tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10622649012103575332024-03-14T00:14:13.279-04:00Fillies FirstA Blog About Horse Racing's Great Fillies and MaresValerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-64177080386304826682016-12-31T01:30:00.000-05:002016-12-31T01:36:49.725-05:002016: The Year in Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
Another racing year is the books—and what a banner year it has
been for the world’s fillies and mares when it comes to the most prestigious
races! Worldwide in 2016, 38 open-company Grade 1 or Group 1 races were won by
fillies or mares—two more than in 2015. And in several important instances,
these game competitors returned to record repeat victories from 2015.The year began with an impressive win by the South African
filly <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Smart Call</b> in the SAF-G1 J&B
Met where she handily defeated subsequent South African Horse of the Year Legal
Eagle:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ogNahOurczk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ogNahOurczk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It ended on Boxing Day in New Zealand, with 41-1 longshot <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Consensus</b> giving 22-year-old jockey
Alysha Collett her first Group 1 win in the Zabeel Classic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For North American horses, it was a particularly good year. Trainer
Wesley Ward successfully raided Royal Ascot with juvenile filly <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lady Aurelia</b> who also found Group 1 triumph
in France, winning the open-company Prix Morny in impressive wire-in-wire
fashion:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7_AjY6aoHs0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7_AjY6aoHs0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mark Casse-trained <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tepin</b>,
2015 Breeders’ Cup Mile champion, continued her winning ways, reeling off six
straight victories in 2016 including the ENG-G1 Queen Anne at Royal Ascot and
the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Y5so4jhpmC0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y5so4jhpmC0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Opening her 4-year-old campaign with an open-company victory
in the Grade 1 Maker’s Mile, <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Miss Temple City</b> was
unsuccessful in her Royal Ascot return, but subsequently found the winner’s
circle again against males in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1_1H1hO9khw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1_1H1hO9khw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Dmw17ZTivkA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dmw17ZTivkA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Exciting 3-year-old filly <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Minding</b> won five Group 1 events for trainer Aidan O’Brien in 2016,
culminating with an open-company victory in the ENG-G1 Queen Elizabeth II at
Ascot in October:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1zGezKl-VPI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1zGezKl-VPI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for repeat winners, it's hard to top another O'Brien trainee, 4-year-old <b>Found</b> who again captured one of the world's most important races, the FR-G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/p6fGprogWb4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p6fGprogWb4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Irish-bred world traveler <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nightflower</b> repeated as winner the Group 1 Preis von Europa in
Germany: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lqB8ZrvpDKA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lqB8ZrvpDKA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Down Under, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jameka</b>
impressed mightily in the prestigious AUS-G1 Caulfield Cup:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rN_5UjD-2j4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rN_5UjD-2j4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All things considered, the title of world’s greatest racing
mare of 2016 has to go to the Australian champion <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Winx</b> who went undefeated in eight starts this year, six at the
Group 1 level. Dating back to May 2015, this now 5-year-old daughter of Street
Cry has reeled off 13 consecutive victories, all but one against open company.
Her 2015 campaign culminated in an impressive win in the prestigious Cox Plate.
Her 2016 campaign included wins in the Chipping Norton and George Ryder, just
three weeks apart:</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bOebttGXnck/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bOebttGXnck?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d2h5ZTnKGSM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d2h5ZTnKGSM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A mere two weeks later, she survived a massive traffic jam to win the Doncaster by a clear two lengths:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hE1GI8wggjk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hE1GI8wggjk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a more than four-month break, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Winx</b> roared back into action with four more victories, culminating
in an absolutely devastating performance in repeating her 2015 triumph in the prestigious Cox Plate:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rDXG-ovkG9U/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rDXG-ovkG9U?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here's hoping for a safe and productive 2017 for all creatures, horse and human. Happy New Year! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
</div>
Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-10919898284412136982012-06-27T00:54:00.001-04:002012-06-27T00:54:43.341-04:00Hollywood Wildcat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OP3lr5Po93A/T-qRoDvyFbI/AAAAAAAABRE/7d6T0mvYKgc/s1600/HollywoodWildcatBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OP3lr5Po93A/T-qRoDvyFbI/AAAAAAAABRE/7d6T0mvYKgc/s320/HollywoodWildcatBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hollywood Wildcat winning 1993 BC Distaff</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the lingering myths in horse racing is that great
racemares make terrible broodmares—that they quite literally leave their talent
on the track, having nothing left to pass on to their offspring. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Winning Colors</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Genuine Risk</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bayakoa</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lady’s Secret</b>, and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ashado</b>— these mares readily come to mind as disappointments in the
breeding shed. Yet, there are also plenty of examples that dispel this myth,
and none better than <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hollywood Wildcat</b>
who <a href="http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/breeding-news/2012/06/26/champion-hollywood-wildcat-dies.aspx">died
this past weekend</a> (in foal to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kitten’s
Joy</b>) at age 22 of complications from cancer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a racemare, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hollywood
Wildcat</b> won 12 of 21 starts, finishing out of the money only three times
while racing from age 2 to 5, from Florida to Kentucky, New Jersey to California.
As a juvenile, she easily won the Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs—one race
after breaking her maiden by 5 lengths. At 3, she failed horribly in the Grade
2 Fantasy at Oaklawn, but rebounded later that summer, winning five straight
races beginning with the Grade 1 Hollywood Oaks and ending with a dramatic nose
victory over the great <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Paseana</b> in
the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She subsequently won the Grade 1 Gamely
before just missing a victory on turf in the Grade 1 Beverly Hills Handicap; at
4, she repeated winning the Lady’s Secret Handicap before finishing out of the
money as the defending BC Distaff champion. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After going out a winner in her sole 1995 start, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hollywood Wildcat</b> began her career as a
broodmare, producing a 1996 filly, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Danzig
Wildcat</b> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Danzig</b>) who won her
maiden start, but suffered an injury that ended her career. Sticking with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Danzig</b> was obviously a wise move for
her connections, as Hollywood Wildcat’s second offspring turned out to be <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">War Chant</b> who, though lightly-raced,
captured the Grade 2 San Rafael and then just missed, finishing second in the
Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. After a disappointing ninth-place finish in the
Kentucky Derby, he was switched to turf, winning the Grade 2 Oak Tree Breeders’
Cup Mile in October, and then the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile in his career
finale. As a sire, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">War Chant</b> has
continued the family tradition, giving us Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint
victor <b>Chamberlain Bridge </b>(looking just like his daddy closing late), not to
mention Santa Anita Derby victor <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Midnight
Interlude</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">War Chant</b> wouldn’t
be her only son to make it to stud. As a juvenile, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ivan Denisovich</b> was a Group 1 runner-up on turf (Prix Morny) when
Aidan O’Brien made yet another of his ill-advised attempts at trying his turf
horses on dirt in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and he finished 12th of
14. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ivan Denisovich</b> spent his
3-year-old campaign bouncing back and forth between Europe and the U.S.,
finishing second in the Grade 1 Secretariat and then ended his career with a
third-place finish in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In all, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hollywood
Wildcat</b> produced eight winners from 11 foals to race, including a Breeders’
Cup winner. She’ll definitely be missed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1993 Breeders’ Cup
Distaff</b></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/IXgvaE9MTE8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><b>2000 Breeders’ Cup
Mile</b><b> (War Chant)</b></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/mRGytN60VSU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2010 Breeders’ Cup
Turf Sprint (Chamberlain Bridge)</b></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tyEjyKbDN7s?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2011 Santa Anita
Derby (Midnight Interlude)</b></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/67OkKOPOlIQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2007 Coolmore video
for Ivan Denisovich</b></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RkgFgSAAJRQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-73914913305550366222012-05-27T01:49:00.000-04:002012-05-27T01:49:19.325-04:00The Sheepshead Bay as Top Broodmare Indicator<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
While it may not have the prestige associated with some other
filly & mare races, the 11-furlong <a href="http://www.nyra.com/belmont/stakes/SheepsheadBay.shtml">Grade 2 Sheepshead
Bay Stakes</a> over the Belmont turf—won this year by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aruna</b>—has proven to be a tremendous race when it comes to showcasing
great race mares who go on to produce Grade/Group 1 horses as broodmares. Sure,
it may just be that top runners get bred to the best stallions, but we know
that breeding the best-to-the-best doesn’t always produce a winner. That’s why
it’s so interesting that so many top three finishers in this race since 1970
have produced not just black-type horses, but specifically G1 progeny or mares
that have produced G1-quality horses. Here’s a breakdown by decade of those I
could readily dig up:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
The 1970s:</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 1970 and 1971, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Princess
Pout</b> captured consecutive runnings of the Sheepshead Bay; <a href="http://sidfernando.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/on-eve-of-the-arc-a-look-back-at-last-days-of-a-great-winner/">her
hot-headed son <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Alleged</b></a> won
back-to-back editions of the FR-G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Another two- time
Sheepshead Bay winner (in 1976 and 1977), <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Glowing
Tribute</b> gave us G1 Kentucky Derby winner<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Sea Hero</b>. Other Sheepshead Bay winners of significance that decade:
1978 winner<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Late Bloomer</b>,<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>dam of G1 United Nations winner<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Ends Well</b>; and<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>1979 winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Terpsichorist</b>,
granddam of both G1 Champagne winner<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">
Union Rags</b> and VEN-G1 winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cheiron</b>;
her daughter <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dancing Devlette</b> ran
third in the 1992 edition of the race—and as a broodmare, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dancing Devlette</b> produced G1 Beldame third-place finisher <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Satans Quick Chick</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Other top three Sheepshead Bay mares that decade likewise
turned out to be solid G1 producers. 1970 third-place finisher <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Klassy Poppy</b> produced G1 Monmouth (now
Haskell) Invitational winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Special
Honor</b>, while 1973 runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inca
Rose</b> birthed G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup runner-up<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Hail Bold King</b>. 1975 runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hinterland</b> is the dam of G1 Ballerina victress <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Feel The Beat</b>, while 1978 runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Waya</b> is the granddam of ENG-G1 Golden Jubilee runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Crystal Castle</b>, FR-G1 Prix Morny
runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Secrage</b> and G1 Test runner-up
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pretty Prolific</b>. In 1979, Waya’s
half sister <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Warfever</b> finished third
in the Sheepshead Bay; as a broodmare, she produced G1 Santa Anita Handicap
runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Luthier Fever</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
The 1980s:</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The aforementioned trend continued in the ‘80s. In 1983 and
1984, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sabin</b> took consecutive runnings
of the Sheepshead Bay; she is the granddam of two-time GER-G1 Preis von Europa
runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Poseidon Adventure</b>. 1986
winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Possible Mate </b>(whose daughter
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fairy Garden</b> placed third in this
race in 1994) is the granddam of G1 Suburban Handicap runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tap Day</b>. There’s also a notable Japanese
flavor: 1987 winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Steal a Kiss</b> is
the granddam of JPN-G1 Tenno Sho victress <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Name
Value</b>, while 1988 winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nastique </b>produced<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>JPN-G1 winner<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Nobo True</b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While the winners turned out well as broodmares, the placegetters
were arguably even better. Take 1981 runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rokeby Rose </b>as an example; all she did was produce G1 Kentucky Oaks
winner<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>and Hall of Fame mare<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Silverbulletday</b>. A terrific race mare,
1988 third-place finisher<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Anka Germania </b>gave
us G1 Travers winner<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Deputy Commander</b>,
while 1984 third-place finisher<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Thirty
Flags</b> is the dam of G1 Acorn runner-up<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">
Dixie Flag</b>, and 1986 third-place finisher <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dawn’s Curtsey</b> produced G1 Top Flight runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Triumph at Dawn</b>. Others of note: 1983
runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">First Approach</b>, dam of G1
Beverly D runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Alice Springs</b>; 1984
third-place finisher <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Double Jeux</b>, dam
of G1-placed <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Clark Cottage</b>; 1980
third-place finisher <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Baby Sister</b>, granddam
of VEN-G1 winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Guaraira</b>; and<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>1987 runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Videogenic</b>, granddam of JPN-G1 NHK Mile runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Eishin Tsurugizan</b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
The 1990s:</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This decade began well, with 1990 winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Destiny Dance</b> giving us G1 Frizette
winner<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Balletto</b>. 1992 victress <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ratings</b> is the granddam of G1
Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap victor <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Smart
Bid</b>, while 1996 winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chelsey
Flower</b> birthed FR-G1 Prix Jean Prat runner-up<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b> (and now sire) <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kentucky Dynamite</b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The dam of ENG-G1Nunthorpe runner-up<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Bertolini</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aquilegia</b>
finished second in the 1993 running of the Sheepshead Bay, while 1999 runner-up
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Starry Dreamer</b> produced both G1 Alabama
runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Teammate</b> and G1 Vosburgh
runner-up (and sire) <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">War Front</b>. Since
we’ve already mentioned <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dancing Devlette</b>,
the only other third-place finisher of interest is 1998’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Colonial Play</b>, dam of G1 Canadian International winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Marsh Side</b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
The 2000s:</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Obviously, given that many of these Sheepshead Bay
contestants (like two-time winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Honey
Ryder</b>, not to mention placegetters <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hostess</b>
and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mauralakana</b>) have yet<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>to see their first progeny run, the G1 broodmare
accomplishments for this decade are sparse—but what a record it is! How about
2000 third-place finisher <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">La Ville Rouge</b>
producing G1 Kentucky Derby winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Barbaro</b>?
Also, 2003 runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Owsley</b> is the
dam of G1 Wood Memorial runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arthur’s
Tale</b>, while 2004 runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Spice
Island</b> has given us G1 Florida Derby victor <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ice Box</b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And, as if you need yet another factoid to absorb on this
matter, the dam of 2012 Sheepshead Bay runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hit It Rich</b> is a half sister to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Honey Ryder</b>. Not sure when he will make his debut, but Honey Ryder’s
<a href="http://jamesbond.wikia.com/wiki/Oddjob">brilliantly-named</a> 3-year-old
Giant’s Causeway son <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Oddjob</b> has
posted three workouts at Saratoga this May—watch for him later this summer
perhaps.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XKV4OZF5xGE/Tg03HjY4AQI/AAAAAAAAA-o/x-rumJkiwZg/s1600/HoneyRyder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XKV4OZF5xGE/Tg03HjY4AQI/AAAAAAAAA-o/x-rumJkiwZg/s400/HoneyRyder.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honey Ryder headed home</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-11701808730998386572012-05-21T00:32:00.001-04:002012-05-21T00:33:02.641-04:00Does I’ll Have Another Have the Right Dam Stuff?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
For a 12-furlong race like the G1 Belmont Stakes, everyone’s
first instinct is consider a horse’s sire as the sole gauge to whether or not
they can get the distance. However, with a little less than three weeks
remaining to ponder your options on who to <a href="http://www.belmontstakes.org/belmont-stakes-betting/">bet on Belmont
Stakes 2012</a>, don’t forget to take into account the importance that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dams</i> have played in producing Belmont winners.
In <a href="http://filliesfirst.blogspot.com/2011/06/dams-of-belmont-stakes-winners-since.html">this
post</a> last year, we looked at the dams of Belmont winners since 2000, and
found some striking similarities in terms of their racing and/or breeding
performance, as well as their stamina-rich bloodlines. How does the dam of
potential Triple Crown winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I’ll Have
Another</b> stack up to history? Considering that his sire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Flower Alley</b> never attempted 12-furlongs, it’s a particularly
significant question. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/archs+gal+edith">Arch’s Gal Edith</a></b>
(Arch-Force Five Gal, out of Pleasant Tap)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her sire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arch</b> won
the 10-furlong G1 Super Derby, while her damsire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pleasant Tap</b> captured both the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup and G1 Suburban
Handicap going 10-furlongs—both good signs. Even better: her second damsire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Caucasus</b> won the 14-furlong G1 Irish
St. Leger, as well as a number of other top races between 10- and 16-furlongs.
Her third damsire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sea-Bird</b> won both
the Epsom Derby and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as a 3-year-old. However, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arch’s Gal Edith</b> herself only raced
once, breaking her maiden going 6-furlongs at Belmont Park; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I’ll Have Another </b>is her only
stakes-winner. Her dam <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Force Five Gal</b>
finally broke her maiden in her 14th start, and in her final (27th) start, at
age 5, finished a well-beaten second in a minor stakes event going 1 1/16 miles
on turf at Fort Erie. None of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Force Five
Gal</b>’s progeny have raced in stakes company. You have to go back to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arch’s Gal Edith</b>’s second dam (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I’ll Have Another</b>’s third dam) <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Last Cause</b> to find quality performers; as
a juvenile, she once placed third in the G3 Miss Grillo Stakes. In addition to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Force Five Gal</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Last Cause</b> also produced the G3 Bewitch runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Noble Cause</b> and the stakes-placed <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ultimate Strike</b>. Still, on the
performance side, that’s kind of light, and doesn’t really compare favorably to
the latest Belmont winners. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you are looking for those with dams more in line with
recent history, you might want to consider:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/pochos+dream+girl">Pocho’s Dream Girl</a></b>
(Fortunate Prospect-True to Romeo, by Gallant Romeo)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The dam of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mark
Valeski</b> was G1-placed, having finished third in the 9-furlong Beldame; her
second dam, Spinaway victress <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Silver
True</b> was not only a half sister to G1 Santa Anita Derby-winning filly <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Silver Spoon</b>, but also produced a half
brother to unraced <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">True to Romeo</b>
named <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Silver Buck</b>, winner of the
10-furlong G1 Suburban and sire of the great <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Silver Charm</b>. Now that’s a Belmont Stakes-winner’s damline.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/tempo5">Tempo</a></b> (Gone
West-Terpsichorist, by Nijinsky)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The dam of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Union Rags</b>,
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tempo</b> only raced three times, but
her dam <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Terpsichorist</b> was a terrific
router, a G2 winner at 10-furlongs and a G3 winner at 12-furlongs. A half
sister to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tempo</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dancing Devlette</b> produced G1-placed <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Satans Quick Chick</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/indy+pick">Indy Pick</a></b> (A.P.
Indy-Fantastic Find, by Mr. Prospector)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The dam of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Optimizer</b>,
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Indy Pick</b> is a daughter of G1 winner
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fantastic Find</b>, and a half sister to
multiple G1 winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Finder’s Fee</b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/mining+my+own">Mining My Own</a></b> (Smart
Strike-Aspenelle, by Vice Regent)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mining My Own</b> has
already produced a G1-winning half brother to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dullahan</b>, Kentucky Derby victor <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mine That Bird</b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/dream+of+summer">Dream of Summer</a></b>
(Siberian Summer-Mary’s Dream, by Skywalker)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The dam of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Creative
Cause</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dream of Summer</b> won 10 of
20 starts, including the G1 Apple Blossom. Her sire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Siberian Summer</b>, her damsire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Skywalker</b>
and her second damsire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Properantes</b>
were all G1 winners of 10- to 12-furlongs. If <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Creative Cause</b> goes in the Belmont (and <a href="http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/journal/article.cgi?id=28928">his
chances are currently 50-50</a> according to his trainer), he’s well-bred for
it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/untouched+talent">Untouched Talent</a> </b>(Storm
Cat-Parade Queen, by A.P. Indy)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Apparently <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bodemeister</b>
will skip the Belmont, more the pity as his damside is beautifully-bred for the
race. His dam <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Untouched Talent</b>
finished second in the G1 Del Mar Debutante, while her G2-placed dam <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Parade Queen</b> has also produced a half
brother to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Untouched Talent</b>,
12-furlong G1 runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Obay</b>.
