BARGAIN BRED RACING SERIES & BREEDING CORNER

Retired Mares of the Breeder’s Bowl Part I

This week the Breeding Corner will take a look at the retired mares that have produced runners in this year’s Breeder’s Bowl Classic, the Breeder’s Bowl Turf the Breeder’s Bowl Distaff and the Breeder’s Bowl Turf Distaff. For the purpose of this article we will not be looking at he mares. Every one has had the mare that your not sure will be a good brood mare. Maybe the pedigree is not blue blood, maybe the pedigree is blue blood but the mare was not a good runner. Hopefully we can get an idea of the characteristics of a good producing retired mare. Is it a pedigree that makes the difference in the success? Is it what the retired mare did on the track? Was it pure luck?

Breeder’s Bowl Classic

Let us start with the Breeder’s Bowl Classic. Nine of the fourteen runners came from retired mares and one came from a he mare so only four scratch breds made the race.

Kartago Halo (Squal Me Halo) – Septieme Ciel X Halo. She was winless in twelve starts, earned only $4,420 in purses and had a high speed figure of 67. She has one other foal a two year old (by Treasure Cove) with one win in seven starts. That win was in a $2,500 maiden claimer. Looks like Summer Squall made all the difference for Squal Me Halo.

Newbie’s Dream (Danzig With Sal) – Storm Cat X Mr. Prospector. Newbie’s Dream had ten wins eight of which were stakes wins. She won a grade 1, 2 and 3 race and placed in several more earning over a million dollars in purses. Her fastest speed figure was a 115. She has produced two other foals. A Three year old stakes winner by Carson City and a stakes placed two year old by Sadler’s Wells. Newbie’s Dream would be a dream retired mare to have.

Miss Mama (Tempest) – Storm Cat X Kris S. Miss Mama had twenty career wins with just one stakes win. She won many open allowances on her way to earning over $280,000 on the track and had a life time best speed figure of 112. She has one other foal a two year old by Aptitude that has a win already and looks well on her way to being successful.  

Mammoth Jess (Call of the Wild II) – Nureyev X Valid Appeal. Just two life time wins from fifty-one starts but she did earn $128,000 in purses and had a life time best speed figure of 94. She hit the jackpot with Call of the Wild II. She has two other foals. Her three year old is by Buddha who has two wins and has earned $77,000 to date a solid allowance horse thus far. She also has a two year old by War Chant (same as Call of the Wild II) that has yet to do much in four career starts. Mammoth Jess was not a good two year old and ran her fastest speed figures as a four and five year old.

Buttery Fisherman (Wonderboy Cougar (IRE) ) – Polar Falcon X No Double. Buttery Fisherman had three career wins with just over $60,000 in earnings. Her fastest career speed figure was a 106. Wonderboy Cougar is her only success. She has two other off spring both winless. A three year old by Daylami and a two year old by Barathea (IRE) which is a full sibling to Wonderboy Cougar (IRE) ).

Queen Alice (Silver Canuck) – Kingmambo X dam Flower Blush by Northern Raja. Queen Alice was winless in six starts with zero earnings and a career high 64 speed figure. She was not really given a good chance to show anything on the track. Her dam Flower Blush was also winless in six starts with a few hundred bucks in earnings and a career best speed figure of 54. Two very big negatives for me but she has one success with Silver Canuck. She has two other runners both by Silver Deputy just like Silver Canuck. The three year old has one win in twelve starts, maiden claiming, and the two year old is winless in two starts.

Your Hill (Anticosti) – Danehill X Fappiano. Your Hill had just one win from six races and was stakes placed. She earned nearly $40,000 in those six starts with a career best speed figure of 106. Her first foal is a four year old filly by Sky Classic. She only has two wins but has been useful. Anticosti is her pride and joy. She also has a two year old by Mineshaft with just one win in six starts.

Ixworth (Upper Management) – Polish Numbers X Affirmed. Ixworth had four wins from seventeen starts with $34,000 in earnings and a career best speed figure of 97. Upper Management (Miswaki) was her first foal. She has one other foal a two year old by Unbridled’s Song. The two year old has one win in seven starts thus far.

North Vote (Year of the Vote) – Northern Baby X Alydar. North Vote had eight wins in twenty-two starts earning over $380,000 on the track with a career best speed figure of 105. She had six career stakes wins and was a grade III winner. Year of the Vote (Event of the Year) has lived up to the expectations. She has two other foals. A three year old by Woodman that just broke his maiden in a maiden claimer and a promising two year old by Silver Deputy who recently broke his maiden.

