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Franny Freud has had very few slips in her career; in fact she has never been beaten sprinting on the dirt. In a six-race juvenile career, she won four races, including the Ontario Debutante Stakes, Lady Finger Stakes and Fifth Avenue Stakes, her only defeats coming when second in the My Dear Stakes on Woodbine’s all-weather, and off the board in the one-mile Frizette Stakes (gr. I). This year she was second in the Santa Ynez Stakes (gr. II), again on the all-weather, before rebounding to take four straight – the Beaumont Stakes (gr. III), on Keeneland’s all-weather surface, the Park Avenue Stakes, the New York Stallion Stakes, and, at the weekend, the Prioress Stakes (gr. I).

Franny Freud is a daughter of the Storm Cat horse Freud (TrueNicks,SRO), who retired to stand in New York with his primary qualification being that he was Giant's Causeway (TrueNicks,SRO)’s little brother. Freud, who was group II-placed sprinting in England, rapidly developed into a dominant sire in New York, and he has 18 stakes winners, and a total of 38 stakes horses in his first five crops (nearly 19% stakes horses to starters). He’s been threatening to make his presence felt outside the Big Apple program for some time, however, with Quick Little Miss (second in the Hollywood Starlet Stakes (gr. I)), Logic Way, and Meriwether Jessica all being graded-placed stakes winners.

Franny Freud (TrueNicks A++) is out of the D’Accord mare Frankly Fran (who we bought privately for a client some years ago, for around the $10,000 mark). She is half sister to two stakes winners (including Look of the Lynx, by another Storm Cat son, Forest Wildcat), but was particularly interesting for being by a son of Secretariat and having as her third dam, Maimiti (by a son of Nasrullah, like Secretariat, and a granddaughter of Imperial Hill, a three-parts-sister to Secretariat’s dam, Somethingroyal). Frankly Fran’s broodmare sire, D’Accord, is actually by Secretariat out of the great mare Fanfreluche, a daughter of Northern Dancer, so is a reverse cross to Storm Cat. Not surprisingly, the Storm Cat/D’Accord cross has been a successful one, and has produced an earlier grade I winner in D'wildcat (TrueNicks,SRO).

The other New York-bred graded winners of the weekend were Haynesfield (TrueNicks A), a son of Speightstown (TrueNicks,SRO) out of a mare by Tejabo (by Deputy Minister), who overcame a strong field in the Suburban Handicap (gr. II). Speightstown also had Essence Hit Man (out of an El Prado mare, and TrueNicks A+) win the Achievement Stakes at Woodbine at the weekend. He already has nine 2010 stakes winners, and is currently the second leading third season sire. Another third season sire, Read the Footnotes (TrueNicks,SRO) (son of Smoke Glacken (TrueNicks,SRO) who stands alongside Freud), sired Rightly So, who gained a first graded win in the Bed o’Roses Stakes (gr. III). She’s out of Fit Right In, an Out of Place mare who is half sister to Under Serviced, a New York-bred stakes winner by yet another stud-companion to Freud and Read the Footnotes, Hook and Ladder (TrueNicks,SRO).

Over the years, there have been few more reliable sires of high-class turf fillies than Dynaformer (TrueNicks,SRO), and that point was underlined again when his daughter Harmonius took the American Oaks (gr. I) on her turf debut. She is out of Jade Tree, a daughter of Storm Cat (broodmare sire of other Dynaformer graded winners Baptize and Michita). The third dam is a sister to Landaluce, and the granddam, Jade Flush (by Jade Hunter), is a three-parts-sister to stakes winner Tenga, dam of the Secretariat Stakes (gr. I) victor, Startac (by Theatrical, and inbred 4 x 4 to the mare Pange, who is in the tail-female line of Theatrical and Jade Flush). Jade Hunter and Dynaformer also supplied the one-two in the American Handicap (gr. II). The winner, the Argentine-bred Global Hunter (out of a Telescopico mare and TrueNicks rated A+) suffered a career-ending injury, but underwent a four-hour operation in the hope of saving him. He was a neck to the good of the Dynaformer horse Temple City.

We’d have bet virtually any money that Discreetly Mine, by Mineshaft (TrueNicks,SRO) out of a Private Account mare, with second and third dams by Believe It and Tom Rolfe, would run as far as you’d ask a top-class horse to go in the U.S. But, just to prove that nothing is certain with horses and inheritance, after finishing 13th in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), Discreetly Mine (TrueNicks A++) has been reinvented as a sprinter, and following a good second to D’Funnybone in a hot renewal of the Woody Stephens Stakes (gr. II), he reappeared to capture the Jersey Shore Stakes (gr. III), beating Out of Respect (another weekend graded performer for Read the Footnotes). He is one of five stakes winners this year – three graded – for Mineshaft (currently 16th on the Leading Sires list), and he also had another three-year-old sprinter, Bonnie Blue Flag, run third in the Prioress (gr. I) at the weekend.

