Medaglia d'Oro | Horse Racing Free Tips

American Sires Through a European Lens: Part I

The Thoroughbred is certainly more versatile than we sometimes give it credit for. There is always the capacity to surprise, particularly when it comes to predicting stallion success.

For instance, despite examples showing otherwise, it remains tempting to box sires as 'dirt' and 'turf' and 'American' and 'European' when actually some of them will prove capable of crossing the differing racing jurisdictions quite easily. Had all breeders and buyers remained on 'the straight and narrow', the chance to appreciate the likes of Scat Daddy, Medaglia d'Oro, More Than Ready and Distorted Humor, as perfectly capable influences for Europe might have passed us by. Naturally, not every dirt horse will serve European investors well but as history has shown on countless occasions, there will be those that work and therefore sometimes the inclination to act with an open mind and experiment with bloodlines can benefit in the long run.

In some cases, the issue with these horses is that they will be quite often well into their stud career before they become fully appreciated by an international audience. Kitten's Joy was middle-aged by the time he came to be well regarded by Europeans, having made his name through the hard work of his owner-breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey. He was part of a select group of older Kentucky stallions that consistently piqued the attention of turf-orientated breeders until his death earlier this year. Other such horses, More Than Ready and English Channel, have also died in the past 18 months while Distorted Humor has been pensioned.

That leaves a dwindling clutch of Kentucky-based sires who are proven at the highest level on turf. There is War Front (Claiborne Farm: $100,000), the sire of 24 Group/Grade 1 winners including this year's G1 Coolmore Turf Mile scorer Annapolis. He is rising 21 but the stats remain firmly in his corner, notably that 11% black-type winners to foals of racing age figure.

Medaglia d'Oro (Jonabell Farm: $100,000) has also long been a friend of the European breeder, with his stud record ranging from turf performers of the ilk of Golden Sixty (Aus) and Talismanic (GB) to iconic dirt runners such as Rachel Alexandra and Songbird. However, the Darley stalwart will be 24 years old next year while his studmate Hard Spun (Jonabell Farm: $35,000), another go-to horse for Europeans whose international stud career includes the turf Group 1 winners Hard Not To Like, Gatting (Aus) and Le Romain (Aus), will be 19. Similarly, WinStar Farm's venerable Speightstown ($80,000), another firm favourite with Europeans, will turn 25.

There is the trap of taking these horses for granted. They won't be around forever and for those looking to invest in American bloodlines, particularly pinhookers, there is value in pinpointing those younger stallions capable of perhaps following their example.

Quality Road (Lane's End Farm: $200,000) isn't young at 16 and is primarily a dirt sire. But like his sire Elusive Quality before him, he is also very capable of throwing turf runners as well; in fact, it was on British soil that he first came to attention as a potential sire of note when his first-crop son Hootenanny won the 2014 Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot.

The issue for European breeders is that when these elite stallions reach a certain level, they become almost out of reach. Quality Road will end 2022 as America's second leading sire behind Into Mischief and is set to command $200,000 in 2023, up from $150,000 in 2022. As such, he is very much the domain of American breeders.

Yet there is a subplot developing that will bring him to greater prominence in Europe, namely the handful of 2-year-olds housed at Ballydoyle. In 2019, Coolmore utilised Quality Road as an outlet for various Galileo (Ire) mares and are on the road to being well rewarded given that the five 2-year-olds to have run include G3 Killavullan S. winner Cairo (Ire) (out of Cuff {Ire}), Leopardstown maiden winner Mohawk Chief (out of Wedding Vow {Ire}) and Dundalk maiden winner Carracci (out of Butterflies {Ire}). The remaining duo, Canute and Time To Boogie, have both been placed.

War Front, of course, filled that role of clicking with Coolmore's broodmare band, many of them daughters of Galileo (Ire), for several years. With his resulting European success in mind, several of his sons should come under consideration.

