On July 2, Olympiad continued his rise in the older male ranks with a powerful victory over Grade 1 winners Americanrevolution and Mandaloun in the Stephen Foster Stakes (USA-G2) at Churchill Downs. After being lightly raced at 2 and 3, the four-year-old son of Speightstown has put it all together to be undefeated in five starts this year, four of them in graded stakes. His next target may be a Grade 1 win in the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga, and if he makes the step up, a golden opportunity awaits at the end of the year, for the Stephen Foster win guaranteed him a slot in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-G1), to be held this year at Keeneland.
Bred by Emory Hamilton, Olympiad is from a family developed by Hamilton since her acquisition of an elegant bay yearling filly by Blushing Groom from the Dr. Fager mare Remedia. Bred by the King Ranch, the filly had less than ideal forelegs, and Blushing Groom was still too early in his stud career to make it obvious what kind of sire he was going to be. Hamilton, though, could trace her own bloodlines back to King Ranch founder Richard King, and she was intimately familiar with the King Ranch pedigrees and the horses they produced. She bought the filly for US$100,000 from the 1980 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July select yearling sale, named her Too Chic, and turned her over to trainer Jim Maloney. For Hamilton (then still known by her maiden name, Alexander) and Maloney, Too Chic won four of eight races at 3 including the 1982 Maskette Stakes (USA-G1).
Too Chic produced two Grade 1 winners with her first two foals, both by Mr. Prospector, and they were the best of her producing daughters as well. Queena, the more consistent of the two, waited until age 4 to get good and was voted an Eclipse Award in the older female division at age 5 after winning three Grade 1 races in 1991. She produced 2000 Early Times Hollywood Derby (USA-G1) winner Brahms (by Danzig), 2003 Tempted Stakes (USA-G3) winner La Reina (by A.P. Indy), and stakes winner Olympic (by Danzig) and is the second dam of 2013 Swaps Stakes (USA-G2) winner Chief Havoc (by Giant's Causeway).
Queen's elder sister Chic Shirine was more precocious but much less consistent, with her one big win coming in the 1987 Ashland Stakes (USA-G1). In the paddocks, she produced 1994 Ladies Handicap (USA-G2) winner Tara Roma and 1995 True North Handicap (USA-G2) winner Waldoboro, both by Lyphard. Tara Roma, in turn, is the dam of 2001 Go for Wand Handicap (USA-G1) winner Serra Lake (by Seattle Slew) and multiple Grade 3 winner Cappuchino (by Capote). In addition, she is the second dam of Grade 3 winner Coal Play and the third dam of 2015 Travers Stakes (USA-G1) winner Keen Ice and Grade 3 winner Crewman (by Candy Ride). Tara Roma's full sister Mayan Maiden has also contributed to the family, becoming the second dam of 2016 Del Mar Oaks (USA-G1) winner Harmonize (by Scat Daddy) and 2010 Bowling Green Handicap (USA-G2) winner Al Khali (by Medaglia d'Oro).
None of Chic Shirine's foals by other sires achieved much on the track, but three more of her daughters have become noteworthy producers. Chic Corine, an unraced daughter of Nureyev, produced 2014 TVG Diana Stakes (USA-G1) winner Somali Lemonade (by Lemon Drop Kid) and listed stakes winner Rasta Farian (by Holy Bull) and is the second dam of French Group 3 winner Baraan (by Dalakhani); in addition, she is the third dam of 2017 British Champions Sprint Stakes (ENG-G1) winner Librisa Breeze (by Mount Nelson). Chic Shirine's last foal, the Giant's Causeway mare Enchanted Rock, also became a Grade 1 producer, foaling multiple Grade 1 winner Verrazano (by More Than Ready) and 2012 Risen Star Stakes (USA-G2) winner El Padrino (by Pulpit).
In between Chic Corine and Enchanted Rock, Chic Shirine produced Flying Passage, a 2000 daughter of A.P. Indy who won one of her six starts. While she did not come up with a Grade 1 winner among her 10 named foals, she did produce multiple Grade 2 winner Hungry Island (by More Than Ready) and 2011 Hal's Hope Stakes (USA-G3) winner Soaring Empire as well as Flying Dixie (by Dixieland Band), dam of 2019 Woodward Stakes (USA-G1) winner Preservationist (by Arch). Flying Passage's Grade 3-placed daughter Tokyo Time (by Medaglia d'Oro) is the dam of Olympiad, and another daughter, Divine Rule (by Empire Maker), has also joined the ranks of graded or Group stakes producers tracing to Chic Shirine, foaling 2022 UAE Two Thousand Guineas (UAE-G3) winner Azure Coast (by Street Sense).
