ARG-G1) winner Emirate’s Girl (Lizard Island x Embrasable, by Equalize).

Embrace Me, a full sister to Endurance, is Embouche’s other important daughter, and she has three Group stakes-producing daughters to her credit. Embrace Her (by Editor’s Note) is the dam of 2019 Gran Premio Criadores (ARG-G1) winner Entropia (by Mount Nelson). Emberly (by Halo Sunshine) is the dam of 2019 Premio Benito Lynch (ARG-G3) winner Emberinado (by Lizard Island) and Group 2-placed multiple listed stakes winner Es Sicario (by Lizard Island). Best of all is Embrace Moi, the 2011 Argentine Broodmare of the Year; she produced 2011 Argentine Horse of the Year Expressive Halo (by Halo Sunshine) and Group 1-placed multiple Group 3 winner Extra Quiz (by Lizard Island). Embrace Moi’s daughter Embracing Love (by Lucky Roberto) is the dam of The Great Racing (by multiple Argentine Group 1 winner The Great Day, by Harlan’s Holiday) and is also the dam of Argentine listed stakes winner Racing Seattle (Seattle Fitz).

Elvitas descends from another daughter of Empiric, Elysee (by El Gran Capitan), who was her last registered foal. This mare is is the dam of 1992 South African Horse of the Year Empress Club (by Farnesio), 1985 South African champion 2-year-old filly Ecurie (by Liloy), multiple South African Group 1 winner Epoque (by Oak Dancer), and 2001 Premio Marcos Lavalle (ARG-G2) winner Elisita). Elysee is the second dam of 1988 Argentine champion 2-year-old filly Esperada and 1995 Gran Premio Montevideo (ARG-G1) winner Espaciado; Group 2 winners Equal Stripes (a champion sire in Argentina), Equiparada, Empress Time, Excellent Note, and Empire Aztec; and Group 3 winner Esmaltina. In addition, Elysee is the third dam of 2006 South African co-champion stayer Elusive Fort; 2018 Gran Premio Provincia de Buenos Aires (ARG-G1) winner Emprestado; Group 2 winners E-Jet, Empresarial, Ajool, and Equipada a Tope; and Group 3 winners Easy Jadeasy and Empresariado.

Elvitas, a daughter of Cosmic Trigger, is descended from Elysee’s daughter Empress Day (by Equalize), the dam of Empress Time (by Acceptable; dam of Empresarial, by Sunray Spirit) and Excellent Note (by Editor’s Note). The last-named mare is the granddam of Elvitas through her daughter Excellent Bid (by Asiatic Boy).

All female families, even the best, have branches that peter out and eventually vanish as sources of high-class runners, and it is a remarkable testimony to Empiric’s genetic potency (as well as the quality of the stallions to which her family has been bred) that all five of her daughters have Group 1-winning descendants foaled in the 21st century. A century after her death, the picture may seem very differnet, but as the half-century anniversary of her passing approaches, it takes only a cursory review of Argentine racing results and pedigrees to come up with empirical evidence that the story of Empiric’s family is far from over.

Mares on Monday: Drive Joy a New Star for a Canadian Matriarchy

7/14/2025

June 28 brought one of the most spectacular cards of the Argentine racing season, the Gran Premios Estrellas, which are the national equivalent of the Breeders’ Cup. Hosted this year at Palermo, the seven races of the Estrellas—six of them at Group 1 level—will undoubtedly have a significant effect on 2025 voting in the Pellegrini Awards, Argentina’s year-end championships. The impact is particularly heavy on the juvenile divisions, whose members became 3-year-olds on July 1.

Charm, winner of the Gran Premio Estrellas Juvenile Fillies (ARG-G1), has already been profiled in connection with her win in the Gran Premio de Potrancas (ARG-G1) (see “Mares on Monday: A Charming Contender for a Pellegrini Award," June 1, 2025) and may well have sealed the two-year-old filly championship. Now a Group 1 winner on dirt and turf, her only misstep was a second-place finish in the Premio Eliseo Ramirez (ARG-G2), a half-length behind Tiz Joy.

