Category Archives: Bloodstock

The Group One Irish Derby at the Curragh on June 29 represented a hat trick not often seen. The first three finishers, Sovereign, Anthony Van Dyck and Norway, were all sons of the magnificent Galileo, Coolmore’s king. All trained by Aidan O’Brien. All owned by the triumvirate of Magnier/Smith/Tabor. The only differences in the three, apart from very minor differences in pedigree, is that O’Brien couldn’t clone a single jockey to ride all three, and so was dependent on various riders to claim the Irish Derby as his own, as he has done six times before.

On Irish Derby Day, another race may have stolen the show: the Railway S.-G2, a showcase for some of the best two-year-olds, featuring Monarch of Egypt, a much-touted son of American Pharoah, and the highly esteemed Fort Myers, a son of War Front, also Coolmore-owned, out of a Galileo mare, whose second dam is a full sister to the great Giant’s Causeway.

Has anyone else noted the phenomenon of the Nijinsky II eye? I’ve been aware of it for years now, and was reminded of it when Simply Breathless got her close-up in the paddock at Santa Anita as she awaited her photo op in the winners’ circle after the Wilshire S.-G3, a stunning upset for a truly gorgeous mare. Simply Breathless was bred in Great Britain, and I was unfamiliar with her pedigree, though aware of the brilliant campaign her trainer, Neil Drysdale, had planned for her since her importation. Then I saw that eye.

Monongahela’s longshot win in the Philip H. Iselin S.-G3 on 6/22/19 was a thrill for all pedigree nerds, as he may be the lone representative of a long-lost sireline, that of the great Round Table and his son Princequillo, who still influence the breed through his female offspring, through his son Apalachee and his grandson K One King. Monongahela is a five-year old son of K One King, trained by Jason Servis and ridden yesterday by Jose Lezcano, and the horse now has six wins from 24 starts, with total earnings of $381,043.

I always liked Bayern as a race horse, as I’m a sucker for big, handsome guys, and he was one of the biggest—to the point that his trainer, Bob Baffert, went to measure Zenyatta, sure that his guy was every bit as huge as the supermare. He wasn’t, but he sure came close. And big handsome guys who win the Breeders’ Cup Classic-G1, along with the Haskell-G1, at three, and earn over $4.4 million? How could you not be a fan?

With the freshman sire race warming up, a new entrant has jumped to number seven in the top ten list: Winstar’s Daredevil, a precocious son of More Than Ready whose first foals were pictured in a memorable advertising campaign featuring them photoshopped into dramatic activities demonstrating their, well, daredevilry.

Right now, it appears that 2020 will be a battle of the geriatric tyrannosaurs, old Trump versus old Biden. Yawn. Belmont S.-G1 day, however, was a triumph for the senior citizens of Adena Springs, with the Belmont being won by Sir Winston, a son of Awesome Again, and the Acorn S.-G1 being won by Guarana, a daughter of Ghostzapper (in only her second start), a granddaughter of Awesome Again. You can’t count these old boys out.

Much has been made of the domination of the Galileo line in both the entries in the Epsom Derby-G1 and the winning order, and it is indeed impressive, and of trainer Aidan O’Brien and owners/breeders that are the usual Coolmore suspects lock on the race. No mention, though, has been made of the influence of North American breeding in the pedigree of Anthony Van Dyck, the brilliant winner.

When Gainesway debuted Karakontie in 2017, standing for $15,000, it was a fascinating and bold move. Bred in Japan, the young stud had an impeccable race record of Grade/Group 1 wins in France and North America, including the Breeders’ Cup Mile-G1, and earnings of just under two million dollars.

Rejoice, “Pulp Fiction” fans! Honey Bunny won the Winning Colors S.-G3 at Churchill Downs on May 25! The five-year-old mare by Tapizar, claimed in 2018 for $16,000, has now won her last five races in a row, and her first graded stakes, making her Tapizar’s fourth graded stakes winner.