As royally bred as any filly currently racing in North America, Eunomia (whose name comes from the Greek for “good order”) has taken some time to find her proper place in the order of things in the Thoroughbred world. For owners Vincent Viola (St. Elias Stable) and William S. Simon (WSS Racing), the wait has proven worthwhile. Last Saturday, making her Grade 1 debut at 12-1 in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes, Eunomia sat off an early speed duel between favorite Seismic Beauty and second choice Simply Joking, both previous Grade 1 winners. When jockey Micah Husbands called on her, she delivered, going to the front and holding off a closing challenge from multiple graded stakes winner Om n Joy to land first prize by a half-length. Simply Joking held on for third.
With her victory in the Hirsch, Eunomia nailed down her fifth win in 16 lifetime starts, raising her bankroll to US$566,193. She also landed a “Win and You’re In” slot for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (USA-G1) at Keeneland on October 31.
Bred by Breed First, Eunomia is the second Grade 1 stakes winner from the first Northern Hemisphere crop of Ashford Stud stallion Tiz the Law, who is also responsible for two Group 1 winners in Chile this year. A four-time Grade 1 winner during his own racing career, the son of three-time Chilean champion sire Constitution and the Tiznow mare Tizfiz is the sire of 24 stakes winners thus far. He is currently 12th on the American general sire list and second on the corresponding list in Chile, where he also leads the juvenile sire list.
Eunomia descends from the great 20th-century matron Bourtai, who produced five stakes winners, four of them fillies. Two of them, Delta (by Nasrullah) and Levee (by Hill Prince), earned honors as Kentucky Broodmare of the Year, establishing major branches of Bourtai’s family that have continued to produce top-level racehorses and classy broodmares in the 21st century.
The best of Bourtai’s daughters on the track was 1957 American champion 3-year-old filly Bayou (by Hill Prince), who produced the good race mare Batteur (by Bold Ruler) and bred on through no less than five of her daughters. The most distinguished of these was Alluvial, an unraced daughter of Buckpasser who produced two-time American champion Slew o’ Gold (by Seattle Slew) and multiple Grade 1 winner Coastal (by Majestic Prince). The latter horse was the spoiler in Spectacular Bid’s Triple Crown attempt in the 1979 Belmont Stakes (USA-G1). Alluvial is also the second dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Aptitude and 1995 Hollywood Oaks (USA-G1) winner Sleep Easy and the third dam of Peruvian Group 1 winner and two-time champion Tunelero.
Bayou Blue, a full sister to Batteur, was only a maiden winner on the track and did not produce any stakes winners, but as a resident at Claiborne Farm, she had access to that legendary facility’s glittering roster of stallions. Put to the excellent sire Hoist the Flag in 1977, she produced the winner Harbor Flag, whose best runner was probably 1986 Louisiana Derby (USA-G3) winner Country Light (by Majestic Light). Harbor Flag also produced multiple stakes winner Packet, a daughter of three-time Grade 1 winner but disappointing sire Polish Navy.
Packet, in turn, also proved to be a good broodmare. The best of her foals on the racetrack was multiple Grade 2 winner Great Intentions, who was about as good as anything that 1999 Breeders’ Cup Classic (USA-G1) winner Cat Thief ever sired. Packet also produced multiple stakes winner Sea Roads (by Tale of the Cat). Her 1999 Pulpit daughter, The Right Pew, was not as talented, but she kept up the family tradition of producing at least one high-class runner in each generation by giving birth to 2012 Ashland Stakes (USA-G1) winner Karlovy Vary (by Dynaformer). She also produced the winner Speedy Vanessa, a 2017 daughter of American Pharoah who produced Eunomia as her first foal.
Eunomia has already demonstrated a distaste for off going and may well remain in sunny California until the Breeders’ Cup. Given that trainer Saffie Joseph Jr, has indicated that he is unlikely to try her against males in the Pacific Classic (USA-G1) on August 22, that may point to the Zenyatta Stakes (USA-G2) at Santa Anita on September 27 as her likeliest Breeders’ Cup prep. Of course, if she does brave the more uncertain fall weather in the East, the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (USA-G1) on October 4 may enter the picture, given that it will be contested over the Distaff’s course and distance. Regardless of what comes next on the track, Eunomia now has all the pedigree and performance credentials she will need to have access to the best of sires as a broodmare, leading to the hope that one day, one of her daughters will emulate her deeds on the track before taking her due place in the cycle of life.
