Four Graces

Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm was active, per usual, at the top of the market at Fasig-Tipton November Sunday evening, and Pope picked up right where she left off Monday across town at Keeneland. She went to $2.3 million to pick up 5-year-old racing or broodmare prospect Four Graces (Majesticperfection), a MGSW/GISP half-sister to MGSW young sire McCraken from a deep Whitham family. The near $500,000 earner was consigned by Denali Stud has hip 192.

This is one of those programs, temperate and patient, that nourish the very marrow of our industry. It has never comprised more than around 10 mares, whose foals are brought into the world not just to make a fast buck but actually to go out there and run. Whitham Thoroughbreds is run by an octogenarian widow and her son: they devise matings to draw out speed into a second turn; they're not scared of using a turf stallion from time to time; and they work with horsemen who operate on...

Hall of Fame inductee Bayakoa (Arg) (Consultant's Bid) put Frank and Janis Whitham's racing program on the map when she won the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff in 1989 and again in 1990. Over two decades later, Bayakoa's great-granddaughter Walkathon (Twirling Candy) is carrying out her female family's accomplished legacy. Last weekend, the 3-year-old Whitham homebred trained by Ian Wilkes got her first graded stakes win in the GIII Regret S. Still a maiden after her first four starts, Walkathon switched to the turf this spring and reeled off consecutive scores...

Just One Time (Not This Time), beaten just once in seven starts, will look to follow up on her win in the Apr. 9 GI Madison S. in the GI Derby City Distaff S. at Churchill Downs Saturday. The 4-year-old filly closed late to win the Jan. 29 GII Inside Information S. by 3/4-lengths over Four Graces (Majesticperfection) in her first outing for trainer Brad Cox and defeated the hard-knocking Bell's The One (Majesticperfection) by that same margin in the Madison. She faces both of those foes again Saturday. Since...

A competitive group of 10 sophomore fillies line up in Saturday's GII Lexus Raven Run S. at Keeneland. Among the expected favorites for the seven-furlong test is Whitham Thoroughbreds' Four Graces (Majesticperfection). Trained by Ian Wilkes, the homebred has won four of five starts at the Raven Run distance, including Churchill's GIII Dogwood S. in June followed by the GIII Beaumont S. over the local Beard Course July 10. Given some time off following that effort, she speed-loving filly weakened late to be second behind Sconsin (Include) in the Sept....

OXO Equine's Mundaye Call (Into Mischief) may not be ready to face the big girls in Friday's GI Kentucky Oaks, but the progressive bay will look to punch her ticket for a date with the top fillies of her class in the near future as a looming short-priced proposition on the undercard in the GII Eight Belles S. Bought for the hefty sum of $950,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling, Mundaye Call was just nipped when second by a head debuting for Don Chatlos at 4-5 last summer at Saratoga....

Hammered into heavy favoritism with a recency edge over the come-backing 'TDN Rising Star' Wicked Whisper (Liam's Map), Whitham Thoroughbreds's Four Graces proved the easy winner of Friday's GIII Beaumont S., stopping the clock in a stakes and track-record clocking of 1:24.90 for the extended seven-furlong distance. Ridden for speed by Julien Leparoux over a track that had been playing kindly to front-end types, the homebred half-sister to McCraken (Ghostzapper) set a pressured pace from last year's GI Frizette S. winner Wicked Whisper, as they whistled through an opening half-mile...

Early Thursday, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners tweeted that Speech (Mr Speaker), second to GII Toyota Blue Grass favorite Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the GII Santa Anita Oaks June 6, would be withdrawn from Friday's GIII Beaumont S. in favor of Saturday's GI Ashland S., leaving a competitive field of five 3-year-old fillies for the seven-furlong affair. 'TDN Rising Star' Wicked Whisper (Liam's Map) kicks off her sophomore campaign Friday afternoon and should vie for favoritism. Impressive in breaking her maiden by 6 1/4 lengths over future SW & GSP Highland Glory...

Four Graces (Majesticperfection) is proving that she may be just as talented as her older MGSW brother McCraken (Ghostzapper), scoring her first black-type victory while making her stakes debut in the GIII Dogwood S. at Churchill Saturday. Seizing the early advantage from her inside draw, the Whitham homebred raced under pressure through an opening quarter in :22.27. Favored Edgeway (Competitive Edge) loomed boldly at the quarter pole and looked every bit a winner, but Four Graces had plenty left in the tank and turned back that foe for a sharp...

A competitive field of eight sophomore fillies are set to line up Saturday for the GIII Dogwood S. at Churchill Downs. Four Graces (Majesticperfection) looks to follow in the hoofprints of her MGSW half-brother McCraken (Ghostzapper) and secure her first black-type victory here. A debut winner at Gulfstream Mar. 1, the Whitham Thoroughbreds homebred was fourth in a Hallandale optional claimer Apr. 10 and returned to winning ways in another optional claimer over this track and trip May 16. 'TDN Rising Star' Ain't No Elmers (Goldencents) looks to return to...

6th-Gulfstream, $43,000, Msw, 3-1, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:23.61, ft. FOUR GRACES (f, 3, Majesticperfection--Ivory Empress {GSP, $189,402}, by Seeking the Gold), a half to 'TDN Rising Star' and young sire McCraken (Ghostzapper), MGSW & GISP, $869,728, was let go at 7-1 for this first go for a trainer who is typically patient but can win with a talented firster on occasion--including McCraken and his and Four Graces's now 4-year-old half-sister With Dignity (Declaration of War), who was also named a 'Rising Star'. Away well and ridden for speed from her...

WILKES UNVEILS HALF TO MCCRAKEN 6th-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo, f, 7f, 2:34p.m. Ian Wilkes unveils a Whitham homebred from a family he is quite familiar with in FOUR GRACES (Majesticperfection), a half-sister to their MGSW McCraken (Ghostzapper). That new Airdrie resident won a trio of graded events and missed by a nostril in the GI Haskell Invitational S. Their GSP dam Ivory Empress (Seeking the Gold), a half-sister to GISW Mea Domina (Dance Brightly), is also the dam of MGSP Bondurant (War Front). TJCIS PPs