Kentucky Derby Winner Mystic Dan and Apple Blossom Winner Adare Manor Among Elite Grade 1 Winners from Claiborne Families
Story by B. Jason Brooks
With the Triple Crown season behind us and summer racing having arrived, the first half of 2024 saw an impressive 20 graded stakes races won by horses representing Claiborne Farm female families (full list below). From 203 graded stakes ran in the U.S. through the end of June, horses representing Claiborne families account for nearly 10 percent of the wins. The 20 graded stakes victories were achieved by 17 different horses representing 12 different Claiborne families.
Elite grade 1 wins were captured by Mystic Dan, by Goldencents, in the Kentucky Derby and Adare Manor, by Uncle Mo, in the Apple Blossom Handicap. Multiple grade 1 winner The Chosen Vron, by Vronsky, also added to his impressive resume in winning the grade 3 San Carlos Stakes. Mystik Dan is from the Claiborne family of Royal Message, Adare Manor from the family of imported British-bred Rough Shod II, and The Chosen Vron from the family of another British import, Fairy Ray.
Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables’ grade 2 Suburban Stakes winner Crupi, by Curlin, was bred, raised, and consigned by Claiborne farm. The 4-year-old grade 1-placed colt is the fourth foul out of Malibu Moon mare Don’tforgetaboutme. The dam was acquired by Claiborne at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale and resold in foal to Claiborne stallion Blame at the 2022 Keeneland November Sale.
A trio of the graded stakes winners in the first half of 2024 are from Claiborne families beginning with their granddams. Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes winner Lemon Muffin, by Collected, has unraced Claiborne mare Fee, by Spectacular Bid, as her second dam (from the family of French-bred imported Claiborne foundation mare Iskra.) (See “Kentucky Oaks Contender Lemon Muffin Is the Newest Graded Winner for the Claiborne Family of Iskra” on the Claiborne blog.) British-bred grade 3 San Francisco Mile winner Lammas, by Irish sire Heeraat, has Claiborne mare Raise, by Seattle Slew, as his second dam (from the family of imported British-bred Claiborne foundation mare Rough Shod II). And, Accelerate-sired grade 2 Summertime Oaks winner Sugar Fish’s granddam is multiple stakes winner Capilano, by Demons Begone (from the family of Claiborne foundation mare Romanita).
In addition to one graded stakes winner being Claiborne-bred and three with Claiborne granddams, grade 3 Forward Gal Stakes winner R Harper Rose, by Khozan, has Claiborne mare Annul, by Conquistador Cielo, as her great-granddam, bringing the total to five with Claiborne mares among their first three dams.
As for the Claiborne families with the most graded stakes winners, imported British-bred mare Venturesome had three, including grade 2 Shakertown Stakes winner Arzak, by Not this Time, grade 2 Eight Belles Stakes winner My Mane Squeeze, by Audible, and grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes winner Hades, by Awesome Slew.
The Claiborne family of Royal Message was represented by two graded stakes winners, including the above-mentioned Mystik Dan, by Goldencents, winning the grade 1 Kentucky Derby and grade 3 Southwest Stakes, and No More Time, by Not This Time, winning the grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes.
The family of another imported British-bred Claiborne foundation mare, Rough Shod II, was represented by two graded stakes winners. They include the above-mentioned Adare Manor, by Uncle Mo, in the grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap (her second grade 1 win) and grade 2 Santa Margarita Stakes, and British-bred Lammas, by Heeraat, winner of the grade 3 San Francisco Mile.
The 20 graded stakes wins by horses from Claiborne families in the first half of 2024 is 1 more than the number for the first half of 2023. By the end of December last year, the total grew to 35. (See the full list of 2023 graded and group stakes winners in “Dubai World Cup Highlights Global Influence of Claiborne Female Families” on the Claiborne blog.)
An impressive 7 horses from Claiborne families achieved grade 1 victories last year. They included: Elite Power, by Curlin, in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and A.G. Vanderbilt Handicap; A Mo Reay, by Uncle Mo, in the Beholder Mile Stakes; Adare Manor, by Uncle Mo, in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes; Brightwork, by Outwork, in the Spinaway Stakes; Gina Romantica, by Into Mischief, in the First Lady Stakes; Slow Down Andy, by Nyquist in the Awesome Again Stakes; and, The Chosen Vron, by Vronsky in the Bing Crosby Stakes.
With horses from Claiborne female families accounting for a tenth of all graded stakes wins through the first half of 2024, including the Kentucky Derby, and five of them having Claiborne blood among their first three dams, the Hancock family’s breeding program remains a tour de force in U.S. racing. One can expect yearlings from these elite families to be attractive at the upcoming Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland sales.
2024 Graded Stakes Winners (Status, Age, Sex, Sire), Claiborne Families – Graded Races Won
MYSTIK DAN (G1W 3c Goldencents), Anna Horton branch of Royal Message – Kentucky D. (G1) & Southwest S. (G3)
ADARE MANOR (MG1W 5m Uncle Mo), Gambetta branch of Rough Shod II (GB) – Apple Blossom H. (G1) & Santa Margarita S. (G2)
THE CHOSEN VRON (G1W 6g Vronsky), Marguerite branch of Fairy Ray (GB) – San Carlos S. (G3)
ARZAK (G1P/MGSW 6h Not This Time), Risky branch of Venturesome (GB) – Shakertown S. (G2)
RED CARPET READY (G1P/MGSW 4f Oscar Performance), Yarn branch of Knight’s Daughter (GB) – Hurricane Bertie S. (G3)
LAMMAS (GB) (MGSW 7g Heeraat {IRE}), Number branch of Rough Shod II (GB) – San Francisco Mile S. (G3)
NEWGRANGE (MGSW 5h Violence), June Rose branch of Pietra (GB) – San Pasqual S. (G2)
KINZA (MGSW 3f Carpe Diem), family of Night Rounds – Las Virgenes S. (G3) & Santa Ysbel S. (G3)
CRUPI (G2W 3c Curlin), dam Don’tforgetaboutme – Suburban S. (G2)
MY MANE SQUEEZE (G2W 3f Audible), Risky branch of Venturesome (GB) – Eight Belles S. (G2)
SUGAR FISH (G2W 3f Accelerate), Ponte Vecchio branch of Romanita – Summertime O. (G2)
AG BULLET (G3W 4f Twirling Candy), Sun Spot branch of Sunstep (GB) – Monrovia S. (G3)
HADES (G3W 3g Awesome Slew), Risky branch of Venturesome (GB) – Holy Bull S. (G3)
LEMON MUFFIN (G3W 3f Collected), Veroushka branch of Iskra (FR) – Honeybee S. (G3)
NO MORE TIME (G3W 3c Not This Time), Anna Horton branch of Royal Message – Sam F. Davis S. (G3)
R HARPER ROSE (G3W 3f Khozan), Annul branch of Bygones – Forward Gal S. (G3)
WASKESIU (CAN) (G3W 3f American Pharoah), Delta branch of Bourtai – Florida O. (G3)