World Championships Feature 20 Entries From Claiborne Female Families and 3 by Claiborne Stallions
Story by B. Jason Brooks
The powerful female families cultivated for more than a century at Claiborne Farm will be on display at the 41st Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on Friday and Saturday, November 1st and 2nd.
The Hancock family’s keen breeding insight coupled with their broodmare band’s direct access to the Paris, Kentucky farm’s elite world-class stallions has resulted in dozens of active female families achieving at the highest levels.
An analysis of the pedigrees of the 171 Breeders’ Cup entries (after 9 scratches) finds that 20 have tail-female lines tracing back to Claiborne-bred female families. That amounts an influential 12 percent of all Breeders’ Cup entries and they are spread out among 11 of the 14 prestigious world championship races, adding further credence to the versatility of the bloodlines.
The 20 entries represent 17 different Claiborne female families, with 3 of the families represented by two entries each.
Also, 4 of the entries from Claiborne families are grade or group 1 winners and an additional 5 are grade 1-placed. As for their genders and ages, 8 of them are colts, 12 are fillies, 7 are juveniles, and 13 are ages 3 years or older.
Below is a summary of the 20 Breeders’ Cup entries from Claiborne families and their accomplishments.
Breeders’ Cup entries descending from Claiborne foundation mare Regal Gleam include grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup winner There Goes Harvard, by Will Take Charge, in the Turf. Also from the family of Regal Gleam is stakes-winning Vino Rosso colt Pali Kitten, entered in the Juvenile Turf Sprint. He won the Speakeasy Stakes last time out in early October.
Claiborne’s imported British-bred foundation mare Sunstep is represented by a duo of descendants in the Turf Sprint. They include multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Ag Bullet, by Twirling Candy, who won the grade 2 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint and grade 3 Monrovia Stakes this year. Ag Bullet is catalogued for the Fasig-Tipton November Sale and will be shipping to Kentucky after the race. Sunstep’s other tail-female line descendant in the Turf Sprint is Irish-bred Believing, by her native sire Mehmas, who has placed in three group 1 races in Europe since August.
Imported British-bred Claiborne foundation mare Venturesome‘s family is represented in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint by Into Mischief colt Meta Max, a Kentucky-bred who has won multiple stakes races in Japan. Venturesome’s graded stakes-winning descendant Nooni, by Win Win Win, is entered for the Juvenile Fillies. She won the grade 3 Sorrento Stakes in August at Del Mar.
Global elite Japanese-bred Ushba Tesoro, by his native sire Ofevre, is entered for the Classic, his second career start in the U.S. Hailing from the stalwart family of Claiborne foundation mare Bourtai, he has amassed $16.4 million in career earnings, with group 1 wins in the UAE’s Dubai World Cup and twice in Japan’s Tokyo Daishoten. (See more on him here on the Claiborne blog.)
The family of imported British-bred Claiborne foundation mare Peroration is represented by Ghostzapper filly and 2022 Sovereign Horse of the Year Moira. Resold at auction last year as racing or broodmare prospect for $3 million, the multiple grade 1-paced filly is entered for the Filly and Mare Turf for a third straight year and is coming off a runner-up finish in the grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes. Following the race, she will ship to Kentucky to be offered again at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.
The family of imported British-bred Claiborne foundation mare Pietra is represented by Irish-bred Content, by her native sire Galileo. The Coolmore-bred won the group 1 Yorkshire Oaks in England at York in August and is entered in the Filly and Mare Turf.
From the family of Sicklefeather, recent grade 1 Frizette Stakes winner Scottish Lassie, by freshman sire McKinzie, is entered for the Juvenile Fillies. Her dominant 9-length Frizette win in early October was her second start and maiden win.
Runner-up to Scottish Lassie in the Frizette, grade 1-placed Snowyte, by Good Magic, is from the family of Ghanzi and is also entered for the Juvenile Fillies.
Another grade 1-placed juvenile filly Nitrogen, by Medaglia d’Oro, hails from the accomplished Claiborne family of Lighted Lamp. Entered for the Juvenile Fillies Turf, she placed in the Natalma Stakes last time out in September.
Grade 1-placed and multiple graded stakes winner Arzak, by Not This Time, is from the family of Royal Message. Entered for the Turf Sprint for a second straight year, he finished runner-up in the grade 1 Jaipur Stakes in June. With career earnings of nearly $1 million, his marquee wins include grade 2s Shakertown Stakes and Woodford Stakes, and grade 3 Jacquest Cartier Stakes.
From the family of Tea Biscuit, multiple graded stakes winner Hang the Moon, by Uncle Mo, is entered for the Filly and Mare Turf. She is coming off a pair of grade 2 wins in the Rodeo Drive Stakes and John C. Mabee Stakes.
