On May 31, Lovcen overcame a less-than-ideal start and being shuffled back further than desired in the early going to capture his third Group 1 win in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, JPN-G1). Already the winner of the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas, JPN-G1), he is now in position to make a run at history in the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger, JPN-G1) on October 25. Should he win that race, he would become the ninth winner of the Japanese Triple Crown.
Lovcen is by 2019 Kikuka Sho winner World Premiere, who is by Japanese Triple Crown winner Deep Impact out of a stoutly bred German mare, so he comes by stamina honestly. The question is more where he got the devastating turn of foot that allowed him to run down Basse Terre and Realize Sirius in the final strides to claim victory by a head. The answer just might be a Canadian mare who had a sharp flight of speed in her own right and a family with Classic connections in both the United States and Canada.
Lovcen’s dam, Songwriting, could not win in eight starts in Japan, but as a daughter of Giant’s Causeway, she was going to get good opportunities as a broodmare regardless. A European Horse of the Year, Giant’s Causeway had a fine turn of foot in his own right, and that ability to turn on the jets was reinforced by Songwriting’s dam, Embur’s Song.
Many of the progeny of Unbridled’s Song excelled as sprinter-milers, and that proved to be Embur’s Song’s forte. After placing in two of the three races of Canada’s Triple Tiara series as a 3-year-old, Embur’s Song began her 4-year-old season with tries on dirt and turf at Gulfstream Park finishing ninth and fourth, respectively. Taken to Keeneland, which still had a synthetic surface at the time, the filly came to life. Entered in the Hillard Lyons Doubledogdare Stakes (USA-G3) at a mile and one-sixteenth, Embur’s Song popped out of the gate first and stayed there throughout, winning by a neck in track record time of 1:41.62.
Following that race, Embur’s Song went back to Woodbine and its friendly all-weather surface. Cut back to six and one-half furlongs for the Hendrie Stakes (CAN-G3), she used different tactics than she had shown in the Doubledogdare, stalking the early pace and driving home in the last furlong. She then went to Presque Isle Downs for the one-mile Windward Stakes (a listed race), again over a synthetic surface, and again went gate-to wire, though she lasted by only a nose over a moderate field. Then she went back to Woodbine and went gate-to-wire in the Ontario Matron Stakes (CAN-G3) over a mile and one-sixteenth.
That was the last win of Embur’s Song’s career. Second in the Seaway Stakes (CAN-G3) over seven furlongs, she then tried to repeat her gate-to-wire performances in the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (USA-G1) but found both the nine-furlong distance and the class of competition to be a bit much for her; after leading through six furlongs, she tired to finish next to last. She had her last race in the Bessarabian Stakes (CAN-G3) over seven furlongs at Woodbine but appeared to be over the top and ran third without showing her usual speed. Still, her season’s efforts were enough to land her a Sovereign Award as Canada’s champion older female.
Although Embur’s Song was not up to top-class competition, she had shown more than enough to make her a desirable broodmare prospect: she had speed, the ability to carry speed through an extended mile, and enough versatility to use different tactics if the situation demanded. When offered at the Keeneland November sale in 2015, in foal to More Than Ready, she fetched US$900,000. Unfortunately, she has been a disappointment as a broodmare, as reflected by her price of just US$22,000 (in foal to Knicks Go) when sold through Fasig-Tipton’s October digital sale in 2024, and it has been her first foal, Songwriting, and the brilliant Lovcen who have brought her a measure of redemption.
Embur’s Song had the genetics to suggest that lightning might strike among her descendants at any time, given reasonable opportunities. She is a half sister to Grade 3-placed juvenile listed stakes winner Ten Flat (by Meadowlake). She is also a half sister to stakes-placed Dawn Raid (by Vindication), the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Exaggerator (by Curlin), whose victories include the 2016 Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes (USA-G1).
Embur’s Song and her siblings were produced from multiple stakes-placed Embur Sunshine (by the hardy sprinter Bold Ruckus, a ten-time Canadian champion sire), whose half sister Private Villa (by Private Terms) is the second dam of 2011 Ecuadorean champion 3-year-old male Villa Madrid. Embur Sunshine, in turn, is out of Vevila (by The Minstrel), a half sister to three-time Canadian champion Eternal Search (by Northern Answer), who is the second dam of 2021 Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Mrs. Barbara (by Bodemeister), multiple Grade 2 winner Smokey Fire (by Smoke Glacken), 2012 Palos Verdes Stakes (USA-G2) winner Frumious (by Grindstone), and 2008 Dominion Day Stakes (CAN-G3) winner Jiggs Coz (by Cozzene).
Produced from Bon Debarras (by 1972 Manhattan Handicap winner Ruritania, by Graustark), Vevila is also a half sister to 1990 Queen’s Cup (AUS-G3) winner Raslaan (by Shareef Dancer), and to multiple Canadian stakes winner Gone to Royalty (by Royal Chocolate). In addition, Vevila is a half sister to Finally Found (by Lord Durham), dam of 2002 Jamaica Handicap (USA-G2) winner Finality (by Dehere) and 1991 Demoiselle Stakes (USA-G3) winner Stolen Beauty (by Deputy Minister) and second dam of 2009 Swale Stakes (USA-G2) winner This Ones for Phil. Finally, Vevila is a half sister to listed stakes-placed Savethelastdance (by Nureyev), dam of 2004 Queen’s Plate winner Niigon (by Unbridled) and second dam of 2004 Acorn Stakes (USA-G1) winner Island Sand (by Tabasco Cat) and 2006 Mexican champion 2-year-old male Pozo de Luna (by Famous Again).