As far as his proven sons are concerned, it doesn't cost the earth to use either The Factor (Lane's End Farm: $15,000), a proven Grade I sire who has been ably represented in recent years by the high-class, hardy turf sprinter Bound For Nowhere, or Summer Front (Airdrie Stud: $7,500). Both have served European pinhookers well over the years and in turn have had a smattering of representation over here, in particular Summer Front, who was represented only earlier this month by the Italian listed winner Tequila Picante. Also responsible for turf graded stakes winners such as Speaktomeofsummer and Fighting Seabee in the US, Tequila Picante maintains a successful association with Europe for the stallion that also includes the stakes-placed Summeronsevenhills and Ete Indien, a graduate of the Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale who won the GII Fountain Of Youth S. back on American soil.

Safe Option

Despite Speightstown's (WinStar Farm: $80,000) advanced age, his profile has not diminished. On home soil, he was represented by two Grade I winners in 2022–Shirl's Speight on turf and Olympiad on dirt–as well as yearlings that sold for up to $950,000. At the same time, he remains a safe option for Europeans, with his ability to throw fast turf runners and good-looking stock a particularly appealing attribute to the breeze-up community.

However, he won't be around forever. Currently, his legacy runs most strongly through Munnings (Ashford Stud: $100,000). Available early in his career for $10,000, his stud career has been one of a steady ascent to the top 10 American stallions, with this year's standing buoyed by the presence of 15 stakes winners led by the 10-length GI Woody Stephens S. winner Jack Christopher. That colt might have been an extremely gifted dirt runner but the ability to throw high-class runners on turf is also there as illustrated by Kimari, who ran second in the G1 Commonwealth Cup and G2 Queen Mary S. for Wesley Ward, and G2 Del Mar Derby winner Om.

The turf success of American Pharoah, himself a true dirt
performer with a pedigree steeped in dirt success, is living
proof of the dangers of pigeon-holing horses

Such is the versatility of this line that it would be folly for turf-orientated breeders to dismiss other Kentucky-based sons of Speightstown ranging from Charlatan ($50,000; Hill 'n' Dale Farm) and Olympiad ($35,000; Gainesway Farm) to Nashville ($15,000; WinStar Farm) and Lexitonian ($7,500; Lane's End Farm), for all they did all their racing on dirt. And given that speed was also the essence for a number of them, the scene is set for those horses to attract the attention of the European breeze-up pinhookers when the time comes.

Versatility has also been a striking element to the stud career of American Pharoah (Ashford Stud: $60,000). As befits a Triple Crown winner, the horse has never lacked for high-level support, particularly from high-profile international breeders. That in turn has allowed him the opportunity to be well represented on an international scale. In fact, his first ever winner arrived courtesy of the Aidan O'Brien-trained Monarch Of Egypt at Naas in April 2019 and, since then, he has continued to make his presence felt in these parts, notably as sire of the Group 1 winners Van Gogh and Above The Curve, both campaigned by the Coolmore partners.

The turf success of American Pharoah, himself a true dirt performer with a pedigree steeped in dirt success, is living proof of the dangers of pigeon-holing horses. As expected, his stock do enjoy dirt. But a willingness to experiment early on and cross him with turf mares and/or import a number of his progeny to Europe has helped build the horse as a major presence worldwide. Indeed, close to 10 yearlings by him were bought at the Keeneland September Sale to come back to Europe.

Fellow Ashford Stud stallion Uncle Mo ($150,000) is another with the ability to produce the goods on turf if given the right mare; for that, look no further than the top-class turf sprinter Golden Pal, himself an interesting new recruit to Ashford Stud, and the GI Hollywood Derby winners Mo Forza and Mo Town.

Uncle Mo has commanded six figures since 2017, making him likely out of reach for most European breeders. But it is probably worth keeping an eye on his son Mo Town (Ashford Stud), for whom a first crop includes five stakes horses on turf and dirt and the earners of nearly $1.5 million, enough to make him a top eight American first-crop sire. He stands for $5,000, quite a bit less than several of those who surround him on the table.

