On December 28, Hard Not to Love became something more than just Wonder Gadot's younger half sister. A come-from-behind win in the La Brea Stakes (USA-I) made her a top stakes winner in her own right. The win will also put her into the record books as the mount on which Mike Smith tied Jerry Bailey's record for Grade I wins. (He broke the record later on the same card by winning the Malibu Stakes on Omaha Beach.)
As noted in a previous post ("Wonder Gadot Is a Gal Canadians Love," April 22, 2019), Hard Not to Love is a member of the family of the modern foundation mare Gal I Love. The daughter of Hard Spun is the third stakes winner produced by Loving Vindication (by Vindication), a great-great-granddaughter of Gal I Love who had previously produced both Wonder Gadot and Grade II-placed stakes winner Solemn Tribute (both by Medaglia d'Oro). In between those two, Loving Vindication produced their full sister Bezzera, who never raced and now has a yearling colt by Street Boss and a weanling filly by Bernardini. The former, a US$90,000 weanling at the 2018 Keeneland November mixed sale, proved a successful pinhook at Keeneland September, bringing US$300,000 as a yearling.
Wonder Gadot herself sold for US$2 million to Japan's K I Farm at the Fasig-Tipton November sale last month and will begin her breeding career next spring after retiring from racing on June 6, 2019. As for Loving Vindication, she has a good chance of adding to her resume. Her 2017 colt by Bodemeister, Loch Garman, has yet to race, but the mare has since foaled a 2018 filly by Nyquist and a 2019 colt by Curlin before being bred to Medaglia d'Oro for 2020.
While Loving Vindication is the most successful daughter of Chimichurri (an Elusive Quality mare who traces to Gal I Love through that mare's daughter Homespun, herself an important producer), another daughter has helped to boost this branch of the family in 2019. This is the winning A.P. Indy mare Chimayo, whose daughter Secret Spice (by Discreet Cat) won the 2019 Beholder Mile Stakes (USA-I) and placed in two other Grade I races. Also the dam of stakes-placed Mexican Hat (by Street Cry), Chimayo produced a Nyquist colt in 2018 and a Medaglia d'Oro filly in 2019.
Chimichurri was represented by still another stakes producer in 2019 thanks to Claire's Song (by Unbridled's Song), whose son Elusive Mischief (by Into Mischief) won the restricted Meadow Stable Stakes at Colonial Downs on August 10. The next two foals of Claire's Song have so far failed to win, but the mare is still getting good opportunities as she produced a 2018 filly by Exaggerator and a 2019 filly by Gun Runner.
Chimichurri herself sold for just US$1,500 at the Keeneland November sale of 2016, thanks to a produce record that at that time boasted only three winners from 10 foals. Most of her foals were sired by top-class stallions, however, and Bull Hancock's dictum that the family is greater than the individual---at least when it comes to mares---appears to be illustrated by the production records of her daughters. All of her black-type producers are young enough to still have years of broodmare service in front of them, and given the quality of the sires they have been seeing recently, it is entirely possible that Hard Not to Love is part of a still-rising tide that may make a US$1,500 purchase into a modern foundation mare.
As noted in a previous post ("Wonder Gadot Is a Gal Canadians Love," April 22, 2019), Hard Not to Love is a member of the family of the modern foundation mare Gal I Love. The daughter of Hard Spun is the third stakes winner produced by Loving Vindication (by Vindication), a great-great-granddaughter of Gal I Love who had previously produced both Wonder Gadot and Grade II-placed stakes winner Solemn Tribute (both by Medaglia d'Oro). In between those two, Loving Vindication produced their full sister Bezzera, who never raced and now has a yearling colt by Street Boss and a weanling filly by Bernardini. The former, a US$90,000 weanling at the 2018 Keeneland November mixed sale, proved a successful pinhook at Keeneland September, bringing US$300,000 as a yearling.
Wonder Gadot herself sold for US$2 million to Japan's K I Farm at the Fasig-Tipton November sale last month and will begin her breeding career next spring after retiring from racing on June 6, 2019. As for Loving Vindication, she has a good chance of adding to her resume. Her 2017 colt by Bodemeister, Loch Garman, has yet to race, but the mare has since foaled a 2018 filly by Nyquist and a 2019 colt by Curlin before being bred to Medaglia d'Oro for 2020.
While Loving Vindication is the most successful daughter of Chimichurri (an Elusive Quality mare who traces to Gal I Love through that mare's daughter Homespun, herself an important producer), another daughter has helped to boost this branch of the family in 2019. This is the winning A.P. Indy mare Chimayo, whose daughter Secret Spice (by Discreet Cat) won the 2019 Beholder Mile Stakes (USA-I) and placed in two other Grade I races. Also the dam of stakes-placed Mexican Hat (by Street Cry), Chimayo produced a Nyquist colt in 2018 and a Medaglia d'Oro filly in 2019.
Chimichurri was represented by still another stakes producer in 2019 thanks to Claire's Song (by Unbridled's Song), whose son Elusive Mischief (by Into Mischief) won the restricted Meadow Stable Stakes at Colonial Downs on August 10. The next two foals of Claire's Song have so far failed to win, but the mare is still getting good opportunities as she produced a 2018 filly by Exaggerator and a 2019 filly by Gun Runner.
Chimichurri herself sold for just US$1,500 at the Keeneland November sale of 2016, thanks to a produce record that at that time boasted only three winners from 10 foals. Most of her foals were sired by top-class stallions, however, and Bull Hancock's dictum that the family is greater than the individual---at least when it comes to mares---appears to be illustrated by the production records of her daughters. All of her black-type producers are young enough to still have years of broodmare service in front of them, and given the quality of the sires they have been seeing recently, it is entirely possible that Hard Not to Love is part of a still-rising tide that may make a US$1,500 purchase into a modern foundation mare.
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