With her victory in the Hirsch, Eunomia nailed down her fifth win in 16 lifetime starts, raising her bankroll to US$566,193. She also landed a “Win and You’re In” slot for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (USA-G1) at Keeneland on October 31.
Bred by Breed First, Eunomia is the second Grade 1 stakes winner from the first Northern Hemisphere crop of Ashford Stud stallion Tiz the Law, who is also responsible for two Group 1 winners in Chile this year. A four-time Grade 1 winner during his own racing career, the son of three-time Chilean champion sire Constitution and the Tiznow mare Tizfiz is the sire of 24 stakes winners thus far. He is currently 12th on the American general sire list and second on the corresponding list in Chile, where he also leads the juvenile sire list.
Eunomia descends from the great 20th-century matron Bourtai, who produced five stakes winners, four of them fillies. Two of them, Delta (by Nasrullah) and Levee (by Hill Prince), earned honors as Kentucky Broodmare of the Year, establishing major branches of Bourtai’s family that have continued to produce top-level racehorses and classy broodmares in the 21st century.
The best of Bourtai’s daughters on the track was 1957 American champion 3-year-old filly Bayou (by Hill Prince), who produced the good race mare Batteur (by Bold Ruler) and bred on through no less than five of her daughters. The most distinguished of these was Alluvial, an unraced daughter of Buckpasser who produced two-time American champion Slew o’ Gold (by Seattle Slew) and multiple Grade 1 winner Coastal (by Majestic Prince). The latter horse was the spoiler in Spectacular Bid’s Triple Crown attempt in the 1979 Belmont Stakes (USA-G1). Alluvial is also the second dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Aptitude and 1995 Hollywood Oaks (USA-G1) winner Sleep Easy and the third dam of Peruvian Group 1 winner and two-time champion Tunelero.
Bayou Blue, a full sister to Batteur, was only a maiden winner on the track and did not produce any stakes winners, but as a resident at Claiborne Farm, she had access to that legendary facility’s glittering roster of stallions. Put to the excellent sire Hoist the Flag in 1977, she produced the winner Harbor Flag, whose best runner was probably 1986 Louisiana Derby (USA-G3) winner Country Light (by Majestic Light). Harbor Flag also produced multiple stakes winner Packet, a daughter of three-time Grade 1 winner but disappointing sire Polish Navy.
Packet, in turn, also proved to be a good broodmare. The best of her foals on the racetrack was multiple Grade 2 winner Great Intentions, who was about as good as anything that 1999 Breeders’ Cup Classic (USA-G1) winner Cat Thief ever sired. Packet also produced multiple stakes winner Sea Roads (by Tale of the Cat). Her 1999 Pulpit daughter, The Right Pew, was not as talented, but she kept up the family tradition of producing at least one high-class runner in each generation by giving birth to 2012 Ashland Stakes (USA-G1) winner Karlovy Vary (by Dynaformer). She also produced the winner Speedy Vanessa, a 2017 daughter of American Pharoah who produced Eunomia as her first foal.
Eunomia has already demonstrated a distaste for off going and may well remain in sunny California until the Breeders’ Cup. Given that trainer Saffie Joseph Jr, has indicated that he is unlikely to try her against males in the Pacific Classic (USA-G1) on August 22, that may point to the Zenyatta Stakes (USA-G2) at Santa Anita on September 27 as her likeliest Breeders’ Cup prep. Of course, if she does brave the more uncertain fall weather in the East, the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (USA-G1) on October 4 may enter the picture, given that it will be contested over the Distaff’s course and distance. Regardless of what comes next on the track, Eunomia now has all the pedigree and performance credentials she will need to have access to the best of sires as a broodmare, leading to the hope that one day, one of her daughters will emulate her deeds on the track before taking her due place in the cycle of life.
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