There were several more juvenile stakes events around the country last weekend and the progeny of some first-crop sires took full advantage.
Ashford Stud‘s speedy Munnings entered November among North America’s leading freshman sires by winners but sans any black-type runners.
That’s all changed, and fast.
The son of Speightstown’s run began Nov. 8 when he was represented by his first two stakes horses – Sir A. J. Munnings, third in the Tri-State Futurity at Charles Town Races and Rainsford, also third in the Golden Nugget Stakes at Golden Gate Fields. A week later we saw the Munnings sons No Problem and Alright Alright run 1-2 in the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar’s Bing Crosby fall meeting. That same Saturday across the country at Laurel Park, the Munnings filly Lake Sebago was victorious in the $100,000 Smart Halo Stakes as a 27-1 longshot.
The dams of No Problem and Alright Alright both show the influence of Blushing Groom. The former is out of a mare by the Blushing Groom grandson Orientate (by Mt. Livermore) with a second dam by Carson City (dam by Blushing Groom, so a double at 3×4). Alright Alright’s dam is out of a mare by Meadowlake with his second dam a daughter of another Blushing Groom son, Runaway Groom.
Lake Sebago is the only starter so far out of a mare by the failed El Prado son Borrego, winner of the Grade 1 Pacific Classic and Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2005. Sir A. J. Munnings is also out of a Northern Dancer-line mare. His dam is a daughter of the Deputy Minister son Mane Minister, best known as the third-place finisher in all three 1991 Triple Crown races. Rainsford is out of a mare by the Seattle Slew stallion Slew City Slew. This quintet of new stakes runners helped catapult Munnings up to fourth on the North American freshman sire list through Wednesday.
Tiznow’s son Bullsbay, who stands at Northview Pennsylvania, is king among the Mid-Atlantic-based freshman sires after his first two stakes horses earned additional black-type last weekend.
Miss Bullistic, winner of the Sept. 27 Selima Stakes at Laurel, scored again in Sunday’s $75,000 Donna Freyer Stakes at Parx Racing. The 2-year-old filly is out of a mare by the Unbridled stallion Unbridled Jet and shows a double of Tiznow’s grandsire Relaunch at 4×4. Unbridled is the second dam sire of Bullsbay’s other stakes horse, Bullheaded Boy, who followed up his second-place run in the $150,000 Bertram F. Bongard Stakes in September with a third-place finish in the $100,000 Notebook Stakes Sunday at Aqueduct.
Bullheaded Boy finished behind the unbeaten Regal Minister in the Notebook, one of two new juvenile stakes winners on Sunday’s Aqueduct card for the veteran stallion New York stallion Posse. Regal Minister also has a Northview connection as the third stakes winner out of a mare by their A.P. Indy son Jump Start. Earlier on the card at the Big A, The Lewis Dinner rounded up the victory in the Key Cents Stakes. The filly is out of a mare by the late Gone West son Mr. Greeley, the 27th such stakes winner.
Posse’s second crop son Kodiak Kowboy, standing at WinStar Farm in Kentucky, is also on a bit of a roll. His 3-year-old son Cool Kowboy (dam by the Gone West son Grand Slam) took the Nov. 11 Sophomore Sprint Championship Stakes at Mountaineer Park. Four days earlier, the juvenile Shotgun Cowboy (dam by Siphon) got the win in the Clevor Trevor Stakes at Remington Park.
The venerable Lane’s End Farm stallion Lemon Drop Kid was another sire with two stakes winners last weekend. Alette is stakes winner No. 81 for the son of Kingmambo after her victory in the $75,000 Illini Princess Handicap Saturday at Hawthorne. She’s her sire’s second black-type winner out of a mare by El Gran Senor from six starters.
Down in Kentucky that same afternoon, Sparkling Review added the trophy for the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere Stakes to a collection that already includes the prize for the Grade 3 Valley View Stakes last month at Keeneland. The 3-year-old filly is Lemon Drop Kid’s second Grade 2 winner out of a Pleasant Tap mare from nine starters.
Matt O’Neil is a freelance writer and pedigree consultant based in Chicago. A former editor of Owner-Breeder International, his work has also appeared in numerous publications that include The Blood-Horse MarketWatch, The Florida Horse and Keeneland Magazine. He is currently marketing and social media coordinator for Adena Springs Farm and a partner in the fantasy horse racing game MyFantasyStable.com.
