Last weekend served as confirmation of Good Cheer as the likely favorite for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1). The unbeaten filly, whose background was discussed in this column on February 17 (“Mares on Monday: Good Cheer Looks Good in Rachel Alexandra Stakes”), scored a solid win in the Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks (USA-G2) on March 22 to run her record to six-for-six. Adding a cherry to the ice cream, she also had her form franked by one of her beaten rivals in the Rachel Alexandra. Deciding against a rematch with the pro tem leader of the division, the connections of Bless the Broken opted to go to the listed Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park on the same day as the Fair Grounds Oaks. They were rewarded by the first career stakes win for their filly, who won by 2¾ lengths while completing the mile and one-sixteenth over Turfway Park’s all-weather surface in 1:44.65.
After picking up 50 points on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard for her performance, Bless the Broken has probably guaranteed herself a starting spot in the Oaks if breeder-owner Kevin Moody (Cypress Creek Equine) and co-owner Sol Kumin (Madaket Stables) want it. The question is whether they will. On the plus side toward going is Bless the Broken’s Equibase figure of 101, just a point off the 102 Good Cheer posted in the Fair Grounds Oaks and higher than any 3-year-old filly other than Good Cheer has earned in any of the Oaks preps thus far. On the negative side is that this synthetic-surface performance represents a 20-point jump up from Bless the Broken’s last outing (in the Rachel Alexandra) and an 11-point improvement over her next best lifetime figure. The positive interpretation is that Bless the Broken is blooming at the right time to be a genuine Oaks contender and will continue her improvement. The negative interpretation is that Bless the Broken is much better suited to synthetics or possibly turf than dirt. There is also the possibility that, regardless of surface, she could be set up to bounce off her big effort.
Bless the Broken is from the final crop of the Uncle Mo stallion Laoban, who scored his sole career win from nine starts in the 2016 Jim Dandy Stakes (USA-G2) but was injured in his next start, the Travers Stakes (USA-G1), and was retired to Sequel Stallions in New York. A surprise second behind the similarly sired Nyquist on the 2020 American freshman sire list, he was relocated to WinStar Farm in Kentucky but died suddenly in May 2021. His best runners include 2020 Alcibiades Stakes (USA-G1) winner Simply Ravishing and Grade 2 winners Keepmeinmind and Un Ojo.
On the dam’s side, Bless the Broken has a close-up Kentucky Oaks connection as her dam, The Nightingale, is a Tapit half sister to 2013 Oaks winner Princess of Sylmar, a mare whose resume includes three other Grade 1 wins as a 3-year-old. The Nightingale was much less able on the track, failing to win or place in three starts. She has two other named foals: Because the Night, a 2021 ridgling by Uncle Mo who has won two of 16 starts, and the unraced Quality Road 2-year-old Bourbon Dream. The Nightingale did not produce a foal in 2024 and was bred to Jackie’s Warrior that spring.
Storm Dixie, the dam of The Nightingale and Princess of Sylmar, placed in a restricted stakes for New York-breds. Sired by the successful New York regional sire Catienus (by Storm Cat) from the winner Golden Wave Band (by Dixieland Band), she is a half sister to Group 3 winner Rhythm Band (by Cozzene) and to Poppy’s Baby Girl (by Yankee Victor), dam of 2013 Canadian champion female sprinter Youcan’tcatchme (by The Daddy).
Bless the Broken’s pedigree does not look particularly turfy, but stranger things have happened in bloodstock breeding, and her performance in the Bourbonette at least suggests that there will be multiple options for planning the filly’s summer campaign. In the meantime, decision time is approaching as to whether she will be allowed to “take her chance,” as the English say, in the biggest spring event for her sex in the United States or will seek what may be lower-hanging fruit elsewhere. Off her Bourbonette win, she looks as if she can at least be competitive with the other sophomore fillies of the current season.
After picking up 50 points on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard for her performance, Bless the Broken has probably guaranteed herself a starting spot in the Oaks if breeder-owner Kevin Moody (Cypress Creek Equine) and co-owner Sol Kumin (Madaket Stables) want it. The question is whether they will. On the plus side toward going is Bless the Broken’s Equibase figure of 101, just a point off the 102 Good Cheer posted in the Fair Grounds Oaks and higher than any 3-year-old filly other than Good Cheer has earned in any of the Oaks preps thus far. On the negative side is that this synthetic-surface performance represents a 20-point jump up from Bless the Broken’s last outing (in the Rachel Alexandra) and an 11-point improvement over her next best lifetime figure. The positive interpretation is that Bless the Broken is blooming at the right time to be a genuine Oaks contender and will continue her improvement. The negative interpretation is that Bless the Broken is much better suited to synthetics or possibly turf than dirt. There is also the possibility that, regardless of surface, she could be set up to bounce off her big effort.
Bless the Broken is from the final crop of the Uncle Mo stallion Laoban, who scored his sole career win from nine starts in the 2016 Jim Dandy Stakes (USA-G2) but was injured in his next start, the Travers Stakes (USA-G1), and was retired to Sequel Stallions in New York. A surprise second behind the similarly sired Nyquist on the 2020 American freshman sire list, he was relocated to WinStar Farm in Kentucky but died suddenly in May 2021. His best runners include 2020 Alcibiades Stakes (USA-G1) winner Simply Ravishing and Grade 2 winners Keepmeinmind and Un Ojo.
On the dam’s side, Bless the Broken has a close-up Kentucky Oaks connection as her dam, The Nightingale, is a Tapit half sister to 2013 Oaks winner Princess of Sylmar, a mare whose resume includes three other Grade 1 wins as a 3-year-old. The Nightingale was much less able on the track, failing to win or place in three starts. She has two other named foals: Because the Night, a 2021 ridgling by Uncle Mo who has won two of 16 starts, and the unraced Quality Road 2-year-old Bourbon Dream. The Nightingale did not produce a foal in 2024 and was bred to Jackie’s Warrior that spring.
Storm Dixie, the dam of The Nightingale and Princess of Sylmar, placed in a restricted stakes for New York-breds. Sired by the successful New York regional sire Catienus (by Storm Cat) from the winner Golden Wave Band (by Dixieland Band), she is a half sister to Group 3 winner Rhythm Band (by Cozzene) and to Poppy’s Baby Girl (by Yankee Victor), dam of 2013 Canadian champion female sprinter Youcan’tcatchme (by The Daddy).
Bless the Broken’s pedigree does not look particularly turfy, but stranger things have happened in bloodstock breeding, and her performance in the Bourbonette at least suggests that there will be multiple options for planning the filly’s summer campaign. In the meantime, decision time is approaching as to whether she will be allowed to “take her chance,” as the English say, in the biggest spring event for her sex in the United States or will seek what may be lower-hanging fruit elsewhere. Off her Bourbonette win, she looks as if she can at least be competitive with the other sophomore fillies of the current season.
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