Round Pond (USA)
May 21, 2002 – Living
Awesome Again (CAN) x Gift of Dance (USA), by Trempolino (USA)
Family 20-d
May 21, 2002 – Living
Awesome Again (CAN) x Gift of Dance (USA), by Trempolino (USA)
Family 20-d
Produced from a half sister to three multiple Grade/Group 1 winners, Round Pond showed plenty of the family’s talent in her own right. Talented enough to defeat eventual divisional champion Smuggler in the Acorn Stakes (USA-G1) as a 3-year-old, she trained on at four to pull an upset in the top prize for American fillies and mares, the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (USA-G1), scoring at 14-1 odds. She has been a Grade 1 producer as a broodmare.
Race record
13 starts, 7 wins, 2 seconds, 3 thirds, US$1,998,700
2005:
2006:
2007:
Honors
Eclipse Award runner-up, American champion older female (2006)
Assessments
Rated at 117 pounds in the Mile category on the 2006 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings for her performance in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, 12 pounds below overall highweight Invasor; 11 pounds below the top-rated miler, Discreet Cat; and 6 pounds below the top-rated filly or mare, English and French highweight older female Pride.
As an individual
A racy-looking bay mare with the strong, round hindquarters typical of the progeny of Awesome Again, Round Pond appears upright on her pasterns. She did not race at 2. She had her 3-year-old season curtailed by a chip in her left knee and missed the summer of her 4-year-old season due to foot trouble. She was retired in 2007 after suffering a slab fracture to a knee during the running of the Apple Blossom Handicap.
As a producer
Round Pond produced seven named foals, of which five started and won. Her important foals are as follow:
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Round Pond was bred by Trudy McCaffery and John Toffan. Owned by Fox Hill Farm (Rick Porter), who bought the filly for US$105,000 from the 2003 Keeneland September yearling sale. Trained by Michael Matz, who took over from John Servis following the filly's three-year-old season. She was ridden to her Breeders’ Cup Distaff win by Edgar Prado. She was purchased by Darley for US$5.75 million from the 2007 Fasig-Tipton November mixed sale. Round Pond was pensioned from broodmare duty after producing a dead foal in 2021 and slipping in 2022.
Pedigree notes
Round Pond is inbred 4x5x5 to the great international sire Northern Dancer and has the full brothers Vice Regent (a perennial champion sire in Canada) and Viceregal (the 1968 Canadian Horse of the Year) 3x4 in her pedigree. She is out of Gift of Dance, a half sister to multiple Grade/Group 1 winners Black Minnaloushe (by Storm Cat), Nasr El Arab (by Al Nasr), and Pennekamp (by Bering). Gift of Dance is also a half sister to French listed stakes winner Shaal (by Lear Fan) and to Lyrical Dance (by Lear Fan), dam of Italian listed stakes winner Sensa Rete (by Barathea).
Gift of Dance and her siblings are out of 1980 Criterium des Pouliches (FR-G1) runner-up Coral Dance, whose dam, French stakes winner Carvinia (by 1966 French champion older male Diatome), is a half sister to 1964 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Carvin II (by Marino) and to 1970 Prix de Dangu winner Carabin (by Marino). Carvinia, in turn, was produced from Coraline (by three-time French champion Fine Top), a half sister to 1963 Gran Criterium winner Crylor (by Silnet).
Copelina, the dam of Coraline and Crylor, is a stakes-placed full sister to French stakes winner Cobios. Sired by 1940 Prix Daru winner Loliondo, the siblings are out of Casserole, by 1934 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand Guineas) and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Brantôme.
Books and media
Footage of Round Pond’s win in the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Distaff can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MN7qcJ3gmg.
Fun facts
Photo credit
Photo taken by Jessica Morgan at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton November sale.