The key for breeders is to determine that stallion that could be on the way up. Not This Time (Taylor Made Stallions) is one such horse, having leapt from a fee of $12,500 to $135,000 within the space of three years. Much of his reputation is built on dirt performers of the calibre of Epicenter and Princess Noor but he is after all a son of Giant's Causeway and there has been enough action within his own stud career on grass–notably the 10 black-type turf horses of 2022–to make him interesting to the higher end of the European market.

Not This Time is the most successful American-based son of Giant's Causeway but that's not to say the others are not worth considering. The past season for Creative Cause (Airdrie Stud) was highlighted by the dual Grade III-winning grass 2-year-old Packs A Wahlop while Claiborne Farm's veteran First Samurai held his own as the sire of six stakes winners, among them the $800,000 turf earner Plum Ali. Both proven Grade I sires, neither is expensive at $7,500.

Storm Cat Speed

The Storm Cat sire line retains much of its popularity via Scat Daddy, whose sons Justify and Mendelssohn will be discussed in more depth in part two among the younger stallions available. But let's not forget Kantharos (Hill 'n' Dale Farm: $20,000), who descends from Storm Cat via Lion Heart, or Karakontie (Jpn) (Gainesway Farm: $10,000), a son of Bernstein (himself a high-class 2-year-old for Aidan O'Brien) who is now established one of Kentucky's most effective turf sires.

Grade II-winning juvenile Kantharos made his name out of Florida-bred crops that included the high-class speedsters World Of Trouble, X Y Jet and Bucchero. The latter was in fact deemed good enough to take his chance in the 2018 G1 King's Stand S., where he ran fifth behind Blue Point (Ire). Few Kantharos representatives have made their way to Europe but turf speed has been one of the elements to his success so far and thus he appeals as the type to click well with faster European-type mares if given the chance.

As a French Classic-winning miler owned and bred by the Niarchos family, Karakontie (Jpn) (Gainesway: $10,000) has understandably had plenty of exposure in Europe, notably as the sire of G3 Horris Hill S. winner Kenzai Warrior, Killarney listed winner Cigamia and Spendarella, who ran second in this year's G1 Coronation S. for Graham Motion. He is primarily a turf sire in the US but there has been the odd good dirt runner, notably Grade III winner Sole Volante.

Few Kantharos representatives have made their way to Europe but
turf speed has been one of the elements to his success so far

Both stallions are bred on a variation of the Storm Cat-Halo cross; Kantharos is out of a mare by Southern Halo while Karakontie's dam Sun Is Up (Jpn) provides a welcome strain of Sunday Silence.

For years, the Hail To Reason line more than held its own, renowned for its consistent ability to throw sound, durable horses. Sadly, as a sire-line it is now on the wane, its fortunes in Kentucky currently resting on Blame and Temple City, both proven Grade I sires but both also approaching the twilight of their careers.

Blame (Claiborne Farm: $25,000) sprang to attention in Europe as sire of the Niarchos family's G1 Prix de Diane heroine Senga out of his first crop. While he hasn't reached quite the same heights over here since then–although in fairness representation has been sparse enough–the son of Arch has forged a reputation as a very solid sire for his price point in the US, with his stud record ranging from a top-class dirt colt in Nadal to the Grade I turf winner Abscond. A 6% black-type winners to foals of racing age figure places him in a favourable light, especially for his price bracket. He is also rapidly developing into a broodmare sire of note: look no further than the outcome to the GI Breeders Futurity at Keeneland in which his daughters supplied the first two home in Forte (Violence) and Loggins (Ghostzapper). With that in mind, an accomplished Blame filly would be a worthy addition to any broodmare band worldwide, especially as he himself is related to Sadler's Wells and Nureyev on his dam side, allowing for some interesting inbreeding opportunities.

As for Temple City (Spendthrift Farm: $5,000), he is the sole son of Dynaformer at stud in Kentucky and doing that sire-line proud as North America's fourth leading active turf sire of 2022–a highly noteworthy feat given his lowly fee. A clutch of eight stakes winners in 2022, seven of them on turf, included the graded stakes winners Temple, Temple City Terror and Another Mystery to enhance a stud record already highlighted by the Grade I winners Miss Temple City, Bolo and Annals Of Time.

