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Mares on Monday: Five G Becomes Latest Contender for the Kentucky Oaks

3/31/2025

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​Saturday’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Park Oaks (USA-G2) marked the end of Kentucky Oaks (G1) dreams for The Queens M G, who was vanned off with a knee injury. Now retired, she will have to await the arrival of daughters to perhaps pursue the lilies in her stead. One star’s setting is often accompanied by another’s rising, however, and Five G became the day’s rising star. Rebounding from a one-length loss to Quietside in the Honeybee Stakes (USA-G3) on February 23, Five G, the race favorite, made use of her natural speed to control the tempo throughout the race and came home a winner by 2¼ lengths. Her victory gave her 100 points toward a Kentucky Oaks starting berth to go with the 25 points she earned in the Honeybee, easily clinching a spot in the Oaks starting gate.

A homebred campaigned by Michael Gatsas’s Gatsas Stables, Five G is the fourth stakes winner of March and the fifth stakes winner of 2025 for 2024 American champion freshman sire Vekoma, who stands at Spendthrift Farm. The winner of the 2020 Runhappy Carter Handicap (USA-G1) and Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (USA-G1), Vekoma had frightful action in front as seen head-on but was a very fast horse nonetheless, and 222 mare owners were ready and willing to take a chance that his speed would be transmitted more faithfully than his foreleg conformation when he served his first book of mares in 2021. Their faith in the son of Candy Ride and 2010 Humana Distaff Stakes (USA-G1) winner Mona de Momma (by Speightstown) appears to have been justified; of the 163 named foals of his first Northern Hemisphere crop, 65 are already winners and nine are stakes winners, with three quarters of their 3-year-old season still to come.

Five G is the second foal and first winner produced from the Quality Road mare Triumphant, a half sister to listed stakes winner Lipstick City (by City Zip). The sisters are out of the winning A.P. Indy mare Star Torina, a full sister to 2008 Lane’s End Stakes (USA-G2) winner Adriano. Star Torina is also a half sister to Grade 3-placed Gold d’Oro (by Medaglia d’Oro), dam of 2018 Swale Stakes (USA-G3) winner Strike Power (by Speightstown).

Star Torina, in turn, is out of the winning Mr. Prospector mare Gold Canyon, a half sister to Grade 3-placed restricted stakes winner Double Scoop (by Seeking the Gold). Gold Canyon’s dam Golden Treat (by Theatrical) won the 1992 Santa Anita Oaks (USA-G1) and is a half sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Bet Twice, whose victories include the 1987 Belmont Stakes (USA-G1). Adding to the appeal of this pedigree, 1987 Dwyer Stakes (USA-G1) winner and excellent sire Gone West appears 4x4 as the sire of Speightstown (maternal grandsire of Vekoma) and Elusive Quality (sire of Quality Road).

Five G did not meet a particularly strong field of fillies in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (the only graded stakes winner in the field of six was The Queens M G), and her Equibase speed figure of 93 represented both a slight regression from the 97 she posted from the Honeybee Stakes and a level of performance significantly below that of the season’s best fillies. On the other side. Quietside franked the form of the Honeybee by stepping up and winning the Fantasy Stakes (USA-G3) at Oaklawn Park in a long, sustained drive, earning an Equibase figure of 100. Both of these fillies will probably cross swords again in the Kentucky Oaks, giving another opportunity to assess their form relative to one another and to the best members of their division.


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Mares on Monday: Bourbonette Goes Down Smoothly for Bless the Broken

3/24/2025

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​Last weekend served as confirmation of Good Cheer as the likely favorite for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1). The unbeaten filly, whose background was discussed in this column on February 17 (“Mares on Monday: Good Cheer Looks Good in Rachel Alexandra Stakes”), scored a solid win in the Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks (USA-G2) on March 22 to run her record to six-for-six. Adding a cherry to the ice cream, she also had her form franked by one of her beaten rivals in the Rachel Alexandra. Deciding against a rematch with the pro tem leader of the division, the connections of Bless the Broken opted to go to the listed Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park on the same day as the Fair Grounds Oaks. They were rewarded by the first career stakes win for their filly, who won by 2¾ lengths while completing the mile and one-sixteenth over Turfway Park’s all-weather surface in 1:44.65.