Representing the family of Effie B., Medaglia d’Oro-sired multiple graded stakes winner Grand Sonata is entered for the Turf. She won the grade 2 Kentucky Downs Turf Cup last time out in September and the grade 3 Kitten’s Joy Stakes in 2022.
Making her grade 1 debut in the Distaff, multiple graded stakes-winning Accelerate filly Sugar Fish is from the family of Claiborne foundation mare Romanita. She earned grade 2 wins this year in the Zenyatta Stakes and Summertime Oaks.
Hailing from the elite Claiborne family of imported British-bred Rough Shod, graded winner One Magic Philly, by Good Magic, is entered for the Filly and Mare Sprint. Winner of her last three starts, she took the grade 3 Chillingworth Stakes in early October.
The family of Claiborne foundation mare Alyne Que will be represented by Munnings colt Nothing Better in the Turf Sprint. With career earnings of more than $850,000, the four-time stakes winner was runner-up last time out in his graded debut, the grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Stakes in early October.
Tiz the Law-sired Tigerish, from the Claiborne family of Gallita, is entered for the Juvenile Fillies Turf. She placed in the grade 3 Surfer Girl Stakes last time out in early October.
Representing the family of Claiborne foundation mare Grade, Hill Road, by Quality Road, is entered for the Juvenile. The Kentucky-bred is shipping to the U.S. for his third career start after winning his debut and finishing off the board in a grade 1, both in Ireland.
In addition to the 20 Breeders’ Cup entries from Claiborne families, three other entries chasing world championships are sired by Claiborne stallions.
Claiborne and Adele Dilschneider homebred sire Flatter will be represented by multiple grade 1-placed colt Ferocious in the Juvenile. A $1.3 million purchase at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales in March, he finished runner-up in a pair of grade 1s after breaking his maiden, including the Hopeful Stakes and Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity Stakes.
Perennial global sire War Front will also be represented by a pair of entries. Full Count Felicia, bred by Joseph Allen, the same breeder as War Front, is coming off a victory in the grade 1 E. P. Taylor Stakes and is entered for the Filly and Mare Turf. War Front’s Ramona Bass-bred multiple graded stakes winner Goliad won the grade 3 Mint Million in September and is entered for the Mile.
While the pageantry of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be on full display this weekend at Del Mar, so will the bloodlines of the Hancock family’s legendary farm, known for “doing the usual, unusually well” since 1910.
2025 BREEDERS CUP ENTRIES FROM CLAIBORNE FAMILIES
Horse (Sire), Claiborne Female Family – Breeders’ Cup Race
- AG BULLET (Twirling Candy), Sun Spot branch of Sunstep (GB) – Turf Sprint
- ARZAK (Not This Time), Anna Horton branch of Royal Message – Turf Sprint
- BELIEVING (IRE) (Mehmas (IRE)), Ommiad branch of Sunstep (GB) – Turf Sprint
- CONTENT (IRE) (Galileo (IRE)), June Rose branch of Pietra (GB) – Filly & Mare Turf
- GRAND SONATA (Medaglia d’Oro), Family Line branch of Effie B. – Turf
- HANG THE MOON (Uncle Mo), Charred Keg branch of Tea Biscuit – Filly & Mare Turf
- HILL ROAD (Quality Road), Kindergarten branch of Grade – Juvenile
- META MAX (Into Mischief), Risque branch of Venturesome (GB) – Sprint
- MOIRA (Ghostzapper), Damaged Goods branch of Peroration (GB) – Filly & Mare Turf
- NITROGEN (Medaglia d’Oro), Star In The North branch of Lighted Lamp – Juvenile Fillies Turf
- NOONI (Win Win Win), Risque branch of Venturesome (GB) – Juvenile Fillies
- NOTHING BETTER (Munnings), Fabulous Native branch of Alyne Que – Turf Sprint
- ONE MAGIC PHILLY (Good Magic), Moccasin branch of Rough Shod (GB) – Filly & Mare Sprint
- PALI KITTEN (Vino Rosso), Video branch of Regal Gleam – Juvenile Turf Sprint
- SCOTTISH LASSIE (McKinzie), Anthemion branch of Sicklefeather – Juvenile Fillies
- SNOWYTE (Good Magic), Ivy branch of Ghanzi – Juvenile Fillies
- SUGAR FISH (Accelerate), Ponte Vecchio branch of Romanita – Distaff
- THERE GOES HARVARD (Will Take Charge), Idle Gleam branch of Regal Gleam – Turf
- TIGERISH (Tiz The Law), Homespun branch of Gallita – Juvenile Fillies Turf
- USHBA TESORO (JPN) (Orfevre (JPN)), Bayou branch of Bourtai – Classic