Taken in total, Embur’s Song may not seem particularly memorable compared to the great ones of her breed. But if she has indeed contributed some of the speed and fire that have gone into making Japan’s latest racing hero, her name will linger longer in memory than those of many others who started off with greater reputations. Good things, it seems, still come to those who wait.
Lovcen is by 2019 Kikuka Sho winner World Premiere, who is by Japanese Triple Crown winner Deep Impact out of a stoutly bred German mare, so he comes by stamina honestly. The question is more where he got the devastating turn of foot that allowed him to run down Basse Terre and Realize Sirius in the final strides to claim victory by a head. The answer just might be a Canadian mare who had a sharp flight of speed in her own right and a family with Classic connections in both the United States and Canada.
Lovcen’s dam, Songwriting, could not win in eight starts in Japan, but as a daughter of Giant’s Causeway, she was going to get good opportunities as a broodmare regardless. A European Horse of the Year, Giant’s Causeway had a fine turn of foot in his own right, and that ability to turn on the jets was reinforced by Songwriting’s dam, Embur’s Song.
Many of the progeny of Unbridled’s Song excelled as sprinter-milers, and that proved to be Embur’s Song’s forte. After placing in two of the three races of Canada’s Triple Tiara series as a 3-year-old, Embur’s Song began her 4-year-old season with tries on dirt and turf at Gulfstream Park finishing ninth and fourth, respectively. Taken to Keeneland, which still had a synthetic surface at the time, the filly came to life. Entered in the Hillard Lyons Doubledogdare Stakes (USA-G3) at a mile and one-sixteenth, Embur’s Song popped out of the gate first and stayed there throughout, winning by a neck in track record time of 1:41.62.
Following that race, Embur’s Song went back to Woodbine and its friendly all-weather surface. Cut back to six and one-half furlongs for the Hendrie Stakes (CAN-G3), she used different tactics than she had shown in the Doubledogdare, stalking the early pace and driving home in the last furlong. She then went to Presque Isle Downs for the one-mile Windward Stakes (a listed race), again over a synthetic surface, and again went gate-to wire, though she lasted by only a nose over a moderate field. Then she went back to Woodbine and went gate-to-wire in the Ontario Matron Stakes (CAN-G3) over a mile and one-sixteenth.
That was the last win of Embur’s Song’s career. Second in the Seaway Stakes (CAN-G3) over seven furlongs, she then tried to repeat her gate-to-wire performances in the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (USA-G1) but found both the nine-furlong distance and the class of competition to be a bit much for her; after leading through six furlongs, she tired to finish next to last. She had her last race in the Bessarabian Stakes (CAN-G3) over seven furlongs at Woodbine but appeared to be over the top and ran third without showing her usual speed. Still, her season’s efforts were enough to land her a Sovereign Award as Canada’s champion older female.
Although Embur’s Song was not up to top-class competition, she had shown more than enough to make her a desirable broodmare prospect: she had speed, the ability to carry speed through an extended mile, and enough versatility to use different tactics if the situation demanded. When offered at the Keeneland November sale in 2015, in foal to More Than Ready, she fetched US$900,000. Unfortunately, she has been a disappointment as a broodmare, as reflected by her price of just US$22,000 (in foal to Knicks Go) when sold through Fasig-Tipton’s October digital sale in 2024, and it has been her first foal, Songwriting, and the brilliant Lovcen who have brought her a measure of redemption.
Embur’s Song had the genetics to suggest that lightning might strike among her descendants at any time, given reasonable opportunities. She is a half sister to Grade 3-placed juvenile listed stakes winner Ten Flat (by Meadowlake). She is also a half sister to stakes-placed Dawn Raid (by Vindication), the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Exaggerator (by Curlin), whose victories include the 2016 Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes (USA-G1).
Embur’s Song and her siblings were produced from multiple stakes-placed Embur Sunshine (by the hardy sprinter Bold Ruckus, a ten-time Canadian champion sire), whose half sister Private Villa (by Private Terms) is the second dam of 2011 Ecuadorean champion 3-year-old male Villa Madrid. Embur Sunshine, in turn, is out of Vevila (by The Minstrel), a half sister to three-time Canadian champion Eternal Search (by Northern Answer), who is the second dam of 2021 Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Mrs. Barbara (by Bodemeister), multiple Grade 2 winner Smokey Fire (by Smoke Glacken), 2012 Palos Verdes Stakes (USA-G2) winner Frumious (by Grindstone), and 2008 Dominion Day Stakes (CAN-G3) winner Jiggs Coz (by Cozzene).
Produced from Bon Debarras (by 1972 Manhattan Handicap winner Ruritania, by Graustark), Vevila is also a half sister to 1990 Queen’s Cup (AUS-G3) winner Raslaan (by Shareef Dancer), and to multiple Canadian stakes winner Gone to Royalty (by Royal Chocolate). In addition, Vevila is a half sister to Finally Found (by Lord Durham), dam of 2002 Jamaica Handicap (USA-G2) winner Finality (by Dehere) and 1991 Demoiselle Stakes (USA-G3) winner Stolen Beauty (by Deputy Minister) and second dam of 2009 Swale Stakes (USA-G2) winner This Ones for Phil. Finally, Vevila is a half sister to listed stakes-placed Savethelastdance (by Nureyev), dam of 2004 Queen’s Plate winner Niigon (by Unbridled) and second dam of 2004 Acorn Stakes (USA-G1) winner Island Sand (by Tabasco Cat) and 2006 Mexican champion 2-year-old male Pozo de Luna (by Famous Again).
Taken in total, Embur’s Song may not seem particularly memorable compared to the great ones of her breed. But if she has indeed contributed some of the speed and fire that have gone into making Japan’s latest racing hero, her name will linger longer in memory than those of many others who started off with greater reputations. Good things, it seems, still come to those who wait.
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