After picking up 50 points on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard for her performance, Bless the Broken has probably guaranteed herself a starting spot in the Oaks if breeder-owner Kevin Moody (Cypress Creek Equine) and co-owner Sol Kumin (Madaket Stables) want it. The question is whether they will. On the plus side toward going is Bless the Broken’s Equibase figure of 101, just a point off the 102 Good Cheer posted in the Fair Grounds Oaks and higher than any 3-year-old filly other than Good Cheer has earned in any of the Oaks preps thus far. On the negative side is that this synthetic-surface performance represents a 20-point jump up from Bless the Broken’s last outing (in the Rachel Alexandra) and an 11-point improvement over her next best lifetime figure. The positive interpretation is that Bless the Broken is blooming at the right time to be a genuine Oaks contender and will continue her improvement. The negative interpretation is that Bless the Broken is much better suited to synthetics or possibly turf than dirt. There is also the possibility that, regardless of surface, she could be set up to bounce off her big effort.

Bless the Broken is from the final crop of the Uncle Mo stallion Laoban, who scored his sole career win from nine starts in the 2016 Jim Dandy Stakes (USA-G2) but was injured in his next start, the Travers Stakes (USA-G1), and was retired to Sequel Stallions in New York. A surprise second behind the similarly sired Nyquist on the 2020 American freshman sire list, he was relocated to WinStar Farm in Kentucky but died suddenly in May 2021. His best runners include 2020 Alcibiades Stakes (USA-G1) winner Simply Ravishing and Grade 2 winners Keepmeinmind and Un Ojo.

On the dam’s side, Bless the Broken has a close-up Kentucky Oaks connection as her dam, The Nightingale, is a Tapit half sister to 2013 Oaks winner Princess of Sylmar, a mare whose resume includes three other Grade 1 wins as a 3-year-old. The Nightingale was much less able on the track, failing to win or place in three starts. She has two other named foals: Because the Night, a 2021 ridgling by Uncle Mo who has won two of 16 starts, and the unraced Quality Road 2-year-old Bourbon Dream. The Nightingale did not produce a foal in 2024 and was bred to Jackie’s Warrior that spring.

Storm Dixie, the dam of The Nightingale and Princess of Sylmar, placed in a restricted stakes for New York-breds. Sired by the successful New York regional sire Catienus (by Storm Cat) from the winner Golden Wave Band (by Dixieland Band), she is a half sister to Group 3 winner Rhythm Band (by Cozzene) and to Poppy’s Baby Girl (by Yankee Victor), dam of 2013 Canadian champion female sprinter Youcan’tcatchme (by The Daddy).

Bless the Broken’s pedigree does not look particularly turfy, but stranger things have happened in bloodstock breeding, and her performance in the Bourbonette at least suggests that there will be multiple options for planning the filly’s summer campaign. In the meantime, decision time is approaching as to whether she will be allowed to “take her chance,” as the English say, in the biggest spring event for her sex in the United States or will seek what may be lower-hanging fruit elsewhere. Off her Bourbonette win, she looks as if she can at least be competitive with the other sophomore fillies of the current season.
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Mares on Monday: Lady Be Good Just Gets Better in Brazil

3/17/2025

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​Ethereum, the blockchain, is popular among cryptocurrency investors, second only to bitcoin for market capialization. Ethereum, the Brazilian filly, is looking like a pretty good investment too, at least for owner Stud New Bridge. On March 9, while racing in Gávea’s Grande Prêmio de Diana (BRZ-G1), second leg of Rio de Janeiro’s Triple Crown for 3-year-old fillies, Ethereum unleashed a powerful stretch drive down the center of the track and downed dual Group 1 winner Night of Rose by 4½ lengths. In doing so, Ethereum claimed her second Group 1 win and franked the form that saw her named Brazil’s champion 2-year-old filly for 2023/24.

Bred by Carlos Dos Santos, Ethereum is a daughter of the Pioneerof the Nile horse Courtier. A Grade 2-placed listed stakes winner on turf in the United States, Courtier entered stud at Brazil’s Haras São José da Serra in 2016. He is well on his way to notching his third consecutive top-10 finish among Brazilian general sires (he is currently 5th on the list), which is perhaps not surprising considering that his third dam, 1993 French champion juvenile filly Coup de Genie, is a full sister to 1989 French champion juvenile male and highly successful European sire Machiavellian. Further back, this is the family of Northern Dancer, Halo, and Danehill, who all need no introduction as sires.

