Keeneland’s Bank of America Valley View Stakes (USA-G2) on October 24 brought together a full field of 3-year-old fillies seeking a graded win at a mile on turf, none with particularly dominating recent form. Under the circumstances, it appeared to be a wide-open race, and it was Claiborne Farm homebred Admit who ended up getting the job done. Previously grade 3-placed on turf, Admit laid off the early pace and responded well when tipped to the outside for a clear run in the stretch, finishing 1½ lengths clear of Classic Q. It was Admit’s first graded win, and the filly improved her record to 4-1-3 from 11 starts.
A daughter of Claiborne’s good stallion Blame (the 2010 American champion older male), Admit represents one of the farm’s treasured families, that of Monarchy. A full sister to the great Round Table (whose six championship titles over four seasons of racing include American Horse of the Year honors in 1958), Monarchy illustrated the differences that can exist between full siblings as she was a precocious juvenile who failed to improve on her early successes. Her one big score was in the 1959 Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes, and she was also third in the Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland. That record was good enough to get her a rating of 112 pounds on the 1959 Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles, 5 pounds below champion filly My Dear Girl. Monarchy won three of her seven starts at 3 but earned no more black type before retiring to the paddocks.
Although her failure to emulate her brother’s form at 3 and beyond was undoubtedly a disappointment, a stakes-winning full sister to a Horse of the Year, by a fine stallion (Princequillo) who was already starting to make his mark as a broodmare sire and out of an excellent producer (Knight’s Daughter) who had shown brilliant speed during her own racing days, was still a more than welcome addition to the Claiborne broodmare band. Five-time American champion sire Nasrullah, who had gotten excellent results when put to Princequillo mares, was already dead by the time Monarchy began her breeding career, but Nasrullah’s best son, eventual eight-time American champion sire Bold Ruler had taken his place as king of the Claiborne stallion barn. Thus, it was only natural that Monarchy would become a member of his book; in fact, she visited Bold Ruler eight straight times, producing six named foals in 1962-1969.
The results were not impressive given the quality of the parents. Bold Ruler was not the soundest of horses in spite of having been nursed through a 33-race career, and Monarchy tended to pass on the offset knees and upright pasterns that she had inherited from Knight’s Daughter. Only four of Monarchy’s foals by Bold Ruler made it to the races, and one of those did not win. The only one to capture a stakes event was Title, who won the Silver Anniversary Stakes and later produced the minor stakes winner Caption (by Riva Ridge).
The Bold Ruler/Monarchy cross also produced the useful sires Envoy and Blade, so it was not without some merit. Nevertheless, the second half of Monarchy’s broodmare career was spent visiting other Claiborne stallions, and the six live foals she produced in 1970-1979 included her best runner, 1976 Lexington Handicap (USA-G2) winner Fabled Monarch (by Le Fabuleux), and her best producing daughter, the Nijinsky II mare State.
State was not a particularly successful race mare, winning just three of her 34 starts, but she was sounder and more durable than her dam. Like many of Nijinsky II’s progeny, she also showed her best form on turf. She produced five stakes winners, four of which were graded winners.
Narrate, a 1980 daughter of 1975 American champion juvenile male Honest Pleasure, was the first of those graded winners, taking down the 1983 Falls City Handicap (USA-G3). Although she produced only one stakes winner, she was much the most important of State’s foals in the long term. That one stakes winner was 1991 Frizette Stakes (USA-G1) winner Preach (by Mr. Prospector), whose son by A.P. Indy, Pulpit, became both a multiple Grade 2 winner and a good stallion for Claiborne. Pulpit, in turn, sired three-time American champion sire Tapit, currently the primary conduit for the male line of A.P. ‘s sire Seattle Slew, winner of the American Triple Crown in 1977 and the primary link back to Bold Ruler in tail-male. Preach’s winning full sister Yarn proved an even better broodmare, producing 2000 English and Irish champion juvenile male Minardi (by Boundary), 1997 King’s Bishop Stakes (USA-G2) winner and successful sire Tale of the Cat (by Storm Cat), and stakes winner Spunoutacontrol (by Wild Again); she is also the second dam of 2001 American and European champion 2-year-old male Johannesburg (by the Storm Cat horse Hennessy), who stands at the head of a branch of the Storm Cat male line currently anchored by six-time American champion sire Into Mischief.
Admit was produced as the sixth foal from Preach’s last daughter, the winner Profess (by War Front), so it is a safe conclusion to say that she will be as welcome as the flowers in May when it comes to a decision about whether to retain her for the Claiborne broodmare band. In the meantime, her development as a racehorse should be worth watching, assuming she is permitted to continue her racing career next year, for the progeny of Blame typically improve with increasing maturity. She is a living embodiment of the bloodlines and breeding philosophy that have made Claiborne a legend in American Thoroughbred breeding, and it is a pleasure to see a century’s worth of careful stewardship continuing to be rewarded.
