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Bloodlines Presented By Iowa Thoroughbred Breeders And Owners Association: A Weekend Bonanza For Ashview Farm, Colts Neck Stables

Results from the graded stakes for juveniles at Aqueduct on Saturday, Dec. 4, proved a double success for the breeding partnership of the Lyster family's Ashview Farm and the Colts Neck Stables of Rich Santulli.

In the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes, Mo Donegal, a son of champion juvenile and leading sire Uncle Mo (by Indian Charlie), was the victor by a nose from Zandon (Upstart), and in the G2 Demoiselle, Nest (Curlin) won by a neck from the Firing Line filly Venti Valentine.

Both of the Kentucky-bred juveniles were foaled and raised at Ashview, which markets is yearlings as organically grown athletes. The marketplace gave a warm reception to those farm-fresh yearlings: Mo Donegal sold to Jerry Crawford of Donegal Racing Stables for $250,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale; Nest brought $300,000 at the same sale and races for Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Michael House.

As financially and professionally rewarding as those young horses have proven for the farm, Bryan Lyster said that “having bred these two with Mr. Santulli is one of the best things imaginable. He's been right by our side from the mid-1980s, and it's very satisfying that we had a day like that together.

“He's been a longtime client and my dad's best friend. In the last seven to eight years, we have bought a number of mares together.”

The partners own 12 to 15 mares, and breeding a pair of graded stakes winners from a small group of mares is an exceptional accomplishment. Then again, the mares who produced these young athletes are rather special too.

Nest is the fifth foal out of her dam, the A.P. Indy stakes winner Marion Ravenwood, and the Demoiselle winner is a full sister to Idol, who won the G1 Santa Anita Handicap earlier this year, as well as a half-sister to Dr Jack, who also earned black type this season.

In the space of nine months, Marion Ravenwood has become the dam of a pair of graded winners, both by the 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year, and a multiple stakes-placed racer by Pioneerof the Nile. The three siblings have made their dam a very valuable producer, and the 4-year-old Idol also played a role in Ashview's acquisition of Marion Ravenwood.

Bryan Lyster said, “We bought Marion Ravenwood carrying the Pioneerof the Nile, and we were impressed with her Curlin foal, which is now Idol. At the time we planned the mating that produced Nest, we were hoping for a yearling who had the look of Idol.”

The partners bought Marion Ravenwood for $400,000 from My Meadowview Farm LLC. The following spring, the mare produced a colt by Pioneerof the Nile, and Ashview sold the resulting foal for $250,000 as a November weanling. Named Dr Jack, the colt has placed third in the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth and the Bourbon Trail Stakes at Churchill, earning $125,857 from seven races in the last eight months.

Lyster noted that neither Marion Ravenwood nor Callingmissbrown, the dam of Mo Donegal, will have a yearling for next year. That's rotten luck, but the breeders have been on the receiving end of the good luck, especially this year, and Marion Ravenwood “will be going back to Curlin. We're hoping to get her in foal early and have been big supporters of Curlin, going back to his first year.”

In fact, Callingmissbrown, the dam of Mo Donegal, is in foal to Curlin for next year, and Lyster said, “Since Mo Donegal is only the mare's second foal, I'd say the win on Saturday would tilt the scales toward a certain sire” for her mating next year.

A Pulpit mare that the Lysters acquired privately for their breeding partnership, Callingmissbrown “is built like a tank. I wouldn't call her big in height, 16 hands or so, but she has a tremendous hip.”

Those qualities no doubt helped when Ashview brought the mare's 2021 yearling, a filly by leading sire Into Mischief, to the Keeneland sales a couple months ago.

By the hot sire but out of a mare who hadn't produced a black-type winner till last Saturday, Callingmissbrown's September yearling brought $500,000 from Frankie Brothers, agent, and Litt/Solis. To bring twice what Crawford paid for the mare's Uncle Mo colt a year before, this filly was quite nice.

Bryan said, “The half to Mo Donegal was so smooth and so athletic in every other way that buyers really wanted her.” Being by Into Mischief put a bull's eye on the filly among discerning horsemen, and she brought a premium for it.

The good work and careful planning that produced a bonus success for Ashview and Colts Neck on the weekend is set to pay off with long-term dividends over the coming seasons from the siblings to these major winners.

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Bloodlines: What A Difference A Year Has Made For Runhappy

The dark bay colt Smile Happy (by Runhappy) remained unbeaten in two starts with his victory in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs and pushed his lifetime earnings to $284,810. This son of champion sprinter Runhappy (Super Saver) tops a lustrous year for the Claiborne Farm stallion, who now stands third among second-crop sires.

