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Lost And Found Presented By LubriSYNHA: Relatively Speaking, Even Non-Winners Can Have Bragging Rights

Not all Thoroughbreds excel in the family business. A glance at any catalog page highlights the overachievers' accomplishments with barely, if any, mention of relatives that were less than stellar on the track.

A look at the bloodlines of second-crop sire Protonico is a prime example of the genetic mysteries that propel Thoroughbreds in vastly different directions. A multiple graded stakes winner and near millionaire, Protonico has quickly gained attention as the sire of Medina Spirit, who crossed the wire first in this year's Kentucky Derby. While he capitalizes on that new-found fame, his younger half siblings Kakadu and Lock Keeper have become champions in the eyes of their owners.

Protonico (2011 by Giant's Causeway), Kakadu (2013 Tizway mare) and Lock Keeper (2016 Quality Road gelding) are offspring of the A.P. Indy mare Alpha Spirit, who was unplaced in two starts. Like her aforementioned offspring, she raced as a homebred for Oussama Aboughazale's International Equities Holding. In contrast to Protonico, the records of Kakadu and Lock Keeper are nearly identical to their dam. Their connections recognized they were better suited to a non-racing line of work and channeled them to T & B Sporthorses of Brooke Schafer and Tay Wienold for initial reschooling in Lexington.

Kakadu now is being refashioned as an eventer by Lexington-based Heather Goumas. The mare has a natural inclination for the jumping portion of the sport, which also includes the precision movements of dressage. Lock Keeper is continuing his education with Emily Joyce in Massachusetts with a dressage focus.

Goumas and Joyce knew their show prospects were closely related to some of racing's biggest names but neither was aware that the winner of America's most legendary race is their horses' “nephew” Medina Spirit.

“That is excellent; that is pretty neat,” said Goumas, who was knowledgeable of Kakadu's bragging rights as the dam of American Pharoah's first foal named First Pharoah. First Pharoah's unique status made him a headliner for awhile but his stout build made him an unlikely racing candidate. He, too, found his way to life as a pleasure mount after Kakadu's subsequent reproductive difficulty left First Pharoah as her only offspring.

The lofty lineage of Kakadu and Lock Keeper certainly is a conversation piece but it is their demeanors that have charmed their owners.

Kakadu, now known as Luna, was originally purchased for Goumas's 16-year-old daughter. When their personalities did not quite click, her daughter switched to showing Goumas's Warmblood mount instead while Goumas continues with Kakadu.

“With mares especially you have to find the right fit,” Goumas said. “She and Luna are both pretty sassy.”

Goumas lovingly explained that sassiness.

”Just recently I had Kakadu in the (barn aisle) cross ties and she deliberately swatted her tail at my daughter when she walked by,” Goumas said. “When I gently brush her knees, she squeals and stomps her foot. She very plainly says 'this is what I like, this is what I don't like.' She is sweet, too, and really curious. She is very interested and is always looking for the next jump.”

A through-the-ears shot of Lock Keeper in his new job.
Photo courtesy Emily Joyce

Lock Keeper, whose barn name is Keeper, has endeared himself to those at his stable with his “puppy dog” ways and eagerness to learn according to Joyce.

“He is very calm,” Joyce said. “Most people could not believe that he was only four when I got him last year. He is so willing under saddle. He is generally better behaved than most horses who are much older than him. He is not spooky. He would rather go up to something and sniff it. If you leave something near his stall door, it will be in his mouth and he will shake it up and down. He is a very bright, curious horse.”

Both Goumas and Joyce emphasized team work and a steady program to fully transition racehorses into their new assignments.

“It was important to me to get a horse who had been restarted and had come from a reputable home,” she said. “I have the right boarding facility and the right trainer to develop a program for him. Horses like a routine and like to work.”

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Keeneland November Weanling Purchase Light Of Darkness Captures Turkey’s 1000 Guineas

The latest example of the international impact of Keeneland's Thoroughbred auctions is the success of the 3-year-old filly Light of Darkness, who sold at Keeneland as a weanling and is one of 2021's most accomplished performers in Turkey.

Owner Cem Sevim purchased Light of Darkness at Keeneland's 2018 November Breeding Stock Sale and watched her score a 1 1/2-length victory in the $130,000 Turkish 1000 Guineas, the nation's biggest race for the division, on May 16 at Veliefendi racecourse in Istanbul. (Click here for a video of the race.)

The Kentucky-bred daughter of Red Rocks has won five consecutive group stakes during her undefeated season.