Part II of this feature will appear in Saturday's TDN and will take a closer look at some of the younger members of the American stallion ranks.

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Bolt d’Oro an Instant Hit

As we saw in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, if there's anything more exciting than a duel to the wire, it's the intrusion of a third nose. And that's pretty much the way a remarkable contest for the freshman sires' title is playing out entering the stretch.

The first thing to stress is that it really shouldn't matter which of the stallions involved happens to bank the critical extra cents to claim the crown. That won't be how the marketing teams of their respective farms are viewing things, naturally, but any sensible breeder will consider the state of play on Dec. 31 as wholly random, given that a single maiden winner at Oaklawn or Fair Grounds could conceivably suffice to alter the standings 24 hours either side.

Far more importantly, all three have met historic standards that would in many years have secured them each the laurels. Through Wednesday, at $2,402,870, Bolt d'Oro had maintained the advantage he retrieved when Instant Coffee laid down a marker over the Derby course in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill last Saturday. That could prove a pivotal moment, as he was chased home by Curly Jack–a son of Good Magic, who similarly leads the pursuit of Bolt d'Oro on $2,282,082. Breathing down their necks, meanwhile, is Justify with $2,231,749.

Though all three would have been left gasping behind the record-breaking Gun Runner last year, Bolt d'Oro is about to nudge past 2020 champion Nyquist. In 2019, his current tally would have split American Pharoah and Constitution. And all three of the present protagonists have already comfortably exceeded each of the preceding champions until you reach Uncle Mo in 2015.

Each, moreover, has established a core of quality that measures up pretty creditably even to Gun Runner. Justify's six stakes and four graded stakes winners are a match for the Three Chimneys freak last year; Bolt d'Oro and Good Magic both have five and three. (Nyquist had just two stakes winners, but both won Grade I races!) In terms of overall stakes action, however, it is Bolt d'Oro who stands alone with 14 black-type operators at a remarkable 19.2% of starters. Gun Runner had eight at 12.7%.

As colleague Sid Fernando recently remarked, the rookies also have a strong presence in the overall table of juvenile sires. Into Mischief has a clear lead but presumptive champion Forte's sire Violence is only narrowly holding second from the contending trio. As Sid noted, with fellow freshmen Sharp Azteca seventh and Army Mule eighth, this table confirms how debut books are nowadays loaded to meet an ever-narrowing window of commercial opportunity.

Sid has since examined how Justify can be expected to keep consolidating, while I had already marked Good Magic's achievement as first to a Grade I success through Blazing Sevens in the Champagne S. It feels like high time, then, that “The Third Man” also received some attention.

Auspiciously, though his own sophomore career eventually tailed off into anti-climax, Bolt d'Oro actually feels no less entitled than his rivals–first and second in the GI Kentucky Derby, with Bolt d'Oro down the field (made only one subsequent start)–to produce horses that keep progressing at three.

How could he not, when his parents are respectively by El Prado (Ire) and A.P. Indy? His half-brother, moreover, is that admirable creature Global Campaign (Curlin), himself now at stud with WinStar after breaking into the elite late in his 4-year-old campaign. Bolt d'Oro offers all the requisite size, stretch and stride, too.

Bolt d'Oro romped in the 2017 FrontRunner | Benoit

With that in mind, he was a remarkably accomplished juvenile: he broke his maiden in a Del Mar sprint before winning two Grade Is in California, notably the FrontRunner S. by nearly eight lengths for a molten 103 Beyer. That ensured he started at short odds for a GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile staged in his backyard, but he was ridden via Nantucket, wide all the way, as Good Magic famously broke his maiden (the pair divided by the FrontRunner runner-up).

On his resumption Bolt d'Oro was awarded the GII San Felipe S. after taking a bump from head winner McKinzie (Street Sense); and is actually still seeking an equivalent promotion in the courts after Justify beat him three lengths in the GI Santa Anita Derby. According to the last I read on this–it's been hard to keep up!–Mick Ruis has a hearing in March to keep alive his complaint against Justify's retention of this prize, despite a drug overage.