Ethereum was produced from 2016 Grande Prêmio Francisco Villela de Paula Machado (BRZ-G2) winner Etapa Vencida, whose late sire Wild Event (winner of the 1999 Early Times Turf Classic Stakes, USA-G1) has notched six Brazilian broodmare sire titles to go with his three Brazilian general sire titles and is atop the 2024/25 broodmare sire list by a wide margin. A five-time winner of the Mossoró Trophy as Brazil’s Stallion of the Year, Wild Event is a Wild Again half brother to 1994 American champion turf male Paradise Creek (by Irish River) and 2001 Manhattan Handicap (USA-G1) winner Forbidden Apple (by Pleasant Colony) and so had all the credentials one could want for stud service in a country where almost all the important races take place on turf and the stamina to run 2000 to 2400 meters (about 1¼ to 1½ miles) is still at a premium.

A full sister to Brazilian Group 3 winners Mrs. Boss and Aspiración (dam of listed Brazilian stakes winner Gone Hollywood, by Bal a Bali), Etapa Vencida is out of the winner Lychee, whose sire De Quest (by Rainbow Quest) won the 1995 Prix Conseil de Paris (FR-G2) before being exported to Brazil for stallion duty. Lychee is a half sister to Infini (by Dynaformer), dam of 2005 Grande Prêmio Juliano Martins (BRZ-G1) winner Parfum Parfait (by Clackson) and 2009 Grande Prêmio Mario de Azevedo Ribeiro (BRZ-G3) winner Taos (by Signal Tap) and second dam of 2024 Grande Prêmio Marques de Almirante Tamandare (BRZ-G2) winner Nudini (by Drosselmeyer). Lychee is also a half sister to Quantia Exata (by Trempolino), dam of 2014/15 Brazilian champion 3-year-old filly Cruiseliner (by Wild Event), and to Voltagem Alta (by Wild Event), dam of 2018/19 Uruguayan champion 2-year-old male Alto Voltage (by the Pulpit horse Ecclesiastic).

Ex Facto (by Known Fact), the dam of Lychee and her siblings, was a winner in the United States and served as a broodmare in both Brazil and Uruguay. She was produced from the sprint stakes winner Premier Princess (by Exclusive Native), whose dam, Foresight Princess (by Reviewer), produced two other stakes winners and was a daughter of the Phipps family foundation mare Lady Be Good. It took a few generations for the latent power of this branch of Lady Be Good’s family to kick in, but it has served Brazilian breeding well and, if Ethereum continues her winning ways, may soon have another championship title to add to an already excellent record.
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Mares on Monday: Patience Pays Off with Grade 1 Win for Cavalieri

3/10/2025

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​Back in 2007-2010, the adage “Good things come to those who wait” was illustrated by John Shirreffs, who took his time with a big, lanky filly named Zenyatta and developed her into one of the greatest race mares in American history. Unraced until November of her 3-year-old season, Zenyatta rewarded Shirreffs’s patient approach with four Eclipse Awards, topped off by the golden statuette as the 2010 American Horse of the Year. Now Bob Baffert is taking a page from Shirreffs’s book with a big, growthy filly of his own. While it’s too soon to say that his trainee Cavalieri is the next Zenyatta, Speedway Stables’ filly is certainly moving in the right direction. Chasing down her Group 1-winning stablemate Richi, who had everything her way on the front end, Cavalieri strode smoothly to the front in the last 100 yards of the B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile presented by FanDuel TV (USA-G1) and prevailed by three-quarters of a length. The victory ran Cavalieri’s record to a perfect four-for-four and boosted her bankroll to US$318,000.

Bred by Alastar Thoroughbred Co., Cavalieri is the eighth Grade/Group 1 winner for 2015 American champion 2-year-old male Nyquist. The leading son of the late Uncle Mo, Nyquist is now the primary representative of the Grey Sovereign branch of the Nasrullah male line in North America. This sire line came to the United States in 1977 via that year’s French champion sire, Caro, whose North American runners included 1985 American champion turf male Cozzene, 1988 Kentucky Derby winner and American champion 3-year-old filly Winning Colors, and 1989 Canadian Triple Crown winner and Canadian Horse of the Year With Approval. While in Kentucky, Caro also sired 1984 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand Guineas, FR-G1) winner Siberian Express, whose blinding-fast multiple Grade 1 winner In Excess sired 1998 Santa Anita Derby (USA-G1) winner Indian Charlie, sire of Uncle Mo.

Cavalieri is the third foal of Stiffed, whose sire Stephen Got Even (by A.P. Indy) won the 2000 Donn Handicap (USA-G1). Previously the dam of 2023 Gulfstream Park Oaks (USA-G2) winner Affirmative Lady (by Arrogate), Stiffed was a nice filly during her own racing days, taking the listed Monmouth Beach Stakes and the restricted Jersey Girl Handicap as a 4-year-old in 2015.

