Tag: Bloodlines

Seven years ago, a gray colt named Arrogate (by Unbridled's Song) won the Grade 1 Travers Stakes in a galloping tour de force on his way to becoming the season's champion 3-year-old colt, and on Aug. 26, a gray colt from the second crop by Arrogate followed suit by winning the Saratoga centerpiece.

Arcangelo has now won his last four races (from six lifetime starts), beginning with a maiden victory in March, then ascending to win the G3 Peter Pan Stakes in May, adding a classic in June with the Belmont Stakes, and now affirming his ranking at the top of this division with success in the Travers on Saturday.

This was a strong weekend of racing achievements for the deceased Arrogate. On the same day as the Travers, another of the stallion's second-crop sons, Abeliefinthislivin, won the G3 Canadian Derby at Century Mile Racetrack in Edmonton, Alberta. On the previous day at Saratoga, Arrogate's first-crop star, Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath, was second in the G1 Personal Ensign, the filly's third second-place finish in a G1 this season.

Then Arcangelo laid down trumps in the Travers. This race might also be referred to as the “Tapit Travers,” because the first two finishers are out of mares by Tapit (by Pulpit), and the third-place finisher, Tapit Trice, is a son of the three-time leading national sire.

Immediately behind Arcangelo in the Travers was Disarm, whose sire Gun Runner had been third to Arrogate in the 2016 Travers. Arrogate had then proceeded to win the 2016 Breeders' Cup Classic over California Chrome, the 2017 Pegasus, and the 2017 Dubai World Cup, when he overcame a poor start that put him last in the opening furlong and made up many lengths from a very disadvantageous position to catch Gun Runner about 200 yards from the finish and win by open lengths.

After the race in the desert, their careers diverged: Arrogate never won another race from three subsequent starts; Gun Runner never lost another one, from five, all G1s.

Just as they were competitors on the racetrack, so Arrogate and Gun Runner have proven exciting rivals at stud. Despite Arrogate's early death before the end of his third season at stud, both have plentiful representation and have made their marks.

But, just as Arrogate blasted all his rivals to bits in the 2016 Travers, Gun Runner provided a similar display with this first crop of racers in 2021 and 2023, beginning his initial term at stud with juvenile champion Echo Zulu and G1 Hopeful Stakes winner Gunite, and continuing with a second season of stallion success that included G1 Preakness Stakes winner Early Voting; G1 Arkansas Derby and Haskell winner Cyberknife; Santa Anita Derby, Pennsylvania Derby, and Malibu winner Taiba; and G1 Cotillion winner Society. He was the leading freshman sire by a whacking margin, and Gun Runner has continued to show an extraordinary dominance as the leading sire of his third-year cohort.

Yet for all Gun Runner's excelling, there was one shocking fact about this season for the chestnut son of Candy Ride. As of Derby Day, Gun Runner hadn't had a single graded stakes winner in 2023. Not one.

By the end of June, he'd racked up a couple at the G3 level. After the year's midpoint, the tide has turned, and Gun Runner has now had how many graded winners? Six in the last 60 days.

Over the past weekend, Gun Runner had a pair of G1 winners at Saragota: Echo Zulu in the Ballerina and Gunite in the Forego, as well as Vahva in the G3 Charles Town Oaks. Now the tide is floating one boat, the Gun Runner boat.

With the number of the stallion's stock training forwardly and racing effectively, it is almost certain that the Gun Runner tide will be even more overwhelming in the months to come.

Bred in Kentucky by Besilu LLC, Gun Runner is the most successful stallion son of leading sire Candy Ride and is out of the graded stakes winner Quiet Giant, who's a top-quality daughter of leading sire Giant's Causeway. With that pedigree, combined with superior athletic ability, Gun Runner had every opportunity to make a mark at stud, and the handsome chestnut has done just that. Long may he run.

The post Bloodlines Presented By Iowa Thoroughbred Breeders And Owners Association: Travers Stakes Result Extends Rivalry Between Arrogate, Gun Runner appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Through every fibre of my brain,

Through every nerve, through every vein,

I feel the electric thrill, the touch

Of life, that seems almost too much.

Thus, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow expressed the feelings of joy and youthful exuberance in his poem “A Day of Sunshine,” and the unbeaten 2-year-old colt named Henry Longfellow caught a ray of sunshine and certainly showed his own enthusiasm for racing with a comfortable victory by two lengths in the Group 2 Futurity Stakes at the Curragh on Aug. 19. A month earlier, the bay son of Dubawi (by Dubai Millennium) had won his debut over the same seven-furlong trip.

The colt's sire, Dubawi, is arguably the best sire in Europe not closely related to Galileo, and the top stallion at Dalham Hall stands for an advertised fee of 350,000 pounds. Dubawi is credited with 260 stakes winners, including 169 who won at the group level.