One way or another, there has never been a dull moment with this horse. Trained by his owner for most of his career, Bolt d'Oro duly got plenty of attention on the Derby trail. Ruis, who retained a major interest in his deal with Spendthrift, bought a 330-acre farm outside Lexington to accommodate the mares that would support a colt he had bought for $630,000 as a Saratoga yearling. (An instructive price, considering that Global Campaign was then an unnamed weanling.) The young stallion gained less welcome headlines with his aggression, at one stage proving such a handful that help was sought from an equine behaviorist. In his first book, Bolt d'Oro was dignified by a visit from the dam of Rachel Alexandra–who was, of course, by his own sire Medaglia d'Oro–and the resulting colt made $1.4 million at Saratoga. (And actually made his debut, seemingly in need of it, half an hour after Instant Coffee came up the same track on Saturday.) The following spring, Spendthrift themselves sent Bolt d'Oro farm champion Beholder (Henny Hughes). And now he finds himself in this extraordinary fresh battle with two old racetrack rivals.

Medaglia d'Oro | Darley photo

Even Spendthrift couldn't launch Bolt d'Oro on quite the same scale as Ashford did Justify and Mendelssohn, who corralled 252 mares apiece. But he certainly saw predictable business at $25,000, with 214 mares in Kentucky followed by a shuttle stint in Australia. (In this connection, breeders in this day and age should always remember also to sort the freshman table by earnings-per-starter. On those terms Good Magic is doing best of the title protagonists–but not as well as Awesome Slew! And Oscar Performance deserves a mention here, too.)

Bolt d'Oro entertained another 146 mares in 2020, but could clearly have had more but for the prudent management of his boisterous conduct at the time. Given a businesslike trim to $15,000 last year–in line with his farm's wider approach to the uncertainties of the pandemic market–he maintained business at 153 mares. Interestingly, however, both his fee ($20,000) and his book (174) moved back up this spring after a warm reception for his first yearlings.

Though he had taken as many as 114 to market, he found a home for 97 of them at $155,097. That average put him behind only Justify, who obviously had to turn round a much bigger opening fee ($150,000) and did so at $373,083; and City of Light, who made such a stellar start at $337,698. Just behind came Mendelssohn and Good Magic, at $153,611 and $151,708, respectively.

This year, remarkably, Bolt d'Oro has bucked the usual trend and actually advanced his average with his second crop of yearlings. He processed 54 of 61 offered at $172,027, still third but closing the gap on Justify ($304,692) and City of Light ($237,047) and edging away from Good Magic ($131,760) and Mendelssohn ($98,969).

In between, moreover, he had been credited with the most expensive filly by a freshman sire at the 2-year-old sales when Spendthrift gave $1.2 million for an $85,000 yearling pinhook from Tom McCrocklin at the Gulfstream Sale, in the process assisting their own sire to a juvenile average of $239,549–surpassed only by Justify.

Bolt d'Oro's $1.2-million filly out of Rich Love this spring | Fasig-Tipton

Everything that has ensued on the racetrack, then, only maintains a wider momentum for Bolt d'Oro, whose fee for 2023 has been set at $35,000.

One of the most pleasing aspects of his success is its contribution to the tragically abbreviated legacy of his dam, who died after delivering only her third foal. He turned out to be Global Campaign; the first was Grade II-placed, multiple stakes winner Sonic Mule (Distorted Humor). Seldom has the expression “three strikes and out” been so poignantly apt.

Globe Trot, sold by her family's curators at Claiborne as a yearling, was out of triple graded stakes winner Trip (Lord At War {Arg}), herself half-sister to the stakes-winning dam of Zensational (Unbridled's Song)–the legendary Jimmy Crupi pinhook ($20,000 to $700,000) who won three Grade I sprints as a sophomore.

