Pedigree Insights: Paradise Woods

One of the many 'isms frowned upon in these politically correct times is ageism–discrimination on the grounds of age. Well, no one could accuse the writer of a well-known American folk song of being politically correct, as he insisted that the old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be. This sentiment is widely shared by breeders in the Thoroughbred industry and they can now cite statistics to support their prejudice against the elderly, thanks to the Blood-Horse study published under the name “Class Action” in 2010.

The study's sample of 407,812 foals was divided into the foals' order of birth, ranging from the 61,803 foals born in the mares' first year to a single individual which was the 21st foal of its dam. The analysis showed that the first six years were arguably the most fruitful, but there was one notable blip or anomaly. Year 16 upset the pattern significantly, with five of the 430 foals becoming graded stakes winners–that's 1.16%, which was higher than Year 1's 1.09% and Year 6's 1.13%. Two of the 430 became Grade I winners, producing a percentage of 0.47–the best achieved by any of the year groups.

I have to admit that I too would prefer a young mare to a veteran, but the above example shows that you write off an elderly mare at your peril, particularly if she has shown herself capable of producing a group/graded winner. This was also highlighted by some of the group/graded results at the end of last week.

The finest example was the royally bred French filly Gold Luck. This winner of the G3 Prix Vanteaux was foaled when her dam was 23. But her dam Born Gold was no ordinary mare, having previously been represented by five other group winners headed by the brilliant Goldikova and her fellow Group 1 winner Galikova. In fact, Gold Luck is the 15th foal of her dam, whose broodmare career extended to 19 years. For good measure, Gold Luck's sire Redoute's Choice, was foaled back in 1996.

Then there's Irap, the maiden who proved too good for those smart colts Practical Joke and McCraken in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. This Kentucky Derby contender was foaled when his dam, the Canadian champion Silken Cat, was 21. In winning the Blue Grass, Irap provided Silken Cat with her second graded winner, but there was no less than a 16-year gap between the two, as his predecessor was Silken Cat's first foal–the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Speightstown. Irap's sire Tiznow was born 20 years ago, so the colt represents a true triumph for the older brigade.

Next in line comes the G3 Prix La Force winner Graphite, who was foaled when his dam Fairly Grey was 19. It almost goes without saying that, for a breeder to persevere with a mare into old age, she needs to have shown she can produce very talented runners, or be related to a major winner. Fairly Grey had done so with her Red Ransom colt Fairly Ransom, winner of the GII Del Mar Derby and runner-up in the GI Hollywood Derby.

Miss Sky Warrior, the 13-length winner of the GII Gazelle S., is an exception to this general rule. Although this Kentucky Oaks contender is her dam's 11th foal and was foaled when her dam Sky Minister was 19, Miss Sky Warrior is her first black-type performer. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Sky Minister's 2017 colt by Paynter, foaled when the mare was 22.

Of course, the weekend also saw plenty of graded/group winners produced by mares at the other end of their careers. For example, 'TDN Rising Star' Paradise Woods–runaway winner of the GI Santa Anita Oaks–was foaled when her dam Wild Forest was still a comparative youngster of eight years. This unraced daughter of Forest Wildcat made an early start, conceiving her first foal when she was only three.

Bred by the late Herman Sarkowsky, Wild Forest did some sterling work for her breeder before being sold by his executors for $85,000 at Keeneland's 2015 January Sale.

Mated to Dixie Chatter, a Grade I and Grade II-winning son of Dixie Union, Wild Forest produced Forest Chatter, a sprint stakes winner on turf with earnings in excess of $260,000. Now she had done considerably better with another of Dixie Union's Grade I-winning sons, producing Paradise Woods to Union Rags.

It isn't too hard to work out why Sarkowsky was keen to pair Wild Forest with sons of Dixie Union, himself a son of Dixieland Band. Dixieland Band was responsible for some of this family's finest moments, with his daughter Bedazzle producing Street Sense, who completed that highly difficult Breeders' Cup Juvenile/GI Kentucky Derby double. Bedazzle was a granddaughter of Long Legend, the third dam of Paradise Woods.

Paradise Woods' fourth dam, Lianga, was one of the stars of the European scene in the early 1970s. Precocious enough to win two of France's important early-season 2-year-old events, this gray daughter of Dancer's Image progressed so well that her victories as a 4-year-old included the July Cup, Prix Jacques le Marois, Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp and the Vernons Sprint Cup. Unusually, she was capable of winning at the top level from five furlongs to a mile.

I would have been prepared, if asked, to nominate Lianga as the perfect broodmare prospect, in which case I would have looked very silly. From 10 foals, she produced only one stakes winner and that stakes success came in the French Provinces. However, seven of her foals were fillies and Lianga became one of those disappointing broodmares whose reputation has been salvaged by her female descendants. Paradise Woods is the fourth of her descendants to become a Grade I winner and two of the others–Danehill Dancer and Street Sense–have sired many a Grade I winner, as did Mr. Greeley, a Grade I-placed grandson of Lianga.

Paradise Woods isn't the only 2014 filly out of a Forest Wildcat mare to have enjoyed Grade I success, the other being the superfast Lady Aurelia. Incidentally, another Group 1 winner with a Forest Wildcat dam is the Australian colt Foxwedge, sire of Saturday's G1 Queen of the Turf S. winner Foxplay.

As Paradise Woods is described by her rider Flavien Prat as “super small,” I am guessing that she doesn't look much like her sire, the highly promising Union Rags, who stands over 16.2 hands. Even so, Union Rags can take much of the credit for his daughter's talent, as he is proving an excellent sire of fillies. From a first crop of 106 foals, he has already been represented by three first-crop Grade I-winning fillies, the others being Union Strike (Del Mar Debutante, plus last Saturday's Santa Paula S.) and Dancing Rags (Alcibiades S.). The Lane's End stallion has also enjoyed Grade II success with his daughter Tequilita, while another daughter, the French-trained Musawaah, gained 'TDN Rising Star' status on her only start.

Although it is far too soon to be jumping to conclusions, it is worth mentioning that Union Rags' grandsire Dixieland Band had six fillies among his nine Grade I winners.

Don't write off Union Rags' colts, though, as Patch ranks alongside Paradise Woods and Musawaah as a TDN Rising Star and No Dozing was second in the GII Remsen S. last year.