He has numerous sons already at stud, many quite early in their careers, and the best of them so far is Night of Thunder. Winner of the 2,000 Guineas during his racing career, Night of Thunder has proven such an outstanding young sire from his first racers in 2019 that his stud fee has risen to 100,000 euros. His best racers include leading European sprinter Highfield Princess.

Night of Thunder is out of a mare by Galileo, and Henry Longfellow is likewise.

Whereas Night of Thunder's dam, Forest Storm, won a maiden on debut from six starts, the dam of Henry Longfellow is something far different. The latter is a son of Minding, one of the very best daughters of Galileo and one of the best racemares of recent decades.

A winner in nine of her 13 starts, Minding won seven G1 races: 1,000 Guineas, Oaks, Nassau, Pretty Polly, Fillies Mile, Moyglare Stud Stakes, and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. She is a full-sister to Tuesday, winner of the G1 Oaks and the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and to Empress Josephine, winner of the G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas.

The dam of these three classic winners is Lillie Langtry (Danehill Dancer), winner of the G1 Coronation Stakes and other good races. So she was a natural match for Galileo, and the pairing worked brilliantly.

In addition to being the broodmare sire of the winner of the Futurity, Galileo is keeping up appearances. On the same day as the Futurity, Aspray won the G2 Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga, and she is also out of a quality Galileo mare.

In addition to the successes of his daughters' produce, Galileo is getting on quite well through his sons, especially his best son Frankel, who had the winners of the Prix de la Nonette (Jannah Rose) and Geoffrey Freer (Arrest), and Frankel's best son to date, two-time Champion Stakes winner Cracksman, is the sire of the unbeaten Ace Impact. From the first crop by Cracksman, Ace Impact has an international story.

The strong bay was foaled in Ireland, where his dam (Absolutly Me) had been sent for a covering to Gleneagles. Then the mare, with Ace Impact at side, returned to Barbara Moser and William Thareau's Haras de Long Champ in Normandy, France, where the colt was raised. Ace Impact's breeders are Waltraut and Karl Spanner, from Germany, and they sold their colt by Cracksman at the Arqana August yearling sale for 75,000 euros to trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, buying for owner Serge Stempniak.

Unraced at two, Ace Impact came around nicely over the winter and began his career with a pair of victories in the provinces of France. The colt then won the Prix de Suresnes and the Prix du Jockey Club, both at Chantilly. Not long after the colt's course record victory in the Prix du Jockey Club, Haras du Beaumont acquired a half-interest in Ace Impact for racing and breeding, and he will go to stud in France after racing for the Arc de Triomphe in October.

Then on Aug. 15 in France at Deauville, Ace Impact won the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano. Now unbeaten in five races, Ace Impact is the favorite for the Arc and may have another race before then, probably in the G1 Irish Champion, according to comments from his trainer.

Second at Deauville was Al Riffa (Wooton Bassett), trained by former leading jockey Joseph O'Brien. Winner of the G1 National Stakes at the Curragh last season, Al Riffa is also out of a Galileo mare.

The post Bloodlines Presented By Iowa Thoroughbred Breeders And Owners Association: Henry Longfellow More Poetry In Motion For Deep Family appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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In the great race toward sire success, the first thing that a freshman sire needs is to get a stakes winner on the board, and the only thing better is getting the winner of a graded stakes. That's exactly what has happened for Darby Dan stallion Flameaway (by Scat Daddy), whose his first-crop daughter Dreamfyre won the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar.

Now unbeaten in two starts, Dreamfyre was already a stakes winner, having won the Everett Nevin Stakes at Pleasanton on debut July 9. In that race, Dreamfyre started well and led the others on a merry chase, winning by 3 ½ lengths as the second-longest shot on the board at nearly 12-1.

In the Sorrento, Dreamfyre appeared to be facing a much stouter task, but once again she led at every call and won by 3 ½ lengths, this time as the 3.60-1 third choice.

The dark bay filly is the first stakes winner so far for Flameaway, but she is one of nine winners from 29 starters by the sire. These early-season exploits have pushed Flameaway into second place on the freshmen sires list, and the son of Scat Daddy is the only stallion in the top five with fewer than 100 named foals from his first crop, although he only just missed the cut with 98.

The leading freshman sire at this point is Maximus Mischief (Into Mischief), followed by Flameaway, Mitole (Eskendereya), Omaha Beach (War Front), Vino Rosso (Curlin), and Coal Front (Stay Thirsty) as the leading half-dozen. Of the top six, five stand at Spendthrift Farm, excepting only Flameaway, and four of the top five have gotten their first stakes winner.

In noting the success of Flameaway, Darby Dan's stallion director Stuart Fitzgibbon said, “Although Flameaway was a very good racehorse, the 'Scat Daddy factor' is important here, with his sons making an impression worldwide. Although these are very early days, this young horse has been very well-supported by breeding-right holders, and Darby Dan is very well pleased with the continuing support from those breeders in the stallion's second, third, and fourth crops.

