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We've tracked the progress of freshman Pollard's Vision (TrueNicks,SRO) in several previous posts, but we must admit we didn't expect him to vault to the top of the Freshman Sire table. However, that's what happened when his daughter, Blind Luck, emerged from the Oak Leaf Stakes (gr. I) with a 2½ lengths victory. She is the fourth stakes winner from the first crop of Pollard's Vision, following Vertical Vision, who has taken the Prairie Gold Lassie Stakes and Prairie Gold Debutante Stakes; Dakota Sue, who took the Bird of Pay Stakes; and Air Crew, winner of the Premio Rumon and Criterium Labronico in Italy.

By Carson City, Pollard's Vision is out of a sister to the tough graded stakes winner and multiple grade I performer Bowman's Band (by Dixieland Band (TrueNicks,SRO) ), from the same branch of the Chris Evert family as Sightseek and Tates Creek. He actually ran more like a Dixieland Band than a Carson City, being a tough middle-distance horse whose best wins came in the Illinois Derby (gr. II), Lone Star Derby (gr. III) and Leonard Richards Stakes (gr. III) at three, and the National Jockey Club Stakes (gr. III) at four.

Blind Luck, who is TrueNicks rated A+, is out the Best of Luck (by Broad Brush) mare, Lucky One, a half-sister to Swale Stakes (gr. III) winner Ethan Man. The granddam is a half-sister to dual graded stakes winning sprinter/miler Chas Conerly. What makes this pedigree particularly interesting, however, is that Best of Luck's broodmare sire is Chief's Crown. He's by a son of Northern Dancer out of a daughter of Chris Evert, and Pollard's Vision's third dam, Nijinsky Star is by a son of Northern Dancer out of Chris Evert, so closely related to Chief's Crown. Pollard's Vision's dam is also by a son of Northern Dancer and so is another relative to Chief's Crown.

The runner-up here, on just her second start, was Always a Princess. A half-sister to 2009 grade one winner Gabby's Golden Gal, she is by another freshman sire, Leroidesanimaux (BRZ) (TrueNicks,SRO) , out of the Ashkalani (Nureyev line) mare, Gariellina Giof. Leroidesanimaux doesn't yet have a stakes winner, but he's risen to fifth on the Freshman Sire list, and would be top had his Tyro Stakes (gr. III) runner-up, Marfach, not been beaten in a photo for an extremely rich sales race in Ireland.

The juvenile colts race, the Norfolk Stakes (gr. I), went to form, Lookin at Lucky (TrueNicks A++) confirming himself as the leader of the West Coast juveniles with a 1¾ lengths tally. A half-brother to the Jim Dandy (gr. II) and Dwyer Stakes (gr. II) winner Kensei, Lookin at Lucky is by Smart Strike (TrueNicks,SRO) , out of a Belong to Me (TrueNicks,SRO) mare, and is another example of the tremendous success achieved by Smart Strike with mares from the male line of Danzig (sire of Smart Strike's brilliant half-sister Dance Smartly).

 

Filed under: Recent Winners, Mares, 2-Year-Olds, Pedigree Elements