Useeit and My Girls!

So, check this out! One of Hailee's relatives has a book written about her, called Black Gold by the famous Marguerite Henry! Useeit by Bonnie Joe and Effie M was a 1907 thoroughbred mare who is now rumored to have been a Quarter horse and who was dragged all over the West, Mexico and Louisiana to race for Al and Rosa Hoots. She produced the 1924 Kentucky Derby winner, Black Gold, via Black Toney, but he was sterile, poor thing, which ultimately led to his untimely death on the Fairgrounds track in New Orleans.

But, his full brother, Beggar Boy, is Hailee's relative on her mom's side, Docs Blue Rock Dawn. Beggar Boy is the sire of 4 AQHA Race ROMS and 20 AQUA daughters producing ROMS.

Violet is not related to Useeit, but has her boyfriend, Black Toney in several lines in her Dame Francesca line on her dad's side, Groomstick!

I am definitely treating myself to the read of Black Gold again. I remember that fabulous book as a child, and now I am a lucky woman who has a family member from that great American family tree in my pedigree!

Kentucky 2007: Claiborne's During!

Here is a photo of During, standing at stud at Claiborne Farms. He is very closely related to Violet. His dad is Cherokee Run who stands at stud at the Darley Stud. Cherokee Run is the 3/4ths brother of Violet's dad, Groomstick. They share the same dad, Runaway Groom, and then the same granddam on their mom's side -- Dame Francesca. During's dam is Blazing Saddle by Blade. Blade is a stud who is a Bold Ruler -- Nasrullah kid and who also has what Violet has -- the Nasrullah/Princequillo sires of sire/dam crosses that lots of horses related to Secretariat luckily have!
In these photos, you can see that During is all lazy on a cool Kentucky morning and he has to suffer the indignity of showing his racing tattoo on his upper lip! What a cutie pie!

His career record is 22: 6-3-4. He is the #2 Top Earner for his dad, right behind the filly Chilluki and right before Zanjero. At 3, he won the Swaps Stakes, Jerome Handicap, and Discovery Handicap, and took second in the Sir Barton Stakes. At 4, he won the San Fernando Breeders Stakes. So, he knows what it is to stand in the winners circles with his jockey, trainer and loving family. What a good boy. You can read about his sister, Chilukki, at the following link:
http://members.tripod.com/zetties/horseracing.html

My picks for the Kentucky Derby 2007!

Here are my picks for this Saturday's Derby! 1) Stormello; 2) Zanjero; 3) Liquidity; 4) Curlin. My top 3 picks are all 30-1 longshots, but I think they are just lovely. Stormello has Blushing Groom, as well as Stormy Atlantic as the sire. Stormy Atlantic has Hail Atlantis who has a grand-dam of Moccasin through Flippers. Here's what's cool about that -- Blushing Groom is of course Violet's relation AND I saw Stormy Atlantic in the breeding shed last year in 2006 when Tom took Carla and me on a shed run one early morning in April! Also, what's cool is that he is ridden by a jockey from Maurice, LA who used to run at Evangeline Downs (I've been there -- it's where I told this young boy which horse I had picked to win and he looked up at me and said, "Not today.") Zanjero is related to Violet even more with Runaway Groom, Dame Francesca, War Admiral and Princequillo. He also has a splash of Secretariat. And Liquidity has the wonderful Blushing Groom! It'll be so wonderful to see my first Derby with my family running! Here's a photo of Stormello -- all red and pretty like my Violet!