Drive Joy, winner of the Gran Premio Estrellas Juvenile (ARG-G1), has less of a lock on his division, as he was soundly beaten into third last out in the Gran Criterium (ARG-G1). Nevertheless, he looked quite solid in his dirt debut after making his first four starts on turf, and he previously won the Premio Raul y Raul E. Chevalier (ARG-G2) on the grass in April. He also has a pedigree that suggests that he will be an intriguing Classic prospect to watch in the 2025/26 season for Argentine-3-year-olds, with an intriguing Canadian connection through his female family.

Drive Joy is by Grade 1-placed Fortify, a son of Distorted Humor who has finished six times among Argentina’s top five sires and is currently second on the 2025 general sire list. His firepower as a sire may be partly due to his wonderful female family, which is a branch of the fabulous La Troienne clan developed by Ogden Phipps and then by William S. Farish. Fortify’s male line, which traces back to Mr. Prospector through Forty Niner, includes the South American champion sires Roar (Argentina), Jules (Brazil), and Apprentice (Peru) as well as the important Argentine sire and broodmare sire Luhuk.

Drive Joy’s broodmare sire is another overachieving stallion, 2001 Hopeful Stakes (USA-G1) winner City Zip, a Carson City half brother to Ghostzapper who was noted for his versatility as a sire. But there is nothing overachieving about Drive Joy’s female family. Descended from 1973 Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Square Angel, this matriarchy has not previously had Group 1 success in Argentina, but it has accomplished plenty elsewhere in the world.

A strong-bodied daughter of 1964 Belmont Stakes winner Quadrangle, Square Angel was produced from one of E. P. Taylor’s foundation mares, Nangela, who could trace her tail-female line back to the great English race mare Pretty Polly. Square Angel was no Pretty Polly, but after being sold to General Preston Gilbride for CAN$20,000 as a yearling, she had enough talent to win the 1973 Canadian Oaks and three other Canadian stakes races. Taylor, knowing a good broodmare prospect when he saw one, repurchased her following her racing career and bred four stakes-winning daughters from her, three of whom went on to be Grade/Group 1 producers.

Pride of place among Square Angel’s daughters surely belongs to Kamar (by Key to the Mint), who followed in her dam’s hoof prints by winning the 1979 Canadian Oaks and a Sovereign Award as Canadian champion 3-year-old filly. She was still better as a producer, earning honors as the 1990 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year after foaling 1984 Canadian champion 3-year-old male Key to the Moon (by Wajima), multiple Grade 1 winner Gorgeous (by Slew o’ Gold), 1990 Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) winner Seaside Attraction (by Seattle Slew), and 1986 Princess Margaret Stakes (ENG-G3) winner Hiaam (by Alydar). All three of Kamar’s stakes-winning daughters have had importance as broodmares, and their descendants have taken Grade/Group 1 races in England, France, and the United Stakes.

Kamar’s 1989 Nijinsky II filly, Jood, was much less accomplished as a racer, posting two thirds while racing in England, but she more than made up for that in the paddocks by producing 2001 European Horse of the Year Fantastic Light (by Rahy) and listed stakes winner Hi Dubai (by Rahy). Jood’s daughters have successfully transplanted Kamar’s family into the Southern Hemisphere. Drive Joy is the only foal of Hi Dubai’s French-bred daughter Zip Drive (by City Zip), but Jood is also the dam of Wanice (by Mr. Prospector), dam of multiple Argentine listed winner Anees (by Harlan’s Holiday) and second dam of 2013 B.T.C. Cup Stakes (AUS-G1) winner Your Song (by Fastnet Rock). In addition, Jood is the dam of Daanet al Dunya (by Rahy), dam of 2015 Pago Pago Stakes (AUS-G2) winner Tarquin (by Hard Spun) and second dam of multiple Australian Group 2 winner Character.

Just how much distance Drive Joy will want may be open to some question, but he is obviously fully capable at a mile, and Kamar’s family has repeatedly shown the ability to go classic distances. He will be one to keep an eye on as the foals of the 2022 Argentine crop moves toward their country’s Classics.