“In each of those seasons, Flameaway has covered sizable books and, in 2023, had a book of 111 mares. With that solid representation and the results we're seeing at the racetrack, trainers and buyers are not going to miss them at the upcoming sales.”

An announcement of Flameaway's 2024 stud fee will be made later in the year.

The second half-dozen among the leading 12 freshmen at this point come from a wider variety of stallion operations. In ranking order, World of Trouble (Kantharos) stands at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa; Enticed (Medaglia d'Oro) at Darley / Jonabell; Copper Bullet (More Than Ready) at Darby Dan like Flameaway; Catholic Boy (More Than Ready) at Claiborne; Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags) at Lane's End; and Audible (Into Mischief) at WinStar.

The dozen leaders feature two sons of multiple leading national sire Into Mischief bookending the group, as well as a pair of sons by More Than Ready, the only son of the Halo stallion Southern Halo to succeed in North America. Southern Halo was a landmark sire in Argentina, leading their rankings of sires and broodmare sires repeatedly, and his sons there have made a significant impression also.

Aside from Blame (Hail to Reason / Roberto / Kris S. / Arch) this is the only line of Turn-to / Hail to Reason among the leading sires in America, although the Halo branch through Sunday Silence rules in Japan and has several elite representatives in Europe.

In contrast, Northern Dancer has a strong and varied relation to the leading freshmen sires, with the Into Mischief sons coming through Storm Bird / Storm Cat / Harlan / Harlan's Holiday and World of Trouble coming through Storm Cat's son Tale of the Cat / Lion Heart; Catalina Cruiser comes through Dixieland Band / Dixie Union, with Mitole through Storm Cat / Giant's Causeway; Enticed through Sadler's Wells / El Prado; Omaha Beach through Danzig. Only Vino Rosso comes from Mr. Prospector through Smart Strike, and Coal Front comes from A.P. Indy through Bernardini.

Flameaway represents the “other” branch of Storm Cat through Hennessy and his international champion juvenile son Johannesburg. Scat Daddy, had he lived longer, would surely have made this as widely represented a group as any other, but his line is now principally in Europe through No Nay Never, in South America through Il Campione, and in the States through Justify, Flameaway, and Mendelssohn.

Justify shuttles to Australia; Flameaway and Mendelssohn likewise shuttle, but to Chile.

Among the stallion stats available at this early stage, five of Flameaway's winners are out of mares from the A.P. Indy line, and Fitzgibbon said that “Mr. Oxley is responsible for that. He is a large shareholder and supporter of the horse, but over time, I'm sure we'll find that Flameaway should match with a wide variety of mares and lines.”

Not coincidentally, however, Dreamfyre was bred in Kentucky by John Oxley, who also bred and raced her dam, Appreciating (Sky Mesa), a two-time winner who also ran third in the G2 Natalma Stakes at two. Dreamfyre is the fifth winner out of Appreciating, who is also the dam of Nasreddine (Nyquist), who ran third in the G1 Starlet. The Sorrento winner was sold for $130,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September sale, ranking her second in price among yearling fillies by her sire and sixth overall for Flameaway's 2022 yearling prices. Dreamfyre resold at the OBS April sale for $140,000 to owner Danny Eplin from the consignment of SGV Thoroughbreds. The filly had worked a furlong in :9 4/5, showing a stride length of 24.1 feet and earning a BreezeFig of 72.

Oxley had purchased the second dam, Hello Barbara Sue (Dehere), for $440,000 at the 1998 Keeneland September sale. At stud, she produced the G3 winner Buddy's Humor (Distorted Humor), as well as the winner Mona Mia (Monarchos), who has produced a trio of stakes winners, including G1 winner Celestine (Scat Daddy).

Third dam Barbara Sue (Big Spruce) sold at the 1985 Keeneland September sale for $80,000 to B. Wayne Hughes. In a long career, the mare changed hands several times, won a dozen of her 73 races, including multiple stakes, and earned $257,721. At stud, Barbara Sue produced three stakes winners, including G2 winner Diamond on the Run (Kris S.), who also finished second in the G1 Frizette and Matron. Barbara Sue was bred by Elmendorf Farm and was sold as part of their yearling dispersal, and this is one of the grand Elmendorf families through her dam Maytide.

The post Bloodlines: Dreamfyre Sparks Flameaway’s Bid In The Freshman Sire Race appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Brightwork's victory in the Grade 3 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga made the daughter of Outwork (by Uncle Mo) a second graded stakes winner for her sire, who won the G1 Wood Memorial in a brief racing career, winning three of his five starts.