Not only an Eclipse Award winner, Runhappy was a handsomely pedigreed son of a classic winner with a classic pedigree. In addition, Runhappy's sire, Super Saver (Maria's Mon), won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at two before going on to classic success the following May.

Yet 11 months ago at the end of 2020, Runhappy was toiling in 15th place on the freshmen sires list, with nine winners, but no stakes winners. Not a one! There's no need to describe how rapidly breeders left what they perceived was a sinking ship, even though the horse's stud fee was slashed to account for the lack of immediate stakes horses.

What a difference a year makes!

In 2021, with another month of racing left, Runhappy is in third place on the national list for second-crop sires, with progeny earnings of $4.1 million. That's 10 times the earnings from the first season results.

And how can something like that happen, you might ask?

Part of it's luck. If only a few of the nicer prospects have a bump in the road, get sick, or get into the hands of someone who wants them to do something they aren't equipped to do, the results are usually nil.

Part of it's planning. With the first-crop racers by Runhappy, there were some extremely attractive bonuses for winning races at key racetracks, and who knows how many horses went cockeyed from trainers and owners pointing their young stock for those spots.

Part of it's pedigree and aptitude. Although he was champion sprinter and winner of the Breeders' Cup Sprint in record time, Runhappy is the son of a Kentucky Derby winner out of a mare by a classic-type son of Unbridled in Broken Vow.

Now the second crop is doing the job in spades, with 15 winners and four stakes winners so far, and overall, the stallion has a half-dozen stakes winners and 10 total stakes horses, all this year. In achieving 10 times the progeny earnings, black type is where most of the added earning power comes from.

One other point of importance is that Runhappy's 3-year-olds and juveniles both have had much better seasons in 2021. And if the second crop of current juveniles finds as much improvement over the next 12 months as the first has made, what will 2022 bring for this young stallion?

Doubtless, one of the things it will bring is more good mares, especially since Runhappy's stud fee is $12,500 for next year, half of the figure he stood for his first four seasons at stud.

One of the mares sent to the horse in his second season was a daughter of the highly accomplished racehorse Pleasant Tap (Pleasant Colony). Pleasant Smile is the dam of Smile Happy, and he is the mare's fourth winner and second stakes horse.

A half-sister to stakes winner Miracle Mets (Metfield), Pleasant Smile is out of a mare by Relaunch, and the next dam is by the top sire Graustark (Ribot).

That third dam is Bunch of Smiles, a full sister to Cherished Moment, who ran second in the 1984 Ashland Stakes, and they are out of Pumpkin Patch, a foal of 1966 who was a daughter of the legendary Bold Ruler, probably the best of all the great stallions ever to stand at Claiborne Farm.

Pumpkin Patch is a daughter of the important broodmare Bravura (Niccolo Dell'arca), and Bravura and her early foals were bred by John Galbreath of Darby Dan Farm. The mare's second foal was Candalita (Olympia), who won the 1964 Spinaway and Matron and was nearly the best filly in the country that season.

The very best juvenile filly of 1964 was champion Queen Empress (Bold Ruler), and as must have seemed obvious at the time, Bravura, dam of a top juvenile filly, was sent to Bold Ruler, the sire of both juvenile champions in 1964, for the breeding seasons of 1965 and 1966. The racetrack results were dreadful. Pumpkin Patch did not race; the 1967 foal, a filly named Lizanne Dear, only managed to place at two.

After the mare produced Candalita, Galbreath's son Daniel acquired Bravura and bred the Bold Ruler disappointments, but then the younger Galbreath bred the mare to Hail to Reason (Turn-to) and got Hail the Pirates, who won the Gallinule and Desmond Stakes abroad, then won the Widener, Seminole, and Queen's County Handicaps here in the States.

Sired by a high-class racehorse and half-brother to Nearco, Bravura was out of a half-sister to American leading sire Alibhai (Hyperion). This was a pedigree of international significance, and it has continued to play a role at the top level.

In fact, the 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide and runner-up Empire Maker (Unbridled) both have Bravura as their fifth dam. The line comes to Funny Cide through the Graustark mare Cherished Moment (mentioned above), and Empire Maker descends through Bravura's first foal, the Swaps mare Ortalan. She produced Walker's (Jaipur), winner of the Sanford Stakes at 2 and a sire in California, and is the granddam of multiple stakes winner Image of Reality (In Reality), who is the dam of Toussaud (El Gran Senor), the 2002 Broodmare of the Year and producer of four G1 winners.

With Smile Happy, this family is back in the limelight again.

