Around the world this weekend, fillies have made life hard on the colts. Notably, here at home in the States, the Daredevil filly Swiss Skydiver refused to yield to the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (Into Mischief) in the Preakness Stakes on Oct. 3.
At Longchamp in France, a pair of mares won Group 1 races against their male competition. In the 2 1/2-mile Prix du Cadran, the 5-year-old Princess Zoe caught the longtime leader Alkuin close to the finish and won the staying laurels in Europe. In the seven-furlong Prix de la Foret, the 6-year-old One Master (Fastnet Rock) won this important race for the third time. She was bred in England by Lael Stable, which also campaigns the talented racer.
The German-bred Princess Zoe is a daughter of the Montjeu stallion Jukebox Jury. The sire won the G2 Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot as a 2-year-old, then progressed to win the G2 Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket, the G2 Prix Kergorlay at Deauville, the G1 Irish St. Leger at the Curragh, and the G1 Preis von Europa at Cologne. The gray went to stud in Germany at Gestut Etzean in 2013, where Princess Zoe came from a mating in the stallion's second season of breeding, foals of 2015. In 2018, Jukebox Jury was transferred to Ireland and stands at Burgage Stud in County Carlow.
Daredevil, the sire of multiple Grade 1 winner Swiss Skydiver, has had a similar pattern at stud. The son of More Than Ready entered stud at WinStar Farm in 2016, then before his stock reached the races, was sold to the Jockey Club of Turkey and transferred to their studs in Eastern Europe, along with Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver.
Swiss Skydiver, along with G1 Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil, are members of the first crop of racers by Daredevil, and they have raised his profile among breeders in Turkey and elsewhere. According to press reports out of Turkey, there is considerable interest in Daredevil from breeders around the world, and he may be put to use as a dual-hemisphere stallion.
The dam of Swiss Skydiver, the Johannesburg mare Expo Gold, has been added to the Keeneland November sale. The 12-year-old mare, in foal to first-year sire Catholic Boy (More Than Ready), will sell on the first day of the November sale as part of the Taylor Made consignment. In addition, two half-sisters to Swiss Skydiver have been consigned to the Keeneland November auction: the stakes-placed Miss Hot Legs, who is by Verrazano, a son of More Than Ready, like Daredevil and Catholic Boy, will be consigned by South Point Sales, agent, in foal to Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist; and Is It Gold (Indygo Shiner), will be offered as a broodmare prospect by Hunter Valley Farm, agent.
More Than Ready himself had a massively successful weekend, as the sire of Uni, winner of the G1 First Lady Stakes, and as the broodmare sire of Simply Ravishing (Laoban), the winner of the G1 Alcibiades Stakes.
The final filly who put the boys in their place was the Japanese-bred Gran Alegria, a daughter of the great sire Deep Impact. She shares a sire with the 3-year-old Contrail, who will attempt to win his country's Triple Crown after victories in the Satsuki Sho (2,000 Guineas) and Tokyo Yushun (Japan Derby).
In contrast to the classic winner Contrail, the 4-year-old Gran Alegria tackled colts in the G1 Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama over 1,200 meters on turf. Lagging behind all but one of her competitors, Gran Alegria went outside all the racers in front of her as she turned on a stretch finish that would have made Winx blush.
Turning into the stretch with only one competitor behind her, Gran Alegria swept past them all to win by two lengths in 1:08.3. It is an exhibition worth watching and a link to the race video is available on the website of Horse Racing in Japan.
This fast bay filly is out of Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filly Turf winner Tapitsfly (Tapit), who sold to Katsumi Yoshida for $1.85 million at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton November sale. A two-time G1 winner, Tapitsfly produced Gran Alegria as her first named foal, and the Sprinters Stakes winner is her dam's only surviving offspring. Tragically, Tapitsfly died foaling another Deep Impact foal on Mar. 2, 2018.
Some of the bravest and fleetest of our racers, mares put their lives into producing the next generation of racing stock. On the course and in the paddocks, they deserve our salute.
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