A fourth-crop sire in the same group as freshman leader Nyquist (Uncle Mo) and current group leader Not This Time (Giant's Causeway), Outwork went to stud at WinStar Farm in Kentucky, where he was supported with sizable books of mares with good credentials.

At the end of 2022, Not This Time (standing at Taylor Made) had turned the tables on Nyquist (Darley at Jonabell), ranking them first and second among this group of young stallions, and three other sons of Uncle Mo were in the top dozen: Laoban (deceased) in 8th, Outwork (WinStar) 9th, and Uncle Lino (Northview Stallion Station) in 11th.

These four were among the initial top sons of champion racer and leading freshman sire Uncle Mo to go to stud, and their performances have served notice to stallion managers to give due consideration to the sons of the big bay who stands at Ashford Stud.

All these sires have produced good juveniles, and Outwork's first graded winner came from his third crop last year in the premium event for 2-year-old fillies at Saratoga: the G1 Spinaway Stakes. After Leave No Trace won the Spinaway, she was third in the G1 Frizette Stakes and second in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies to mark her spot as one of the best fillies in the crop.

At three this season, Leave No Trace has made a single start, unplaced in the G2 Davona Dale in March, and has not raced since. She has, however, had five works in the last five weeks, including a bullet half-mile at Saratoga on July 19, first of 43 at the distance.

Bred in Kentucky by Wynnstay Inc. and Allen Poindexter, Brightwork is out of the Malibu Moon mare Clarendon Fancy, who did not race. Brightwork's dam is one of four foals by Malibu Moon from the second dam, stakes winner Catch My Fancy (Yes It's True), including a full brother named Fancy Malibu who was sent to Russia and is the winner of eight races, including the Great Summer Prize at Rostov, the top prep for the Russian Derby (Russian racing information courtesy of Edward Blackwood). Another full sibling is a winner with earnings of $223,755, and the fourth is Catch the Moon, who is the dam of four graded stakes winners: Girvin (Tale of Ekati), winner of the G1 Haskell and a well-regarded young sire; Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow), winner of the G3 Lecomte, as well as second in the G1 Preakness, Travers, and Pennsylvania Derby; Cocked and Loaded (Colonel John), G3 Iroquois Stakes; and Pirate's Punch (Shanghai Bobby), G3 Salvator Mile.

Catch My Fancy produced a pair of stakes winners herself, and nowadays the family is looking positively fancy, with Brightwork's dam having two black-type runners from three foals of racing age. The Adirondack winner is unbeaten in three starts to date, and her sibling Quiet Company (Temple City) has earned $196,835, has a third in the Jameela Stakes.

Overall, this family has shown a lot of ability at two, but frequently kept up the good work, and it traces back to the splendid Monique Rene (Prince of Ascot). The chestnut mare was a racing marvel, winning 29 races from 45 starts, multiple stakes, and becoming a noted producer and dam of producers.

This family traces back through a couple of good producers for Rex Ellsworth to the Whitney stud at the turn of the 20th century and thence to the great broodmare Ballet (Planet) and is the American family number 1, going back to the Janus mare of approximately 1760.

Bred in Kentucky by John M. Clay, Ballet was a younger half-sister to The Banshee (Lexington), who won the 1868 Travers Stakes at Saratoga. A foal of 1871, Ballet was a stakes performer, although not of the same stature as her older sibling. The chestnut mare produced 16 named foals, including the 1884 American Derby winner Modesty (War Dance) and multiple stakes winner Peg Woffington (Longfellow).

Owned as a broodmare by George H. Clay, Ballet became one of the best-known broodmares in the country with the successes of Modesty, who won 35 races, including the Kentucky Oaks and numerous other important events at the time, as well as the first running of the American Derby. Owned by Edward Corrigan, Modesty was ridden by Issac Murphy, who rode the winners in four of the first five American Derbys, and was trained by John Rogers. Both the rider and trainer are in the Hall of Fame.

Although Modesty is not in the Hall of Fame, she is the third dam of Regret (Broomstick), who won the 1915 Kentucky Derby and has been elected that honor.

Modesty's full sister, Blue Grass Belle (War Dance), is the conduit of the line that leads to Brightwork, as well as other important horses. Blue Grass Belle is the second dam of 1897 Travers Stakes winner Rensselaer (Hayden Edwards), later exported to Europe, where he won races in England and Germany; of Half Time (Hanover), who won the 1899 Preakness Stakes and finished second in the Belmont Stakes; and is the fourth dam of the great gelding Exterminator (McGee), who won the 1917 Kentucky Derby and 49 other races.

Brightwork provided an opportune update to Hip 19 at the opening session of Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga select sale of yearlings, and the bay filly by first-crop sire Volatile (Violence) brought $285,000 from Ocala Stud, agent.

The post Bloodlines: Brightwork’s Adirondack Victory, And The Uncle Mo Sire Tree appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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