We were delighted to see the Broken Vow (TrueNicks,SRO) filly Sassy Image take the Pocahontas Stakes (gr. III) for a couple of reasons. One was that we've always been a fan of Broken Vow (and two of his graded winners, Sindy With an S., and Interactif, are Pedigree Consultants recommended matings).
The second reason was that Sassy Image is bred on a cross that we've been waiting to see work, that of Broken Vow with Storm Cat line mares. It is a cross with obvious appeal, not only giving Unbridled/Storm Cat, but also the genetic relatives Nijinsky II (Broken Vow's damsire) and Storm Bird in the center of the pedigree. Sassy Image, who is TrueNicks rated A+, is also a reverse Parallel Pattern, being Mr. Prospector/Northern Dancer over Northern Dancer/Mr. Prospector.
The colt's equivalent of the Pocahontas, the Iroquois Stakes (gr. III), went to Thiskysthelimit (TrueNicks A++). He is by Sky Mesa (TrueNicks,SRO)
, who had a sticky year with his first crop two-year-olds in 2007, but has done nothing but improve, and now has 13 stakes winners from his first three crops, eight of them graded.
There are no doubts about Thiskysthelimit's classic credentials from a pedigree standpoint: his dam is a Deputy Minister half-sister to Bernardini (TrueNicks,SRO) (by A.P. Indy (TrueNicks,SRO), who is also responsible for Sky Mesa's sire, Pulpit (TrueNicks,SRO)). The granddam, grade I winner Cara Rafaela, is by Quiet American (TrueNicks,SRO)
, and we can note that Sky Mesa also has a stakes winner out of a mare by Quiet American, and grade I winners by Unbridled (like Quiet American, a son of Fappiano, and sharing some other pedigree similarities), and Unbridled's Song (TrueNicks,SRO)
.