“She did a great job, and she is the most popular horse in Turkey,” said Sevim, a former professional soccer player who lives in Washington, D.C., where he is a developer and has a construction company. “We have a plan to take her to a couple of European tracks for racing and hopefully to Dubai next year. Of course, my big dream is returning home with her and have few races in Kentucky. After all, she is from there.”

Light of Darkness was bred by Calumet Farm, where Red Rocks – a member of the first crop by Galileo who won the 2006 John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf at Churchill Downs and the 2008 Grade 1 Man o' War at Belmont – stood until his death in 2018.

The filly is out of the Grade 2-placed winning Danehill mare Charming Legacy and is from the family of G1 Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World, a candidate for the June 5 Belmont Stakes, and Grade 2 winner Liam the Charmer. Charming Legacy is the dam of seven starters with seven winners.

Ballysax Bloodstock, agent, consigned Light of Darkness to the November Sale. (Click here for a video of her as Hip 3593 in the sales ring.) She sold for $1,000.

“Moment I see her, I loved her,” Sevim said. “Honestly, I was ready to pay much more.”

In fact, he was the lone bidder.

“Back then I couldn't believe that nobody (bid) on her and still can't,” he said. “I understand more and more how blessed I was.”

Sevim, who said he returns to Turkey “10 times a year, at least” and has attended all nine of Light of Darkness' career races, owns breeding stock and racehorses both in Turkey and the U.S. His brother Ozgur Sevim handles paperwork related to the operation, and he named the filly.

Cem Sevim said he became interested in horses as a boy and fondly remembers how his late mother encouraged him to take a noontime nap each day.

“(At the time) TV programs were very limited and my favorite show was 'Bonanza,' ” he said. “(She'd tell me) if I take a nap, when I wake up (a man named) Hans is going to bring his white horse and tie him to the tree in front of our house and I can feed and pet him.

“I was a child with lots of imagination, so I didn't know the horse belonged to the guy who sells milk to the neighborhood. Back then, those vendors used horses to carry the milk gallons. My mother knew his delivery time was the same as when I woke up, and she also knew how much I loved that show. She put two and two together and started my career.

“I fed that horse couple of years and said 'hi' to the guy, thinking he was Hans 'Cartwright.' He was so similar (to a character on 'Bonanza.') He had white hat; he was big and had a very nice smile. She used to wake me up by saying, 'Hans and his horse arrived.' Now I am telling her, 'Mom, my horses have arrived.'

“I am sure she hears me, and I am pretty sure she has a big part in all my winnings.”

Sevim, who first attended a Keeneland sale in 2016, is among the large group of Turkish horsemen who annually buys horses at the November Sale, but they usually concentrate on broodmares. The purchase of Light of Darkness as a weanling represents a new opportunity for them and for Keeneland.

“I think she is (Keeneland's) best promoter in Turkey now,” Sevim said. “People are asking left and right about her relatives and all about her. (Keeneland will) probably see lots of interested buyers this year. It is like a fashion: One goes, the rest follow.”

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Thoroughbred Charities Of America Check-Off Program Raises Over $100,000 From 2020 Auctions

Thoroughbred Charities of America announced today that over $100,000 has been raised to assist backstretch and farm worker-focused charities. The funds will be awarded to approved grant applicants during TCA's current granting cycle.

Keeneland's September 2020 Yearling Sale, November 2020 Breeding Stock Sale, and the January Horses of All Ages Sale offered buyers the opportunity to donate one-half of one percent (.05 percent) of their total sale purchases to TCA via a voluntary contribution on their invoices. Fasig-Tipton made a generous direct contribution in support of these fundraising efforts.

“Our workforce is vital to our industry and it is imperative that we take care of them,” said Mike McMahon, president of TCA. “During the height of the pandemic many of our human-focused charities incurred significant additional expenses to care for workers affected by COVID-19, so we asked Keeneland and Fasig for their help in raising money for these charities. We are very grateful to the buyers and sales companies for their contributions.”

Since 1990, TCA has distributed over $24 million in grants to approved charities working to provide Thoroughbred aftercare as well as health and human services for backstretch and farm workers.

Last year, TCA distributed grants totaling nearly $1,070,000. A record 92 grant applications were received during the organization's annual grant cycle. Ultimately, 70 organizations were approved for a grant including 45 aftercare organizations, 16 backstretch and farm worker programs, five equine-assisted therapy organizations, three Thoroughbred incentive programs, and one research organization. Grant recipients from the last three years can be found on www.tca.org. Additionally, the Horses First Fund, an emergency fund started in 2016 by LNJ Foxwoods and managed by TCA, provided Coronavirus relief funding to three backstretch organizations, seven aftercare organizations and supported two feed assistance programs earlier this year. The total expended from the Horses First Fund was $79,900 bringing the organization's total 2020 grantmaking over the $1-million mark.