A half sister to five-time stakes winner Speaking (by Mr Speaker) and to dual stakes winner Sea Streak (by Sea Wizard), Stiffed is out of the unraced Silver Deputy mare High Noon Nellie. The next dam in the tail-female line, Full and Fancy (by 1983 Santa Anita Derby winner Marfa, by Foolish Pleasure), won the 1997 Next Move Handicap (USA-G3) and is out of Full Twirl (by Full Out), a winning half sister to multiple stakes winners Big Daddy’s Dream (by Big Earl) and Flying Baton (by Accipiter). This family has a decent production record, but Cavalieri is arguably the best horse produced by any mare in the direct female line since 1904 Clark Handicap winner Colonial Girl, whose dam Springtide was Cavalieri’s 13th dam.

For what it is worth, Colonial Girl, a big, rugged mare who made a habit of beating males in good races, was at her best at ages 5 and 6, perhaps foreshadowing the development of her many-times-over “grand-niece.” In any event, patience has paid off with a Grade 1 win for a filly who looks as though she may still have some development coming to her. If so, she should be a significant player in this year's older female division.


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Mares on Monday: The Queens M G Cruises in Davona Dale

3/3/2025

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​Saturday’s Fasig-Tipton Davona Dale Stakes (USA-G2) scratched down to a five-horse field that contained three fillies with graded black type and two that had only maiden wins to their credit. The race turned out to be quite formful. Moving forward off her seasonal debut in the Forward Gal Stakes (USA-G3), in which she was third, 2024 Adirondack Stakes (USA-G2) winner The Queens M G stalked early, took control in the upper stretch, and never looked back as she won by 2¾ lengths. 2024 Pocahontas Stakes (USA-G3) victress La Cara, a last-out winner of the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa, recovered from hitting the gate to get the place, and 2024 Demoiselle Stakes (USA-G2) runner-up Ballerina d’Oro closed to finish a nose behind La Cara.

All three placers would need to improve substantially off this performance to be up with the best fillies in the sophomore division. The time was 1:37.85 for a mile on a fast track, and while Gulfstream does not have a particularly quick surface, a final quarter-mile in :25.53 is not overly encouraging. Still, spring is often a season of rapid change for 3-year-olds, and all of these fillies should have a chance to get another prep in before their connections make a decision about going to the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1).

For The Queens M G, the question will be how much further she can develop. Had she run to the form she showed in her maiden victory, a 4½ furlong dash at Keeneland that saw her awarded a 97 Equibase figure, she would be among the best of this year’s sophomore misses. But in seven starts since then, she has only once run back within 10 points of that form, this while winning the 6-furlong Schuylerville Stakes. That does not bode well for stretching out to 9 furlongs two months from now against the likes of Tenma and Good Cheer.

That being said, many a trainer would be more than happy to have The Queens M G in the barn whether she proves to be Oaks material or not. There are worse things to have occupying one of one’s stalls than a multiple graded stakes winner who seems to have the makings of a capable sprinter.

The Queens M G’s success at Keeneland made her the first winner credited to multiple graded stakes winner Thousand Words (by Pioneerof the Nile), whose marquee wins came in the 2019 Los Alamitos Futurity (USA-G2) and 2020 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (USA-G3). Produced from multiple Grade 2 sprint winner Pomeroys Pistol (whose sire, Pomeroy, was a multiple Grade 1 winner over sprint distances), Thousand Words is also the sire of 2024 stakes winner and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (USA-G1) runner-up Vodka With a Twist and of Puerto Rican Grade 3 winner Caribbean Gal.

The Queens M G is the second foal and second winner produced from Show Queen, a daughter of 1996 Kentucky Derby (USA-G1) winner Grindstone. Show Queen, in turn, is out of Talent Queen (by the world-record-setting miler Elusive Quality), who is a half sister to 2006 Sorrento Stakes (USA-G3) winner Untouched Talent (by Storm Cat), juvenile stakes winner King Gulch (by Gulch), and Saudi Arabian champion Obay (by Kingmambo).

Talent Queen’s dam, multiple Grade 3 winner Parade Queen (by A.P. Indy), was something of an anomaly among the better horses coming from this family in that she did not reach her best form until late in her 3-year-old season and was at her best around two turns on turf. The female line traces back to 1973 English champion 2-year-old filly Bitty Girl, a fleet daughter of 1968 English champion miler Habitat.