Instead of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bodemeister</b>, Bob Baffert
has <a href="http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/journal/article.cgi?id=28928">indicated
that he may send <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Paynter</b></a>, who is
equally impressive:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/tizso">Tizso</a></b> (Cees Tizzy-Cee’s Song,
by Seattle Song)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Paynter</b>’s
dam <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tizso</b> wasn’t much of a
racehorse, she’s regally bred—a full sister to two-time G1 Breeders’ Cup
Classic victor <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tiznow</b>, as well as G1
Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Budroyale.</b>
Enough said.</div>
</div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-71177448882931647762012-04-25T13:19:00.000-04:002012-04-25T13:22:39.329-04:00Do Dams Trump Sires in Kentucky Derby Winners?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last year I wrote a piece on the <a href="http://filliesfirst.blogspot.com/2011/04/dams-of-kentucky-derby-winners-since.html">dams
of Kentucky Derby winners since 2000</a> which revealed fascinating
intersections between strong damside stamina breeding in recent Derby winners and the
presence of great race mares in their pedigrees. As an addendum to that post,
the dam of last year’s victor <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Animal
Kingdom</b>, <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/dalicia2"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dalicia</b></a> (Acatengango-Dynamis, by
Dancing Brave) absolutely validates my argument, with her German-bred sire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Acatengango</b> being a legendary stayer
with seven Group 1 victories at 12-furlongs or longer; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dalicia</b> herself was a Group 3 winner at 10-furlongs, while her
second dam <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Diasprina</b> (German
champion juvenile filly of 1988) produced a host of winners including G2 German
1000 Guineas victress <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Diacada</b> and G3
Grosser Preis von Berlin winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Desidera</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When considering which horses to include in your <a href="http://www.kentuckyderbyonline.com/betting.html">Kentucky Derby betting
2012</a>, several look particularly promising solely based on their dams,
including <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dullahan</b> if for no other
reason other than his dam <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mining My Own</b>
has already produced a Derby winner in 2009’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mine That Bird!</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Six other potential contenders whose dams where
either good/great racemares themselves, or hail from a line of productive race
mares—and include plenty of stamina-rich damsires in their first five
generations—include (in alphabetical order):</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Alpha</b></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His dam <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/munnaya"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Munnaya</b></a> (Nijinsky-Hiaam, by Alydar)
won the 11-furlong listed English Oaks Trial, and has already produced five
winners at or beyond 10-furlongs. This is also the family of champion <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kamar</b> (Key to the Mint) who produced
multiple G1-winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gorgeous</b>, G1
Kentucky Oaks victress <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Seaside
Attraction</b> (dam of G1 Florida Derby winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cape Town</b> and champion juvenile filly <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Golden Attraction</b>), and Queen’s Plate victor <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Key to the Moon</b>. In addition to his second damsire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Alydar</b>, Alpha’s third damsire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Key to the Mint</b> finished second in the
1972 Jockey Club Gold Cup when it was contested at 16-furlongs (two miles),
while his fourth damsire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Quadrangle</b>
won the Belmont Stakes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bodemeister</b></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His G1-placed dam <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/untouched+talent"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Untouched Talent</b></a> (Storm Cat-Parade Queen, by A.P. Indy)
finished second in the 8.5 furlong G2 Alcibiades in her only route attempt, but
her dam <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Parade Queen</b> twice won G3
events at that distance, plus finished a game runner-up in the 9-furlong G2
Rare Perfume Breeders’ Cup Handicap on turf. In addition to being by a Belmont
Stakes winner (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Empire Maker</b>),
Bodemeister’s second damsire is Belmont victor <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A.P. Indy</b>, while his third damsire is the great 12-furlong G1
English Derby winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Roberto</b> and his
fourth damsire is English Triple Crown winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nijinsky</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Creative Cause</b></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His dam <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/dream+of+summer"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dream of Summer</b></a> (Siberian Summer-Marys Dream, by Skywalker) won
the G1 Apple Blossom and finished a late closing second in the 9-furlong G1
Santa Margarita Invitational in her career swansong. His second damsire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Skywalker</b> won the 10-furlong G1
Breeders’ Cup Classic, while his third damsire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Properantes</b> captured the 14-furlong G1 San Juan Capistrano
Invitational Handicap.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gemologist</b></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His unraced dam <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/crystal+shard"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Crystal Shard</b></a> (Mr. Prospector-Sulemeif, by Northern Dancer) is
a full-sister to G1 Kentucky Oaks runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Withallprobability</b>; her three-quarter sister produced 12-furlong
Japanese Oaks winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Robe Decollete</b>,
while another half sister birthed the Japanese Triple Tiara winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Still in Love</b>. His third dam <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Barely Even</b>, runner-up to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Susan’s Girl</b> in the G1 Kentucky Oaks,
produced G1 Oak Leaf victress <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">One of a
Klein</b>. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Crystal Shard</b> was
15-years-old when she birthed <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gemologist</b>,
and her dam <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sulemeif</b> was
14-years-old when she produced <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Crystal
Shard</b>, so it’s not surprising to find some really classic damsires in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gemologist</b>: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mr. Prospector </b>and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Northern
Dancer </b>we see somewhat regularly, but when’s the last time <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Crème dela Crème</b> or <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Doge</b> showed up in the first five
generations?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Take Charge Indy</b></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His multiple G1-winner dam <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/take+charge+lady"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Take Charge Lady</b></a> (Dehere-Felicita, by Rubiano) regularly won at
9-furlongs (including twice capturing the G1 Spinster Stakes); this is also the
family of G2 Lane’s End runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Northern
Giant</b>, G1 Jamaica runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Straight
Story</b>, and G2 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint victor <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chamberlain Bridge</b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Union Rags</b></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His dam <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/tempo5"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tempo</b></a> (Gone West-Terpsichorist, by
Nijinsky) only raced three times, but won first out by 4 1/2 lengths going
6-furlongs. However, her dam <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Terpsichorist</b>
won the G2 Sheepshead Bay Handicap over 10-furlongs, the G3 Long Island Handicap at
12-furlongs, and even defeated males (including G1-placed <b>Darby Creek Road</b>) in
the ungraded 11-furlong Rutgers Handicap. As a broodmare, she’s also produced
10-furlong G2 New York Handicap runner-up <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dancing
Devlette</b>, dam of the G1 Beldame-placed <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Satans
Quick Chick</b>.</div>
</div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-52075442735067673342012-04-22T17:42:00.000-04:002012-04-22T17:42:33.985-04:00Dahlia on My Mind<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On Saturday the name <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dahlia</b>
seemed to be everywhere. First, at Pimlico, there was the grassy 1-mile Dahlia
Stakes, won by recent $25k claimer 15-1 longshot <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Idle
Talk</b>, a 6-year-old <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Olmodavor</b>
mare making her first attempt at stakes company in 30 starts. The race itself
is named for the great champion Hall of Fame mare <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dahlia</b> who in the mid-1970s regularly trounced males at the highest
level—in France, in England, and in North America. Among her victories: the FR-G1
Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud; the ENG-G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth
Diamond Stakes at Ascot; the ENG-G1 Juddmonte International at York; the G1 Man
o’War at Belmont Park; and the G1 Washington DC International at Laurel.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ETMBKpBEb_c/T5R5RpplMhI/AAAAAAAABP0/8MLzYbdV8iE/s1600/Dahlia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ETMBKpBEb_c/T5R5RpplMhI/AAAAAAAABP0/8MLzYbdV8iE/s320/Dahlia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dahlia winning the 1973 Washington DC International</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dahlia </b>also excelled in the breeding shed, producing 4-time G1 winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dahar</b> (Lyphard) and 3-time G1 victor <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rivlia</b> (Riverman), as well as G1 winners
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Delegant</b> (Grey Dawn) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dahlia’s Dreamer</b> (Theatrical), not to
mention G1-placed <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Decadrachm</b> (What a
Pleasure). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the West Coast on Saturday, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dahlia</b>’s
4-year-old granddaughter <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/capital+plan">Capital Plan</a></b> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rock Hard Ten</b>) <a href="http://www.drf.com/news/santa-anita-capital-plan-collects-first-stakes-win-santa-barbara">captured
the 10-furlong G2 Santa Barbara Handicap</a> at Santa Anita; her dam is the
unraced <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Strawberry Road</b> mare <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Miss Dahlia</b>. Across the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, 3-year-old <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/ice+follies3">Ice Follies</a></b> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Stay Gold</b>) finished second in the 10-furlong
JPN-G2 Sankei Sports Sho Flora Stakes; her second dam <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Begonia</b> is an unplaced daughter of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dahlia</b> once owned by Nelson Bunker Hunt. How nice it is to see great racing mares continue their prowess down through the generations.</div>
</div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-26064541399883631952012-03-25T03:31:00.001-04:002012-03-25T03:32:06.011-04:00Inquieta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the evocative name that first caught my eye. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Restless</i>, in Spanish. To say that this long-ago race mare has
obsessed me of late would be a fair assessment and even somewhat of an
understatement. Why else would I pore through over 1,000 old editions of the <a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/drf/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daily
Racing Form</i></a> just to piece together her race record? Thanks to the
University of Kentucky’s partnering with Keeneland to preserve racing’s rich
history by digitally scanning the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DRF</i>,
and thus making it searchable, my efforts were slightly eased…but only
slightly. Turns out, like so many thoroughbreds that aren’t superstars or even briefly
household names, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> tip-toed
around famous people and famous horses for a while, but then faded into
obscurity, all the while toiling away for years in the claiming ranks. And yet,
hers is a story worth telling because it represents the majority of horses racing in this country: a hard-knocking horse that simply loved to run.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It begins at Ellerslie Stud near Charlottesville, Virginia,
the family homestead of the Hancock family, later of the legendary Claiborne
Farm. After the death of his father Captain Richard Hancock in 1909, Arthur B.
Hancock, Sr. took over control of the farm, the very year that they had mated
their homebred <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Charaxus</b> mare <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ellerslie</b> to the imported stallion <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fatherless</b>. Winner of the Great
Metropolitan Handicap at Epsom and the Prince of Wales Plate at Newmarket, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fatherless</b> had been purchased by
Hancock in 1900, a promising stallion prospect after eight years of racing and an
English record holder at 1 3/8 miles. The product of this mating was a 1910 bay
filly named <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/inquieta8"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b></a>. For Hancock, she was to
become one of his first stakes winners, although only as a breeder, not as her
owner. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the 1911 Lexington Yearling Sale, former jockey-turned
trainer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M._Odom">George Odom</a>
bought her for $200. Odom would have known a good horse when it saw it; later
inducted into the horse racing <a href="http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/horse-jockeys-view.asp?varID=50">Hall
of Fame</a> as a jockey, Odom had ridden the great <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/horses-view.asp?varID=37">Broomstick</a></b>
and won the 1904 Belmont Stakes on <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Delhi</b>,
a feat he would repeat many years later as a trainer, with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pasteurized</b>. In the mid-1940s, Odom would also enjoy great success with
the terrific filly <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/horses-view.asp?varID=39">Busher</a></b>—and
judging from her early exploits it’s not hard to think <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> may have possessed the same gritty determination of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Busher</b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b>’s first
races occurred at Terrazas Park in Juárez, Mexico, just across the border
from El Paso, Texas. Opened on December 1, 1909, the 1 1/8 mile-track—patterned
after Santa Anita racetrack—had been built by Louisville architect D. X. Murphy
for an American syndicate headed by J. G. Follansbee and under the supervision
of general manager Colonel Matt J. Winn. As the DRF noted about the facility
while it was being built: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The grandstand is to
have a seating capacity of 5,000 and will be built entirely of reinforced
concrete, with a roof of art metal and artistic approaches of concrete. The
general plan of the structure is to be similar to that of the Paris race course
stand…[with] no posts in the main section of the stand to obstruct the view,
for the roof is to be supported by reinforced concrete trusses and the entire
structure will be absolutely fireproof.”</i> </div>
</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3YAunzlGfpo/T27Dz6ayAWI/AAAAAAAABPA/QqgpIQay_xs/s1600/JuarezTrackPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3YAunzlGfpo/T27Dz6ayAWI/AAAAAAAABPA/QqgpIQay_xs/s320/JuarezTrackPhoto.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terrazas Park in Juarez, Mexico</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oL9zXrhyM9Y/T27EW79FKvI/AAAAAAAABPI/9Wx1aR9zv0M/s1600/A5814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oL9zXrhyM9Y/T27EW79FKvI/AAAAAAAABPI/9Wx1aR9zv0M/s320/A5814.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Period photos reveal an elegant facility, perfect for the
hordes of patrician American horsemen wintering in Mexico during the years when
racing was increasingly under attack in New York and elsewhere. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In that same
DRF article I found this incredibly revealing comment: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“One of the unique
features of the new Juarez plant is to be the section set apart for the native
element that are too poor to pay any admission to see the races. Twice each
week during the racing season the Mexican peons, with their families, will be
admitted free and these occasions will be advertised as widely as the special
stakes event that are to be run once each week.”</i> </div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How thoughtful to allow the "peons" to attend the races! But I digress…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Astonishingly early when compared to current racing practices,
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> made her 2-year-old debut
on January 5, 1912, in a 3-furlong allowance race for juvenile fillies. Legendary
starter Mars Cassidy sent them to the post—and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> promptly finished dead-last, nine lengths back of the
winner. Just five days later, she went postward again going three furlongs
against her own sex, and again the result wasn’t good: dead-last in a field of
eleven. The winner: future Hall of Famer <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/horses-view.asp?varID=115">Pan
Zareta</a></b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dropping her down into a selling race on January 19, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> broke much better and won
easily by 2 1/2 lengths against 11 competitors. It was the beginning of a
6-race win streak for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b>, culminating
in a devastating 10-length victory in the track’s concluding juvenile stakes
race, the 4-furlong Mexican Selling Stakes on March 17. All six victories were
accomplished in just two months’ time and in one of them, a 4-furlong allowance
race on March 2, she defeated <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pan Zareta</b>
by 3 1/2 lengths,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before that, on February 9, she won the season’s first
half-mile race for juveniles; as the DRF noted: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“She broke from the barrier like a bullet and escaped trouble that
occurred after the first twenty yards of the race had been run, when most of
the starters staggered into one another.” </i>That race, won in 46 4/5 seconds,
I later found out was the <a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1910s;cc=drf1910s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=inquieta;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1913041501;didno=drf1913041501;view=pdf;seq=2_11;node=drf1913041501%3A2.11;passterms=1">second
fastest 4-furlongs</a> run in 1912, by any horse of any age. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an
end, and on March 22, the winning streak was broken. As the DRF account notes: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"George M. Odom’s
Inquieta, after winning six consecutive races, was defeated today by El
Palomar, property of Charles W. Clark, the California millionaire horseman.
Inquieta ran a remarkable race considering that she started to run out a
quarter of a mile from the finish. Jockey Callahan brought her in towards the
rail again, but she zig-zagged in the final running and at the finish she was
on the extreme outside. She was beaten by a scant length."</i> </div>
</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UUBwwrczlow/T27EspRzaxI/AAAAAAAABPQ/7NIt4qsgIs0/s1600/JCallahanPicture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UUBwwrczlow/T27EspRzaxI/AAAAAAAABPQ/7NIt4qsgIs0/s320/JCallahanPicture.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All told, in those first nine starts, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> won a total of $1,915, by far the most successful of her then-dead
sire’s progeny to that point in the year. In all of her races, she had been
ridden by Odom’s contract rider J. Callahan.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With racing concluded at Juárez, Odom moved his
filly on to Lexington where, on April 27, she endured a rough trip and finished
ninth in a 4-furlong allowance race. Just three days later though, she finished
third, 2 1/2 lengths back of the colt <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hawthorn</b>
in the 4 1/2-furlong Iroquois Stakes at Lexington. Three days after that, she
finished a surprisingly poor seventh in a selling race, attributed by the DRF
to the addition of blinkers, undoubtedly an attempt to combat her tendency to
dramatically wander across the track during her races. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moving on to Churchill Downs, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“showing much improvement”</i> she <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“moved
up rapidly from a slow beginning and finished with a rush”</i> to gain
second-place in a 4-furlong allowance race. Among those she beat that day, and later
on another occasion, was subsequent champion juvenile filly <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gowell</b>, winner of the 1913 Ashland Oaks
and Latonia Derby, as well as third-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby behind
huge longshot <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Donerail</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By July 7, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b>
had run 22 times (!), finishing out the money on nine occasions, with 6 wins, 4
seconds and 3 thirds, for total earnings of $2,403. I found mention in the
DRF’s <a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1910s;cc=drf1910s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=inquieta;q2=odom;op2=and;op3=and;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1912082301;didno=drf1912082301;view=pdf;seq=1_2;node=drf1912082301%3A1.2;passterms=1">August
23, 1912</a> edition that her owner/trainer George Odom <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“says that he has expended much effort in training Inquieta to run
straight, and he now thinks that the daughter of Fatherless will do better this
fall.”</i> Even afterwards, though, this issue reappears again and again in
form charts, like on October 21 at Latonia when she would have won had she not
bore out around the final turn—she still managed to run second on that
occasion. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All told, as a 2-year-old, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> ran <u>30 times</u> at five different tracks, with a
record of 7 wins, 6 seconds and 5 thirds, as well as 12 out of the money
efforts. Today, that’s more than a career for most top horses—and she was just
a baby. Odom seems to have had a predilection for running his juvenile charges
often, though. In 1908, his 2-year-old filly <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/trance4">Trance</a></b> made 26
starts, winning 16 and, being unplaced only once, won $28,147. When she
returned for her 3-year-old campaign, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Trance</b>
ran—and won—only one race before injuring both knees during a workout. Turned
out for the rest of the year, she came back to race at ages 4, 5 and 6, making
62 career starts—and winning 30 races. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a bit of a slow start, as a 3-year-old, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> hit her groove when the track
at Juárez was inundated with torrential winter rains. She easily
captured races on back-to-back days (February 8 and 9) and then won again on
February 13. Turned back once more the following day, she suffered a nightmare
trip; as noted in the DRF form chart, she was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“sharply shut off at the half and, after losing considerable ground,
made a game effort in the stretch, but could not quite get up.”</i> She
finished 1/2 length back in second; she followed that effort up a mere two days
later with a third-place finish. All told, in the first three months of 1913, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> ran 15 times at Juárez
, winning four races, with 2 seconds and 2 thirds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s where her association with George Odom ended, though.
I couldn’t find details of how exactly or when it happened, but she was
purchased by B.A. Trammel & Gray, and spent the rest of that year
racing—and winning—at six different tracks on what was known as the
Inter-Mountain Circuit and in the Texas-Oklahoma region: in Idaho, at Coeur
d’Alene (11 starts: 4 wins, 3 seconds, 2 thirds); in Montana at Butte (8
starts: 1 win, 2 thirds) and at Anaconda (2 starts: 1 second, DNF after she
fell); in Oklahoma at Tulsa (5 starts: 2 wins, 1 second, 1 third) and at Oklahoma
City (2 starts: 1 win); and in Texas at Dallas (3 starts: 2 wins including her
first attempt at routing, going 9 furlongs). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although she race almost exclusively in selling races, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> did manage a third-place
finish in the Montana Handicap at Butte on July 19. She topped off her 3-year-old
campaign by returning to the track where her year began, making four starts at
Juárez
in December, with 1 second and 1 third-place finish. Unbelievably, that’s <u>50
starts</u> in one year! She won 14 times, with 8 seconds and 8 thirds, for
total winnings of $3,307. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After failing to hit the board in four starts at Juárez
to begin 1914, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> didn’t race
for the rest of her 4-year-old campaign, but she turns up at the Juárez
meet again in January 1915 under new ownership, T. Polk. That year she raced
primarily in Canada: in Montreal (Delorimier Park, Dorval, Blue Bonnets and
Mount Royal), in Ottawa (Connaught Park), and in the Toronto area (Fort Erie,
Dufferin, and Hillcrest). She also raced twice at Latonia before arriving back
in Mexico in December where, in her final race for Polk, she was pulled up. The
final tally: <u>48 starts</u>, with only 4 wins, but 12 seconds and 7
thirds—and she set a track record at Mount Royal for six furlongs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the years rolled by so too did the races. In 1916, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> raced primarily for W. L.