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Bloodlines: Hong Kong Superstar Golden Sixty Bolsters A Global Pedigree

The best racer in Hong Kong is the Australian-bred Golden Sixty, who won the Group 2 Jockey Club Mile, his 15th race in a row, on Nov. 21 at Sha Tin. A multiple Group 1 winner, Golden Sixty, by the measure of consecutive races won, stands even with Bayardo, Buckpasser, Carbine, and Pretty Polly. He is one victory away from the 16-race plateau of such champions as Ribot, Citation, and Cigar.

If he reaches 17 victories in a row, then Golden Sixty would match the winning streak of fellow Aussie racer Silent Witness, a legend in Hong Kong racing.

The 2020 Hong Kong Horse of the Year, Golden Sixty also was named the top miler and middle distance performer in Hong Kong last year, when he won all eight starts, including the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile. In 2021, the bay gelding has won his four starts, including the G1 Champions Mile, Stewards' Cup, and Hong Kong Gold Cup.

Unbeaten since July 2019, Golden Sixty has now won 18 of 19 lifetime starts, earning HK$80.6 million, about $9.8 million.

Bred in Australia by Asco International Pty Ltd, Golden Sixty is by Darley's international leading sire Medaglia d'Oro, who stands in Kentucky at the worldwide operation's Jonabell Farm.

One of 26 G1 winners by Medaglia d'Oro around the globe, Golden Sixty comes from a highly distinguished family, and one that has some intriguingly old connections close up. His third dam is Konafa (Damascus), a foal of 1973 who finished second to Flying Water (Habitat) in the 1976 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Bloodstock legend E.P. Taylor bred much of this family at his Windfields Farms in Canada or Maryland and had purchased Konafa's second dam, Queen's Statute (Le Lavandou), out of the yearling sales at Newmarket. Unraced, Queen's Statute bred a half-dozen stakes winners for Windfields, including Canadian champion Dance Act (Northern Dancer), as well as his maiden-winning full sister Royal Statute.

Royal Statute followed suit as a producer with three stakes winners, including G1 Yorkshire Oaks winner Awaasif (Snow Knight), Akureyri (Buckpasser; G3 Fountain of Youth, second in G1 Florida Derby, first in G1 Remsen but disqualified to third), and Royal Lorna (Val de l'Orne; G3 Premio Bagutta).

Winner of a maiden, Royal Statute was bred to Horse of the Year Damascus (Sword Dancer) when she was a three-year-old and produced Konafa as her first foal. Taylor, through his Windfields Farm consignment, sold Konafa for $57,000 at the 1974 Saratoga select yearling auction.

And Konafa and her close relatives found a home in the select yearling sales that lasted for decades. After retirement, Konafa was sold in foal to leading sire Mr. Prospector for $625,000 at the 1980 Keeneland November breeding stock sale to BBA (England), acting for Stavros Niarchos.

The foal that Konafa was carrying turned out to be Proskona, who became the highweight 3-year-old filly in Italy, with a victory in the G2 Premio Umbria, among others. Konafa subsequently foaled Keos (Riverman; highweight older horse in Germany), the listed stakes winner Carnet Solaire (Sharpen Up), and Korveya, also by Riverman, a winner of the G3 Prix Chloe, and the dam of three classic winners.

These were Hector Protector (Woodman; highweight 2-year-old in France, won the French Guineas, Poule d'Essai des Poulains, and nine of 10 starts), Shanghai (Procida; French Guineas), and Bosra Sham (Woodman), who was highweight 3-year-old filly and highweight older filly. She won seven of 10 starts, including the Fillies Mile at two, then the 1996 English 1,000 Guineas and Champion Stakes. Although Bosra Sham's career was troubled with foot problems, trainer Henry Cecil called her the best horse he had ever trained, and he had already trained multiple classic winners. (Frankel came much later.)

Korveya's classic produce represented a high point in the success and reputation of this family. The mare's other daughters included Gioconda (Nijinsky), who produced Ciro (Woodman). A top juvenile when he won the G1 Grand Criterium at Longchamp, Ciro progressed sufficiently to win the G1 Prix Lupin and Secretariat Stakes at 3. Another daughter of Korveya, Tapatina (Seeking the Gold), became the dam of Internallyflawless (Giant's Causeway), winner of the G1 Del Mar Oaks.

Although Korveya was the star producer from her dam, another of Konafa's daughters, Leo's Lucky Lady (Seattle Slew) ran second in a minor stakes at the Meadowlands and produced seven winners, including G2 winner Gaudeamus (Distorted Humor), who is the dam of Golden Sixty.

Winner of the G2 Debutante Stakes at two in Ireland for Jim Bolger, Gaudeamus was sold privately as a broodmare for the Southern Hemisphere, where Golden Sixty is her third black-type performer and first major winner.