Looking to the future, La Cara, whose sire is Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and who already has a stakes win at more than a mile to her credit, may have more Kentucky Oaks potential than The Queens M G, given that she posted a 95 Equibase figure in the Suncoast and had her excuses in the Davona Dale. Based on this race, though, Florida;s 3-year-old fillies have some catching up to do if any of them hope to wear the lilies in May.
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Mares on Monday: Quietside Makes Some Noise in Honeybee Stakes

2/24/2025

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​In the Honeybee Stakes (USA-G3) on February 23, 2024 Demoiselle Stakes (USA-G2) winner Muhimma was expected to be the leading lady. Instead, Quietside, who has played the understudy to some nice fillies in her last several races, stepped into the spotlight and staked her claim to a major role in this year’s Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1). Never far from the lead as Five G showed the way, Quietside went a bit wide on the final turn as Muhimma challenged to her outside but dug in gamely and put away both her rivals, who continued on well themselves as Quietside secured the win by a length over Five G; Muhimma was another 3 ½ lengths back in third. The time was a respectable 1:43.63, earning Quietside a 97 Equibase figure that puts her right up there with the division’s leaders.

A homebred racing for John E. Anthony’s Shortleaf Stable, Quietside is from the last crop of the good A.P. Indy horse Malibu Moon, whose other daughters include Coaching Club American Oaks (USA-G1) winners Devil May Care and Funny Moon as well as 2018 Canadian champion female sprinter Moonlit Promise and 2019 Polla de Potrancas (Peruvian One Thousand Guineas, PER-G1) winner Emilia’s Moon. She is the first foal to race from Benner Island, whose only other named produce is the unraced 2019 Bernardini filly Cranberry Cove. The mare’s most recent issue is a 2024 filly by Bolt d’Oro, and she was bred back to Bolt d’Oro for 2025.

A daughter of 2004 American champion sprinter and important sire Speightstown, Benner Island was a good race mare on her own account, winning the 2017 Eight Belles Stakes (USA-G2) and earning two other graded stakes placings including a third in the 2017 Acorn Stakes (USA-G1). She is a full sister to two-time Vagrancy Handicap (USA-G3) winner Victim of Love, third in the 2020 Ballerina Handicap (USA-G1), and is also a half sister to 2018 Iowa Derby (USA-L) winner High North (by Midnight Lute).

Spacy Tracy, the dam of Benner Island and her siblings, capped her career as a 5-year-old by winning the 2010 Top Flight Handicap (USA-G2). Sired by 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic (USA-G1) winner Awesome Again, she is a half sister to Berkeley Handicap (USA-G3) winner Run It (by Cherokee Run). Spacy Tracy is also a half sister to Irish Dream (by Orientate), dam of 2023 Premio Ocurencia (ARG-G3) winner Elveda (by Manipulator).

The next dam in Quietside’s female line, Tracy (by 1987 American champion turf male Theatrical) was only a minor winner from five starts but is a half sister to 1992 American champion 2-year-old filly Eliza (by Mt. Livermore), dam of Irish listed stakes winner Samuel Morse (by Danehill Dancer) and second dam of 2011 Florida Derby (USA-G1) winner Dialed In (by Mineshaft) and 2017 Queen of the Turf (AUS-G1) winner Foxplay (by Foxwedge). Also a half sister to 1991 Santa Anita Derby (USA-G1) winner Dinard (by Strawberry Road) and listed stakes winner Power Bidder (by Lines of Power), Tracy is from Bruce Lowe Family 37, a line that entered the United States through the 1858 English import Melrose.

Although Benner Island never won at a distance longer than a mile, Quietside has already outdone that, and there seems no reason to think that she cannot handle another sixteenth of a mile. Given Anthony’s Arkansas connections, it seems likely that her next outing will probably be the Fantasy Stakes (USA-G3) on March 29 over the same track and distance. This race was the springboard for last year’s Kentucky Oaks winner, Thorpedo Anna, and a solid performance to follow up yesterday’s could set Quietside up nicely for a chance at making history repeat itself.
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Mares on Monday: Good Cheer Looks Good in Rachel Alexandra Stakes

2/17/2025

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​On Saturday, Good Cheer made her seasonal debut in the Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes (USA-G2). If there was any rust on the Brad Cox trainee since her last outing, a comfortable win in the Golden Rod Stakes (USA-G2) over the 2024 Thanksgiving weekend, it wasn’t apparent. Facing a short field of three rivals, Good Cheer never looked like anything but a winner and galloped in by 6¼ lengths to keep her unbeaten record intact. She now has 70 points toward a starting berth in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1), topping the Oaks leaderboard.