Schaefer in Tijuana and in Nevada at Reno, racking up <u>53 starts</u>, with 4
wins, 8 seconds and 6 thirds for earnings of $1,380. By December she had
changed hands again, now racing for George W. Wingfield’s Nevada Stock Farm,
but by January 1917, she came to be owned and trained by Canadian horseman William
“Red” Walker. In his 1911 book <u>Easy Money</u>, Paul Brolaski describes
Walker as: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“…a man who deserves
great credit for his rise in the turf world. By his own hard work he progressed
his way up from a stable foreman to one of the best trainers and largest
race-horse owners in America. There is no angle of the game that “Red” doesn’t
know. He has had every phase of it from jockey to bookmaker and owner. His
success has been in training his own horses. He is a man much feared because he
will run up the price of horses that are in selling races; but is much like by
the majority of poor owners on that account. It makes no difference to Walker
whether a man is a millionaire or not; if his horse is in too cheap and wins,
Walker will boost him.”</i> </div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Walker must have loved something in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> because he raced her for the next three years. In 1917, she
made 14 starts in Tijuana before moving on to Bowie in Maryland, and then up to
Canada once more for the summer; that autumn she raced at Latonia and Churchill
before finishing the year at Jefferson Park in New Orleans. For the year 1917: <u>45
starts</u>, with 9 wins, 8 seconds and 3 thirds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For whatever reason, 1918 saw <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> race only <u>25 times</u>, at Fair Grounds and Oaklawn,
then briefly up to Bowie and Baltimore before returning to New Orleans’ Jefferson
Park where, during their winter meet (November 23 to December 31), she
contested 11 events, with 3 wins, 1 second and 2 thirds, earning a generous
$1,250.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The meeting was not a
huge success, principally because of the inclement weather which prevailed
during the greater part of it. The continual rains left the track in the worst
condition possible and unsafe to race over, with the result that the racing
secretary found it extremely difficult to fill the daily program, the fields in
most cases being small and composed of the cheaper grade of horses.”</i> </div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s at this point in our story that simple appreciation for
the handling of a gutsy hard-knocker is supplanted by an incredible sadness, as,
for whatever reason, William Walker did not retire his mare. Instead, in 1919,
at age 9, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b> raced 21 more
times, managing to hit the board only once and that was early in the year. The
past performance chart is nearly unbearable to look at, as she’s routinely
defeated by 20 or more lengths, bouncing from Bowie, to Saratoga, to Havre de Grace
to Jamaica in New York. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fn_lj8fSijs/T27Iq6LFaCI/AAAAAAAABPg/01VZPGKZgfw/s1600/Inquieta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="57" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fn_lj8fSijs/T27Iq6LFaCI/AAAAAAAABPg/01VZPGKZgfw/s400/Inquieta.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Inquieta's last form charts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On October 14, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b>
again finishes dead-last in a 1 1/16 miles selling race at Empire City—51 1/2
lengths back of the winner. Nine days later, before the running of that day’s
races, someone named A. Jarrin paid $325 in a paddock sale for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b>—and she rewarded him with a
next-to-last effort, 30 lengths back of the winner. That winner, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bantry</b>—in an ironic twist of fate—had
also been bred at Ellerslie Stud by Arthur B. Hancock.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s it. That’s all I can find out about <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inquieta</b>. She apparently didn’t produce
any foals, or at least none that made it to the racetrack. For a horse that contested <b><u>276 races</u> </b>over the course of eight years, with 42 wins, 43 seconds,
and 33 thirds, I can just hope she had a happy ever-after.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Sources Consulted</u>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Southern Planter</i>
(October 1900) p. 565, on Hancock purchase of Fatherless.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The Ellerslie Farm Stallions and Brood Mares” Richmond (VA)
Times, January 13, 1901, p. 3, col. 4.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1910s;cc=drf1910s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=inquieta;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1912020201;didno=drf1912020201;view=pdf;seq=1_3;node=drf1912020201%3A1.3;passterms=1">“Notes
of the Turf”</a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DRF</i>, February 2,
1912, on Odom purchase of Inquieta.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1900s;cc=drf1900s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=Busy%20Times%20at%20Juarez%20Just%20Now;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1909082601;didno=drf1909082601;view=pdf;seq=1_8;node=drf1909082601%3A1.8;passterms=1">“Busy
Times at Juarez Just Now”</a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DRF</i>,
August 26, 1909, on Juarez race track.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1910s;cc=drf1910s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=inquieta;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1912021001;didno=drf1912021001;view=pdf;seq=1_3;node=drf1912021001%3A1.3;passterms=1">“Inquieta
is Again a Winner”</a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DRF</i>, February
10, 1912.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1910s;cc=drf1910s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=inquieta;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1912031901;didno=drf1912031901;view=pdf;seq=1_5;node=drf1912031901%3A1.5;passterms=1">“Inquieta
Wins Mexican Selling Stakes”</a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DRF</i>,
March 19, 1912.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1910s;cc=drf1910s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=inquieta;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1912032301;didno=drf1912032301;view=pdf;seq=1_3;node=drf1912032301%3A1.3;passterms=1">“Inquieta
Finally is Beaten”</a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DRF</i>, March 23,
1912.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1910s;cc=drf1910s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=inquieta;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1912050401;didno=drf1912050401;view=pdf;seq=1_10;node=drf1912050401%3A1.10;passterms=1">“Purses
to New Juveniles”</a> DRF, May 4, 1912.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1910s;cc=drf1910s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=inquieta;q2=odom;op2=and;op3=and;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1912100401;didno=drf1912100401;view=pdf;seq=2_4;node=drf1912100401%3A2.4;passterms=1">“Record
of a Fast Mare”</a> DRF, October 4, 1912, on Odom’s filly Trance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Harry Brolaski, <u>Easy Money: Being the Experiences of a
Reformed Gambler</u> (Cleveland, 1911) p. 191.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1910s;cc=drf1910s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=inquieta;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1919102401;didno=drf1919102401;view=pdf;seq=1_7;node=drf1919102401%3A1.7;passterms=1">“Paddock
Sale at Empire City Track”</a> DRF, October 24, 1919.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Photo credits</u>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Juarez Racetrack photos (unknown date), <a href="http://www.elpasotexas.gov/library/ourlibraries/main_library/border_heritage/border_heritage_otis_aultman_A0701-A0800.asp">Otis
A. Aultman Photo Collection</a>, El Paso Public Library.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Photo of jockey J. Callahan, <a href="http://www.elpasotexas.gov/library/ourlibraries/main_library/historical/jockey_club.asp">The
Jockey Club Juarez and El Paso souvenir booklet</a>, 1912-13, El Paso Public Library.
</div>
</div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-82993584964259002932011-12-30T01:28:00.002-05:002011-12-30T01:29:54.348-05:002011: The Year in Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SP24ueDXl3E/Tv1TzPOuVGI/AAAAAAAABL8/ECarXFM5qn4/s1600/BlackCaviar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SP24ueDXl3E/Tv1TzPOuVGI/AAAAAAAABL8/ECarXFM5qn4/s320/BlackCaviar.jpg" width="320" /></a>It’s a saying whose provenance is unclear: “The golden age
is before us, not behind us.” Taking a glass-half-full attitude is sometimes
hard to do when so many things appear to conspire against us, yet it doesn’t
take an eternal optimist to acknowledge that we are in the midst of a golden
age for horse racing’s fillies and mares. This blog previously highlighted
their performances in <a href="http://filliesfirst.blogspot.com/2010/01/beyond-rachel-and-zenyatta-oh-what-year.html">2009</a>
and <a href="http://filliesfirst.blogspot.com/2010/12/2010-more-than-just-zenyatta.html">2010</a>,
and once again in 2011, <b>on every continent that horse racing is contested</b>, a
filly or mare won at the highest level against male competitors. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still, American owners and trainers rarely contest these
open company events, much to the detriment of racing and its fans. Thankfully,
owner Rick Porter and trainer Larry Jones gave us <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Havre de Grace</b> who thrilled with her battles against <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Blind Luck</b> early in the year, before
turning her attention to defeating males in the G1 Woodward. Although she could
only manage a fourth-place finish in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Havre de Grace</b> should rightly earn the 2011
Eclipse Award for U.S. Horse of the Year, following in the hoof prints of the
great <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Zenyatta</b> (2010) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rachel Alexandra</b> (2009).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet, internationally, fillies and mares clearly dominated 2011’s
headlines, led by the Australian superstar <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Black
Caviar</b>, an undefeated phenomenon (16 straight victories) whose fame now has
transcended her sport—and led to <a href="http://www.blackcaviar.net.au/">her
own website</a>. She’ll take on the world in 2012, beginning with Royal Ascot
in June. Six times this year she defeated males in open company G1 races,
including the prestigious Newmarket Handicap, first contested in 1874. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/H4_Qurl05YM/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/H4_Qurl05YM&fs=1&source=uds" />
<param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" />
<embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/H4_Qurl05YM&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
March 12—<b>Black Caviar</b>, 4yo, AUS-G1 Newmarket H. (6f
T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Black Caviar</b> wasn’t
the only remarkable Aussie mare to capture a classic race. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pinker Pinker</b> upset the Cox Plate, while <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Southern Speed</b> took out the Caulfield Cup and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sacred Choice</b> won the Doncaster. Promising 3-year-old <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shamrocker</b> pulled off the Australian
Guineas-Australian Derby double. Other great winning open company performances
were put in by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Typhoon Tracy</b> (Orr), <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">More Joyous</b> (Futurity), <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Beaded</b> (Doomben 10,000), <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Secret Admirer</b> (Epsom) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ortensia</b> (Winterbottom).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Staying in the Southern hemisphere, it’s notable that three
of the four biggest G1 open company races on the South African calendar were
captured by fillies: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mother Russia</b>
(J&B Met), <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Igugu</b> (Vodacom Durban
July) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dancewiththedevil</b> (International
Summer Cup). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After winning the top German G1 races (Grosser Preis von
Berlin and Grosser Preis von Baden), <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Danedream</b>
dominated the FR-G1 Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe—a race where the top three
placings were fleshed out by fillies. The same kind of trifecta sweep happened
in the 15.5 furlong Prix Royal-Oak, won by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Be
Fabulous</b>. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Margot Did</b> gave jockey
Hayley Turner her second career G1 win in the Nunthorpe, while juvenile <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">La Collina</b> defeated two subsequent
G1-winning colts in the Phoenix Stakes. Maybe she wasn’t quite her glorious
self this year, but <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Goldikova</b> still
won the Prix D’Ispahan, and finished behind upcoming filly <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Immortal Verse</b> in the Prix Jacques Le Marois. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Canada, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inglorious</b>
captured the Queen’s Plate, while <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sarah
Lynx</b> shocked the Canadian International. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All told, at least <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">463
times</b> in 2011 fillies and mares won or placed in group/graded stakes races
worldwide—that’s another huge increase over last year’s number (380). Of those,
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">151</b> were at the highest (G1) level,
including <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">53 G1 victories</b>, all of
which are recorded in the <a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AuCIC1o49IhMdDlfREFyTDJldWNscjE4aUIyS0FsT2c&hl=en">spreadsheet</a>
found in this blog’s left-hand column.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For your viewing pleasure, here are some of the best
performances of 2011:</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/_2dum57zuhQ/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_2dum57zuhQ&fs=1&source=uds" />
<param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" />
<embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_2dum57zuhQ&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
January 8—<b>Mother Russia</b>, 5yo, SAF-G1 Queen’s Plate
(8f T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/5a0mjqsNBU4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
February 26—<b>More Joyous</b>, 4yo, AUS-G1 Futurity S. (7f
T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/Of6Yz_1naQM/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Of6Yz_1naQM&fs=1&source=uds" />
<param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" />
<embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Of6Yz_1naQM&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
March 5—<b>Shamrocker</b>, 3yo, AUS-G1 Australian Guineas
(8f T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/3wzbsDzliwM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
May 22—<b>Goldikova</b>, 6yo, FR-G1 Prix D’Ispahan (9f T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/0bHBKzyAiJ0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
June 26—<b>Sarafina</b>, 4yo, FR-G1 Grand Prix de
Saint-Cloud (12f T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/R-6z_-g8N6M/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/R-6z_-g8N6M&fs=1&source=uds" />
<param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" />
<embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/R-6z_-g8N6M&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
July 2—<b>Igugu</b>, 3yo, SAF-G1 Vodacom Durban July (11f T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/t9D91CyX8Ho?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
August 7—<b>La Collina</b>, 2yo, IRE-G1 Phoenix S. (6f T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/0NzSuVQ3Kpw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
August 15—<b>Immortal Verse</b>, 3yo, FR-G1 Prix Jacques Le
Marois (8f T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/c5YKrudLrTg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
September 3—<b>Havre de Grace</b>, 4yo, US-G1 Woodward (9f )</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pb9K3oqp7FE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
October 2—<b>Danedream</b>, 3yo, FR-G1 Prix de L’Arc de
Triomphe (12f T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/JiM9VPXygN8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
October 15—<b>Southern Speed</b>, 4yo, AUS-G1 Caulfield Cup
(12f T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/mn5iYFVAf2I?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
October 16—<b>Sarah Lynx</b>, 4yo, CAN-G1 Canadian
International (12f T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/lsKlhTf1Mzw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
October 22—<b>Pinker Pinker</b>, 4yo, AUS-G1 Cox Plate (10f
T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/AJ8GQKfs0Ko?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
October 23—<b>Be Fabulous</b>, 4yo, FR-G1 Prix Royal-Oak
(15.5f T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/dHoV2jSBHeQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
November 19—<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ortensia</b>,
6yo, AUS-G1 Burswood-Winterbottom (6f T)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/3yGEXt3cvWU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
November 27—<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Buena
Vista</b>, 5yo, JPN-G1 Japan Cup (12f T)</div>
</div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-22196818256468184222011-11-11T15:54:00.000-05:002011-12-29T00:06:13.133-05:00Just How Successful as Broodmares are BC Distaff Winners?, or Why $8.5 Million is a Helluva Risk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The monstrous $8.5 million recently paid for Breeders’ Cup
Ladies’ Classic (Distaff) winner<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Royal
Delta</b> brings up an intriguing issue. Just how prolific are female Breeders’
Cup Distaff winners at producing quality horses at stud? Obviously a myriad of
factors come into play—health issues and poor breeding choices chief among them,
as well as the subsequent handling of a mare’s progeny. It’s an inexact science
to be sure. However, if the Breeders’ Cup series is intended to not only
highlight champion racehorses, but also promote these champions as viable
future breeding stock, then an evaluation of how filly and mare champions have
thus far fared as broodmares is a valid exercise.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The question that likely can’t be answer with authority
regards those deemed “failures” as broodmares; namely, is it the result of
their own pedigree limitations, or does, in fact, winning on the track
contribute in some way to their capacity to genetically pass on their talent? Still,
it’s intriguing what history tells us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of the 21 Distaff winners before 2006, only three can be
considered smashing successes as broodmares: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Personal Ensign</b> (1988), <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dance
Smartly</b> (1991) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hollywood Wildcat</b>
(1993). Two of them have produced subsequent Breeders’ Cup winners:
Hollywood Wildcat’s son <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">War Chant </b>won
the 2000 BC Mile, while Personal Ensign’s daughter <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">My Flag</b> captured the 1995 BC Juvenile Fillies—and then produced
2002 BC Juvenile Fillies victress <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Storm
Flag Flying</b>, a rare three-generation achievement. Two of Dance Smartly’s
progeny captured back-to-back editions of the prestigious Queen’s Plate in
Canada: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Scatter the Gold</b> (2000) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dancethruthedawn</b> (2001). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Interestingly, two of these mares had extraordinary
siblings: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Personal Ensign</b> was a
full-sister to multiple G1-winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Personal
Flag</b>, while <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dance Smartly</b> was a
half sister to G1 winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Smart Strike</b>.
On the other hand, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hollywood Wildcat</b>
had nothing significant on her damside.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Among the Distaff winners with modest success, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Inside Information</b> (1995) produced 2005
champion 3-year-old filly <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Smuggler</b>,
while long-forgotten <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sacahuista</b>
(1987) gave us Italian Group 1 victor <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ekraar</b>
and successful Chilean and Australian sire <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hussonet</b>.
