A few years before the death of legendary sportsman and breeder Col. E. R. Bradley, Ogden Phipps, a shrewd breeder in his own right, negotiated buying the mare Big Hurry, a daughter of La Troienne, from Bradley. Among the rewards reaped from that purchase was Champion Distaffer and Broodmare-of-the-Year Relaxing.
Bred in the purple, Relaxing is a product of Big Hurry’s granddaughter Marking Time, winner of the 1966 Acorn Stakes, and Phipps’ Champion and world-class stallion Buckpasser. As a young horse, Relaxing was sent to race on the turf in England where it was to best suit her. She won four of nine races there, then was returned to the U.S. A big, rangy mare, Relaxing showed that she could win on dirt, and at five, she was voted Eclipse Champion Older Mare after winning the Ruffian, Delaware and Assault Handicaps. In addition, she proved herself against colts, winning the John B. Campbell H. and Gallant Fox, and she finished third by less than a length to John Henry in The Jockey Club Gold. She liked to go a distance, and set a track record for 1 5/8 miles.
Relaxing was bred to Calumet Farm stallion Alydar in 1985 and the result was Easy Goer, a gleaming chestnut whose stride matched his name. As a juvenile, he won the Cowdin S. and Champagne S. and was named Champion 2-Year-Old. The following year, he won the Gotham, Wood Memorial, Whitney, Travers, Woodward and Jockey Club Gold Cup. Easy Goer is perhaps best known for his battles with rival Sunday Silence, who won three of the four times they met. Easy Goer, however, denied Sunday Silence the Triple Crown when he won the Belmont Stakes by an emphatic eight lengths.
Relaxing also produced two Grade 1-winning daughters, Easy Now and Cadillacing. The last-named is the dam of Graded stakes winner Easing Along, an important sire of G1 winners in South America.