Another speedster with a classic pedigree is Champion Sprint Filly Informed Decision. The daughter of Monarchos added to her laurels at the weekend with a hard-fought victory in the Chicago Handicap (gr. III). Informed Decision (TrueNicks A++) has the brothers Graustark and His Majesty 5 x 2 (the pair being such a good influence for Monarchos’s sire, Maria’s Mon, with their genetic relative Majestic Light also in the fourth generation. In Canada, another graded sprint, the Highlander Handicap (gr. II) at Woodbine, went to Signature Red, who is a four-year-old by Bernstein (TrueNicks,SRO) out of an Irish Open mare. Score this one as another for La Troienne line breeding as Busanda (dam of Buckpasser) appears 5 x 5. Irish Open’s dam has three-parts-sisters Busanda and Striking 2 x 2, and Horatius, sire of the second dam, is also line bred to the second dam.

Also at Woodbine, Big Red Mike (TrueNicks A++) scored a courageous front-running victory in a renewal the Queen’s Plate, which saw Her Majesty on hand to award the trophy. He’s from the second crop of the good Smart Strike (TrueNicks,SRO) horse Tenpins, and out of a mare by Vice Regent (since Tenpins is out of a mare by Deputy Minister, a son of Vice Regent, Big Red Mike has Vice Regent 4 x 2, which might be rather appropriate, since the chestnut son of Northern Dancer was Champion Sire in Canada more than a dozen times, if memory serves).

A salty edition of the Salvator Mile Stakes (gr. III) – the good field presumably drawn by the $$$$ on offer at the Jersey shore this Monmouth meet – saw Gone Astray prevail by a surprisingly wide margin of five lengths. Rated A++ by TrueNicks, he is by Dixie Union (TrueNicks,SRO) out of Illicit, a daughter of Mr. Prospector. The Dixie Union/Mr.Prospector stakes production strike rate is remarkable with six stakes winners from 14 starters (about 43%), four of these graded. Since Dixie Union’s third dam is by Mr. Prospector, they all have that son of Raise a Native 4 x 2 in their pedigree. Dixie Union’s sire, Dixieland Band, also made an appearance in the pedigree of the Firecracker Handicap (gr. II) victor Tizdejavu (by Tiznow (TrueNicks,SRO)). This is the second stakes winner for the sire out of a Dixieland Band line mare, the other being three-year-old Golden Itiz, and the cross rates a TrueNicks A++.

A pair of veteran Nijinsky II sires were represented by stakes doubles at the weekend. Royal Academy had Danzon (out of a Kingmambo (TrueNicks,SRO) mare and TrueNicks B+) take the Locust Grove Handicap (gr. III) and Gotta Have Her (out of a Rahy mare and TrueNicks A+) capture the Royal Heroine Mile Stakes (gr. II). Sky Classic (TrueNicks,SRO) scored with Snakebite Kit (dam by Glitterman, and TrueNicks A++) in the Louisiana Downs Showcase Turf Stakes, and Timeless Fashion (dam by Formal Gold (TrueNicks,SRO) and TrueNicks A++) in the Independece Day Stakes at Mountaineer.

Before leaving the three-year-old and up division, we’ll finally mention that Afleet Alex (TrueNicks,SRO) – the current leading second crop sire – had another new stakes winner when Alex’s Vision won the Peddy Addy Stakes. Bred by Tim Richey, who trained Afleet Alex, Alex’s Vision, is out of a mare by Citidancer ( by Dixieland Band) and TrueNicks rated A. We noted recently that we thought reinforcing the background of Afleet Alex’s sire, Northern Afleet (TrueNicks,SRO) – particularly Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector – was a plus, and Alex’s Vision has Mr. Prospector 4 x 5, Northern Dancer 5 x 4, and his broodmare sire is a parallel Northern Dancer/Tentam cross to Citidancer.

Among the juvenile ranks we had a pair of graded stakes. On the West Coast, J P’s Gusto tallied by a neck in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship (gr. III). He is by Successful Appeal (TrueNicks,SRO) out of a Caller I D mare, and is the second graded winner on a Valid Appeal/Caller I D cross (TrueNicks rated A++). In the East, Kantharos scorched home 9½ lengths clear in the Bashford Manor Stakes (gr. III). He is from the third crop of Lion Heart, who has proved to be an extremely good capture for the Turkish bloodstock industry (moving to that country for the 2010 covering season). Rated A++ by TrueNicks, he is out of a mare by Southern Halo (the second stakes winner for the sire out of a Halo line mare). He’s from the same family as another Storm Cat line speedster, First Samurai (TrueNicks,SRO) (first runners in 2010).

Filed under: Recent Winners

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