Both <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Beautiful Pleasure</b> (1999) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Spain</b> (2000) produced unexceptional G1-placed
runners, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dr. Pleasure</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Plan</b>, respectively, while <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Life’s Magic</b> (1985), <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Unbridled Elaine</b> (2001) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Azeri</b> (2002) each count a Grade 2
performer among their brood. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still others have been devastating disappointments: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Princess
Rooney</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lady’s Secret</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bayakoa</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Paseana</b>, and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ashado</b>
among them. Of those, several were high-priced broodmare purchases including <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Princess Rooney</b> ($5.5 million) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ashado</b> ($9 million)—although only one
of them had much in their damline to recommend them. Ashado’s full brothers were
G1 winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sunriver</b> and G2-placed <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Saint Stephen</b>, while her dam’s half
sister <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Quite a Bride</b> was multiple
G2-placed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What, if anything, does that means for the future success of
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Royal Delta</b>? Uncertain, of course,
but she too has a quality damline—her G3-winning dam <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Delta Princess</b> is out of G2-winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lyphard’s Delta</b> who has also produced the very nice Italian Group 1
winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Biondetti</b>, as well as G1
winner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Indy Five Hundred</b>. Given that
she’s likely to return to the track as a 4-year-old, thankfully it’s a question
we won’t have to worry about any time soon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We'll take a look at other female Breeders' Cup winners as broodmares in future posts as we consider whether or not issues like surface, distance and precociousness also help determine future success in the breeding shed.</div>
</div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-54496899230761642552011-10-07T14:26:00.001-04:002012-10-19T15:26:14.743-04:00Tough and Talented: Royal Heroine, BC Mile Winner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Four weeks from now, 6-year-old <b>Goldikova </b>will attempt to do
something no horse—male or female—has ever accomplished: become a four-time
Breeders’ Cup Mile winner. Coming in with a two-race losing streak obviously
isn’t ideal, but the <b>Anabaa </b>mare loves the tighter turns of American turf
courses like Churchill Downs, so it will be hard to discount her chances. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of all the Breeders’ Cup races, the turf Mile is probably my
favorite open company affair, and since 1984, eight times it’s been won by a
filly or mare. Before <b>Goldikova</b>, there was <b>Six Perfections</b> (2003), <b>Ridgewood
Pearl</b> (1995), and two-time winner <b>Miesque </b>(1987, 1988), a brilliant racer and terrific
broodmare who not only produced champion<b> East of the Moon</b> and dynamic sire
<b>Kingmambo</b>, but a Breeders’ Cup Mile winner in (appropriately enough) <b>Miesque’s
Son</b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d9tK5rwmBQM/To9D1774X1I/AAAAAAAABH0/QYA-QQ0i-7E/s1600/BHL_RoyalHeroineBCMile84.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d9tK5rwmBQM/To9D1774X1I/AAAAAAAABH0/QYA-QQ0i-7E/s320/BHL_RoyalHeroineBCMile84.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Photo: Blood-Horse
Library </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first BC Mile winner <b>Royal Heroine</b> (1984) is one that perhaps
has faded from people’s memories over the past two decades, but should not be
forgotten—and not just because of her North American record-setting effort
against a field that include <b>Cozzene </b>(who came back to win the race the
following year). Her game effort in the G1 Arlington Million just before the
Breeders’ Cup impresses me; after her jockey Fernando Toro made the unusual
move of gunning her to the lead, the <b>Lypheor </b>filly led the boys on a merry
chase until, in the final furlong she was passed by the legendary <b>John Henry</b>,
making the 81st start of his illustrious career. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/pzPAMVZ5m-w?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here's the video of her Breeders’ Cup
victory:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/X-c8FaGHbIk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
What makes <b>Royal Heroine</b>’s performance that year truly
miraculous is the fact that six months earlier, in the G1 Santa Ana Stakes at
Santa Anita, she had been involved in a three-horse spill—one in which <b>Sweet
Diane</b> died instantly after breaking her neck and <b>High Haven</b> was later
euthanized due to her broken left front leg. Fortunately, <b>Royal Heroine</b>
suffered only minor cuts and severe body soreness, but Fernando Toro (who would
also ride her to BC victory) was thrown and then kicked in the face by <b>Royal
Heroine</b> as she attempted to rise from her knees. His physical
ailments—lacerations and a concession—didn’t match the emotional trauma felt by
jockey Ray Sibille who, although riding <b>High Haven</b>, was the regular
rider of <b>Sweet Diane</b> (she was ridden by Laffit Pincay that fatal day).<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SPVXkEjxweo/To9DG02osoI/AAAAAAAABHw/RSVMMf2FpPM/s1600/SantaAna1984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SPVXkEjxweo/To9DG02osoI/AAAAAAAABHw/RSVMMf2FpPM/s320/SantaAna1984.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
“2 Horses Die, Toro Injured in 3-Way Spill at Santa Anita”
by Bill Christine, Los Angeles Times (March 19, 1984).</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<br />
After a three-month break, <b>Royal Heroine</b> made her return for
trainer John Gosden a winning one, capturing the open company G3 Inglewood
Handicap, and followed that up with a victory in the G2 Beverly Hills Handicap
in July. Next, in the race prior to the Million, she was disqualified from
first to third in the G3 Palomar at Del Mar. In her final prep for the
Breeders’ Cup, <b>Royal Heroine</b> was upset by <b>Flag De Lune</b>, but then she put in
that world record-matching time in the Mile, a record that had been set back in
1949. The final race of her career was a mere 15 days after her BC win, when
she captured the G1 Matriarch over <b>Sabin</b>. It was enough to make her the
Eclipse-winning turf mare for 1984.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
She may not have been a <b>Miesque</b>—let alone a <b>Goldikova</b>—but <b>Royal
Heroine</b> was one tough cookie.</div>
</div>
Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-55647355332407109242011-08-09T13:18:00.004-04:002011-08-09T13:37:15.065-04:00"She Always Gave Her Ultimate": Anka Germania, G1 Sword Dancer WinnerSaturday will mark the 37th running of the G1 Sword Dancer Invitational, a 12-furlong turf contest that has produced three Eclipse-winning champions (<span style="font-weight:bold;">John Henry</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Lemhi Gold</span> and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Theatrical</span>), and host of other notable winners: <span style="font-weight:bold;">El Senor</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Kiri’s Clown</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Awad</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">John’s Call</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Better Talk Now</span> and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Grand Couturier</span>. Only once has a mare won this race, and her uplifting story is fraught with injury and near-death experiences, all of which she overcame to not only defeat subsequent Eclipse champion turf horse <span style="font-weight:bold;">Sunshine Forever</span> in the 1988 Sword Dancer, but also to produce a tremendous G1 winner and sire as a broodmare. Her name is <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/anka+germania">Anka Germania</a></span>.
<br />
<br />Out of an unraced <span style="font-weight:bold;">Tudor Music</span> mare named <span style="font-weight:bold;">Affaire d’Amour</span>, Irish-bred <span style="font-weight:bold;">Anka Germania </span>spent her early years racing in France with only modest success before she was purchased sight unseen by David Greathouse of <a href="http://www.glencrest.com/">Glencrest Farm</a> fame, and shipped to the United States in 1986. Undoubtedly this purchase was in part based on the performance of her older half-brother <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mourjane</span>, a G2 winner in France who, when transferred to the U.S. in 1985, won the G3 Kelso prior to running third behind <span style="font-weight:bold;">Peebles </span>and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Strawberry Road</span> in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. The same month (August) that <span style="font-weight:bold;">Anka Germania</span> made her US debut, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mourjane </span>won the G1 Arlington Handicap. Both siblings were trained by Thomas Skiffington.
<br />
<br />As a 4-year-old in 1986, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Anka Germania</span> only won once—the Calder Breeders’ Cup Handicap—and was twice graded-placed in six starts. It was her 1987 campaign that saw her reel off five consecutive victories, including the G2 Orchid and New York Handicaps, and win a total of six times in 10 starts. Unfortunately, the great <span style="font-weight:bold;">Miesque </span>captured the first of her two consecutive Breeders’ Cup Mile titles that year, leaving <span style="font-weight:bold;">Anka Germania</span>’s Eclipse aspirations unfulfilled. However, that campaign was nothing less than miraculous in that <span style="font-weight:bold;">Anka Germania</span> was sidelined from late May to early October when an abscess burst in her lungs. She nearly died.
<br />
<br />1988 began with Florida victories, in the G2 Black Helen and G3 Suwannee River (in a matter of just 10 days) before she failed miserably in the G2 Orchid at Gulfstream. Laid off from early February to mid-June, she came back to win a Belmont handicap before running third in the G2 Sheepshead Bay immediately before the Sword Dancer. In that race—her one and only G1 victory—as the highweight and over a turf course saturated by nearly two weeks of continuous rain, she won by 1-1/2 lengths over sharp 3-year-old <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/sunshine+forever">Sunshine Forever</a></span> and a formidable filly foe in <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/carotene ">Carotene</a></span>, winner of the Pan American Handicap and, two years earlier, champion 3-year-old turf horse in Canada after victories in the Toronto Cup, Wonder Where Stakes and the third leg of the Triple Crown, the 12-furlong Breeders’ Stakes.
<br />
<br />After her Sword Dancer win, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Anka Germania</span> had nothing but bad fortune, finishing out of the money in the G1 Arlington Million, Man O’War and Turf Classic—all against males—and in the G2 Long Island Handicap. It was after that last race that she contracted <a href="http://cvm.msu.edu/alumni-friends/information-for-animal-owners/potomac-horse-fever">Potomac horse fever</a>, a potentially fatal viral infection, leaving her trainer <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1989-02-19/news/8901100328_1_anka-germania-tom-skiffington-sword-dancer">“wondering a couple nights if she would live.”</a></span> She did, and came back in 1989 (after a disappointing sixth-place finish in the G2 La Prevoyante) to conclude her career in outstanding fashion, <a href="http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1989-02-20/news/8901100171_1_race-julie-krone-13-horse-field ">losing by a mere nose</a> to <span style="font-weight:bold;">Gaily Gaily</span> in the G2 Orchid. <a href="http://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorseInfo.cfm?refno=1008103®istry=T">Anka Germania</a> retired with a record of 16-2-9 in 47 starts, with earnings of $952,354.
<br />
<br />In a 1989 interview with Fort Lauderdale <span style="font-style:italic;">Sun Sentinel</span> racing writer Dave Joseph marking her retirement, trainer Thomas Skiffington noted:
<br />
<br /><a href="http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1989-01-01/news/8901010080_1_anka-germania-man-o-war-sword-dancer"><blockquote>"I'd say 99 1/2 percent wouldn’t have been able to lick the problems she had. Despite them all, she always gave you her ultimate. She never cheated, she never lied. The races she lost she wasn’t ridden well in them, or I deserve the blame for them. The only thing she ever asked was that you give her a little time between her races. That was it."</blockquote></a>
<br />
<br />As a broodmare, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Anka Germania</span> was sent to the absolute best sires—<span style="font-weight:bold;">Nureyev</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Danzig</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Chief’s Crown</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Theatrical</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Irish River</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Sadler’s Wells</span> and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Zilzal</span>—with only modest results. However, her mating with <span style="font-weight:bold;">Deputy Minister</span> proved most fruitful, in the form of <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/52882/deputy-commander-euthanized">Deputy Commander</a></span>, winner of the 1997 G1 Travers and G1 Super Derby, not to mention Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up (albeit to a dominating <span style="font-weight:bold;">Skip Away</span>).Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-4961640200797223802011-08-02T18:22:00.004-04:002011-08-02T19:11:31.932-04:00Different Flowers from the Same GardenEarlier this summer I wrote a piece for <a href="http://helloracefans.com/horses/horse-profiles/better-than-honour">Hello Race Fans!</a> on broodmare extraordinaire <span style="font-weight:bold;">Better Than Honour</span>, dam of back-to-back Belmont Stakes winners <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jazil </span>(2006) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Rags to Riches</span> (2007). That research got me thinking about how often siblings out of the same dam capture the same top stakes races, and it’s actually a phenomenon that isn’t quite as rare as one might think, although perhaps less so today than in the past. <br /><br />Those familiar with American racing history well remember the five daughters of the mare Barbarity, known as the “Barbarous Battalion” who included not only Belmont/Travers winner <span style="font-weight:bold;">Ruthless</span>, but also Alabama winners <span style="font-weight:bold;">Regardless </span>(1874) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Merciless </span>(1876). Teresa Genaro over at Brooklyn Backstretch wrote a terrific piece on the Barbarous Battalion back in 2009, which you can read <a href="http://www.brooklynbackstretch.com/2009/08/22/the-barbarous-battalion-in-the-alabama ">here</a>. <br /><br />The Alabama is, in particular, rich with sibling winners, including <span style="font-weight:bold;">Running Water</span> (1906) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Addie M</span> (1914), as well as legendary Hall of Fame mare <span style="font-weight:bold;">Miss Woodford</span> (1883) and her full sister <span style="font-weight:bold;">Belle of Runnymeade</span> (1882). A daughter of <span style="font-weight:bold;">Man o’ War</span>, 1928 Alabama runner-up <span style="font-weight:bold;">Valkyr </span>outdid them all, producing <span style="font-weight:bold;">Vagrancy </span>(1942) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Hypnotic </span>(1946) who each captured both the Alabama and the Coaching Club American Oaks. Also among CCA Oaks winners are two sets of full sisters: <span style="font-weight:bold;">Florence Nightingale</span> (1925) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Edith Cavell</span> (1926); and <span style="font-weight:bold;">How </span>(1951) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Cherokee Rose</span> (1954).<br /><br />More often than not, the dams of such sibling winners are incredibly talented race mares in their own right. For example, Kentucky Oaks runner-up <span style="font-weight:bold;">Quaze </span>(1960) produced two Kentucky Oaks winners—<span style="font-weight:bold;">Susan’s Girl</span> (1972) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Quaze Quilt</span> (1974)—as did 1893 Clipsetta winner <span style="font-weight:bold;">Queenlike</span>, with Kentucky Oaks winners <span style="font-weight:bold;">Kings Daughter</span> (1906) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Ellen-a-Dale</span> (1908). Even more improbably, multiple stakeswinner <span style="font-weight:bold;">Blue Delight</span> gave us three Kentucky Oaks winners: <span style="font-weight:bold;">Real Delight</span> (1952), <span style="font-weight:bold;">Bubbley </span>(1953) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Princess Turia</span> (1956), the last filly who eventually birthed Derby winner <span style="font-weight:bold;">Forward Pass</span>.<br /><br />Interestingly, among male siblings the phenomenon appears to be a bit rarer (except for the Canadian-bred restricted Queen’s Plate for which there are actually numerous examples). Among the American Triple Crown races, in addition to Better Than Honour’s duo winning the Belmont, only the Preakness has been captured by brothers, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Royal Tourist</span> (1908) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Holiday </span>(1914). The Arkansas Derby includes half brothers <span style="font-weight:bold;">Al Davelle</span> (1959) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Prince Davelle</span> (1964), as well as <span style="font-weight:bold;">Demons Begone</span> (1987) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Pine Bluff</span> (1992). Among the winners of the Wood Memorial are full brothers <span style="font-weight:bold;">Gallant Fox</span> (1930) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Fighting Fox</span> (1938), while the German stakes-placed mare <span style="font-weight:bold;">Blue Begum</span> gave us back-to-back Virginia Derby winners, full brothers <span style="font-weight:bold;">Orchard Park</span> (2002) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Silver Tree</span> (2003). <br /><br />Because a filly contesting open company stakes races is such a rarity, it’s not surprising that I could find only one example of sisters winning the same stakes race against males—West Virginia Derby victresses <span style="font-weight:bold;">Etimota </span>(1963) and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Kerensa </span>(1966). Both were bred and owned by Frances W. Luro, wife of legendary trainer Horatio Luro at their Old Mill Farm in Carterville, Georgia. Both were trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/trainers/1981/Frank_Merrill_Jr.html ">Frank Merrill Jr.</a>, although they ran at old Waterford Park in the name of local trainer Patsy Santo. When <span style="font-weight:bold;">Etimota </span>won, it was by a record 12 lengths; as a 4-year-old, she would win the Nettie Handicap (now called the E.P. Taylor Stakes). Her sister <span style="font-weight:bold;">Kerensa </span>(“love” in Cornish) enjoyed far more success in terms of winning top races. In fact, she was named champion 3-year-old filly in Canada after victories in the Selene, Nassau and Heresy Stakes, not to mention runner-up finishes in both the Toronto Cup and International Handicap, leading up to the West Virginia Derby.Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-36182611001247448792011-07-27T21:23:00.004-04:002011-07-27T21:51:30.868-04:00When Clean Out Cleaned Up at Del Mar<span style="font-style:italic;"><blockquote>Feverish, last-minute preparations were being made today for the weekend opening. Most of it is clean-up work. The track is ready, the judges’ stand is in place, the tote board was given a dress rehearsal this afternoon, and the horses are champing at their respective bits.<br /><br />The crowds will find the plant a gem, the accommodations ample, a track that has every modern device. The racing strip itself will probably turn out to be one of the finest in the country. It is fast, has a splendid cushion, and Clocker W. H. Browne told me this morning early morning workouts have indicated to him some splendid times will be registered. It is one of the safest tracks ever built for horses.</blockquote></span><br /><br />That’s how Paul Lowry of the Los Angeles <span style="font-style:italic;">Times </span>reported on preparations for the 1937 opening of the new $1 million Del Mar race track, built with Works Progress Administration laborers. Broadcasted live on NBC radio by the legendary Clem McCarthy and viewed by an estimated crowd of 18,000 on site, the featured races that July day were the 8.5-furlong $2,500 Inaugural Handicap and the 6-furlong $1,000 San Diego Handicap.<br /><br />Today, the G2 San Diego Handicap, contested at 8.5 furlongs, is not only a “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, but also serves as a major prep for the G1 Pacific Classic. Over the years it’s been won by some quality horses, most notably the great <span style="font-weight:bold;">Native Diver</span> who won three consecutive times, 1963-65. Perhaps the greatest upset occurred in 1990 when <span style="font-weight:bold;">Quiet American</span> upset the celebrated mare <span style="font-weight:bold;">Bayakoa</span>—she would go on to repeat as Breeders’ Cup Distaff champion later that fall.<br /><br />That very first San Diego Handicap was won by a filly, a 5-year-old <span style="font-weight:bold;">Pompey </span>mare named <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/clean+out"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Clean Out</span></a>, and as a race horse, she tiptoed around fame like so many long-forgotten names. As a 2-year-old maiden winner, she had the misfortune to run into a tiny buzz-saw on a major winning streak, the legendary <span style="font-weight:bold;">Black Helen</span>. She ran second behind the very good <span style="font-weight:bold;">Vicaress </span>in the Spinaway, and, as a 3-year-old, she finished third to subsequent Aqueduct Handicap victress <span style="font-weight:bold;">Good Gamble</span> in the 7-furlong Test. <br /><br />Sold in January 1936 and transferred to the California-based stables of Mrs. Vera S. Bragg, the mare only faced three other contestants on Del Mar’s opening day, and she didn’t exactly burn down the house, finishing just a half-length in front of <span style="font-weight:bold;">Illeanna </span>in a rather mundane 1:12, with front-running <span style="font-weight:bold;">Boilermaker </span>tiring badly to run third, just a head in front of <span style="font-weight:bold;">Lady Florise</span>. Her antics in the winner’s circle, however, were noteworthy enough for the <span style="font-style:italic;">Times</span>:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><blockquote>Clean Out was led into the winner’s ring adjacent to the steward’s stand in the infield. And pretty <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Carlisle">Mary Carlisle</a> was led in to crown the victor. But Clean Out and Mary failed to hit it off. Clean Out didn’t fancy the whitewashed trimmings of a ring which was square instead of round and vented her resentment in Mary’s direction. Clean Out kicked and Mary beat a hasty retreat, the Bragg color-bearer therefore going uncrowned.</blockquote></span><br /><br />What should have been a memorable moment for her connections unfortunately went unrealized. However, that Del Mar meet was spectacular for <span style="font-weight:bold;">Clean Out</span>, a kind of Renaissance for the one-time East Coast contender. She won the 6-furlong Playa Ensenada Handicap on July 21, finished second behind <span style="font-weight:bold;">King Saxon</span> in record-setting time (1:11) in the 6-furlong Oceanside Handicap on July 24, and followed that up on July 31 with a victory in the 6-furlong Escondido Handicap (now the 12-furlong Cougar II) by a nose over <span style="font-weight:bold;">Lady Florise</span>. <br /><br />Even today, some horses shine oh-so-brightly for just a short time, and then fade into oblivion. But for <span style="font-weight:bold;">Clean Out</span>, what a month she enjoyed at the place where the turf meets the surf.Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-62919492229073921172011-07-19T22:51:00.000-04:002011-12-29T00:06:38.963-05:00Flambette: Dubious Winner of the 1921 Coaching Club American Oaks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Coupled horses entered by the same owner aren’t a rarity
and, for horseplayers, frequently offer a bargain “two-for-one” wagering
opportunity. At times, one of the entrants serves as a “rabbit”, a pacemaker
for their more talented stablemate; rarely (especially in stakes races) are two
equally-talented horses entered by the same owner where (barring a dead heat)
one of them is guaranteed to lose. Apparently, we’ll witness just such an event
when George and Lori Hall enter G1 Louisiana Derby winner <b>Pants on Fire</b> and G1
Belmont Stakes winner <b>Ruler on Ice</b>—“Fire and Ice” as they have been amusing
coined—in Monmouth’s G1 Haskell Invitational on July 31.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A similar situation took place in 1921 when owner P.A. Clark
sent out the talented fillies <b>Nancy Lee</b> and <b>Flambette </b>to contest the Coaching
Club American Oaks—although the suspect result would have caused bettors to
burn down the grandstand if the two hadn’t been a single wagering interest.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Historically, the Coaching Club American Oaks is second only
to the Kentucky Oaks as a dirt stamina test for 3-year-old fillies—thus, the
decision made in 2010 to shorten it to a mere nine furlongs is a damn shame.
Since its inaugural running in 1917, the CCAO has been won by a bevy of
talented fillies—<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Flight"><b>Top Flight</b></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagrancy_%28horse%29"><b>Vagrancy</b></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Tear"><b>Twilight Tear</b></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuvee"><b>Shuvee</b></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Evert_%28horse%29"><b>Chris Evert</b></a>,
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruffian_%28horse%29"><b>Ruffian</b></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Mims"><b>Our Mims</b></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davona_Dale"><b>Davona Dale</b></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Beauty"><b>Sky Beauty </b></a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Flag"><b>My Flag</b></a>, to name but a handful.