Mares on Monday: A Charming Contender for a Pellegrini Award

6/1/2025

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,

Mares on Monday: Naturally Good in Brazilian Classics

4/14/2025

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.

Mares on Monday: Lady Be Good Just Gets Better in Brazil

3/17/2025

Ethereum, the blockchain, is popular among cryptocurrency investors, second only to bitcoin for market capialization. Ethereum, the Brazilian filly, is looking like a pretty good investment too, at least for owner Stud New Bridge. On March 9, while racing in Gávea’s Grande Prêmio de Diana (BRZ-G1), second leg of Rio de Janeiro’s Triple Crown for 3-year-old fillies, Ethereum unleashed a powerful stretch drive down the center of the track and downed dual Group 1 winner Night of Rose by 4½ lengths. In doing so, Ethereum claimed her second Group 1 win and franked the form that saw her named Brazil’s champion 2-year-old filly for 2023/24.

Bred by Carlos Dos Santos, Ethereum is a daughter of the Pioneerof the Nile horse Courtier. A Grade 2-placed listed stakes winner on turf in the United States, Courtier entered stud at Brazil’s Haras São José da Serra in 2016. He is well on his way to notching his third consecutive top-10 finish among Brazilian general sires (he is currently 5th on the list), which is perhaps not surprising considering that his third dam, 1993 French champion juvenile filly Coup de Genie, is a full sister to 1989 French champion juvenile male and highly successful European sire Machiavellian. Further back, this is the family of Northern Dancer, Halo, and Danehill, who all need no introduction as sires.

Ethereum was produced from 2016 Grande Prêmio Francisco Villela de Paula Machado (BRZ-G2) winner Etapa Vencida, whose late sire Wild Event (winner of the 1999 Early Times Turf Classic Stakes, USA-G1) has notched six Brazilian broodmare sire titles to go with his three Brazilian general sire titles and is atop the 2024/25 broodmare sire list by a wide margin. A five-time winner of the Mossoró Trophy as Brazil’s Stallion of the Year, Wild Event is a Wild Again half brother to 1994 American champion turf male Paradise Creek (by Irish River) and 2001 Manhattan Handicap (USA-G1) winner Forbidden Apple (by Pleasant Colony) and so had all the credentials one could want for stud service in a country where almost all the important races take place on turf and the stamina to run 2000 to 2400 meters (about 1¼ to 1½ miles) is still at a premium.

A full sister to Brazilian Group 3 winners Mrs. Boss and Aspiración (dam of listed Brazilian stakes winner Gone Hollywood, by Bal a Bali), Etapa Vencida is out of the winner Lychee, whose sire De Quest (by Rainbow Quest) won the 1995 Prix Conseil de Paris (FR-G2) before being exported to Brazil for stallion duty. Lychee is a half sister to Infini (by Dynaformer), dam of 2005 Grande Prêmio Juliano Martins (BRZ-G1) winner Parfum Parfait (by Clackson) and 2009 Grande Prêmio Mario de Azevedo Ribeiro (BRZ-G3) winner Taos (by Signal Tap) and second dam of 2024 Grande Prêmio Marques de Almirante Tamandare (BRZ-G2) winner Nudini (by Drosselmeyer). Lychee is also a half sister to Quantia Exata (by Trempolino), dam of 2014/15 Brazilian champion 3-year-old filly Cruiseliner (by Wild Event), and to Voltagem Alta (by Wild Event), dam of 2018/19 Uruguayan champion 2-year-old male Alto Voltage (by the Pulpit horse Ecclesiastic).

Ex Facto (by Known Fact), the dam of Lychee and her siblings, was a winner in the United States and served as a broodmare in both Brazil and Uruguay. She was produced from the sprint stakes winner Premier Princess (by Exclusive Native), whose dam, Foresight Princess (by Reviewer), produced two other stakes winners and was a daughter of the Phipps family foundation mare Lady Be Good. It took a few generations for the latent power of this branch of Lady Be Good’s family to kick in, but it has served Brazilian breeding well and, if Ethereum continues her winning ways, may soon have another championship title to add to an already excellent record.