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Last week we were writing about American Lion, a promising juvenile graded stakes winner by Tiznow (TrueNicks,SRO) . We noted at that time, that Tiznow had just three graded stakes winning two-year-olds, all out of Storm Cat line mares. Well, that pattern was broken at the weekend after Tizahit took the Demoiselle Stakes (gr. II) on Saturday. However, she still has a link to Tiznow’s first juvenile star, Eclipse Champion Folklore.
 
Out of the Kris S. mare, Never a No Hitter, Tizahit is three-parts-sister to Folklore, Never a No Hitter being half-sister to Folkore's dam Contrive. The second dam is the graded stakes winner Jeano, who is by Fappiano out of Basie, a grade I winner by In Reality, from a branch of the La Troienne family.

Since Tiznow is a great-grandson of In Reality, both Tizahit and Folklore are inbred to that horse. What is rather interesting about this pedigree is that In Reality has done well with Roberto (sire of Kris S.) and Fappiano, but in general, this has been through the smaller, speedier branches (such as Known Fact and Valid Appeal), rather than the Relaunch branch as here. Perhaps with added distance in the pedigree, the phenotypical difference have toned down somewhat, while the genetic affinity remains (we’ve seen this with other pedigree combinations that look good on paper but didn’t work well in reality – no pun intended – such as Bold Ruler and Tom Fool, and Nijinsky II and Buckpasser).

Another impressive two-year-old winner was Lost Aptitude (TrueNicks A++), who came home 5¼ lengths clear in the Grand Canyon Stakes. He’s by the A.P. Indy (TrueNicks,SRO) son Aptitude (TrueNicks,SRO) and he’s linebred to A.P. Indy’s family, as his granddam is by Sauce Boat, a half-brother to A.P. Indy’s third dam.
 
Sassy Image followed up her win in the Pocahontas Stakes (gr. III) by adding the Golden Rod Stakes (gr. II). We covered this in detail in an earlier column, but to briefly recap, she is by Broken Vow (TrueNicks,SRO) out of the Hennessy mare, Ideal Image, with a second dam by Conquistador Cielo. This is a cross with obvious appeal, not only giving Unbridled/Storm Cat, but also the genetic relatives Nijinsky II and Storm Bird in the center of the pedigree.

On the West Coast, the Miesque Stakes (gr. III) for two-year-old fillies on the grass was won by The Mailet, a daughter of freshman sire, Rock Hard Ten (TrueNicks,SRO) . TrueNicks rated A, even before her stakes win, she is out of Emerging Glory, a half-sister to the grade I winners Starrer and Stellar Jayne.
 
The day before the Generous Stakes (gr. III) was upset by Who’s Up, a son of the Florida stallion, Graeme Hall (TrueNicks,SRO). The dam was a Pedigree Consultants, LLC recommended claim for Eugene Melnyk, specifically to breed to Graeme Hall who stands at Melnyk’s Winding Oaks Farm. The pedigree has Northern Dancer/Bold Ruler crosses at top and bottom through Dehere (Champion Two-Year-Old) and Bring Out the Band (Acorn Stakes (gr. I)), the third dam of Who’s Up.
 
Finally, in Canada, the young Gone West horse, Trajectory had a two-year-old stakes double with Joey’s Best (out of a Mountain Cat mare, and TrueNicks A++), taking the Kingarvie Stakes and Resentless (out of an Ascot Knight mare, and TrueNicks A)