Chic Shirine's family has yet to come up with a first-rate stallion in its ranks, but in all other respects, its production record has been admirable. Much of the credit for its success must be given to Hamilton, who while selling the colts has retained the fillies for her own broodmare band and knows the subtleties of their conformations and temperaments over generations as well as their performance records. That knowledge has paid off in yet another high-class runner, who is rising toward the top in Olympic style.
Bred by Emory Hamilton, Olympiad is from a family developed by Hamilton since her acquisition of an elegant bay yearling filly by Blushing Groom from the Dr. Fager mare Remedia. Bred by the King Ranch, the filly had less than ideal forelegs, and Blushing Groom was still too early in his stud career to make it obvious what kind of sire he was going to be. Hamilton, though, could trace her own bloodlines back to King Ranch founder Richard King, and she was intimately familiar with the King Ranch pedigrees and the horses they produced. She bought the filly for US$100,000 from the 1980 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July select yearling sale, named her Too Chic, and turned her over to trainer Jim Maloney. For Hamilton (then still known by her maiden name, Alexander) and Maloney, Too Chic won four of eight races at 3 including the 1982 Maskette Stakes (USA-G1).
Too Chic produced two Grade 1 winners with her first two foals, both by Mr. Prospector, and they were the best of her producing daughters as well. Queena, the more consistent of the two, waited until age 4 to get good and was voted an Eclipse Award in the older female division at age 5 after winning three Grade 1 races in 1991. She produced 2000 Early Times Hollywood Derby (USA-G1) winner Brahms (by Danzig), 2003 Tempted Stakes (USA-G3) winner La Reina (by A.P. Indy), and stakes winner Olympic (by Danzig) and is the second dam of 2013 Swaps Stakes (USA-G2) winner Chief Havoc (by Giant's Causeway).
Queen's elder sister Chic Shirine was more precocious but much less consistent, with her one big win coming in the 1987 Ashland Stakes (USA-G1). In the paddocks, she produced 1994 Ladies Handicap (USA-G2) winner Tara Roma and 1995 True North Handicap (USA-G2) winner Waldoboro, both by Lyphard. Tara Roma, in turn, is the dam of 2001 Go for Wand Handicap (USA-G1) winner Serra Lake (by Seattle Slew) and multiple Grade 3 winner Cappuchino (by Capote). In addition, she is the second dam of Grade 3 winner Coal Play and the third dam of 2015 Travers Stakes (USA-G1) winner Keen Ice and Grade 3 winner Crewman (by Candy Ride). Tara Roma's full sister Mayan Maiden has also contributed to the family, becoming the second dam of 2016 Del Mar Oaks (USA-G1) winner Harmonize (by Scat Daddy) and 2010 Bowling Green Handicap (USA-G2) winner Al Khali (by Medaglia d'Oro).
None of Chic Shirine's foals by other sires achieved much on the track, but three more of her daughters have become noteworthy producers. Chic Corine, an unraced daughter of Nureyev, produced 2014 TVG Diana Stakes (USA-G1) winner Somali Lemonade (by Lemon Drop Kid) and listed stakes winner Rasta Farian (by Holy Bull) and is the second dam of French Group 3 winner Baraan (by Dalakhani); in addition, she is the third dam of 2017 British Champions Sprint Stakes (ENG-G1) winner Librisa Breeze (by Mount Nelson). Chic Shirine's last foal, the Giant's Causeway mare Enchanted Rock, also became a Grade 1 producer, foaling multiple Grade 1 winner Verrazano (by More Than Ready) and 2012 Risen Star Stakes (USA-G2) winner El Padrino (by Pulpit).
In between Chic Corine and Enchanted Rock, Chic Shirine produced Flying Passage, a 2000 daughter of A.P. Indy who won one of her six starts. While she did not come up with a Grade 1 winner among her 10 named foals, she did produce multiple Grade 2 winner Hungry Island (by More Than Ready) and 2011 Hal's Hope Stakes (USA-G3) winner Soaring Empire as well as Flying Dixie (by Dixieland Band), dam of 2019 Woodward Stakes (USA-G1) winner Preservationist (by Arch). Flying Passage's Grade 3-placed daughter Tokyo Time (by Medaglia d'Oro) is the dam of Olympiad, and another daughter, Divine Rule (by Empire Maker), has also joined the ranks of graded or Group stakes producers tracing to Chic Shirine, foaling 2022 UAE Two Thousand Guineas (UAE-G3) winner Azure Coast (by Street Sense).
Chic Shirine's family has yet to come up with a first-rate stallion in its ranks, but in all other respects, its production record has been admirable. Much of the credit for its success must be given to Hamilton, who while selling the colts has retained the fillies for her own broodmare band and knows the subtleties of their conformations and temperaments over generations as well as their performance records. That knowledge has paid off in yet another high-class runner, who is rising toward the top in Olympic style.
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