One may well have to go back to Zenyatta to think of a more imposing female Thoroughbred than Taraz, and this is a 3-year-old filly whose actual third birthday is still over two months off. She is huge, towering over handlers and making jockeys look like tots tossed into the saddle for a pony ride.
So far, she has been imposing in another way as well. While she has a long, long way to go to compile the kind of record Zenyatta took with her into retirement, she has done everything asked of her so far and done it with a flourish. Now 3-for-3, she picked up her second stakes win in the Martha Washington Stakes over a mile at Oaklawn and did it with ease in spite of looking a little immature. Most likely she will take either the Oaklawn or Fair Grounds route toward the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1), but her connections have not ruled out a trial against males with the Triple Crown trail in mind.
A daughter of 2019 American champion sire Into Mischief, Taraz is a great-granddaughter of the modern matriarch Slightly Dangerous, a mare who showed substantial ability on the turf and still greater prowess in the breeding shed. The 1997 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year, Slightly Dangerous had progeny running the gamut from champions and Classic winners to top sires and daughters able to breed on.
Slightly Dangerous was produced by the mating of Derby Stakes (ENG-G1) winner Roberto with Group 3 winner and Oaks Stakes (ENG-G1) runner-up Where You Lead, by Raise a Native. Her racing career closely paralleled her dam's; a listed stakes winner at 2, she won the Fred Darling Stakes (ENG-G3) at 3 before emulating her mother with a runner-up finish in the Oaks. Also like her mother, she made just four starts before retiring to the paddocks, leaving one to wonder what might have been had she been more durable.
Nonetheless, the turf's loss proved the breed's gain. Slightly Dangerous produced 12 named foals. 11 of those foals started, and 10 were winners who between them amassed over US$3.6 million in earnings.
After kicking off her broodmare career with stakes-placed Timefighter (by Star Appeal), Slightly Dangerous produced her first headliner in Warning (by Known Fact), who won five championship titles in England and France. A crack miler, Warning was a successful sire who begot at least 51 stakes winners in Europe and Japan.
Deploy, Slightly Dangerous' 1987 foal by Shirley Heights, ran second in the 1990 Budweiser Irish Derby (IRE-G1). His 1989 full sister Shirley Valentine was not quite so able, getting her stakes placing in listed company, but has done more for future generations so far. She is the dam of Group 3 winners Memorise (by Lyphard) and Multiplex (by Danehill). She is also the second dam of Group 2 winner Await the Dawn and Group 3 winner Index Linked and the third dam of 2018 South Australian Derby (AUS-G1) winner Leicester and Group 3 winner Ollie Olga.
Following Shirley Valentine, Slightly Dangerous next produced Commander in Chief to the cover of Dancing Brave. in contrast to his half brother Warning, Commander in Chief was a top middle-distance horse by European standards and won the 1993 Ever Ready Derby (ENG-G1) and Budweiser Irish Derby (IRE-G1). His only loss in six starts was a third-place finish behind older horses in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes (ENG-G1). Following his retirement at the end of the year, he followed Warning to Japan but was a less successful sire.
Slightly Dangerous followed up with a Group 3-placed full sister to Commander in Chief, Totality, before producing Dushyantor in 1993 to the cover of Sadler's Wells. He proved just below the top rank as a middle-distance runner, winning two Group 2 events and placing in five Group 1 events. In Chile, he led the general sire list in 2008-2010 and was among the top 10 sires for 13 consecutive years. He is now proving a valuable broodmare sire as well, having led the Chilean list of maternal grandsires for five consecutive years (2015-2019).
Yashmak, Slightly Dangerous' 1994 daughter by Danzig, won the 1997 Flower Bowl Invitational Handicap (USA-G1). She has proven a good broodmare in her turn, her foals including 2014 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere Grand Criterium (FR-G1) winner Full Mast (by Mizzen Mast) and Group 2-placed stakes winner Sound of Nature (by Chester House).
The last of Slightly Dangerous' five stakes winners is Yashmak's 1995 full sister Jibe, who was Group 1-placed at 2 and won a listed event at 3. Unlike her elder sister, Jibe was a disappointing broodmare with only one winner among her eight foals. Two of her daughters have produced stakes winners, however: Sharp Point (by Point Given), dam of New Zealand-bred listed stakes winner Flavigny (by Mastercraftsman), and Silk Route (by Empire Maker), dam of Taraz. Since giving birth to Taraz, Silk Route has since produced a 2018 full brother to Taraz (now named Silk Trade) and a 2019 filly by 2016 American champion turf male Flintshire. She was reported barren for 2020.
Although Warning was a champion juvenile in England, this family has generally produced horses that improve from 2 to 3, and Taraz seems likely to follow that pattern. The question may be more how durable she is likely to be given her great size and the stresses that high mass of necessity puts on supporting structures at racing speed. Should she remain sound and continue improving, she may be more than slightly dangerous when it comes to the spring Classics.