TCA's mission is to fund and facilitate the support of Thoroughbreds and the people who care for them. TCA distributes grants to several categories of Thoroughbred-related nonprofits including rehabilitation, retraining, rehoming and retirement organizations; backstretch and farm employee programs; equine-assisted therapy programs; and research organizations. TCA is the charitable arm of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA).

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Bloodlines: Northern Dancer’s Small Stature And Long Shadow

There is much to be said for pausing and considering how much the sport and the breed owes to the great sire Northern Dancer (by Nearctic).

The great little bay, who stood 15.1 hands when he was feeling especially perky, was foaled 60 years ago, on May 27, 1961, and he overcame every barrier placed before him by nature or man.

Northern Dancer, it was said, was too small a yearling to be much good; he was a May foal and would need a lot of time to be any good; he was too small to be a classic horse; he did not have the pedigree to race effectively at 10 furlongs; he was too small to make a stallion; he was foaled in the wrong country; he was by an unimportant sire; he was standing in the wrong place to have a chance to succeed at stud.

With a toss of his dramatically striped head and a flourish of his thick, black tail, Northern Dancer proved all those comments wrong. Every one.

A winner in 14 of his 18 starts, Northern Dancer had a first-rate race record, but there have been horses with even more exemplary records who were, shall we say, less successful at stud. To the contrary, Northern Dancer was even more successful, even more influential, and even more pervasive as an influence at stud.

The greatest of the good sons by Nearctic, Northern Dancer was too big to stay in Canada; mares needed access to the horse, and owner-breeder E.P. Taylor obliged by developing Windfields Farm in Maryland, which became for a time the most important breeding operation in the world due to one stallion.

The demand for the offspring of Northern Dancer had to be seen to be believed, and in the sultry weather of the July select yearling sales in Kentucky especially, the money that his stock would bring in the heady days of the 1980s bloodstock boom would make anyone swoon.

And, if a single offspring of Northern Dancer would be chosen as the wellspring of the sire's reputation and the early star of his importance to the breed, that colt would be Nijinsky.

A big, stretchy bay rather unlike his sire, Nijinsky sold as a select yearling at the Ontario yearling sale in 1968. He was from his sire's second crop and was yet an excellent representative of the Northern Dancer type in body mass and racing enthusiasm.

Trained by Vincent O'Brien and racing for Charles Engelhard, Nijinsky won his first 11 races, including the only English Triple Crown from Bahram's in 1935 to the present. That the dashing, grand colt lost his last two races was unfortunate, but it wasn't the end of the world. Nijinsky retired, as planned, to stud at Claiborne Farm and became Northern Dancer's first great son at stud.

Many others followed, and that in itself is the greatest anomaly in all the exceptions to the norm that Northern Dancer flouted.

Even very good sires rarely get more than one really good son to carry on their male-line, but Northern Dancer had at least a half-dozen very high-class sons. In addition to Nijinsky, Northern Dancer's important sons included Sadler's Wells, Lyphard, Nureyev, The Minstrel, Vice Regent, Northern Taste, Storm Bird, and Danzig. If any of those are objectionable, there are others to fill their spot, such as Dixieland Band, El Gran Senor, Try My Best, Northfields, and Northern Baby.

Son after son sired a champion, a classic winner, or winners at the level in racing around the world.

Yet for all that transformative genetic energy, only a handful of those sons have bred on to the present, as the breed has regressed to the norm of typically only one or no successful sire to carry on for a very important stallion.

Of all the Northern Dancer sons, those male lines today that stand strongest are through Sadler's Wells (especially Galileo), Storm Bird (the Storm Cat crowd, especially Into Mischief today), and Danzig.

The latter is the male-line source through Green Desert for Helvic Dream (Power), winner of the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh over the weekend. Danzig is also source of the broodmare sire line through Danehill, and there are four other Northern Dancer lines in the pedigree of Helvic Dream. Lyphard through the great racer Dancing Brave and Lomond through his G2-winning daughter Inchmurrin do their part, and Nijinsky is twice in the pedigree, first through his son Green Dancer and then through the third dam of Helvic Dream, the winning Cascassi, who is a half-sister to Diminuendo (Diesis), winner of the English, Irish, and Yorkshire Oaks, all G1.

From the perspective of history, the more Northern Dancer we find in a pedigree, the better. Genetically, he's as close as we've come in breeding to something that's all good.

So on this May 27, take moment. Heave a sigh. Think of past glories and the little bay horse who could.

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