Sanfoin and My Girls!

Sainfoin was the 1890 Epsom Derby winner. He started 11 times and won 4. He was a successful stud who produced the English Triple Crown winner, Rock Sand. And he's felt very strongly in thoroughbred lineage. My girls are related to him through his best connections. Violet carries him multiple ways, especially through Nasrullah whose Nearco has Sainfoin and whose Mumtaz Begum has Sainfoin's full sister, Sierra. Of course, Violet also has Rock Sand. Both Hailee and Violet carry Sainfoin through his daughters, who were bred to Fair Play and produced our darling Man o' War! Sainfoin was pretty studly because he was a 3X3 cross to Stockwell!

Man o' War's funeral

Man 'o War loved his groom, Mr. Will Harbut. And in 1947, Mr. Harbut passed. Less than a month later, Man 'o War passed, dying of heartsickness for his lifelong friend. More than 2,000 people attended his funeral. And he was laid in state for several days, so people could come see their champion and perhaps pat him. Mr. Samuel Riddle commissioned a statue of him and that statue stands over his grave at the entrance of the Kentucky Horse Park. I think that is so fitting -- the Kentucky Horse Park has Man 'o War, son of Fair Play and Mahubah by Rock Sand. He had 379 children in his life, and some are buried with him at the park. You can read more about this champion and his passing at the following links. Also, at the first link, you can hear a radio broadcast of his funeral, posted by Claiborne Farm!

http://www.claibornefarm.com/media/manowar-funeral.shtml

or

http://pets.webshots.com/album/90368468QeeTZw

or

http://www.galenfrysinger.com/horse_park_man_o_war.htm

or

http://www.kyhorsepark.com/museum/history.php?chapter=102

or

http://www.geocities.com/spooner2a/mow.html

or

http://www.tbheritage.com/TurfHallmarks/Graves/cem/GraveMattersKHP.html

Seabiscuit and My Girls!!!

I know I've mentioned him before, and I'm sure I will mention him again. My girls are related to Seabiscuit. He was 1938's Horse of the Year!! And in a match race, he beat Violet's direct relation, the Triple Crown winning War Admiral. Anway, they are related through many lines, including Man 'O War, Rock Sand, Whisk Broom, St. Simon. Violet is related very directly as a direct relation to Seabiscuit's mom, Swing On. Swing On foaled Brown Biscuit for Violet as well as her sweet Seabiscuit. You can read more about this macho grand horse at the following link:
http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/seabiscuit.html

Audience the big heart mare and my girls!

My girls have lots of Big Heart blood in their veins. In 1789, an autopsy of Eclipse showed that he had a 14 lb. heart as compared to the average of 6 lb hearts of the time. He had a big heart. Secretariat was found to have a heart over 22 lbs, much higher than the 9 lb. average. In fact, of Secretariat's heart, his autopsy physician, Dr. Thomas Swerczek, said, "We just stood there in stunned silence. We couldn't believe it. The heart was perfect. There were no problems with it. It was just this huge engine." They now believe that big hearts are tied to the female X chromosome. So, you can be a "single copy" or "double copy" mare and if you are a big heart stud, you can pass your X to your children too. If a "double copy" mare is bred to a large-hearted stallion, she will always produce large-heart foals and double copy fillies. Violet is directly related to four of the most famous Big Heart stallions, Princequillo, War Admiral, Blue Larkspur, and Mahmoud. Hailee also has big heart studs, including Moon Deck, Three Bars, Easy Jet, Top Deck, and Leo. Man 'O War was a big-heart stud. The thing with big-heart stallions is that they can only pass their big heart to their daughters. So, often since it takes a crop or two for their big heart gene to express or show itself, thoroughbred stallions will be "sold down river" to the Quarter Horse industry which is why the American Quarter Horse is filled with Big Hearts from their thoroughbred relatives. Man 'O War blessed both breeds with his big-hearted heritage. Among the relatives suspected of having big hearts, my girls have Rock Sand, Count Fleet, Eclipse, Pocahontas, Glencoe, Lexington, Domino, and La Troienne. And they have Audience, daughter of Sir Dixon (the Belmont Stakes Winner) and grand-daughter of Hindoo, the Kentucky Derby winner. She foaled Whisk Broom and in her own racing day, she won the all-important Kentucky Oaks! She is considered a big-hearted gal!! Among the ways she's related to my girls are through Po' Chile for Violet and Sir Bim for Hailee. The photo has a picture of her baby, Whisk Broom. You can read more about the X-Factor at the following links:

http://www.robertsfox.com/x_factor.htm

or

http://www.circledhorses.com/The%20X-Factor.htm

May Good Things be with you

My girls are related to Mahubah, Man O' War's mom. She started 5 times with a 1-0-1 record. She was considered Fair Play's wife because she was only bred to him and foaled 5 times between 1916 and 1920. She was out of the British Triple Crown winner Rock Sand. Her children were Mazda, Man O' War, Play Fellow, My Play, and Mirabell. She was bred to Fair Play because she was so gentle and sweet and they were hoping that she would even out Fair Play's hot temper! She is buried with Fair Play at the foot of his statue at Normandy Farm in Lexington, Kentucky! Mahubah's name means "may good things be with you." You can read more about this amazing family at:

http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/ManOWar.html

or

http://www.tbheritage.com/TurfHallmarks/Graves/cem/GraveMattersNormandy.html

Rock Sand and my girls

My girls are related to Rock Sand, the 1903 English Triple Crown winner and damsire of Man 'O War through his daughter Mahubah. His record was 20-16-1-3. Look at how beautiful he is, you can really see that War Admiral takes after him! You can read more about their English Triple Crown winner at the following links:

http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/RockSand.html

or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Sand

Violet's English Triple Crown Relatives!

So, we have a Triple Crown series in the United States with the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes. But England has had a Triple Crown Series for many years before our young one! Their Triple Crown consists of the 2,000 Guineas (at 1 mile), the Epsom Derby (at 1 1/2 miles), and the St. Leger Stakes (at 1 mile 6 furlongs and 127 yds). Of the 15 English Triple Crown winners, I found after a casual search that Violet is related to 9 of them! She's related to the very first four, and then her last Triple Crown winner was in 1918. Here are her famous English Triple Crown family members: West Australian (1853), Gladiateur (1865), Lord Lyon (1866), Ormonde (1886), Isinglass (1893), Flying Fox (1899), Rock Sand (1903), Gay Crusader (1917) and Gainsborough (1918). The last English Triple Crown winner was in 1970, by the name of Nijinsky. Gainsborough, Violet's most recent English Triple Crown family winner, is in the photo. His sire was Bayardo who also sired Gay Crusader. Gainsborough's dam was Rosedrop, a filly who won the 1910 Epsom Oaks. When Gainsborough retired, he had a brilliant stud career and produced many stakeswinners, such as Violet's Hyperion, and also produced many major studs and breeding mares. Suave, as well as fast! You can read more about the English Triple Crown and Gainsborough at the following links:

http://www.sportingchronicle.com/racing/englishtriplecrown.html

http://www.horseracinghistory.co.uk/hrho/action/viewDocument;jsessionid=3FF8916E880D7EC8C17217C47121DCEB?id=868

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gainsborough_(horse)

Winning Colors and My Girls!!!

Winning Colors was born in 1985, and she was the third filly to win the Kentucky Derby in 1988. In the Derby, she took command early to hold off the champion Forty Niner. Her lifetime earnings were $1,526,837 and she had 19 starts, and 8 wins. Among her wins were the Santa Anita Derby and Santa Anita Oaks. She was called "The Amazon" because she was so big and bold. During her life, she needed surgery for breathing problems, but still came back to racing. She was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2000, the same year as jockey, Julie Krone. She earned third in the Preakness and was voted Champion 3 year-old. She is related to both my girls. Among their shared relatives are Nasrullah, Gainsborough, Man 'O War, Rock Sand, Commando, Voter, Bend Or, Hastings, Pensive, Black Toney, Teddy, and Bull Dog! In these photos, you see her winning the Kentucky Derby and in the winner's circle with her roses (happy girl!). Then you see a photo of her as an older lady who turned grey! You can read more about this amazing mare at the following link:

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=348