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While we are awaiting the return to action of Indian Charlie (TrueNicks,SRO)’s Two-Year-Old Champion Uncle Mo, the son of In Excess gave notice that he could be doubly represented in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) following the game victory of Anthony’s Cross in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II).

Out of the Unbridled mare Screening, Anthony’s Cross is half brother to graded-winning filly Fugitive Angel (by Alphabet Soup (TrueNicks,SRO), and from a different branch of the same Caro mile line as Indian Charlie). This is a good, solid, Maryland nurtured family, with more than a touch of turf in the background. Screening his a half sister to three stakes winners, including Smart Bid, who was also second in the Gulfstream Park Handicap (gr. I). The granddam, Recording, won the Sands Point Stakes (gr. III) and is out of Ratings (by Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Caveat), winner of the Diana (gr. II) and Sheepshead Bay Handicaps (gr. III).

The cross rates TrueNicks A++ on the basis of the Indian Charlie/Unbridled cross, and from another branch of Fappiano, Indian Charlie also sired the excellent Two Trail Sioux out of a mare by Quiet American (TrueNicks,SRO). Anthony’s Cross’s dam is an extended Raise a Native/Northern Dancer cross, which is a reverse to Indian Charlie’s broodmare sire, Leo Castelli.

Another West Coast Derby trial, the El Camino Real Derby (gr. III), was taken by 1½ lengths by Silver Medallion, who is from the first crop of the Silver Deputy stallion Badge of Silver (TrueNicks,SRO). He’s out of a mare by Stalwart, a horse with several strains that tended to do well with Deputy Minister, Hoist the Flag, Never Bend, and Prince John.

Still with three-year-old cotls, we’ll also give a call to Free Entry, who took his record to two wins in three starts in a one-mile Gulfstream Park allowance, and is now stakes bound. He is by Tale of the Cat (TrueNicks,SRO) out of Preachintothechoir, by Pulpit (TrueNicks,SRO). The dam, who had previously bred the Thunderello stakes winner Thunders Dove, is from a Phipps family that has previously worked with both Storm Cat and Pulpit. The granddam, Luxiously (by Danzig), is a half sister to graded winner With Distinction (TrueNicks,SRO) (by Storm Cat) and to the dam of graded winner Sightseeing (by Pulpit). The fourth dam is the Sorority Stakes (gr. I) winner Squander, dam of three winners, and granddam of the top-class Goodbye Halo. Sharp-eyed readers will have marked this as a very clever – and rather bold – pedigree pattern as the dams of Tale of the Cat and Pulpit – Yarn and Preach – are sisters, and so the siblings are 2x3 here.

Among the three-year-old fillies, Dynamic Holiday continued the tremendous streak for her sire Harlan's Holiday (TrueNicks,SRO) with a win in the Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs. Dynamic Holiday is out of a mare by Dynaformer (TrueNicks,SRO) (by Roberto), and on the same card the similarly-bred five-year-old mare Silver Reunion, by Harlan’s Holiday out of a mare by Silver Hawk (by Roberto), won the Endeavour Stakes (gr. III). Both are rated TrueNicks A++ (there are two stakes winners from only seven starters by Harlan’s Holiday out of Roberto line mares). Dynamic Holiday is additionally interesting for having inbreeding to Northern Dancer and Halo through Harlan (sire of Harlan’s Holiday) and Silent Cat, the granddam of Dynamic Holiday. The third dam is the Hollywood Starlet Stakes (gr. I) winner Creaking Board, who is by Night Shift (genetic relative to Harlan’s grandsire, Storm Bird) out of a Turn-to line mare, so a parallel to Harlan.

We’ll also give a call to three-year-old filly Holy Heavens (TrueNicks A), successful in the Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park. A daughter of Holy Bull (TrueNicks,SRO) out of an Awesome Again (TrueNicks,SRO) mare, she is rated A by TrueNicks. This is an interesting mating on several counts. To start with, it’s a reverse to Champion Two-Year-Old Macho Uno (TrueNicks,SRO), who is by Holy Bull out of the dam of Awesome Again. And then we have a 2x4 top and bottom inbreeding to Holy Bull’s sire, Great Above (this is the first stakes winner with Great Above inbreeding). This is supplemented by Mt. Livermore, who goes back to a Questionnaire/Bull Dog cross, this being the formula that also created Great Above’s grandsire, the very influential Rough’n Tumble.

We’ve mentioned Silver Reunion, but there was some other significant older mare action at the weekend. On Saturday, Vision in Gold (TrueNicks B), another of the legion of good fillies by [MedagliadOro, took the Santa Maria Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita. She’s out of the Corporate Vision (by Private Account, from Medaglia d’Oro’s own Damascus broodmare sire line). The second dam is by Deputy Minister, so Vision in Gold’s dam is a reverse Damascus/Northern Dancer cross to Medaglia d’Oro.

The following day, Santa Anita staged another contest for distaffers, the La Canada Stakes (gr. II) for four-year-olds. Here, Always a Princess, from the first crop of Champion Turf Horse Leroidesanimaux, was permitted to get away with soft early fractions, and for the second race in a row had plenty in the tank to hold off three-year-old Champion Blind Luck. Always a Princess is out of the stakes-winning Ashkalani (by Soviet Star, by Nureyev) mare Gabriellina Giof, also dam of dual grade I winner Gabby’s Golden Gal.

The Hurricane Bertie Handicap (gr. III) went to Hilda’s Passion (TrueNicks A++). She is from the second crop of the Gone West stallion Canadian Frontier (TrueNicks,SRO), who is proving a real sleeper with seven stakes winners from 84 foals in his first two crops, the others including the Gazelle Stakes (gr. I) winner No Such Word. A graded-winning sprinter, out of a graded-winning Seattle Slew mare, Canadian Frontier is advertised at just $3,500 for 2010 over at Airdrie in Midway, and at that looks awfully good value for the breed-to-race crowd. Hilda’s Passion is out of a mare by emerging broodmare sire El Prado, and has the three-parts-brothers Nureyev and Sadler’s Wells 4x3.

Filed under: Recent Winners

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