For much of last fall You appeared to be the nation's leading two-year-old filly. An impressive winner on her debut, You ran into the subsequent GI Spinaway S. winner Cashier's Dream on her second start, a 5 1/2-furlong allowance contest, and was beaten by three lengths. Next time out in the GII Adirondack S., You avenged that loss, defeating Cashier's Dream by a neck, then followed up by giving that same rival a 6 1/4-length beating in the GI Frizette S. Dispatched as on odds-on favorite for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, You could do no better than fourth, and she ended her season losing by a head to Habibti in the GI Hollywood Starlet S. Away from the races since then, You returned at the weekend in the GI Las Virgenes S. and showed that she will be a force to reckon with in 2002, reversing the Starlet result with a length victory over Habibti.

Considering that You's dam Our Dani was purchased as a broodmare prospect for just $1,900 and was subsequently given away, it would be easy to put a "rags to riches" spin on the story of You, but that certainly wouldn't be an accurate reflection of the quality of her pedigree.

Our Dani's sire is the Mr. Prospector stallion Homebuilder. At stud Homebuilder proved to be a disappointment, siring just eight stakes winners from 202 starters, but on the racetrack he had shown himself to be a tough consistent runner, just a cut below the top-class, earning $1,172,153 and capturing three graded stakes events, including the GII Fayette H. Our Dani is out of the stakes-placed mare, Lovely Briar (by the Nearctic stallion, Briarctic). Lovely Briar is a half sister to stakes winner Le Promeneur and Lover's Answer. She's also a half sister to stakes-placed Regent's Walk, the dam of the GI Hollywood Gold Cup victor Marquetry and French Group 2-winning sprinter Spain Lane, and granddam of the extremely speedy Five Star Day. Marquetry, Spain Lane and Five Star Day are all by sons of Mr. Prospector, and Regent's Walk is by Vice Regent, a grandson of Nearctic, so Our Dani (by a son of Mr. Prospector out of a mare by a son of Nearctic) is bred on very similar lines to this trio.

Our Dani's racecourse performance was some way distant from that of her distinguished relatives. She won just two of 20 starts for earnings of $11,998, and at the end of her career was sold for $1,900 at the 1997 Timonium December Sales to You's breeder Dolphus Morrison. You is her first foal, and her second foal, a Candy Stripes colt, was sold for $1,500 at Keeneland November as a weanling, but realized $170,000 at last year's OBS August Yearling Sales. In 2001 Our Dani was not bred, and Morrison donated her to the University of Louisiana's Layton Farm. Following You's Grade I victory, Our Dani--in foal to the Layton Farm stallion In a Walk--realized $625,000 at the 2002 Keeneland January Sales.

Oddly enough, You's sire and dam both stem from South American families. You's fifth dam, Miss Grillo, was imported from Argentina. A magnificent staying mare, she captured numerous stakes including consecutive runnings of the Pimlico Cup at five and six, and the San Juan Capistrano S. at seven. The family of You's sire You and I arrived in North America far more recently, and has displayed a completely different aptitude to the long-winded Miss Grillo. You and I's dam, La Chaposa, was imported from Peru, where she had earned honors as a champion sprinter. You and I, a son of Kris S., was also predominantly a speedy performer. Winner of the GII Cowdin S. at two, he set a new track record for seven furlongs at Belmont when winning the GIII Riva Ridge S. at three. At four he demonstrated the ability to stretch his speed, winning the one-mile GI Metropolitan H. and nine-furlong GII Brooklyn H. The year after foaling You and I, La Chaposa produced a Baldski filly name Chaposa Springs. She also proved to be extremely speedy, winning 14 of 16 starts at sprint distances, including the GI Test S. and GI Ballerina H.

You and I started slowly at stud, and wasn't represented by a single stakes winner in his first crop. Things have rapidly turned around, however, and You and I's second crop (foals of 1998) has so far produced eight stakes winners. You is just one of three juvenile stakes winners to appear from You and I's third crop, so it appears his stud career is very much back on track.

Despite the fact that the dams of both her parents hail from South America, the commonalities in the pedigree of You are found in the sire's side of the pedigree. You and I's sire Kris S. is a son of Roberto, a horse whose dam, Bramalea, is bred on very similar lines to Gold Digger, the dam of Mr. Prospector--who appears here as the grandsire of You's dam. You and I has already sired two other stakes winners out of mares by sons of Mr. Prospector, and Kris S. has sired four group/graded stakes winners out of Mr. Prospector-line mares, including champion Hollywood Wildcat and English Group 1 winner Dr Fong, so the cross seems to be a potent one.

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