So far, she has been imposing in another way as well. While she has a long, long way to go to compile the kind of record Zenyatta took with her into retirement, she has done everything asked of her so far and done it with a flourish. Now 3-for-3, she picked up her second stakes win in the Martha Washington Stakes over a mile at Oaklawn and did it with ease in spite of looking a little immature. Most likely she will take either the Oaklawn or Fair Grounds route toward the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1), but her connections have not ruled out a trial against males with the Triple Crown trail in mind.
A daughter of 2019 American champion sire Into Mischief, Taraz is a great-granddaughter of the modern matriarch Slightly Dangerous, a mare who showed substantial ability on the turf and still greater prowess in the breeding shed. The 1997 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year, Slightly Dangerous had progeny running the gamut from champions and Classic winners to top sires and daughters able to breed on.
Slightly Dangerous was produced by the mating of Derby Stakes (ENG-G1) winner Roberto with Group 3 winner and Oaks Stakes (ENG-G1) runner-up Where You Lead, by Raise a Native. Her racing career closely paralleled her dam's; a listed stakes winner at 2, she won the Fred Darling Stakes (ENG-G3) at 3 before emulating her mother with a runner-up finish in the Oaks. Also like her mother, she made just four starts before retiring to the paddocks, leaving one to wonder what might have been had she been more durable.
Nonetheless, the turf's loss proved the breed's gain. Slightly Dangerous produced 12 named foals. 11 of those foals started, and 10 were winners who between them amassed over US$3.6 million in earnings.
After kicking off her broodmare career with stakes-placed Timefighter (by Star Appeal), Slightly Dangerous produced her first headliner in Warning (by Known Fact), who won five championship titles in England and France. A crack miler, Warning was a successful sire who begot at least 51 stakes winners in Europe and Japan.
Deploy, Slightly Dangerous' 1987 foal by Shirley Heights, ran second in the 1990 Budweiser Irish Derby (IRE-G1). His 1989 full sister Shirley Valentine was not quite so able, getting her stakes placing in listed company, but has done more for future generations so far. She is the dam of Group 3 winners Memorise (by Lyphard) and Multiplex (by Danehill). She is also the second dam of Group 2 winner Await the Dawn and Group 3 winner Index Linked and the third dam of 2018 South Australian Derby (AUS-G1) winner Leicester and Group 3 winner Ollie Olga.
Following Shirley Valentine, Slightly Dangerous next produced Commander in Chief to the cover of Dancing Brave. in contrast to his half brother Warning, Commander in Chief was a top middle-distance horse by European standards and won the 1993 Ever Ready Derby (ENG-G1) and Budweiser Irish Derby (IRE-G1). His only loss in six starts was a third-place finish behind older horses in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes (ENG-G1). Following his retirement at the end of the year, he followed Warning to Japan but was a less successful sire.
Slightly Dangerous followed up with a Group 3-placed full sister to Commander in Chief, Totality, before producing Dushyantor in 1993 to the cover of Sadler's Wells. He proved just below the top rank as a middle-distance runner, winning two Group 2 events and placing in five Group 1 events. In Chile, he led the general sire list in 2008-2010 and was among the top 10 sires for 13 consecutive years. He is now proving a valuable broodmare sire as well, having led the Chilean list of maternal grandsires for five consecutive years (2015-2019).
Yashmak, Slightly Dangerous' 1994 daughter by Danzig, won the 1997 Flower Bowl Invitational Handicap (USA-G1). She has proven a good broodmare in her turn, her foals including 2014 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere Grand Criterium (FR-G1) winner Full Mast (by Mizzen Mast) and Group 2-placed stakes winner Sound of Nature (by Chester House).
The last of Slightly Dangerous' five stakes winners is Yashmak's 1995 full sister Jibe, who was Group 1-placed at 2 and won a listed event at 3. Unlike her elder sister, Jibe was a disappointing broodmare with only one winner among her eight foals. Two of her daughters have produced stakes winners, however: Sharp Point (by Point Given), dam of New Zealand-bred listed stakes winner Flavigny (by Mastercraftsman), and Silk Route (by Empire Maker), dam of Taraz. Since giving birth to Taraz, Silk Route has since produced a 2018 full brother to Taraz (now named Silk Trade) and a 2019 filly by 2016 American champion turf male Flintshire. She was reported barren for 2020.
Although Warning was a champion juvenile in England, this family has generally produced horses that improve from 2 to 3, and Taraz seems likely to follow that pattern. The question may be more how durable she is likely to be given her great size and the stresses that high mass of necessity puts on supporting structures at racing speed. Should she remain sound and continue improving, she may be more than slightly dangerous when it comes to the spring Classics.
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