It’s also a race that has served as a showpiece for fillies that later excelled
in the breeding shed, passing on through their progeny and even further into
the next generation, talent and stamina. In this regard, one would be hard
pressed to find a more appropriate Oaks champion than <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/flambette"><b>Flambette</b></a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A French-bred daughter of Epsom Derby winner <b>Durbar </b>out of
unraced daughter of 15-furlong Grand Prix de Paris victor <b>Ajax</b>, <b>Flambette
</b>possessed an obvious stamina pedigree, but prior to the CCAO, she had never
been raced beyond one mile. She had, though, won three of six previous starts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her stablemate <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/nancy+lee"><b>Nancy Lee</b></a> was the more accomplished of the
pair, having won as a juvenile the Demoiselle and United States Hotel Stakes,
the latter against males. She had also twice finished behind the very talented
filly <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/prudery"><b>Prudery </b></a>in juvenile stakes races, and on May 14, <b>Nancy Lee</b> had<a href="http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F40F1EF9355B1B7A93C7A8178ED85F458285F9%20"> set a newtrack record</a> in defeated <b>Prudery </b>by a head in the Kentucky Oaks. This was
exactly one week after <b>Prudery</b> had outraced her male stablemate <b>Tryster</b>, but
finished a distant third behind (ironically) Edward R. Bradley’s coupled entry
of <b>Behave </b>and <b>Black Servant</b> in the Kentucky Derby.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the week leading up to the CCAO, <b>Flambette </b>had actually
already raced twice—first, an open company allowance race going one mile (which
she won) on June 6, and then, on June 13, another one mile allowance race, this
time against older mares. As the highweight, she finished a distance fifth; two
days later she entered the 11-furlong CCAO against her stablemate and two other
entrants.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For bettors, there was no doubt that one of the Clark
fillies would win; the entry went to post as the 1-5 favorites, although it was
thought another filly, <b>Ten Buttons</b>, could prove better than <b>Flambette</b>. As the
more seasoned horse, <b>Nancy Lee</b> toted the 121 pound highweight, eight and a half
pounds more than <b>Flambette</b>, and in the end they both finished 10 lengths ahead
of <b>Ten Buttons</b>. Surprisingly, it was <b>Flambette </b>who upset her stablemate,
winning by a neck, although newspaper accounts suggest that, literally, the fix
was in. According to the New York <i>Times</i>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F00B12FB3F5A1B7A93C3AA1783D85F458285F9"><i>It was a rather hollow win for the Clark entry, as the pair had to race at their mercy at all stages, though there was some surprise at the end when Flambette rushed up and took the victory…Everyone looked for Nancy Lee to win at her pleasure and so there was some surprise when Flambette drew up beside her and began to make a battle. Mr. Clark had not declared to win with either of the fillies and in the last sixteenth of a mile both horses were under a drive, though in no danger from the other starters…There was some doubt whether Nancy Lee was extended fully, but at least McAtee did go to the whip and evidently made the filly do her best. Sande put up a strong finish on Flambette and rode her out to the end….It made little difference to the crowd which of the two won…</i></a></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Daily Racing Form was a little more to the point, claiming
<a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1920s;cc=drf1920s;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1921061701;didno=drf1921061701;view=pdf;seq=1_2;node=drf1921061701%3A1.2"><i>“Flambette was allowed to beat Nancy Lee by a neck. It was a question of penalty in the future.”</i></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whether true or not, apparently no action was taken (no penalty, no foul), and the very large and powerful <b>Flambette </b>subsequently
validated her victory by winning the 11-furlong Latonia Oaks, once
one of the most prestigious dirt stamina races in America. Her promising career
ended, however, on August 30 when she broke down in the 10-furlong Wilton Handicap
at Saratoga. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happily, her story doesn’t end there. As a broodmare,
<b>Flambette </b>produced the very good stakeswinner <b>Flambino</b>, a filly unable to match
her dam’s CCAO win, but, after finishing third in the 1927 Belmont Stakes,
<b>Flambino </b>did capture the Gazelle Handicap. Even more significantly, <b>Flambino
</b>birthed, by Triple Crown winner <b>Gallant Fox</b>, <i>another </i>Triple Crown winner <b>Omaha</b>. As if that wasn't enough, two of Flambette’s daughters
by <b>Sir Gallahad</b>—unraced <b>La France</b> (1928) and maiden <b>Gallette </b>(1929)—produced,
respectively, 1939 Kentucky Derby winner <b>Johnstown </b>and the immortal mare <b>Gallorette</b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a <a href="http://www.reines-de-course.com/Articles/Articles%20L/La%20Flambee.htm"><i>reine-de-course</i></a>, Flambette’s legacy is seen in the
damside bloodlines of Kentucky Derby winner <b>Decidedly</b>, Belmont Stakes victors <b>Phalanx
</b>and <b>Danzig Connection</b>, as well as Breeders’ Cup Classic winner <b>Saint Liam</b>. And
who says good race mares leave all their quality on the track?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Note</u>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s worth mentioning that, as a broodmare, the outstanding <b>Prudery
</b>produced both a Kentucky Derby winner (<b>Whiskery</b>) and a Preakness winner
(<b>Victorian</b>)—as her first two foals.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Nancy Lee</b> never raced again after the CCAO; in training for the Latonia Oaks, <a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1920s;cc=drf1920s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=nancy%20lee;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1922021301;didno=drf1922021301;view=pdf;seq=1_6;node=drf1922021301%3A1.6;passterms=1">she went lame</a> and was put away for the rest of 1921. A <a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1920s;cc=drf1920s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=nancy%20lee;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1922050401;didno=drf1922050401;view=pdf;seq=2_14;node=drf1922050401%3A2.14;passterms=1">comeback as a 4-year-old failed</a> and she was retired to broodmare duty.</div>
</div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-64184420308886946422011-06-30T23:05:00.000-04:002011-12-29T00:07:12.928-05:00Two Mares Attempt History in G1 United Nations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Saturday’s running of the prestigious G1 United Nations at
Monmouth features two standout mares among its 10 competitors—Chilean Horse of
the Year <a href="http://sidfernando.wordpress.com/?s=belle+watling"><b>Belle Watling</b></a>, and multiple French Group 1 winner <a href="http://www.racingpost.com/horses/horse_home.sd?horse_id=729048"><b>Stacelita</b></a>. A win by
either would be a hallmark occasion as no filly or mare has ever captured this
prestigious turf race first contested at Atlantic City in 1953, although four
have come close—and, interestingly, two of those were owned by George
Strawbridge’s Augustin Stable, and trained by Jonathan Sheppard, <b>Trevita </b>and
<b>Alice Springs</b>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/trevita%20"><b>Trevita </b></a>(Tyrant, out
of Tack, by Tacitus) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Irish-born <b>Trevita </b>finished a half length behind 14-1
longshot <b>Acaroid </b>in the 1983 edition; even though he had finished second in the
previous year’s running, the 5-year-old colt carried three pounds less than the
6-year-old mare, winner of the G1 Flower Bowl the previous fall. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Career record</b>: 36 starts, 13 wins-10 seconds-3 thirds
($458,099)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/capades%20"><b>Capades </b></a>(Overskate,
out of Medal of Valor, by Damascus) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 1990, reigning champion turf horse <b>Steinlen </b>defeated New
York-bred <b>Capades </b>by nearly four lengths in what had been temporarily renamed
the Caesars International. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Career record</b>: 27 starts, 11 wins-9 seconds-2 thirds ($1,051,006)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/alice+springs"><b>Alice Springs</b></a> (Val de
l’Orne, out of First Approach, by Northern Fling) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the year <b>Sandpit </b>captured the first of his two
consecutive Caesars Internationals (1995), the Pennsylvania-bred mare <b>Alice
Springs</b> finished third, just 1-1/4 lengths back of the winner, but closing
fast. The second-place finisher <b>Celtic Arms</b> numbered the 1994 G1 Prix du Jockey
Club among his victories.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Career record</b>: 26 starts, 9 wins-2 seconds-7 thirds ($<span class="smblack">768,889</span>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/honey+ryder"><b>Honey Ryder</b></a> (Lasting
Approval, out of Cuando Quiere, by Affirmed)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 2007, gray mare <b>Honey Ryder</b> began her 6-year-old campaign
with a runner-up finish (by a neck) to <b>Jambalaya </b>in the G1 Gulfstream Park
Breeders’ Cup Turf; after a disappointing 11th place finish in the Dubai Sheema
Classic, she won the G2 Sheepshead Bay. Off that race, she entered the G1
United Nations—and finished second, just a length back of defending UN champion
<b>English Channel</b>, and two lengths ahead of 2005 victor <b>Better Talk Now</b>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XKV4OZF5xGE/Tg03HjY4AQI/AAAAAAAAA-o/x-rumJkiwZg/s1600/HoneyRyder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XKV4OZF5xGE/Tg03HjY4AQI/AAAAAAAAA-o/x-rumJkiwZg/s320/HoneyRyder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Career record</b>: 33 starts, 13 wins-4 seconds-8 thirds ($2,879,200)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-27413475336843721052011-06-24T00:45:00.001-04:002011-12-29T00:08:18.119-05:00The Queens of Canada's Queen's Plate<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Sunday, Canada’s premier 3-year-old race—the Queen’s
Plate—will be contested at Woodbine in Toronto. First run in 1860, the 2011 edition
features a full field of 17 starters, including the lone filly representative in
<b>Inglorious</b>, winner of the recent Woodbine Oaks, and trained by previous Queen’s
Plate winner (with <b>Edenwold </b>in 2006) Josie Carroll.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/zIm3MDEW7vY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Inglorious' 2011 Woodbine Oaks victory </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not surprisingly considering the number of high-quality
fillies (<b>Rags to Riches</b>, <b>Eight Belles</b>, <b>Rachel Alexandra</b> and <b>Zenyatta</b>) that have emerged in
recent years to run competitively against their male counterparts, fillies have
performed extremely well in the last three editions of the Queen’s Plate, with
<b>Ginger Brew</b> running second a mere head behind <b>Not Bourbon</b> in 2008; <b>Milwaukee
Brew</b> and <b>Tasty Temptation</b> finished third and fourth respectively in 2009, while
<b>Roan Inish</b> ran third last year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In fact, 33 fillies have won this race over the years—the last
being <b>Dancethruthedawn </b>in 2001—and a number of others have been among the top
three place getters. Here’s a brief look at some of the best:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Young Kitty (Old Koenig out of Gallant Kitty, by Havoc)</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When <b>Young Kitty</b> captured the 1928 King’s Plate, it was by an
emphatic 12 lengths. She also won the Breeders’ Stakes that year, as well
as the Connaught Cup during her 4-year-old campaign. In 1935, her half-sister
<b>Gay Sympathy</b> (<b>Solace</b>) won the Breeders’, but finished third in the King’s
Plate; their dam <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/1977/Gallant_Kitty.html%20"><b>Gallant Kitty</b></a> was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall
of Fame for her broodmare prowess in 1977.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Queensway (Old Koenig out of Chrysoberil, by Verdun)</b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Although not formally recognized until 1959, the three races that make
up the Canadian Triple Crown (Queen’s Plate, Prince of Wales, and Breeders’
Stakes) were all captured in the span of just two weeks in 1932 by the
legendary filly <b>Queensway</b>. Known as the King’s Plate in those days, the classic
had been won by Queensway’s half-brother <b>Froth Blower</b> (<b>Cudgel</b>) the previous
year; big brother had also won the Breeders’ Stakes. In 2003, <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/2003/Queensway.html"><b>Queensway </b></a>was
inducted in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Canadiana (Chop Chop out of Iribelle, by Osiris)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the very day of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953,
<a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/1978/Canadiana.html"><b>Canadiana </b></a>captured the newly renamed Queen’s Plate with American jockey Eddie
Arcaro aboard. That summer she also won the Test, and finished second in both
the Gazelle and Diana, a fitting campaign for Canada’s reigning Horse of the
Year, won as the result of a dominating juvenile season. Canadiana’s unraced
younger half sister <b>Victoriana</b> (<b>Windfields</b>) fared farther better than her
sister in the breeding shed, producing 1960 Queen’s Plate winner (and Horse of
the Year) <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/1976/Victoria_Park.html"><b>Victoria Park</b></a>—who had also finished second in the Preakness and third
in the Kentucky Derby. Another <b>Victoriana </b>daughter <b>Northern Queen</b> (<b>Nearctic</b>)
captured the 1965 Canadian Oaks, while other family descendants include English
St. Leger runner-up <b>High Accolade</b>, True North victor <b>Explicit</b>, and 1968 Canadian
Horse of the Year <b>Viceregal </b>and his full brother, leading sire <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/1989/Vice_Regent.html"><b>Vice Regent</b></a> who
produced, among others, the great sire <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/1988/Deputy_Minister.html"><b>Deputy Minister</b></a> and 1988 Queen’s Plate
winner <b>Regal Intention</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Jammed Lovely (Jamie K. out of Eolia, by Brick)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A daughter of Belmont Stakes runner-up <b>Jamie K.</b> (who
finished a mere neck behind the great <b>Native Dancer</b>), <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/2007/jammed_lovely.html"><b>Jammed Lovely</b></a> won the
1967 Queen’s Plate—the same year her owner Conn Smythe captured the Stanley Cup
with his Toronto Maple Leafs, and, interestingly, the last time the Leafs have
won the Cup. Disliking the sloppy track, <b>Jammed Lovely</b> had finished second in
the Oaks, so her Plate victory came as a surprise. As a broodmare, she produced
multiple stakes winner <b>Lovely Sunrise</b> (<b>Grey Dawn</b>) who won the 1975 Autumn
Handicap against males.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Fanfreluche (Northern Dancer out of <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/1983/Ciboulette.html%20">Ciboulette</a>, by Chop
Chop)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Runner-up in the 1970 Queen’s Plate, <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/1981/Fanfreluche.html%20"><b>Fanfreluche </b></a>captured the
Alabama, Gazelle and Spinster during her 3-year-old campaign, en route to
winning 11 of 21 lifetime starts. Sent off to broodmare duty, her very first
foal <b><a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/2007/lenjoleur.html%20">L’Enjoleur</a> </b>(<b>Buckpasser</b>) captured both the Queen’s Plate and Prince of
Wales, but was upset by the filly <b>Momigi </b>in the Breeders’ Stakes, although he
was still named 1975 Canadian Horse of the Year. Her fourth foal <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/2009/la_voyageuse.html%20"><b>La Voyageuse</b></a> (<b>Tentam</b>)
counted the Canadian Oaks and open company Nearctic Stakes among her 26
lifetime victories, while her unraced daughter <b>L’On Vite </b>(Secretariat)
produced, among others, dual Group 1 winner <b>Holy Roman Emperor</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Northernette (Northern Dancer out of South Ocean, by New
Providence)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Champion juvenile filly in Canada, <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/1987/Northernette.html"><b>Northernette </b></a>won the 1977
Canadian Oaks just as her dam had before her, but could only manage a runner-up
finish to <b>Sound Reason</b> in the Queen’s Plate; as a 4-year-old, she captured the
Apple Blossom and Top Flight. Her daughter <b>Scoot </b>(<b>Mr. Prospector</b>) won the G1
Flower Bowl, but <b>Northernette </b>is probably better known as a full sister of the
great sire <b>Storm Bird</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/h4agXXLWypk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Dance Smartly's 1991 Queen's Plate victory </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dance Smartly (Danzig out of Classy ‘N Smart, by Smarten)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Talk about racing royalty! Regally-bred <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/2004/classynsmart.html%20"><b>Classy ‘N Smart</b></a> won
the Canadian Oaks, but her achievements on the race track were overshadowed by
her champion half-brothers—<a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/1998/Sky_Classic.html"><b>Sky Classic</b></a> (<b>Nijinsky</b>), <b>Regal Classic</b> (<b>Vice Regent</b>),
and <b>Grey Classic</b> (<b>Grey Dawn</b>). Another half-sister <b>Classic Reign</b> (<b>Vice Regent</b>)
finished second against males in the 1991 Breeders’ Stakes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recognized as the first filly winner of Canada’s Triple
Crown, <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/1995/Dance_Smartly.html%20"><b>Dance Smartly</b></a> easily defeated <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/2008/wilderness_song.html%20"><b>Wilderness Song</b></a> in the Canadian Oaks in
the period leading up to the 1991 Plate—and then conquered her female nemesis
again, this time by eight lengths, in the Plate itself. In the second leg, the
Prince of Wales, <b>Wilderness Song</b> led early but tired to finish fifth while
<b>Dance Smartly</b> drew off to win by two lengths. <b>Wilderness Song</b> sat out the final
leg, the Breeders’ Stakes, leaving <b>Dance Smartly</b> as the lone filly entrant
against nine male competitors—and she never looked back, crushing the field by
eight lengths. The next time the two fillies hooked up was the 1991 Breeders’
Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs, which <b>Dance Smartly</b> easily captured while
<b>Wilderness Song</b> finished seventh. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ypzZ9Ud1D74?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Dance Smartly's Triple Crown win in Breeders' Stakes </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In her 17 career starts, <b>Dance Smartly</b> won 12 times—and never
finished worse than third. As a broodmare, she’s been spectacular, foaling
back-to-back Queen’s Plate winners in <b>Scatter the Gold</b> (2000) and
<b>Dancethruthedawn </b>(2001). Interestingly, her half-brother <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/thoroughbred/2008/smart_strike.html"><b>Smart Strike</b></a> (<b>Mr.