Cox insists that they “don’t make races long enough” for his filly, and on paper, there is absolutely no reason to believe that Good Cheer cannot go as far as 3-year-old fillies are asked to go on dirt in the United States. The Godolphin homebred is by a well-proven sire of two-turn horses in Medaglia d’Oro, who won the 2002 Travers Stakes (USA-G1) during his own racing days and is already the sire of Kentucky Oaks winners Rachel Alexandra and Plum Pretty. Her dam is Wedding Toast, a daughter of 2007 Kentucky Derby (USA-G1) winner Street Sense who scored a handy win in the 2015 Beldame Stakes (USA-G1) over 9 furlongs. If further evidence is needed as to Good Cheer’s likely distance capacity, Wedding Toast previously produced listed stakes winner Ya Hayati (by Dubawi), whose average winning distance is 9.17 furlongs.

Wedding Toast is out of unraced Golden Sheba, whose sire, the quirky but talented Coronado’s Quest, emulated his sire Forty Niner (the American champion juvenile of 1987) by winning the Travers Stakes ten years after Forty Niner’s gritty triumph over Seeking the Gold. Produced from Mari’s Sheba, Golden Sheba is a half sister to Arazi’s best son, Congaree, who won five Grade 1 races at distances from 7 to 10 furlongs. She is also a half sister to stakes winner Sangaree (by Awesome Again) and to Mari’s Thunder (by Thunder Gulch), dam of listed stakes winner Storm Belt (by More Than Ready).

Mari’s Sheba herself ran third in the 1995 Santa Anita Oaks (USA-G1) over 8.5 furlongs but preferred shorter distances. A half sister to 1992 Austrian champion 3-year-old male Rubico (by Big Spruce), she is by the Northern Dancer horse Mari’s Book out of Sheba Little, a daughter of 1980 English champion miler Known Fact. This female line traces back to 1965 Oaks Stakes winner Long Look, a daughter of the stamina influence Ribot.

With last year’s champion 2-year-old filly, Immersive, on the sidelines due to bone bruising, Good Cheer’s primary rival for preeminence in her division thus far in the season is Tenma, who came home with equal ease over an even shorter field in the Las Virgenes Stakes (USA-G3) on February 2. With Tenma likely to stay in California for now while Good Cheer remains in the East, their paths are unlikely to cross prior to the Kentucky Oaks itself. One would like to see what they can do against larger fields of quality rivals before they get to the biggest target of the spring for sophomore fillies, but for now, they have done what has been asked of them with style, and they can hardly be blamed for not beating horses that were not there.




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Mares on Monday: Chilean Group 3 Winner Modelina Adds to Family of Toussaud

2/10/2025

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​Last week, “Mares on Monday” covered Lucky Red’s win in Chile’s El Derby (CHI-G1), but she was not the only filly of interest on that weekend’s racing card. The other Group stakes at Valparaiso on February 2 was the Premio Albero Solari M. for 3-year-old fillies going 1600 meters. It was won by Modelina, a product of Haras Paso Nevada who was picking up her first stakes win for her owner, Stud Vendaval. A daughter of 2016 American champion 2-year-old male Classic Empire, Modelina is the latest graded/Group stakes winner for the family of 2003 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Toussaud, whose history is well worth reviewing,

A daughter of Northern Dancer’s son El Gran Senor, who won four championship titles in England and Ireland, Toussaud was produced from 1980 Milady Handicap (USA-G2) winner Image of Reality (by In Reality). She lived up to her regal heritage on the track, though not without some interesting moments for trainer Bobby Frankel due to her quirky, stubborn disposition. She won four stakes races as a 4-year-old, topped by the 1993 Gamely Handicap (USA-G1), and was ranked second to champion Flawlessly in the 1993 American turf female division.

As a broodmare for breeder-owner Juddmonte Farms, Toussaud was nothing less than sensational in spite of chronically fragile feet that rendered her unable to rear her own foals (they were raised by nurse mares) and a tendency to pass on her temperament issues. From 10 named foals, she produced five stakes winners, four of them at the Grade/Group 1 level. The first, Chester House (by Mr. Prospector), won the 2000 Arlington Million Stakes (USA-G1). Unfortunately, he died in 2003, cutting short what would probably been an excellent stud career as he begot 28 stakes winners from 223 named foals. Next up was 2000 Santa Monica Handicap (USA-G1) winner Honest Lady (by Seattle Slew), dam of 2008 Forego Handicap (USA-G1) winner First Defence (by Unbridled’s Song) and listed stakes winners Phantom Rose (by Danzig), Honest Quality (by Elusive Quality), and Honest Mischief (by Into Mischief). On January 19, 2025, Honest Lady was represented by her great-granddaughter Toupie (Uncle Mo x Avertume, by Tapit x Honest Pursuit, by Storm Cat), who won the Las Cienegas Stakes (USA-G3) over Santa Anita’s downhill turf course.