We are still seeing an interesting array of retired mares producing big time runners. It is interesting that with the exception of Anticosti every one of these runners is the very first foal by their retired mare. It is also interesting that the three stakes winning mares, North Vote, Miss Mama, and Newbie’s Dream are the only mares to produce other promising foals besides there runners in this race.   

Breeder’s Bowl Turf

We move onto the Breeder’s Bowl Turf and see that scratch breeding rules in this division. Only two runners were by retired mares and one other was by a he mare leaving us with eleven scratch breds.

Tina Marie (Rainbow Moonshell) – Sadler’s Wells X game dam Bill’s Ruffians (GB) by Kris (GB). Tina Marie won just twice, earned $59,000 and had a career best speed figure of 86. Bill’s Ruffian (GB) was a four time winner but earned less than $30,000. Bill’ Ruffian has one other foal that is stakes placed at 14f. Tina Marie has two other foals. Her three year old is by Seeking the Gold and her two year old was by Kingmambo. Both have one win and at this point look fairly solid despite not running at a stakes level yet.

Look Mum No Hands (Minesweeper) – Boston Harbor X Strawberry Road. Look Mum had two career wins, earned just over $41,000 and had a career best speed figure of 96. She has one other foal an over raced two year old with two wins from nine starts. Look Mum did not race at two but was pretty solid at three four and five. Minesweeper did not start to catch onto things until late as a two year old and then did not really step up till later as a three year old so her foals may take some time to develop. 

Again we see that these runners are the first foals from their dams. Neither dam even placed in a stakes and although the jury is still out on their other offspring they are not very impressive to this point.

Breeder’s Bowl Distaff

Now we move onto the Breeder’s Bowl Distaff and find that this is another division that scratch breeding rules. Only three retired mares produced runners here so we have eleven scratch breds.

Swell Prospector (Stormshaft) – Storm Cat X Mr. Prospector. Swell had nine wins from twenty-seven starts. She was a six time stakes winner and won four grade III events. She earned over $500,000 on the track and posted a career best speed figure of 117. Swell has five foals. Her first is a five year old by Spinning World and has yet to win a stakes but has placed in a grade I race. Her four year old is by Pine Bluff is a four time allowance winner, Stormshaft is by Mineshaft is a graded stakes winner. Her two year old is her worst foal so far but that two year old, also by Mineshaft, has hit the board in five of six lifetime starts so far although still a maiden.

Project Matter (Donner) – Deputy Minister X Mr. Prospector. Project Matter was a grade I winner and placed six other times in graded events, winning nine races in her career. She earned $765,000 in her career with a career best speed figure of 114. Project Matter has four foals. She has a retired five year old stakes winning mare by Swain (IRE), her four year old is a stakes placed filly by Diesis (GB). Donner is her three year old graded winning filly by Thunder Gulch and she has a two year old filly by A.P. Indy that is winless thus far from three starts.

Carby Prospector (Dubai Prospector) – Mr. Prospector X The Minstrel. Carby Prospector only had three career starts but did manage an 81 speed figure before being retired. She never really had the opportunity to prove she could or could not run but in a short time she seemed to have a little something. She has two foals her first being Dubai Prospector a graded winner by Essence of Dubai. Her two year old is already a stakes winner by Street Cry (IRE).

These three mares that produced distaff runners are all well bred and with the exception of the lightly raced Carby Prospector were all graded stakes winners. They have all produced very well with other stakes winners or stakes placed runners and not really producing any duds from eleven total foals. 

Breeder’s Bowl Turf Distaff

 The Turf Distaff only has one runner by a retired mare and one other by a he mare. So twelve of these runners are scratch breds.

N. Dance (Mockingbird) – Kingmambo X Seattle Dancer. N. Dance had one win from thirty three starts, about $24,000 in earnings and a top speed figure of 76. She was not a sparkling runner but she has been a very solid dam. She has three total foals. Her oldest is a four year old by Danzig who has won a couple of allowance races and is a solid runner. Her three year old is Mockingbird by Atticus and is a graded stakes winner. Her two year old is by Repent and is stakes placed. Production like this from such a poor runner is rare.

After looking at those first few races it is very surprising how many retired mares have produced Classic runners and how few mares have produced Turf, Distaff and Turf Distaff runners. Is there not a population of retired mares capable of producing long turf runners or good fillies and mares? Another thing that jumps out at you is how many of the mares produced a monster with their first foal and the only mares that produced other good runners after that first monster were all stakes winners or stakes placed and well bred. Next week we will continue to look at the other Breeder’s Bowl races in an attempt to better understand the retired sim mare.