Prospector</b>) is the broodmare sire of <b>Inglorious</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/1vE6k-amIdc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Dancethruthedawn's 2001 Queen's Plate victory </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-4467208803254188022011-06-08T14:26:00.072-04:002012-05-20T22:01:49.025-04:00Dams of Belmont Stakes Winners Since 2000<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
In your <a href="http://www.belmontstakes.org/belmont-stakes-betting/">Belmont betting</a>, don’t forget to carefully consider evidence of stamina in the dam line pedigree. Even more so than the Kentucky Derby, it’s important to mull over the possibility of an upset by a previous underachiever whose breeding indicates he’ll have no problem getting 12 furlongs. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
From a historical point of view, consider this:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>Dams of Belmont Winners Since 2000:</u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><u><br />
</u></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2010 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/golden+ballet">Golden Ballet</a> (Moscow Ballet-Golden Jewel Box, by Slew O’Gold) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2009 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/hong+kong+squall%20">Hong Kong Squall</a> (Summer Squall-Hong Kong Jade, by Alysheba) </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
2008 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/torchera">Torchera </a>(Pirate’s Bounty-Kaylem Ho, by Salem) Da’Tara</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2007 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/better+than+honour">Better Than Honour</a> (Deputy Minister-Blush With Pride, by Blushing Groom) </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2006 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/better+than+honour">Better Than Honour</a> (Deputy Minister-Blush With Pride, by Blushing Groom) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2005 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/maggy+hawk%20">Maggy Hawk</a> (Hawkster-Qualique, by Hawaii) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2004 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/dear+birdie%20">Dear Birdie</a> (Storm Bird-Hush Dear, by Silent Screen) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2003 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/toussaud%20">Toussaud </a>(El Gran Senor-Image of Reality, by In Reality) </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2002 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/rhythm+of+life%20">Rhythm of Life</a> (Deputy Minister-Nalee’s Rhythm, by Nalees Man) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2001 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/turkos+turn%20">Turko’s Turn </a>(Turkoman-Turbo Launch, by Relaunch) </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2000<a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/bought+twice"> Bought Twice</a> (In Reality-Killaloe, by Dr. Fager) </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u>Well-Bred and/or High-Achieving Dams:</u></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The fact that breeding does matter is evident when looking at this group. Whether by their own achievements on the track, or by their dams, siblings or progeny, this group of mares on the whole exude class. Consider, just at the highest G1 level:</div>
<blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Of the nine who raced, two were G1 winners (<b>Golden Ballet</b> and <b>Toussaud</b>) and one was G1-placed (<b>Better Than Honour</b>), not to mention out of a G1 Kentucky Oaks winner <b>Blush With Pride</b>. Two were siblings of G1 winners; <b>Torchera</b>’s full sister <b>Private Persuasion</b> won the Vanity, while <b>Rhythm of Life</b>’s half sister <b>Wilderness Song</b> won the Spinster (in addition to finishing second behind Canadian Triple Crown winner <b>Dance Smartly</b> in both the Canadian Oaks and Queen’s Plate). <b>Maggy Hawk</b>’s dam <b>Qualique</b> won the G1 Demoiselle, while <b>Dear Birdie</b> also produced G1 Kentucky Oaks winner <b>Bird Town</b>.</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u>Incestuous Connections:</u></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Looking over this group, it’s interesting how often the same names appear in their pedigrees:</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>In Reality</b>—<b>Bought Twice</b> (damsire), <b>Turko’s Turn</b> (his son <b>Relaunch</b>, damsire), <b>Toussaud</b> (second damsire), <b>Hong Kong Squal</b>l (third damsire)</li>
<li><b>Storm Bird</b>—<b>Dear Birdie </b>(damsire), <b>Golden Ballet</b> (second damsire)</li>
<li><b>Deputy Minister</b>—<b>Rhythm of Life</b> and <b>Better Than Honour</b> (damsire)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Of course, <b>Better Than Honour</b> produced two Belmont winners, half siblings <b>Jazil </b>and <b>Rags to Riches</b>, but how about the fact that the sire of <b>Empire Maker</b>’s dam <b>Toussaud</b>, <b>El Gran Senor</b> is out of a half sister to <b>Better Than Honour</b>’s dam <b>Blush with Pride</b>? Or how about <b>Bought Twice</b> being a half sister to Met Mile champ <b>Fappiano</b>, while his son <b>Rubiano </b>is a half brother to <b>Hong Kong Squall</b>’s dam <b>Hong Kong Jade</b>?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Those close connections continue on the sire side, with <b>Summer Bird</b> repeating the achievement of his sire <b>Birdstone</b>. Thus, purely on breeding indicators, history seemingly most favors the chances of <b>Stay Thirsty</b> whose second dam <b>Make Change</b> and third dam <b>Equal Change</b> were both G1-placed, plus his <b>Storm Bird</b> dam <b>Marozia </b>has already produced G1 Belmont runner-up <b>Andromeda’s Hero</b>. I’ve outlined in more detail his damside pedigree and stamina breeding in <a href="http://foolishpleasure-valerie.blogspot.com/2011/06/stay-thirsty-my-friend.html">this post</a>, so be forewarned when the little underrated <b>Stay Thirsty</b> hits the board on Saturday.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Edited to add follow-up</u></b>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2011 Belmont winner <b>Ruler On Ice</b> certainly surprised at 24-1, but his dam fits beautifully with other dams of Belmont winners. <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/champagne+glow%20"><b>Champagne Glow</b></a> (<b>Saratoga Six</b>-<b>Champagne Ginny</b>, by <b>L’Enjoleur</b>) not only was a Grade 1 runner-up (Frizette) herself, but she’s also already produced a dual Grade 1 winner (Acorn, Test) in <b>Champagne d’Oro</b>. <b>Champagne Glow</b> is also a half-sister to multiple juvenile Grade 1 winner <b>Grand Canyon</b>, runner-up in the 1989 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Oh, and <b>Stay Thirsty</b> paid $19.40 finishing second, by just less than one length.</div>
</div>
</div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-45785109313267086922011-05-14T00:47:00.002-04:002011-05-15T01:29:05.585-04:00Long-Forgotten Preakness Fillies: Intermission and Snowflake<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">With <a href="http://www.preaknessstakes.org/">Preakness Stakes 2011</a> right around the corner—and two years removed from Rachel Alexandra’s historic Preakness victory—I thought it might be interesting to examine two other long-forgotten fillies’ attempts at history making: <strong>Intermission</strong> (1896) and <strong>Snowflake</strong> (1930).<br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/intermission3"><strong>Intermission:</strong></a></div><br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Intermission</strong> came from a high-class family, being a daughter of Epsom Derby winner <strong>Galopin</strong>, but her racing credentials went much deeper. Her dam <strong>Vacation’s</strong> sire was 1875 Preakness winner <strong>Tom Ochiltree</strong>—the third Preakness on record. Intermission’s second dam <strong>Minnie W</strong> won the juvenile Champagne Stakes as well as the Alabama at three. In addition to Intermission’s dam <strong>Vacation</strong>, <strong>Minnie W</strong> also produced Gazelle runner-up <strong>Holiday</strong> (dam of Champagne runner-up <strong>Smile</strong>), while another daughter <strong>Patricia</strong> birthed 1891 Kentucky Derby winner <strong>Kingman</strong>. Later, <strong>Intermission’s</strong> half-brother <strong>Bowling Brook</strong> would win the 1898 Belmont Stakes.</div><br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">In the days leading up to the 1896 Preakness, <strong>Intermission</strong> undertook a racing campaign unheard of today. On April 18, she finished fifth, less than two lengths back of the winner, in a Washington allowance race against older horses. Wheeling back three days later, she finished second in the 6-furlong Potomac Stakes on April 21, and then just four days later, on April 25, she ran second in the 8-furlong Army and Navy Handicap, missing by 1/2 length. Then, on April 29, she finished third in the 8-furlong Capitol Stakes. Except for that first allowance race, in each effort <strong>Intermission</strong> led most of the race, before failing to win. On May 2, she finally broke through with a win, taking a 6-furlong selling race against two others before being sent to Morris Park where she ran second in 8.5-furlong open allowance race on May 16, and then third against fillies her own age in an 8-furlong allowance event on May 21. Only two days later, on May 23, she won the Ladies Handicap over one mile.<br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">So, count ‘em. In a period of just over one month, <strong>Intermission</strong> raced <em>eight</em> times—all <em>before</em> attempting the Preakness Stakes on June 6. During this era, the Preakness was contested at Gravesend Race Track over 8.5 furlongs, and in 1896, only four horses went postward—two colts (<strong>Margrave</strong> and <strong>Hamilton II</strong>) and two fillies (<strong>Intermission</strong> and <strong>Cassette</strong>). The 4-5 favorite <strong>Margrave</strong> wired the field, winning by one length and leaving <strong>Hamilton II</strong> and <strong>Intermission</strong> battling for second place. <strong>Hamilton II</strong> came out the best, one length ahead of <strong>Intermission</strong> who finished more than 10 lengths better than <strong>Cassette</strong> who stopped rounding the final turn.<br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">After such a rigorous campaign—one highly unlikely to be undertaken by today’s high-class race horses—you would think a rest were in order, but, no, four days later <strong>Intermission’s</strong> connections entered her in the June 10 Gazelle over 9 furlongs—and she <em>won</em> by four lengths. Six days later, on June 16, she finished second in the 10-furlong Brooklyn Derby, and, if that weren’t yet enough, on June 18, she battled <strong>Margrave</strong> again, again finishing second to him, one length back, in the 6-furlong Hempstead Handicap. Next transferred to Sheepshead Bay, <strong>Intermission</strong> easily captured the 8-furlong Foam Stakes on July 8. Incredible!<br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">As a broodmare, <strong>Intermission</strong> didn’t have much success, although she did pass on her quality to her daughter <strong>Interval</strong>, by Kentucky Derby winner <strong>Fonso</strong>, who won the Hurricana Stakes as a juvenile, and, at three, just missed a placing in the Withers Stakes when the first four horses all finished heads apart. In the form chart it read: <em>“Interval is much improved in her three-year-old form, a quick beginner and sustained her superior speed unexpectedly well.”</em> Later descendents of <strong>Intermission</strong> include G2 Arkansas Derby winner <strong>Dazzling Falls</strong>.<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/snowflake"><strong><u>Snowflake</u>:</strong></a></div><br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">While not exactly a household name today, <strong>Snowflake</strong> ended up being the co-champion 3-year-old filly of 1930, along with Kentucky Oaks winner <strong>Alcibiades</strong>, the latter celebrated each year with a stakes race at Keeneland while poor <strong>Snowflake</strong> has passed into relative obscurity.</div><br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">As a juvenile, Walter Salmon’s homebred <strong>Snowflake</strong>—a daughter of champion <strong>Mad Hatter</strong>, out of the <strong>Cicero</strong> mare <strong>Snowdrop</strong>—compiled a record of three wins and four third-place finishes in 13 starts, finishing third in both the Spinaway and Hiawatha Handicap before impressively capturing the 8.5-furlong Endurance Handicap at Bowie in late November. It was that last effort that impressed so many, promising her 3-year-old campaign could be something special.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">In her first effort at three, <strong>Snowflake</strong> ran an impressive third, just one length back, of <strong>Flimsy</strong> (a full sister to both 1927 Preakness winner <strong>Bostonian</strong> and 1929 Travers victor <strong>Beacon Hill</strong>) in the Pimlico Oaks on May 3; subsequent Kentucky Oaks victress <strong>Alcibiades</strong> finished fifth. Just six days later, in an attempt to win his second consecutive Preakness, owner Walter J. Salmon entered stablemates <strong>Snowflake</strong> and <strong>Swinfield</strong> in the Preakness, a race about which the May 9 <em>Daily Racing Form</em> noted:</div><br /><blockquote><br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><em>On the eve of the great race Gallant Fox, which will have the peerless Earl Sande in the saddle, rules an overwhelming favorite and it is the consensus of public opinion that the Belair Stud representative will carry off the valuable prize, though many of the experts declare the race to be the most open in years.</em></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><em></em><br /></div></blockquote><br /><div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" class="MsoNormal">This favoritism, based on <strong>Gallant Fox’s</strong> victory in the Wood Memorial since the Kentucky Derby was not contested until May 17, proved well founded, as the subsequent Triple Crown winner defeated <strong>Crack Brigade</strong> by three-quarters of a length. <strong>Snowflake</strong> closed well to finish third. This newsreel captures portions of the race including the dramatic finish:</div><br /><br /><div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: center; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; CLEAR: both; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" class="separator"><br /><br /><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="320" height="266" src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/imtb4OGo6UM/0.jpg"><param name="_cx" value="8466"><param name="_cy" value="7037"><param name="FlashVars" value=""><param name="Movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/imtb4OGo6UM&fs=1&source=uds"><param name="Src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/imtb4OGo6UM&fs=1&source=uds"><param name="WMode" value="Window"><param name="Play" value="-1"><param name="Loop" value="-1"><param name="Quality" value="High"><param name="SAlign" value=""><param name="Menu" value="-1"><param name="Base" value=""><param name="AllowScriptAccess" value=""><param name="Scale" value="ShowAll"><param name="DeviceFont" value="0"><param name="EmbedMovie" value="0"><param name="BGColor" value="FFFFFF"><param name="SWRemote" value=""><param name="MovieData" value=""><param name="SeamlessTabbing" value="1"><param name="Profile" value="0"><param name="ProfileAddress" value=""><param name="ProfilePort" value="0"><param name="AllowNetworking" value="all"><param name="AllowFullScreen" value="false"><br /><br /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/imtb4OGo6UM&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br /><p></p><br /><p>Not nominated for the Derby, <strong>Snowflake’s</strong> next start was the prestigious 8-furlong Ladies Handicap at Belmont Park and, in front of 25,000 spectators, she <em>“came from the rear with a great rush on the turn into the stretch and drawing away won easily by a length”</em> eased up, turning the tables on Pimlico Oaks winner <strong>Flimsy</strong>. </p><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Next up, she finished out of the money in a Belmont allowance race, but rebounded with a victory in the 11-furlong Coaching Club American Oaks on June 4. After that win, her connections announced their intention to send her out in both the Illinois Oaks and American Derby, that latter for which the June 10 <em>Daily Racing Form</em> considered her a serious threat:</div><br /><br /><blockquote><br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><em>Snowflake has accomplished more than any other filly of the year to date, not excepting Alcibiades, winner of the Kentucky Oaks, and she seems right now to be the best-equipped filly in the country for a test with three-year-old colts such as the American Derby will provide.</em></div></blockquote><br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately, hindered by close quarters in the early going, <strong>Snowflake</strong> only managed to miss a placing by a nose, finishing fourth in the 10-furlong American Derby won by <strong>Reveille Boy</strong> (<strong>Alcibiades</strong> finished 11th of 12). Backed up just one week later, <strong>Snowflake</strong> overcame the far-outside post position 10 to win the 9-furlong Illinois Oaks by a neck over <strong>Pansy Walker</strong>, with <strong>Alcibiades</strong> three lengths back in third.<br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">As the summer progressed into fall, <strong>Snowflake</strong> lost form, well-beaten in five additional starts including the Alabama, but was recognized as co-champion 3-year-old filly of 1930 along with <strong>Alcibiades</strong>. Her 4-year-old campaign didn’t begin well either, losing a Havre de Grace allowance race by 16 lengths. She scratched from several races in May, including the Dixie and Metropolitan Handicaps. Finally going postward on May 28 in the Spindrift Stakes, <strong>Snowflake</strong> trailed the entire race, finishing dead last. One of only four entries in the Minerva Handicap on June 4, she finished second—the last time she would run in the money, and her next-to-last career race. </div><br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">As a broodmare, <strong>Snowflake</strong> produced 1942 Fashion Stakes runner-up <strong>Driven Snow</strong> and 1953 Atlantic City Turf Handicap victor <strong>Saddle Tramp</strong>. Probably the best of her descendents was G1 Arlington-Washington Futurity runner-up <strong>Jim’s Orbit</strong> who at three won the G3 Derby Trial and G2 Ohio Derby. There’s also G1-placed <strong>Hope of Glory</strong>, winner of the G3 Alcidiades; G2-placed <strong>Victory Pete</strong>; G3 Dixie Handicap winner <strong>Two Moccasins</strong>; and G3 Ak-Sar-Ben Oaks victress <strong>Lady Dom Alaric</strong>. </div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-65133314573526945342011-04-25T20:56:00.000-04:002011-04-25T20:56:55.538-04:00Family Legacy: Eliza and Dialed In<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Based upon his late-closing victory in the G1 Florida Derby, <strong>Dialed In</strong> has established himself as a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender. Those interested in <a href="http://racebook.betus.com/">horse betting</a> consider various factors when selecting horses they think can traverse the 10-furlong Derby distance: running style, workouts, post position and previous form chiefly come into play. Breeding also plays a huge role, and being a son of multiple 10-furlong G1 winner <strong>Mineshaft</strong> certainly suggests <strong>Dialed In</strong> won’t have a problem covering the distance. However, this $475k Keeneland yearling purchase also has a lot going for him on his damside, particularly in terms of class.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">While his dam <strong>Miss Doolittle</strong> never won beyond 6 furlongs, she was G2-placed (Schuylerville) as a juvenile. His half-sister <strong>Broadway Gold</strong> (<strong>Seeking the Gold</strong>) was precocious, winning her juvenile debut by 11-lengths, and then capturing the Astoria next out. However, like her dam, she couldn’t stretch out beyond a sprint, and neither did his half-brothers <strong>Hometown Boy</strong> (<strong>Came Home</strong>) or <strong>Backstabber</strong> (<strong>Elusive Quality</strong>). Only another half-brother <strong>Mambo Master</strong> (<strong>Kingmambo</strong>) won beyond 8-furlongs, both on turf and on dirt. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The real class in this family, though, is Dialed In’s second dam, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies champion <strong>Eliza</strong>. In the space of little more than 3 months, <strong>Eliza</strong> went from winning her debut at Del Mar going 5.5 furlongs, to being G3 runner-up in the 7-furlong Sorrento, to crushing the 8-furlong G2 Arlington-Washington Lassie by 12 lengths, and finally winning the G2 Alcibiades going 8.5 furlongs before capturing the Breeders’ Cup in a new stakes record time:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-80b3fMgEVQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">As a 3-year-old, <strong>Eliza</strong> captured the G1 Santa Anita Oaks first up, a performance impressive enough for her connections to attempt open company for the first time, intent of following the path of 1988 Kentucky Derby winner <strong>Winning Colors</strong> who captured both the Santa Anita Oaks and Santa Anita Derby. Caught and passed in the stretch, <strong>Eliza</strong> finished third, less than a length back of <strong>Personal Hope</strong> and <strong>Union City</strong> in the 9-furlong G1 Santa Anita Derby. It ended any thought of running her in the Kentucky Derby, according to owner Allen Paulson , who had two colts aimed that way already, <strong>Corby</strong> and <strong>Diazo</strong>. Her jockey Pat <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Valenzuela commented post-race:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em>"I thought if I could open up a clear margin entering the stretch, she would go on and we could win it. I could feel the last eighth of a mile that (Gary Stevens') horse was pretty strong and mine was starting to weaken. My filly ran a game race. She tried so hard. If Mr. Paulson wants to run her in the Oaks, I think that's a slam dunk."</em> (LA Times, April 4, 1993)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Alas, that didn’t happen, as 81,882 race goers saw Ogden Mills Phipps’ <strong>Dispute</strong> run her down late, while odds-on favorite <strong>Eliza</strong> barely hung on for second against 34-1 <strong>Quinpool</strong> ridden by Julie Krone. Unfortunately, in four subsequent races <strong>Eliza</strong> only hit the board once—finishing third in the 6.5 furlong June Darling Handicap at Del Mar.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">With that all in mind, it does appear <strong>Dialed In's</strong> damside may limit his ability to get that extra furlong, but combined with strong stamina sires (like his own <strong>Mineshaft</strong>), there’s also some promising indicators, such as his dam’s half-sister producing <strong>Attempted Humor</strong> (<strong>Distorted Humor</strong>), who finished third, a mere length back, in the 12-furlong G2 San Luis Obispo Handicap on turf. Overall, <strong>Dialed In</strong> doesn't have the strongest stamina pedigree in the field, but it's certainly one about which to be excited. And what a tribute it would be to his granddam <strong>Eliza</strong>.</div></span></span>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-46343114061604638272011-04-23T14:32:00.000-04:002011-04-23T14:32:38.146-04:00Dams of Kentucky Derby Winners Since 2000Far too often, when evaluating Kentucky Derby contenders, only the sire’s breeding and accomplishments on the track receive serious consideration. However, as any pedigree aficionado knows, the damline is significantly more revealing, so I thought it would be interesting to examine the dams of Derby winners since 2000 to see if there are any patterns or remarkable areas of intersection—and there are.<br />