Zensational helps to make this one of the faster lines tracing to the matriarch Myrtlewood. Globe Trot and Trip, though both by stamina influences, operated around a mile; the next dam, a stakes winner by Forty Niner, was a sprinter. So, too, was Sonic Mule. Zensational's half-sister produced Cutting Humor (First Samurai), who set a track record in the GIII Sunland Park Derby. And Globe Trot herself was a half-sister to the dam of Recruiting Ready (Algorithms), who earned over $800,000 round a single turn (notably in the GIII Gulfstream Park Sprint S.). Even Bolt d'Oro was himself dropped in distance for what proved his final start in the GI Met Mile.

So there's evidently a nice balance here, complementing the sturdy influences behind Globe Trot: like her own sire A.P. Indy, her damsire Lord At War is an obviously wholesome distaff brand. The broodmare sire of Pioneerof the Nile and War Emblem was a guarantor of splendidly durable stock, especially on turf.

As such, Lord At War adds an interesting flavor to the sire line now being extended by Bolt d'Oro. The flexible influence of Medaglia d'Oro is well established, and the first two graded stakes winners by Bolt d'Oro himself both arrived in switching to grass: Major Dude in the GII Pilgrim S., and Boppy O in the GIII With Anticipation S. Bolt d'Oro has also had a $50,000 yearling, Bold Discovery, Group-placed in Ireland on his second start; plus a rather more expensive export, From Dusk ($900,000 OBS March 2-year-old), beaten a length in a field of 18 for a Group 2 in Tokyo.

Instant Coffee won Churchill's KYJC this past Saturday | Coady

But the versatility of Medaglia d'Oro also embraces rather more precocity than has sometimes seemed the case. Forte, don't forget, is another grandson featuring early on the Triple Crown trail; and now we can throw Instant Coffee into the mix for Bolt d'Oro after Owen's Leap (Sanford S.) and Agency (GIII Best Pal S.) both finished second in summer dirt sprints.

If only with a fairly formal credit as breeder, Instant Coffee represents a residue of Kevin Plank's attempt to revive Sagamore Farm. His dam Follow No One (Uncle Mo) was bought for $100,000 by farm president Hunter Rankin at OBS April in 2016, and went on to be stakes-placed the following year. When she failed to sell ($85,000 RNA) as a broodmare prospect at the Keeneland November Sale of 2018, Plank evidently agreed to a deal with Rankin's parents Alex and Sarah at Upson Downs Farm.

The choice of Bolt d'Oro as the mare's first mate itself had a nice Sagamore echo: the farm had raced Recruiting Ready, and partnered with WinStar in Global Campaign. With Hunter having meanwhile joined Alex on the Churchill Downs team, the Rankins certainly have an early rooting interest for the Derby!

Upson Downs sold Instant Coffee for $200,000 at the September Sale last year to Joe Hardoon, agent–the colt is trained for Gold Square LLC by Brad Cox–and returned this time round with his half-sister by Frosted. As luck should have it, Instant Coffee won on debut at Saratoga just a few days before the auction, helping her to realize $160,000 from HR Bloodstock. Unfortunately, Follow No One lost a Speightstown foal this year but she has been bred back to Maclean's Music.

Instant Coffee has an unusually compressed maternal family. Himself a first foal, he duly extends a sequence of young producers. Even his fifth dam was born as late as 1991; while the final foal of third dam Miss Mary Apples (Clever Trick), won the GIII Matron S. as recently as October. As foundation mare for KatieRich Farms, Miss Mary Apples had already produced three other stakes winners, including GI Kentucky Oaks-placed millionaire Lady Apple (Curlin) and Follow No One's dam Miss Red Delicious (Empire Maker), a hardy runner who won two dirt stakes at seven furlongs.

The recent action in this family actually stokes up the embers of one of the great beacons: Instant Coffee's sixth dam is a full-sister to none other than Affirmed. It has been well seeded, too: Uncle Mo, Empire Maker, Clever Trick and Holy Bull are a pretty resonant bunch of broodmare sires to find behind a horse with Derby aspirations.

For all the pep we've noted behind Bolt d'Oro himself, then, this is a pedigree strewn with Classic brands. And if Instant Coffee could parlay those into a Kentucky Derby, then who would still be counting the dimes won by his sire's other stock in the last days of December?