Decarchy (by Distant View), the next of Toussaud’s black-type runners, won the 2002 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap (USA-G2) but did not achieve anything noteworthy as a sire. He was followed by Chiselling (by Woodman), winner of the 2002 Secretariat Stakes (USA-G1), and then by Empire Maker. A first-rate racehorse when he cared to show his full ability, the son of Unbridled won the 2003 Belmont Stakes (USA-G1) and Florida Derby (USA-G1). He sired 75 stakes winners headed by three-time American champion Royal Delta and, through his Grade 1-winning son Pioneerof the Nile, is the paternal grandsire of 2015 American Horse of the Year American Pharoah, the first American Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

Two of Toussaud’s unraced daughters have added to their dam’s produce record by having some success as broodmares. The elder, Tinge (by Kingmambo), is the second dam of 2024 Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes (USA-G3) winner Artislas (Catalina Cruiser x Moms Pride, by Into Mischief). The younger is Mesmeric (by A.P. Indy), dam of 2017 New Orleans Handicap (USA-G2) winner Honorable Duty (by Distorted Humor) and, through her Mizzen Mast daughter Modulate, the second dam of Modelina, Since producing Modelina, Modulate has given birth to the unraced 2022 Classic Empire colt Macanazo and to Moonlit, a 2024 filly by Tiz the Law.

Overall, Toussaud’s record for breeding on through her daughters is somewhat disappointing given her own great accomplishments as a broodmare, but no mare with four top-level winners, a Grade 1-producing daughter, and a couple of good sire sons to her credit needs to blush for her production. It is to be hoped that Toupie, Modulate, Modelina, and other female-line descendants will be able to come up with some more notable runners and producers who will carry Toussaud’s name forward to future generations.
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Mares on Monday: Lucky Red Made Her Own Luck in Chilean Derby

2/3/2025

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​Although two Grade 3 Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) preps ran over the weekend, with Eclatant (Into Mischief x Downside Scenario, by Scat Daddy) taking the Fasig-Tipton Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Park on February 1 and Tenma winning the Fasig-Tipton Las Virgenes Stakes on February 2, the best performance of the weekend by a 3-year-old filly didn’t take place in North America. Instead, it fell to Chile’s Valparaiso course to host the showstopper, as Lucky Red outran 15 other colts and fillies to capture the Premio El Derby (Chilean Derby, CHI-G1).

Both Lucky Red and third-place Cassis Violeta are daughters of 2008 American champion 2-year-old male Midshipman out of daughters of multiple European Group 1 winner Henrythenavigator, a cross that seems promising considering that of six Midshipman foals out of six different daughters of “Henry,” two others have won in addition to the two Group 1-winning fillies. (Prior to her third in El Derby, Cassis Violeta won the 2024 Premio Arturo Lyon Peña, CHI-G1.) Midshipman also accounted for the El Derby runner-up, the colt Ponteau, and all three placers were bred by Haras Don Alberto, which has led the Chilean breeders’ list annually since 2011.

A half sister to listed stakes winner Tommy Shelby (by Constitution), Lucky Red is out of the winner La Fortezza, half sister to Group 1-placed listed stakes winner Larco (by Ivan Denisovich). La Fortezza’s dam, the winning Dushyantor mare Lady in White, is out of unraced Lady Lopez (by the Blushing Groom horse Lord Florey), whose gelded half brother Weeping (by Worldwatch) won the 1991 Premio Francisco Astaburuaga (CHI-G3). The next dam in Lucky Red’s tail-female lineage, the winning Maribeau mare Sensitive, was imported to Chile in utero and is out of the winner Sensitiv Elizabeth (by Sensitivo), whose half sister Miss Wildcatter (by Mr. Prospector) is the dam of 1993 American champion 3-year-old filly Hollywood Wildcat.