<br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Dams of Derby Winners Since 2000:</span></u><br />
<br />
2010 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/supercharger"><strong>Supercharger</strong></a> (A.P. Indy-Get Lucky, by Mr. Prospector) <br />
2009 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/mining+my+own"><strong>Mining My Own</strong></a> (Smart Strike-Aspenelle, by Vice Regent)<br />
2008 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/mien"><strong>Mien</strong></a> (Nureyev-Miasma, by Lear Fan)<br />
2007 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/bedazzle3"><strong>Bedazzle</strong></a> (Dixieland Band-Majestic Legend, by His Majesty)<br />
2006 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/la+ville+rouge"><strong>La Ville Rouge</strong></a> (Carson City-La Reine Rouge, by King’s Bishop)<br />
2005 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/set+them+free"><strong>Set Them Free</strong></a> (Stop the Music-Valseuse, by Tyrant)<br />
2004 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/ill+get+along"><strong>I’ll Get Along</strong></a> (Smile-Don’t Worry Bout Me, by Foolish Pleasure)<br />
2003 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/belles+good+cide"><strong>Belle’s Good Cide</strong></a> (Slewacide-Belle of Killarney, by Little Current)<br />
2002 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/sweetest+lady"><strong>Sweetest Lady</strong></a> (Lord at War-Sweetest Roman, by The Pruner)<br />
2001 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/regal+band"><strong>Regal Band</strong></a> (Dixieland Band-Regal Roberta, by Roberto)<br />
2000 <a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/angel+fever"><strong>Angel Fever</strong></a> (Danzig-Rowdy Angel, by Halo) <br />
<br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Strong Stamina Breeding:</span></u><br />
<br />
At first glance, the damsires of this group are striking as stamina influences (that is, all but Breeders’ Cup Sprint champion <strong>Smile</strong>). Looking deeper, other strong distance horses repeatedly appear among the ancestors of this group of mares, chief among them <strong>Bold Ruler</strong> who’s present in the pedigrees of six of the 11. Through his sons <strong>Halo</strong> and <strong>Roberto</strong>, <strong>Hail to Reason</strong> is present in four, while through his sons <strong>His Majesty</strong> and <strong>Graustark</strong>, <strong>Ribot</strong> is present in three. <strong>Round Table</strong> and <strong>Herbager</strong> are found in two each.<br />
<br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Solid (if Not Spectacular) Racing Mares:</span></u><br />
<br />
Of the 11 mares noted above, only one—<strong>Mining My Own</strong>—was unraced. All 10 starters were winners, with the most prolific being Smarty Jones’ stakes winning dam <strong>I’ll Get Along</strong> who won 12 of 39 starts. She was also arguably the most precocious, breaking her 2-year-old maiden going 6 furlongs, at first asking, by over 12 lengths. After breaking her maiden first out, Fusaichi Pegasus’ dam <strong>Angel Fever</strong> ran second in Monmouth’s juvenile Colleen Stakes, came up lame and then never raced again. The other stakes winners: Giacomo’s juvenile stakes winning dam <strong>Set Them Free</strong>, and Barbaro’s dam <strong>La Ville Rouge</strong> who was Grade 2-placed on turf. <br />
<br />
Overall, seven of the 10 starters either won or placed going at least 8 furlongs.<br />
<br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Descendants of Great Race Mares and Producers:</span></u><br />
<br />
Overall, this is quite a remarkable bunch of mares in terms of being born from families that produce good horses—that probably shouldn’t be surprising, given the necessary quality they should possess in order to be bred to the best stallions. However, not all Kentucky Derby entrants are endowed with this kind of class—and, judging by history, it does make a difference. Not surprisingly, the weakest family class foundation is found in the second-longest shot Derby winner ever, <strong>Mine That Bird</strong>. Breaking them down:<br />
<br />
<ul><li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">Supercharger’s dam <strong>Get Lucky</strong> won the G3 Affectionately (8.5f); her second dam <strong>Dance Number</strong> won the G1 Beldame (10f) and her third dam <strong>Numbered Account</strong> was champion 2-year-old filly. She is also a direct damline descendent of <strong>La Troienne</strong>. In addition to <strong>Super Saver</strong>, <strong>Get Lucky</strong> is also the second dam of Derby and Belmont Stakes runner-up <strong>Bluegrass Cat</strong>. This is also the family of G1 Gulfstream Park Handicap (10f) winner and sire <strong>Private Account</strong>. </div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">Mining My Own’s lightly raced dam <strong>Aspenelle</strong> finished second in the Canadian Oaks (9f); her second dam <strong>Little To Do</strong> won the Selene (8.5f).</div></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">Mien’s dam <strong>Miasma</strong> was stakes placed in England (7f) while her third dam <strong>Friendly Circle</strong> won the G3 Rare Treat (8.5f). As a broodmare, <strong>Friendly Circle</strong> produced multiple G1 winning champion <strong>Hidden Lake</strong>, as well as sire and G3 Lingfield Derby Trial (12f) winner <strong>Ginistrelli</strong>.</div></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">Bedazzle’s dam <strong>Majestic Legend</strong> ran second in the Jenny Wiley (8.5f) while her third dam <strong>Lianga</strong> was 1975 champion sprinter in France after winning (among others) the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois (8f) and G1 Prix de L’Abbaye de Longchamp (5f), as well as the July Cup at Newmarket and Sprint Cup at Doncaster. Majestic Legend’s half-brother <strong>Mr. Greeley</strong> ran second behind Desert Stormer in the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.</div></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">La Ville Rouge’s dam <strong>La Reine Rouge</strong> won and placed in her only two races, at 2, but you have to go back into her bloodline, her sixth dam to be precise, to find the champion <strong>War Plumage</strong>, winner of the Coaching Club American Oaks (11f). This is the family of Prince George's Stakes (8.5f) winner <strong>Silver Doctor.</strong></div></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">Set Them Free’s dam <strong>Valseuse</strong> and second dam <strong>Barbarossa</strong> were unraced, but in the 1930s, her fourth dam <strong>Mistress Ford</strong> won a slew of prestigious French races including the Prix de Diane (10.5f) and Prix Vermeille (12f). This family is rich in European turf champions including <strong>Squill</strong> (France), <strong>Baiser Vole</strong> (France) and <strong>Mister Slippers</strong> (Germany).</div></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">I’ll Get Along’s dam <strong>Don’t Worry Bout Me</strong> won the My Dear Girl (6f); her second dam <strong>Stolen Base</strong> ran second in the Orchid Handicap (12f). Like <strong>Supercharger</strong>, <strong>I’ll Get Along</strong> is a direct descendent of <strong>La Troienne</strong>. <strong>Don’t Worry Bout Me</strong> is also a half-sister to G1 Delaware Handicap winner <strong>Basie</strong>, as well as G1 Arlington Classic-placed (9f) <strong>Passing Base</strong>. </div></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">Belle’s Good Cide’s unraced dam <strong>Belle of Killarney</strong> was the daughter of <strong>Cherished Moment</strong>, runner-up in the G3 Ashland (7f); further back in the family is <strong>Teresina</strong>, winner of the English Goodwood Cup (21f), Jockey Club Stakes (14f) and runner-up in the classic Cesarewitch (18f). Interestingly, the fifth dam of <strong>Funny Cide</strong>, <strong>Bravura</strong>, was also the fifth dam of that same year’s Derby runner-up <strong>Empire Maker</strong>.</div></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">Sweetest Lady’s dam <strong>Sweetest Roman</strong> was only a modest winner and you have to go back to her fourth dam <strong>Quiz Song</strong> to find a stakes winner, of the Correction Handicap (6f). This is the family of Carter Handicap winner <strong>Apache</strong> who set new track records in winning the Empire City Handicap (9.5f) and the Yonkers Handicap (8.5f).</div></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">Regal Band’s dam <strong>Regal Roberta</strong> never broke her maiden in 10 starts, but her second dam <strong>Regal Road</strong> won the My Fair Lady (8.5f). In addition to producing <strong>Regal Road</strong>, Monarchos’ fourth dam <strong>On The Trail</strong> also produced G1 Top Flight (9f) victress <strong>Andover Way</strong>—better known perhaps as the dam of stamina sire <strong>Dynaformer</strong>.</div></div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">Angel Fever’s dam <strong>Rowdy Angel</strong> never won in 13 starts, but her second dam <strong>Ramhyde</strong> won the Virginia Belle (6f); further back is <strong>Erin</strong>, winner of the Gazelle (8.5f) and placed in the Coaching Club American Oaks (11f). Angel Fever’s full-brother <strong>Pine Bluff</strong> won the G1 Preakness.</div></div></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">So, as you consider your <a href="http://www.kentuckyderby.org/">Kentucky Derby 2011</a> selections, don't forget to dig deep into the damside for indicators of stamina and success.</div>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-66789828273646810292011-04-06T23:23:00.003-04:002011-04-06T23:40:27.522-04:00Best In ShowOne of the most acclaimed broodmare lines in recent decades originates with <strong>Best in Show</strong>, daughter of <strong>Traffic Judge</strong> out of the <strong>Mr. Busher</strong> mare <strong>Stolen Hour</strong>. Her daughters (and their daughters) have produced a litany of successful sires and multiple-graded/group winners, whose names are worth recording:<br /><br />1. Unraced <strong><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/sex+appeal">Sex Appeal</a></strong> (<strong>Buckpasser</strong>) produced two champions, G1 Irish Derby winner <strong>El Gran Senor</strong> and G1 Dewhurst victor <strong>Try My Best</strong>, both top sires as well. Among the other descendents of this vein are Breeders’ Cup Mile winner <strong>Domedriver</strong>, JPN-G1 QEII victress <strong>Fusaichi Pandora</strong>, Irish Derby runner-up <strong>Dr. Johnson</strong>, G1 Nunthorpe winner <strong>Bahamian Pirate</strong>, and G2 Jim Dandy victor <strong>Strong Hope</strong>.<br /><br />2. IRE-G1 Phoenix victress <strong>Aviance</strong>, a daughter of <strong><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/minnie+hauk2">Minnie Hauk</a> </strong>(<strong>Sir Ivor</strong>), produced multiple G1 turf winner <strong>Denon</strong>, as well as ENG-G1 Coronation victress <strong>Chimes of Freedom</strong>, the latter’s offspring including two G1 winning sires, <strong>Good Journey</strong> and <strong>Aldebaran</strong>. Another <strong>Aviance </strong>daughter, G1-placed <strong>Imperfect Circle</strong> produced Breeders’ Cup Mile winner (and sire) <strong>Spinning World</strong>, while yet another daughter <strong>Remote Romance</strong> birthed German G1 winner <strong>Saddex</strong>.<br /><br />3. Runner-up in the IRE-G1 Phoenix, <strong><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/monroe">Monroe </a></strong>(<strong>Sir Ivor</strong>) produced the European champion <strong>Xaar</strong>. Other notables from this line: G1 United Nations victor <strong>Senure</strong>, and G1 Manhattan runner-up <strong>Requet</strong>.<br /><br />4. <strong><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/nijinskys+best">Nijinsky’s Best</a></strong> (<strong>Nijinsky</strong>) produced <strong>Yagli </strong>who, after finishing second in the 1998 Breeders’ Cup Turf, reeled off G1 victories in the United Nations, Manhattan and Gulfstream Park Turf handicaps in 1999.<br /><br />5. <strong><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/blush+with+pride">Blush With Pride</a></strong> (<strong>Blushing Groom</strong>) not only won the Kentucky Oaks (among other black-type races), but also produced in the shed, including graded stakes winners <strong>Smolensk </strong>and <strong>Better Than Honour</strong>, the latter dam of dual Belmont Stakes winners <strong>Jazil </strong>and <strong>Rags to Riches</strong>, not to mention Breeders’ Cup Marathon victor <strong>Man of Iron</strong>. <strong>Blush With Pride</strong> also produced G1-placed <strong>Maryinsky </strong>(dam of G1 winners <strong>Peeping Fawn </strong>and <strong>Thewayyouare</strong>), and an unraced son named <strong>Desert God</strong>, whose best progeny at stud is the undefeated sensation <strong>Pepper’s Pride</strong>. <strong>Blush with Pride</strong> <a href="http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/29921/grade-i-winner-blush-with-pride-dead">died in 2005.</a><br /><br /><br />While <strong>Blush With Pride</strong> usually gets the most attention, perhaps the greatest of <strong>Best In Show’s </strong>daughters was actually the unraced <strong>Sir Ivor</strong> mare <strong><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/show+lady">Show Lady</a></strong>. While <strong>Show Lady</strong> didn’t actually produce many good race horses (her daughter <strong>Diamond Syl</strong> ran second to eventual Canadian Triple Crown winner <strong>Dance Smartly</strong> in the Star Shoot Stakes, the same year her son <strong>Great Regent</strong> won the listed Cup and Saucer), she did produce by the great <strong>Nijinsky </strong>a filly called <strong><a href="http://www.pedigreequery.com/dancing+show">Dancing Show</a></strong>. <br /><br />In 12 lifetime starts, <strong>Dancing Show</strong> only finished in the money once, winning a maiden special weight event at Belmont Park on July 13, 1987. After two more unplaced starts that year, she retired. In foal to <strong>Miswaki</strong>, <strong>Dancing Show</strong> was sent to New Zealand where, in 1988, she birthed <strong>Umatilla</strong>—the first of her G1 winning sons Down Under. The other was <strong><a href="http://www.breedingracing.com/pdfs/sires/2009/G-K/hurricaneSky.pdf ">Hurricane Sky</a></strong>, born in 1991. Both are successful sires.<br /><br />Her daughters have also turned out to be tremendous producers. <strong>Show Dancing’s </strong>progeny includes G1 Australian Guineas victor and sire <strong>Al Maher</strong>, while <strong>Shantha’s Choice</strong> outdid them all, with her G1 winning sons <strong><a href="http://www.arrowfield.com.au/stallions/?page=overview&stallion=41">Manhattan Rain</a></strong> (by <strong>Encosta de Lago</strong>), <strong>Platinum Scissors</strong> and <strong><a href="http://www.arrowfield.com.au/stallions/?page=overview&stallion=36">Redoute’s Choice</a></strong> (both by <strong>Danehill</strong>). <strong>Redoute’s Choice</strong> in particularly has sired a host of remarkable Group 1 race mares—<strong>Miss Finland</strong>, <strong>Samantha Miss</strong>, <strong>Fashions Afield</strong>, <strong>Melito</strong>, <strong>Gallica</strong>, <strong>Allez Wonder</strong>, <strong>Dariana</strong>, and <strong>Anamato</strong>—that should continue this rich bloodline for generations to come.Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-51362969287022286352011-03-26T01:41:00.004-04:002011-03-26T01:57:01.489-04:00Transatlantic RoutesLong before the Breeders’ Cup or Dubai World Cup Night, an enterprising group of men tried to host an international horse race, a 10-furlong event for the princely purse of $50,000—the 1904 World’s Fair Handicap in St. Louis, Missouri. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. As Joseph Freeman Marsten noted: <em>“It was hoped to attract horses from England, France, Russian, Austria and Australia to this race, but foreign complications, and the difficulty of shipping horses in training, confined the entries to American-bred animals.”</em> [“The Thoroughbreds of 1904” <strong>Munsey’s Magazine</strong> 31 (May 1904) pp. 262]<br /><br />So, on June 25, following a day of heavy drenching rain, the World’s Fair Handicap field went to post with 12 contestants, including two-time Horse of the Year <strong>Hermis </strong>carrying 130 lbs. The venue was the one-mile Fair Grounds track, first constructed in 1885—and, unfortunately, doomed to be shuttered in 1905 following the election of reformist governor Joseph A. Folk.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8LBNo7BoxOY/TY19Cl_dPrI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/sRTK273IK8Q/s1600/stlouishorseracetrackc1902.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8LBNo7BoxOY/TY19Cl_dPrI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/sRTK273IK8Q/s320/stlouishorseracetrackc1902.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588260196148133554" /></a><br /><br />However, that early summer day, a crowd of nearly 50,000 including the president’s daughter Alice Roosevelt saw the champion <strong>Hermis </strong>upset by the 5-year-old mare <strong>Colonial Girl</strong>, owned by Charles Rowe and local St. Louis brewer Otto Stifel. Chalk one up for the home team! When asked about receiving the $41,000 winner’s share, Stifel said, <em>“I would have raced for the stake even if there hadn’t been a cent in it. The pleasure of winning in my hometown is all I wanted.”</em><br /><br />Perhaps her victory wasn’t that much of a surprise, as <strong>Colonial Girl</strong> had won the Clark Handicap during Louisville’s spring meet that year. She would continue to race for two more years, finishing third in the 1905 Metropolitan Handicap and third in the 1906 Suburban Handicap. For her career, from age 2 to 7, <strong>Colonial Girl</strong> posted a formidable record of 33 wins, 10 places and 13 shows in 77 starts—meaning she hit the board nearly 73% of the time. She also earned a record (for the time) $71,275.<br /><br />It wasn’t an easy path. At age 2, her original owner Michael Murphy of Philadelphia dispersed his stable, and she sold to her trainer W. M. Rogers who moved her and his entire stable west to St. Louis—where she rather promptly broke her maiden <em>“without being extended.”</em> (<a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1900s;cc=drf1900s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=colonial%20girl;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1901083101;didno=drf1901083101;view=pdf;seq=3_1;node=drf1901083101%3A3.1;passterms=1">DRF, August 31, 1901</a>). The following spring, Rogers shipped her to California, where she won first up in open company on January 10. Taking on older horses, she finished second behind <strong>Kenilworth </strong>in the San Bernardino Handicap, and just two weeks later, over a sloppy Oakland track and <em>“plastered in mud,”</em> <strong>Colonial Girl</strong> was a game runner-up in the 9-furlong California Oaks (<a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1900s;cc=drf1900s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=colonial%20girl;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1902020901;didno=drf1902020901;view=pdf;seq=1_3;node=drf1902020901%3A1.3;passterms=1">DRF, February 9, 1902</a>).<br /><br />Moved to St. Louis, she eventually ended up in the Rowe and Stifel stables, only to be purchased after her racing career was over, in 1907, by J.E. Widener of Philadelphia as a broodmare, for a reported $10,000. In 1910, Widener exported <strong>Colonial Girl</strong> to France, where she stood at Bazoches-en-Houlme, in Orne (Lower Normandy), and, bred to a number of French studs, produced nothing of real quality.<br /><br />Finally, in 1917, she gave birth to a bay filly by the imported American sire <strong>Irish Lad</strong>. Purchased as a juvenile by A.K. Macomber, <strong>Meddlesome Maid</strong> went on to be one of the most dynamic French turf stayers of 1920. She won the 10-furlong Prix Vantreaux at Longchamps and Prix Semendria at Saint-Cloud in the spring, before capturing the prestigious Prix Vermeille going 12 furlongs. Only a troubled trip prevented a placing in the Prix L’Arc de Triomphe, where she finished fourth, but she followed that up with a victory in the 12-furlong Prix du Conseil Municipal. Unfortunately, she went wrong the following spring, and retired to stud. Her son <strong>Parthenon </strong>ran in the 1930 Epsom Derby won by <strong>Blenheim</strong>, and finished dead last.