A daughter of Claiborne’s good stallion Blame (the 2010 American champion older male), Admit represents one of the farm’s treasured families, that of Monarchy. A full sister to the great Round Table (whose six championship titles over four seasons of racing include American Horse of the Year honors in 1958), Monarchy illustrated the differences that can exist between full siblings as she was a precocious juvenile who failed to improve on her early successes. Her one big score was in the 1959 Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes, and she was also third in the Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland. That record was good enough to get her a rating of 112 pounds on the 1959 Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles, 5 pounds below champion filly My Dear Girl. Monarchy won three of her seven starts at 3 but earned no more black type before retiring to the paddocks.
Although her failure to emulate her brother’s form at 3 and beyond was undoubtedly a disappointment, a stakes-winning full sister to a Horse of the Year, by a fine stallion (Princequillo) who was already starting to make his mark as a broodmare sire and out of an excellent producer (Knight’s Daughter) who had shown brilliant speed during her own racing days, was still a more than welcome addition to the Claiborne broodmare band. Five-time American champion sire Nasrullah, who had gotten excellent results when put to Princequillo mares, was already dead by the time Monarchy began her breeding career, but Nasrullah’s best son, eventual eight-time American champion sire Bold Ruler had taken his place as king of the Claiborne stallion barn. Thus, it was only natural that Monarchy would become a member of his book; in fact, she visited Bold Ruler eight straight times, producing six named foals in 1962-1969.
The results were not impressive given the quality of the parents. Bold Ruler was not the soundest of horses in spite of having been nursed through a 33-race career, and Monarchy tended to pass on the offset knees and upright pasterns that she had inherited from Knight’s Daughter. Only four of Monarchy’s foals by Bold Ruler made it to the races, and one of those did not win. The only one to capture a stakes event was Title, who won the Silver Anniversary Stakes and later produced the minor stakes winner Caption (by Riva Ridge).
The Bold Ruler/Monarchy cross also produced the useful sires Envoy and Blade, so it was not without some merit. Nevertheless, the second half of Monarchy’s broodmare career was spent visiting other Claiborne stallions, and the six live foals she produced in 1970-1979 included her best runner, 1976 Lexington Handicap (USA-G2) winner Fabled Monarch (by Le Fabuleux), and her best producing daughter, the Nijinsky II mare State.
State was not a particularly successful race mare, winning just three of her 34 starts, but she was sounder and more durable than her dam. Like many of Nijinsky II’s progeny, she also showed her best form on turf. She produced five stakes winners, four of which were graded winners.
Narrate, a 1980 daughter of 1975 American champion juvenile male Honest Pleasure, was the first of those graded winners, taking down the 1983 Falls City Handicap (USA-G3). Although she produced only one stakes winner, she was much the most important of State’s foals in the long term. That one stakes winner was 1991 Frizette Stakes (USA-G1) winner Preach (by Mr. Prospector), whose son by A.P. Indy, Pulpit, became both a multiple Grade 2 winner and a good stallion for Claiborne. Pulpit, in turn, sired three-time American champion sire Tapit, currently the primary conduit for the male line of A.P. ‘s sire Seattle Slew, winner of the American Triple Crown in 1977 and the primary link back to Bold Ruler in tail-male. Preach’s winning full sister Yarn proved an even better broodmare, producing 2000 English and Irish champion juvenile male Minardi (by Boundary), 1997 King’s Bishop Stakes (USA-G2) winner and successful sire Tale of the Cat (by Storm Cat), and stakes winner Spunoutacontrol (by Wild Again); she is also the second dam of 2001 American and European champion 2-year-old male Johannesburg (by the Storm Cat horse Hennessy), who stands at the head of a branch of the Storm Cat male line currently anchored by six-time American champion sire Into Mischief.
Admit was produced as the sixth foal from Preach’s last daughter, the winner Profess (by War Front), so it is a safe conclusion to say that she will be as welcome as the flowers in May when it comes to a decision about whether to retain her for the Claiborne broodmare band. In the meantime, her development as a racehorse should be worth watching, assuming she is permitted to continue her racing career next year, for the progeny of Blame typically improve with increasing maturity. She is a living embodiment of the bloodlines and breeding philosophy that have made Claiborne a legend in American Thoroughbred breeding, and it is a pleasure to see a century’s worth of careful stewardship continuing to be rewarded.
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