Lucky Red was bred on Southern Hemisphere time, so she is about six months ahead of her North American counterparts, who are just getting started on their 3-year-old seasons and are still several months away from the spring Classics. Both Eclatant and Tenwa earned 20 points toward a starting spot in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1), but the former, who posted an Equibase figure of 87 in winning the Forward Gal, is well behind Tenma, whose Equibase figure of 99 for the Las Virgenes is more what you would like to see for a possible Oaks contender. However, Tenma (whose antecedents were discussed in “Mares on Monday: Tenma Continues Anne Campbell’s Success with Juveniles in Del Mar Debutante,” September 9, 2024) faced only two rivals in the Las Virgenes and had things her own way well before the turn for home, so how much she got out of her race is open to question. In any event, all three fillies will bear watching as the first half of 2025 continues.
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Mares on Monday: Be Your Best Flies Up the Flagpole in Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf

1/27/2025

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​On January 25, Michael Ryan’s Irish-bred mare Be Your Best took another step up the class ladder in the TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf presented by SirDavis American Whiskey (USA-G2). Already a multiple Grade 3 winner, the daughter of 2015 European champion sprinter Muhaarar ran down pacesetter In Our Time and then held off the closing rally of Sacred Wish to claim her first Grade 2 victory in the mile and one-sixteenth event and bump her earnings up to US$900,309. Her lifetime record currently stands at five wins and five placings from 18 starts, and she notched a career-best Equibase speed figure of 111 for her effort, besting the 109 given to fellow Saffie A, Joseph Jr. trainee White Abarrio for his victory in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (USA-G1).

Be Your Best is a fourth-generation descendant of the excellent matron Up the Flagpole, who proved a gem in William S. Farish III’s broodmare band. The winner of the 1984 Delaware Oaks (USA-G2), Up the Flagpole produced seven stakes winners from 10 named foals. Three earned honors at Grade/Group 1 level: Prospectors Delite (by Mr. Prospector), who won the 1992 Ashland Stakes and Acorn Stakes before going on to become the 2003 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year; 1995 Premio Presidente della Repubblica winner Flagbird (by Nureyev), the highweight older female over 9.5-11 furlongs in England, Ireland, and Italy; and Runup the Colors (by A.P. Indy), winner of the 1997 Alabama Stakes.

Flagbird was a disappointing producer during her time in the paddocks, with 2002 Arlington-Washington Futurity (USA-G3) runner-up Anasheed (by A.P. Indy) proving the best of her five winners on the track. She has fared better as a dam of broodmares, though. Her stakes-placed daughter Dubai Belle (by Mr. Prospector) is the dam of 2008 Ashland Stakes (USA-G1) winner and Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) runner-up Little Belle (by A.P. Indy), herself the dam of 2017 Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (USA-G1) winner Dickinson (by Medaglia d’Oro; dam of listed stakes winner Wadsworth, by Quality Road). Little Belle’s stakes-winning full sister Dubai Dancer is the second dam of 2021 Woodbine Oaks (CAN-R) winner and Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Munnyfor Ro.

Returning to Flagbird, she is also the dam of Scarlet Ibis (by Machiavellian), dam of 2012 Albany Stakes (ENG-G3) winner Newfangled (by New Approach). Another daughter of Flagbird, Lophorina (by King’s Best), is the dam of listed stakes winner Lady Alexandra (by More Than Ready), runner-up in the 2018 Highlander Stakes (CAN-G1). Finally, Flagbird is the dam of Kotuku (by A.P. Indy), dam of Grade 3-placed restricted stakes winner Bay of Plenty (by Medaglia d’Oro) and of Grade 1-placed Fortify (by Distorted Humor), a three-time runner-up on the Argentine general sire list. Kotuku’s best producing daughter so far is Kamakura (by Medaglia d’Oro), who produced Be Your Best as her third foal before producing an unnamed 2023 colt by Too Darned Hot and a 2024 filly by Baaeed.

Up the Flagpole traces back to the breed-shaping matriarch La Troienne through Ogden Phipps’s foundation mare Striking, a granddaughter of La Troienne and a stakes-winning full sister to 1945 American Horse of the Year Busher. This is a family that has created much of the rich legacy of the Phipps family’s breeding program and has yielded many a gold nugget for other breeders as well, among them Be Your Best’s breeder, St. Croix Bloodstock. As a Grade 2-winning member of this legendary lineage, Be Your Best will obviously be a valuable broodmare prospect when the time comes for her retirement, but it can be hoped that she will get a fair chance to add Grade 1 glitter to her name before she departs racing for motherhood,


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    I'm Avalyn Hunter, an author, pedigree researcher and longtime racing fan with a particular interest in Thoroughbred mares and their contributions to the history of the breed.

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