<br /><br />Another daughter of <strong>Colonial Girl</strong>, <strong>Pigeon Pie</strong> produced a 1923 colt by <strong>Maintenon </strong>called <strong>Pigeon Wing</strong>, and a 1925 gelding by <strong>Hollister </strong>named <strong>Pigeon Hole</strong>. Both ended up racing in America, with <strong>Pigeon Hole</strong> winning the 1930 Arlington Handicap, and running second to the great <strong>Sun Beau</strong> in the 1930 Hawthorne Gold Cup.Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-63669319600783024852011-02-02T23:03:00.004-05:002011-02-02T23:30:16.081-05:00Embrace, Don't Fear, Social MediaOne of the great benefits of modern technology is the ability to connect across space and time with our favorite race horses, giving fans an intimate look into their lives in ways that have never been possible before. <br /><br />An excellent example is the <a href="http://www.zenyatta.com">Zenyatta website</a>, rich in information including videos and charts of her racing career, as well as a diary that updates the now-retired Horse of the Year’s daily activities. Add to that the nearly 63,000 people who “like” her <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ZenyattaOfficial ">Facebook page</a>, and we’re talking about one of the most savvy information campaigns currently in action—and one that, for the sake of the sport, others should seriously consider mimicking. <br /><br />Before Zenyatta, there was 3-time Melbourne Cup winner <a href="http://www.makybediva.com.au">Makybe Diva</a> whose website, unfortunately, hasn’t be updated in quite some time, although her <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Makybe-Diva/27292768022">Facebook page</a> is still active. Others with sites include Kentucky Derby winners <a href="http://www.minethatbird.com">Mine That Bird </a>and <a href="http://www.funnycide.com">Funny Cide</a>. <br /><br />These are rarities, though. Most of the time it is fans themselves that lead the charge in keeping their favorites in the limelight. On my <a href="http://foolishpleasure-valerie.blogspot.com/">Foolish Pleasure blog</a>, I have repeatedly dealt with the <a href="http://foolishpleasure-valerie.blogspot.com/2008/08/2009-hall-of-fame-nomination.html">Hall of Fame-worthy racing achievements</a>, as well as the <a href="http://foolishpleasure-valerie.blogspot.com/search?q=xtra+heat">progeny </a>of <strong>Xtra Heat</strong>, one of my all-time favorite race horses. Now, fellow <strong>Xtra Heat</strong> aficionado Laurie Asseo has compiled a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtraheat/">Flickr page </a>that you shouldn’t miss exploring, while Xtra Heat’s <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Xtra-Heat/20618852140">Facebook page</a> is often updated with photos and even videos of the great mare and her foals. <br /><br />As part of a greater movement to keep racing in the spotlight—and, truly, to bring new (younger) fans world-wide to the sport—it’s time for owners and breeders to embrace modern multimedia and interactive outlets like Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Twitter, in addition to personally hosted web pages. With some commitment and minimal cost, social networks provide for fan interaction and stimulate interest, which is a “win-win” situation. So embrace, don’t fear, the modern information superhighway, owners!Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-86650251809832139882011-02-02T01:39:00.005-05:002011-02-02T14:29:43.509-05:00Grecian Princess, 1964 Louisiana Derby WinnerSometimes a horse story is really more of a people story. <br /><br />This one begins with a chestnut filly that, while she enjoyed some success, was by no means a superstar, either on the race track or later in the breeding shed. In 47 lifetime starts, she won only six times, but ran in the money in nearly half her races, earning a total of $76,654. However, over a period of four months or so, <strong>Grecian Princess</strong> teetered on the edge of stardom—only to not quite fulfill the tantalizing promise of that oh-so-brief period. <br /><br />As a juvenile, this daughter of Epsom Derby-winning <strong>Hyperion’s </strong>son <strong>Hesiod</strong>, out of an unraced <strong>Roman </strong>mare named <strong>Princess Lisa</strong>, was solid but not spectacular, although she did finish third in the 1963 Golden Rod Stakes before settling in for the winter at the Fair Grounds. There, on December 28, she won the six-furlong Sugar Bowl Handicap by one-half length over 13 rivals—at odds of 13-1. A month later, she ran second in an allowance race, solidly defeated by over four lengths, but only seven days later, on February 1, she closed from dead-last to win the six-furlong Thelma Stakes over fellow 3-year-old fillies. Next her trainer twice stretched her out to 8.5 furlongs in open company, where she failed to hit the board, beaten by a combined total of 16 lengths.<br /><br />Thus, on March 14, it surprised no one when <strong>Grecian Princess</strong> entered the gate for the nine-furlong Louisiana Derby at odds of 29-1. Breaking well in the nine-horse field, she settled in two-lengths behind the front-running favorite <strong>Whit’s Pride</strong> and <strong>Susan’s Gent</strong>. At the half-mile pole, <strong>Susan’s Gent</strong> broke down, propelling <strong>Grecian Princess</strong> into second-place, and as the duo neared the wire, she stretched out to win by a head—only the second filly to win the Louisiana Derby, a feat that has not since been replicated.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zlwI6pHw6eA/TUj8pqol4tI/AAAAAAAAA5M/-5KLeT1FPEQ/s1600/GrecianPrincess.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 292px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zlwI6pHw6eA/TUj8pqol4tI/AAAAAAAAA5M/-5KLeT1FPEQ/s320/GrecianPrincess.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568978731992998610" /></a><br /><br />After three subsequent disappointing efforts in April—twice at Keeneland and once at Churchill Downs—she entered the Kentucky Oaks slightly tarnished and finished seventh—a distant 12 lengths back—behind <strong>Blue Norther</strong>. Nominated for a number of races in which she didn’t run (including the Illinois Derby), she was a last minute vet scratch from the Cinderella Handicap on May 27. What exactly happened after that is lost to the vagrancies of racing history, but <strong>Grecian Princess</strong> only won once more in her career, and thus faded into distant memory.<br /><br />Her owner wasn’t one of those whose racing stables enjoyed tremendous success, to the point where their names resonate through time. He was, it appears, the quintessential rich-boy owner who dabbled in the Sport of Kings. For over three decades, wealthy Detroit scion Theodore De Long Buhl enjoyed what only could be considered moderate success. His colt <strong>Air Sailor</strong> won the 1944 Breeders’ Futurity before running fourth in the 1945 Kentucky Derby, and twice Buhl runners captured the Clark Handicap—<strong>Second Avenue</strong> in 1953, and then <strong>Lemon Twist</strong> in 1964. It was the latter who undoubtedly was his most successful runner. Winner of the 1963 Illinois and Ohio derbies, <strong>Lemon Twist</strong> was withheld from the Kentucky Derby that year by Buhl after finishing a distant third behind <strong>Chateaugay </strong>in the Blue Grass Stakes. He would go on to run second to the great <strong>Gun Bow</strong> in the 1964 Washington Park Handicap, and finished runner-up to <strong>Moss Vale</strong> in the 1965 Hawthorne Gold Cup. In all, <strong>Lemon Twist</strong> made 104 starts, winning 17 times, with 23 places and 12 shows, for total earnings of $296,680. <br /><br />The Buhl family has a long, rich history in Detroit, beginning with two brothers, Frederick and Christian arriving in 1833 from western Pennsylvania; both eventually served as Mayor of Detroit, Frederick in 1848 and Christian from 1860-61. The family’s business interests were many, extending from banking to manufacturing (including their own aircraft company). They even married into the Hiram Walker distillery (Canadian Club whiskey) empire—not to mention having <a href="http://www.thebuhl.com">a skyscraper with their name on it</a>. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zlwI6pHw6eA/TUj9_GgOLII/AAAAAAAAA5U/-2PPDFwus_I/s1600/26AnaReilly1922Follies.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 243px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zlwI6pHw6eA/TUj9_GgOLII/AAAAAAAAA5U/-2PPDFwus_I/s320/26AnaReilly1922Follies.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568980199762963586" /></a>I’ve always been a genealogy buff, so digging around into the lives of early race horse owners have become a bit of a fascination, and I found several interesting tidbits of note about Buhl. For example, his namesake, his grandfather rather dramatically dropped dead outside the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York in 1907, from apoplexy, when young Theodore was a toddler. It also merited notice in <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,731079,00.html">Time magazine</a> when Theodore (“heir to $24 million”) married in October 1927 Anastasia Reilly—a New York showgirl famously a member of the Ziegfeld Follies! How scandalous that must have been, as the wedding was performed in New York with nary a mention of his family being present, beyond his uncle Florenz Ziegfeld (yes, the showman himself). <br /><br />From what I’ve uncovered, the Buhls built a house in the suburb of Grosse Pointe where Anastasia eventually founded the weekly Grosse Pointe News. They also built a home in Palm Beach, Florida where they wintered and entertained, as various newspaper accounts attest. However, in 1939, they decided to winter in California, where their horses ran at Santa Anita, and Mrs. Buhl even momentarily stepped back onto the stage at the Huntington’s big Gay Nineties party where, as the Los Angeles Times society page reported, she did a “strip tease. But modest.” What a howl that must have been!<br /><br />On December 28, 1961, Anastasia Reilly Buhl died of cancer at age 58 in Grosse Pointe; her husband suffered a fatal heart attack on June 8, 1968, in Sarasota, Florida. What a life they must have had. What a story, still to be told.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zlwI6pHw6eA/TUj-ivZ93WI/AAAAAAAAA5c/OSUIl79AcdE/s1600/TheBuhls.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zlwI6pHw6eA/TUj-ivZ93WI/AAAAAAAAA5c/OSUIl79AcdE/s320/TheBuhls.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568980812038004066" /></a>Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1062264901210357533.post-59632239267305619352011-01-05T01:35:00.011-05:002011-01-05T13:01:26.205-05:00Like Mother, Like Son: Carolyn A. and the Wood MemorialPrior to her victory in the 1980 Kentucky Derby, unbeaten filly <strong>Genuine Risk</strong> tested her mettle against males for the first time, in the Wood Memorial—and finished a strong third behind <strong>Plugged Nickle</strong> and <strong>Colonel Moran</strong>. That performance was good enough to convince her connections to enter her in the Derby, which she won with ease—the first filly in 65 years to win the “Run for the Roses.”<br /><br />Thirty-three years before Genuine Risk’s Wood Memorial run, another filly (albeit one already with success against her male counterparts) was similarly tested, and narrowly missed becoming the only filly to win what is now New York’s most important spring test for 3-year-olds. Named for the young daughter of Eddie Arcaro—the jockey who rode her for much of her career—<strong>Carolyn A.</strong> was a potent race mare who looked well on her way to a brilliant broodmare career when she tragically died 20 days after birthing her first foal—a colt who replicated his dam’s Wood performance, while unfortunately running against arguably the greatest race horse of the twentieth century.<br /><br /><strong>Carolyn A.</strong>’s sire <strong>Questionnaire </strong>was a New York legend, having won (among other races) two of the three legs of the New York Handicap Triple Crown in 1931 (the Metropolitan and Brooklyn handicaps) and finishing second in the Suburban. As a juvenile, he had lost the Lawrence Realization by a nose to subsequent Triple Crown victor <strong>Gallant Fox</strong>, and finished third behind him in the Belmont Stakes, but with <strong>Gallant Fox</strong> off to stud, <strong>Questionnaire </strong>bloomed into a serious handicap horse, although he failed to win championship honors, having the misfortune to be racing at a time when first <strong>Sun Beau</strong> and then <strong>Equipose </strong>dominated.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zlwI6pHw6eA/TSSvsmUZ2hI/AAAAAAAAA2M/P5z_R_mjM6A/s1600/Whitaker.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 148px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zlwI6pHw6eA/TSSvsmUZ2hI/AAAAAAAAA2M/P5z_R_mjM6A/s320/Whitaker.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558761020817267218" /></a>A decent race mare, her dam <strong>Albania </strong>(by the leading broodmare sire <strong>Bull Dog</strong>) excelled at stud for owner Ben F. Whitaker, producing 10 starters, all winners, including 1945 Roamer Handicap winner <strong>Chief Barker </strong>(<strong>Sickle</strong>). Her daughters produced stakes winners such as Gravesend-winning sire <strong>Distinctive </strong>, 1953 champion 3-year-old filly <strong>Grecian Queen</strong>, and 16-stakes race winner <strong>My Request</strong>. Among her descendents is even an Epsom Derby winner, the ingloriously-named <strong>Benny the Dip</strong>.<br /><br />However, with a record of 8 wins (6 places, 8 shows) in 41 starts and $140,615 in earnings, <strong>Carolyn A.</strong> was <strong>Albania</strong>’s most successful runner. At two, she won the Demoiselle, but it was her 3-year-old campaign that revealed her true grit. Just one week after winning the 8.5 furlong Black Gold Purse at the Fair Grounds, <strong>Carolyn A. </strong>rallied from the back of the pack to streak to victory in the 1947 Louisiana Derby—the first filly to win that race (only <strong>Grecian Princess</strong> in 1964 would replicate the feat). <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zlwI6pHw6eA/TSQS5kCR8dI/AAAAAAAAA18/cvXu0C3djHU/s1600/PhalanxWood.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 189px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zlwI6pHw6eA/TSQS5kCR8dI/AAAAAAAAA18/cvXu0C3djHU/s320/PhalanxWood.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558588620217119186" /></a>Thus, on April 19, <strong>Carolyn A.</strong> entered the first division of the Wood Memorial as an 18-1 shot. Unfortunately, also entered in the 10-horse field was subsequent Belmont Stakes winner <strong>Phalanx </strong>who, in the second-fastest clocking of the Wood (only <strong>Count Fleet’s </strong>had been faster), beat her by one and a half lengths. It would not be the last time the two met. However, it would not happen in the Kentucky Derby, although Daily Racing Form writer Charles Hatton rightly noted in his May 1 column “Judge's Stand” that <em>“Carolyn A. is better qualified to start than are some of the colts, if anybody cares to make a point of it.”</em> <br /><br />After next finishing runner-up to lightweight (104 lbs. to her 121 lbs.) <strong>Harmonica </strong>in the Wistful, <strong>Carolyn A.</strong> soured, finishing well-back as the 9-10 favorite in the Acorn, scratched out of the Withers, and was never a threat in her subsequent autumn races.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zlwI6pHw6eA/TSQTSfCPMDI/AAAAAAAAA2E/wWlEmPsEqII/s1600/CarolynFirenze.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 132px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zlwI6pHw6eA/TSQTSfCPMDI/AAAAAAAAA2E/wWlEmPsEqII/s320/CarolynFirenze.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558589048371490866" /></a>As a 4-year-old, she returned with a vengeance, upsetting the Correction Handicap in April (paying $26.20 winning over favored <strong>Ocean Brief</strong>) and defeating the great 6-year-old <strong>Gallorette </strong>by 3 lengths in the Firenze Handicap. <strong>Gallorette </strong>would go on to win the Carter and Whitney handicaps that season, but, in October, <strong>Carolyn A.</strong> would defeat her again, this time while running second to <strong>Donor </strong>in the stakes race named for her sire, the Questionnaire Handicap at Jamaica racetrack (where she also defeated <strong>Phalanx</strong>). <br /><br />Her summer foray at Saratoga included a victory over the sensational <strong>Miss Grillo</strong> in the Diana, a race that also featured Kentucky Oaks victress <strong>Challe Anne</strong> and English Oaks winner <strong>Imprudence II</strong>. It was to be her last win, however. That autumn, <strong>Carolyn A.</strong> placed in the Busher (third) and Comely (third), as well as finished third behind <strong>Phalanx </strong>in the Empire City Gold Cup—a race that was to be the 12th consecutive victory for Triple Crown victor and 1948 Horse of the Year, <strong>Citation</strong>.<br /><br />Sent off to Charles Nuckols & Sons’ <a href="http://www.hurstlandfarm.com">Hurstland Farm</a> in Midway, Kentucky, she was bred to 1945 Preakness winner <strong>Polynesian</strong>, and, on April 18, 1950, her first foal was born. His name: <strong>Tahitian King</strong>. Unfortunately, <strong>Carolyn A.</strong> was killed in a “breeding paddock accident” little more than a fortnight after his birth, so <strong>Tahitian King</strong> grew up fostered by a Percheron mare.<br /><br />A dynamic juvenile, <strong>Tahitian King</strong> won his first three starts at Belmont (including the National Stallion Stakes) before moving on to Saratoga where, on August 9, he captured the United States Hotel Stakes under the guidance of Eddie Arcaro. Two weeks later, in the Grand Union Hotel Stakes, he met another unbeaten son of <strong>Polynesian</strong>, a gray bullet named <strong>Native Dancer</strong>—and the rest is history. <br /><br />In three years of racing, <strong>Native Dancer</strong> won 21 of 22 starts, his only defeat to <strong>Dark Star</strong> in the 1953 Kentucky Derby. However, that autumn of his juvenile year, <strong>Native Dancer </strong>defeated both <strong>Tahitian King</strong> and <strong>Dark Star</strong> in the Futurity at Belmont Park, equaling the world record for 6.5 furlongs in the effort. It was a superlative effort, charging through a narrow opening to wrangle in <strong>Tahitian King</strong>, and win by just over two lengths. <strong>Dark Star</strong> finished another four lengths back in third.<br /><br />At three, <strong>Tahitian King</strong> won his first effort, at the Fair Grounds, but was withheld by his owner Texas oilman Ben F. Whitaker from the Louisiana Derby as “not ready” with only one race after a four-month layoff (he had suffered a leg injury—and out of the money—in the previous year’s Champagne Stakes). Back in New York, he won an allowance race at Jamaica before failing just five days later in the Experimental Free Handicap—a race in which, it turns out, he suffered a knee injury.<br /><br />That didn’t stop him from running in the Wood Memorial, though, where Arcaro jumped off <strong>Tahitian King</strong>, in favor of Native Dancer’s stablemate <strong>Social Outcast</strong>. It was thus Canadian jockey <a href="http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/jockeys/1980/Hedley_Woodhouse.html ">Hedley Woodhouse</a> who guided the pace-setting <strong>Tahitian King</strong> to his well-beaten runner-up finish against the Dancer. Plans to run in the Derby where scrapped, and the colt remained in New York where he won the 52nd running of the Swift Stakes on May 11. However, after <strong>Dark Star’s </strong>upset victory in the Derby, Whitaker decided to attempt the Preakness in spite of his colt’s sore feet. It didn’t go well, as <strong>Tahitian King</strong> finished well behind <strong>Native Dancer</strong>, in sixth-place. <br /><br />Back in New York, he was nipped out of second money in the Peter Pan, and then finished out of the money in the Shevlin. Giving up a whopping 20 lbs. to his rivals, he ran third in a handicap race at Jamaica on the Questionnaire Handicap undercard in July, and then finished out of the money in the Saranac Handicap. After 17 months off, <strong>Tahitian King</strong> re-emerged at Tropical Park in Florida in December 1954, managing a second-place finish in his belated 4-year-old debut, but the new year did not bode well for his comeback, as he finished a well-beaten sixth in the January 4 Shelborne Purse. He never raced again. In 21 starts, he won 7 times, with 5 places and 3 shows, and earned $103,565. He did his dam proud.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Sources Consulted:</strong><br /><br />“Carolyn A. Takes Louisiana Derby” <em>New York Times</em>, March 9, 1947, p. S4.<br /><br />“50,840 Jam Jamaica: Favored Phalanx Beats Carolyn A. in First Division of Wood” <em>New York Times</em>, April 20, 1947, p. S1.<br /><br /><a href="http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=drf1940s;cc=drf1940s;g=drf;xc=1;q1=carolyn%20A;rgn=full%20text;idno=drf1947050101;didno=drf1947050101;view=pdf;seq=32_2;node=drf1947050101%3A32.2;passterms=1">Charles Hatton, “Judge's Stand” <em>DRF</em>, May 1, 1947, p. 32.</a><br /><br />“Carolyn A. Captures Correction Handicap by Half Length” <em>New York Times</em>, April 8, 1948, p. 36.<br /><br />“Carolyn A. Leads Home Gallorette by 3 Lengths in Firenze Handicap” <em>New York Times</em>, May 9, 1948, p. S1.<br /><br />“Carolyn A. Shows Way to Miss Grillo by Length in Diana Handicap” <em>New York Times</em>, August 19, 1948, p. 26.<br /><br />“Citation Captures Gold Cup by 2 Lengths over Phalanx” <em>New York Times</em>, October 17, 1948, p. S1.<br /><br />“Undefeated Juvenile Equals World Mark in 8th Victory” <em>New York Times</em>, September 28, 1952, p. S1.<br /><br />“Whitaker’s Tahitian King Takes the 52nd Running of the Swift Stakes at Belmont Park” <em>New York Times</em>, May 12, 1953, p. 33.<br /><br />“Preakness Choice Reaches Pimlico” <em>New York Times</em>, May 20, 1953, p. 36.Valerie Grashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02696887655473752690noreply@blogger.com0