Her son Golden Sixty is carrying the torch for family with his domination of racing in Hong Kong, but in addition, this year's Breeders' Cup juvenile turf winners both descend from Royal Statute. Modern Games descends from Konafa through Proskona, and Pizza Bianca comes from Royal Statute's daughter Victoress (a $1.1 million Keeneland July yearling by Conquistador Cielo) through the Irish-bred Gwynn (Darshaan) and White Hot (Galileo), who is the dam of Pizza Bianca.

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Bloodlines: Messier Bolsters One Of Unbridled Sire Line’s Strongest Branches

Twenty years after the death of Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic winner Unbridled (by Fappiano), the influence of the towering bay stallion proliferates through the breed.

In the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 14, the trifecta all descend from the 1990 Kentucky Derby winner. The winner was the highly touted Messier (Empire Maker), now a winner in two of his three starts. Second was Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah, by Pioneerof the Nile, by Empire Maker), and third was Winning Map (Liam's Map, by Unbridled's Song).

Through Grade 1 winner Pioneerof the Nile, the sire of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and champion juvenile Classic Empire, Empire Maker would hold a moderate advantage as the most vibrant branch of the Mr. Prospector line through Fappiano. The other challenger from the Unbridled clan is the one from Unbridled's Song, who has two useful sons at stud in champion juvenile Midshipman and in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Liam's Map, sire of Grade 1 winners Juju's Map (Alcibiades and second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies) and Colonel Liam (Pegasus Turf and Turf Classic) this year.

Empire Maker's branch of Unbridled is much more classic and more consistent in aptitude with the great classic sire Unbridled than the branch from Unbridled's Song, which flirted with levels of speed hard to believe and sometimes hard to keep sound as a result.

Breeders and buyers love both types, though.

The commercial market almost decided that Empire Maker was too classic for American racing, and then, just when the stallion was sold to Japan, Empire Maker enjoyed a resurgence in American racing and breeding with the classic aptitude of Pioneerof the Nile and his famous sons.

That brought Empire Maker back to Kentucky for the final years of his term at stud, and he has had some bright spots, both on the racetrack, as well as at the sales. Yet overall, students of bloodlines tended to love Empire Maker more than the intuitive match makers of big, beautiful yearlings.

In Messier, there is a pleasing match of pedigree elements which produced a good sales yearling. Bred in Ontario by Sam-Son Farm, Messier was sold as a yearling at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton select yearling auction for $470,000. That was a strong price for an Empire Maker yearling in 2020, and Messier has a profile in keeping with the best colts from this line: developing good stakes form late at two, before accelerating their improvement the next year to challenge for the classics.

This is the pattern of development that Empire Maker himself showed under the patient training of Bobby Frankel. After being third in the Remsen Stakes at the end of his juvenile season, Empire Maker progressed to win the G1 Florida Derby and Wood Memorial, and he was favored for the Kentucky Derby. In the classic itself, however, Empire Maker finished second behind Funny Cide, then came back in the Belmont to win at the classic 12-furlong distance.

Never out of the money in eight starts with winnings of nearly $2 million, Empire Maker possessed the racing class and physical quality and depth of pedigree to make breeders believe they could breed classic winners, and the only real knock against Empire Maker and his stock is that they are probably too classic for the American racing program, with its tedious over-emphasis on racing at distances from six to eight furlongs.

Even so, Empire Maker has sired 67 stakes winners, including 37 graded winners, and all those positive qualities attracted some splendid mares to Empire Maker, including stakes winner Checkered Past (Smart Strike), the dam of Messier.

Messier is the fifth generation of this family bred by Sam-Son Farm, including his third dam Catch the Ring (Seeking the Gold), who was champion 3-year-old filly in Canada and then the dam of Canada's champion juvenile filly Catch the Thrill, a full sister to Messier's second dam, Catch the Flag (both by A.P. Indy).

Sam-Son bred Catch the Ring, her two stakes-winning full siblings, and three stakes-placed racers from stakes winner Radiant Ring (Halo), winner of 11 races and $775,478. Radiant Ring was the best stakes winner that Sam-Son bred from the stakes-placed Gleaming mare Gleaming Stone, who was bred in Kentucky by Nuckols Bros. in 1976.

In addition to the stamp of the Sam-Son Farm breeding program, the other great influence on Messier is Mr. Prospector himself. Not only does the colt trace to the great stallion son of Raise a Native in the male line, but the colt's broodmare sire is Smart Strike, a son of Mr. Prospector who led the national sires rankings twice. And the third dam is a daughter of the fine broodmare sire Seeking the Gold, whose daughters are more dominant in America but whose male line through Dubai Millennium and his classic son Dubawi is one of the most important in Europe.

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