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November 19 Insights: Half to Sires Honor Code, Noble Tune Debuts

5th-CD, $120k, Msw, 3yo/up, 6f, 3:01p.m. ET
Conditioner Steve Asmussen will unveil the regally-bred WITHOUT A SONG (Medaglia d'Oro), a half-brother to Champion older horse Honor Code (A.P. Indy) as well as GISP Noble Tune (Unbridled's Song); hailing from the female family of Hall of Famer and blue-hen Serena's Song (Rahy). This is also the family of MGSW Vocalised (Vindication) and Grand Reward (Storm Cat) as well as at least nine other graded and group runners beneath that stellar third dam. The late starter will have Ricardo Santana Jr. in the irons. TJCIS PPs

6th-CD, $120k, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 3:31p.m. ET
OXO Equine's $450,000 KEENOV 2020 pick-up BROMLEY (Mastery) will show his mettle against a field of 11 others here in this baby dash beneath the Twin Spires. A half to MSP Crew Dragon (Exaggerator), and out of a half-sister to GSW Liam's Dream, the colt claims MGSP Local Hero (Hard Spun) as well as GSP Holdontoyourdream (Proud Citizen) in his immediate female family. This is the extended maternal line of Distorted Humor (Forty Niner). Paulo Lobo is the trainer. Farthest of all will be Lark's Mischief (Into Mischief), who is out of MGISP Miss Besilu (Medaglia d'Oro), herself a producer of MGSP Gun It (Tapit) hailing from Quiet Dance (Quiet American), better known as the granddam of Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and dam of Horse of the Year Saint Liam (Saint Ballado). Steve Asmussen will send this one to post. TJCIS PPs

8th-CD, $120k, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 4:3p.m. ET
EVENT DETAIL (City of Light) will be another pricy runner to debut for OXO Equine on the Churchill Downs card. A $600,000 FTKNOV purchase in 2020, the colt is out of a young half-sister to GSW & MGSP Osidy (Storm Cat) and to GSW Quetsche (Gone West). The second dam is German High-weight older mare Que Belle (Seattle Dancer) who herself came from a very active European racing family. TJCIS PPs

5th-AQU, $85k, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:46p.m. ET
Centennial Farms picked up LITIGATE (Blame) for $370,000 at KEESEP last year, and he's been put into the Todd Pletcher barn for this unveiling. Out of an unplaced half-sister to MGSW Pacific Ocean (Ghostzapper) as well as SP Salsa Star (Giant's Causeway), who herself produced MGSW Blamed (Blame) and SP Chubby Star (Malibu Moon). Litigate put up a swift four-furlong work in :46.20 over the Belmont Park training track Nov. 11, making it the second fastest of a whopping 184 that morning. This is the extended female family of Champion 2-year-old colt Rhythm (Mr. Prospector), GISW Girolamo (A.P. Indy) and his full-brother GISP Accelerator. TJCIS PPs

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‘TDN Rising Star’ Pretty Mischievous Wins Second Straight At Churchill Downs

9th-Churchill Downs, $114,155, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 10-30, 2yo, f, 7f, 1:26.84, sy, 1 3/4 lengths.
PRETTY MISCHIEVOUS (f, 2, Into Mischief–Pretty City Dancer {GISW, $286,344}, by Tapit) was named a 'TDN Rising Star' off a 2 1/4-length winning performance on debut when sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs over this same track Sept. 18. Hammered into 1-5 favoritism for her first try against winners, Pretty Mischievous settled into a stalking position from fourth behind pacesetter Bluelightspecial (Super Saver). Given her head with three furlongs to run, she struck the front at the top of the stretch and edged clear gradually despite swapping back to her left lead and drifting in close to home. Bluelightspecial held on for second but was 1 3/4 lengths behind at the wire. Pretty City Dancer, herself a half-sister to GISW & MGISP Lear's Princess (Lear Fan) from the family of GISW & MGISP My Big Boy (Our Hero), produced a weanling filly by Medaglia d'Oro before visiting Street Sense for the 2023 season. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $141,960. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh.

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