Last updated: September 1, 2024
Race record
13 starts, 7 wins, 2 seconds, 3 thirds, US$1,998,700
2005:
- Won Acorn Stakes (USA-G1, 8FD, Belmont)
- Won Fantasy Stakes (UA-G2, 8.5FD, Oaklawn Park)
- Won Honeybee Stakes (USA-L, 8.5FD, Oaklawn Park)
- 2nd Delaware Oaks (USA-G2, 8.5FD, Delaware Park)
2006:
- Won Emirates Airlines Breeders' Cup Distaff (USA-G1, 9FD, Churchill Downs)
- Won Azeri Breeders' Cup Stakes (USA-G3, 8.5FD, Oaklawn Park)
- 2nd Molly Pitcher Breeders' Cup Handicap (USA-G2, 8.5FD, Monmouth)
- 3rd Beldame Stakes (USA-G1, 9FD, Belmont)
2007:
- 3rd Apple Blossom Handicap (USA-G1, 8.5FD, Oaklawn Park)
Honors
Eclipse Award runner-up, American champion older female (2006)
Assessments
Rated at 117 pounds in the Mile category on the 2006 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings for her performance in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, 12 pounds below overall highweight Invasor; 11 pounds below the top-rated miler, Discreet Cat; and 6 pounds below the top-rated filly or mare, English and French highweight older female Pride.
As an individual
A racy-looking bay mare with the strong, round hindquarters typical of the progeny of Awesome Again, Round Pond appears upright on her pasterns. She did not race at 2. She had her 3-year-old season curtailed by a chip in her left knee and missed the summer of her 4-year-old season due to foot trouble. She was retired in 2007 after suffering a slab fracture to a knee during the running of the Apple Blossom Handicap.
As a producer
Round Pond produced seven named foals, of which five started and won. Her important foals are as follow:
- Long River (2010, by A.P. Indy) won the 2017 Maktoum Challenge Round 3 (UAE-G1). He entered stud in Maryland in 2019 and has shuttled to Chile.
- Tyburn Brook (2013, by Bernardini) never raced but is the dam of 2022 Carter Handicap (USA-G1) winner Speaker’s Corner (by Street Sense).
- Lake Lucerne (2017, by Dubawi) won the listed Albert M. Stall Memorial Stakes as a 6-year-old and is Grade 3-placed.
- Highland Falls (2020, by Curlin) won the 2024 Jockey Club Gold Cup (USA-G1).
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Round Pond was bred by Trudy McCaffery and John Toffan. Owned by Fox Hill Farm (Rick Porter), who bought the filly for US$105,000 from the 2003 Keeneland September yearling sale. Trained by Michael Matz, who took over from John Servis following the filly's three-year-old season. She was ridden to her Breeders’ Cup Distaff win by Edgar Prado. She was purchased by Darley for US$5.75 million from the 2007 Fasig-Tipton November mixed sale. Round Pond was pensioned from broodmare duty after producing a dead foal in 2021 and slipping in 2022.
Pedigree notes
Round Pond is inbred 4x5x5 to the great international sire Northern Dancer and has the full brothers Vice Regent (a perennial champion sire in Canada) and Viceregal (the 1968 Canadian Horse of the Year) 3x4 in her pedigree. She is out of Gift of Dance, a half sister to multiple Grade/Group 1 winners Black Minnaloushe (by Storm Cat), Nasr El Arab (by Al Nasr), and Pennekamp (by Bering). Gift of Dance is also a half sister to French listed stakes winner Shaal (by Lear Fan) and to Lyrical Dance (by Lear Fan), dam of Italian listed stakes winner Sensa Rete (by Barathea).
Gift of Dance and her siblings are out of 1980 Criterium des Pouliches (FR-G1) runner-up Coral Dance, whose dam, French stakes winner Carvinia (by 1966 French champion older male Diatome), is a half sister to 1964 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Carvin II (by Marino) and to 1970 Prix de Dangu winner Carabin (by Marino). Carvinia, in turn, was produced from Coraline (by three-time French champion Fine Top), a half sister to 1963 Gran Criterium winner Crylor (by Silnet).
Copelina, the dam of Coraline and Crylor, is a stakes-placed full sister to French stakes winner Cobios. Sired by 1940 Prix Daru winner Loliondo, the siblings are out of Casserole, by 1934 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand Guineas) and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Brantôme.
Books and media
Footage of Round Pond’s win in the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Distaff can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MN7qcJ3gmg.
Fun facts
- Sadly, Round Pound’s edition of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff was marred by two major breakdowns. Race favorite Fleet Indian was eased at the quarter pole and had to be vanned off (though she did survive), and multiple Grade 1 winner Pine Island was fatally injured and had to be euthanized on the track.
- Round Pond’s purchase price of US$5.75 million was the highest for a broodmare or broodmare prospect at the Fasig-Tipton November sale since multiple Grade 1 winner Miss Oceana sold for US$7 million at the 1985 sale as part of the Newstead Farm dispersal.
Photo credit
Photo taken by Jessica Morgan at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton November sale.
Last updated: September 1, 2024