Irish National Stud Betting On Blame

LEXINGTON, KY–Irish National Stud Chief Executive Officer Cathal Beale was in Lexington this week on the hunt for broodmare prospects for the Kildare nursery, and he goes home a happy man having secured a pair of 4-year-old maiden mares.

First up was American Frolic (hip 158), bought privately after being bought back for $195,000 in the ring. She is a listed winner and her first three dams are all stakes winners, but Beale said one of the main appeals was her sire, Blame.

“I just love Blame,” Beale said of the stallion that stands at Claiborne for $35,000. “He's had very limited opportunity in Europe and produced a Classic winner. He has a good opportunity to be a really nice cross in Europe as a decent turf influence as well as the success he's had on dirt. That was really the attractive thing.”

Blame won three Grade Is on the dirt as a 4-year-old in 2010, culminating in a win over the popular Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, and his success thus far as a sire has been split nearly down the middle between dirt and turf. He has four Grade/Group 1 winners, with two of those having won at the highest level on the grass: his aforementioned Classic winner Senga, winner of the 2017 Prix de Diane, and Abscond, the winner of this year's GI Natalma S. Fault won last year's GII Buena Vista S. on the turf before winning the GI Santa Margarita S. on dirt on her next start.

Blame has had 302 starters on the dirt versus 252 on the turf, with 176 dirt winners and 112 turf winners. He has 3% black-type winners from foals of racing age on each surface, with 12 dirt stakes winners and 15 turf stakes winners. His progeny have earned $15,323,347 on the dirt and $11,395,647 on the grass. Blame's other standout turf performers include the multiple graded stakes winning Maraud and Mrs. Sippy, a listed winner in France and Grade II winner and Grade I-placed in the U.S.

Despite having eye-catching stats in Europe-19 winners and two stakes winners from 30 starters and two stakes-placed horses-Blame is likely still flying under the radar in Europe because of limited opportunity.

“Not many stallions produce a Classic winner with 500 runners,” Beale said. “We just thought it was worth a chance because we like the stallion. He's a cracker, a lovely horse. He probably didn't get the credit he deserved for beating Zenyatta but it was an incredible run that day, and he was a bloody good horse; a top, top-class horse. We've always followed him and quite liked him but never really had the opportunity to get any of his stock to date.”

Beale is also able to take home for the Irish National Stud Mihrab (Tiznow) (hip 314), who was signed for by BBA Ireland at $200,000. She is a daughter of the dual Grade II-winning and dual Grade I-placed sprinter Bsharpsonata (Pulpit) whose first three dams are also all stakes winners. Beale pointed out that Bsharpsonata has every chance to provide the family with further updates.

“Bsharpsonata was a hard-knocking, good race mare, a Grade II winner whose yearling [last year, by American Pharoah now named Kittansett] made $1.4-million [from Larry Best] and I think Chad Brown thinks a whole lot of him. He didn't run great first time out but I think they think he's going to be a really nice 3-year-old. Bsharpsonata was sent back to Arrogate and I hear the foal is an absolute belter. She's back in foal to Uncle Mo so she's got a huge opportunity and she's already produced three stakes horses. Mihrab was a good racehorse; she was third in a stake and was just a really nice, quality filly. She made a lot of sense for us.”

Beale said the two mares would spend about a month at Brendan and Olive Gallagher's Frankfort Park Farm in Lexington before shipping to Ireland, and he said breeding plans had not yet been discussed.

Beale noted the Irish National Stud team has been making the Keeneland November pilgrimage since well before his time.

“We try to come over and buy a couple each year,” he said. “We've been doing it for years, John [Osborne] before me; we've always had a bit of luck coming over to Keeneland. It's such a lively market. We bought Lethal Quality [Elusive Quality] over here who has been one of our very good mares; she's the dam of Lethal Promise, our Invincible Spirit stakes winner from this year [for INS Racing], so it's a happy hunting ground for us.”