Mage produces magic in U.S.A. Classics Season

by Alan Porter

The 2023 U.S.A. classic season has been a strange, frustrating, unilluminating, and ultimately disappointing one. A particular oddity is that of what would generally be considered the best three second season colts, one did not contest any of the Triple Crown events, and two only contested one leg, neither of which they won.

Heading into the Kentucky Derby (Gr1) the prospective favourite was Forte, a son of Violence (Medaglia d’Oro) who was Champion Two year-old Colt in 2023, had won six of seven starts (although he is currently disqualified from a two year-old victory in the Hopeful Stakes (Gr1) for a medication infraction, subject to appeal). This year he had started just twice taking the Fountain of Youth Stakes (Gr2 and Florida Derby (Gr1) and appeared unlikely to be untroubled by the 10 furlong trip. Unfortunately, however, on the eve to the race he was a veterinarian’s scratch due to a bruised foot, although owner and trainer both wanted to run.

In recent years the Derby has generally fallen to on or near pace runners - the qualifying program having generally eliminated the speed and fade type that would make the running in an earlier era. The inevitable consequence of the sharp end being viewed as the place to be is an evolution of a rapid early pace which this year saw savage opening fractions of :22.35, :45.73 and 1:10.11. The survivor from the front-rank as the field turned for home was Two Phil’s (Hard Spun), but the late chargers were closing in and as gamely as Two Phil’s stayed on, he couldn’t hold the closing run of Mage, who had been last of 16 at halfway, and went down by a length, with the favourite, Angel of Empire (Classic Empire), closing from fifteenth to take third a ½ length behind Two Phil’s. Mage had only made three previous starts, his sole victory coming in a maiden in January, which he took on his debut. Next out he finished fourth behind Forte in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (Gr2) after hitting the starting gate, then being rushed up five wide into a stalking position, before weakening late. He completed his Derby preparation in the Florida Derby (Gr1), where he made an impressive move to the lead on the home turn, but was run down late by Forte, giving the distinct impression that he would have won with a more patient ride. Overall, Mage gives us the feeling that he’s a very talented stretching out sprinter/miler, who benefitted from the pace collapse in the classic. This is the second straight year that the Derby has fallen to a member of the first crop of a son of Curlin, last year’s winner Rich Strike - who also benefitted from a pace meltdownbeing from the initial crop of Keen Ice, where Mage is from the first crop of Good Magic. Unusually, Good Magic earned the Eclipse Award as Champion Two year-old Colt in just three starts, breaking his maiden in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Gr1), after seconds in a maiden special weight and the Champagne Stakes (Gr1). At three he added the Haskell Invitational Stakes (Gr1) and Blue Grass Stakes (Gr1), and finished second in the Kentucky Derby (Gr1) to the Triple Crown winner, Justify. Mage is the standout of the nine stakes winners to emerge from Good Magic’s initial crop of foals, and the second grade one winner following last year’s Champagne Stakes (Gr1) scorer Blazing Sevens. There are four other graded scorers: Reincarnate, who finished thirteenth in the Derby, having previously won the Sham Stakes (Gr3) and finished third in the Arkansas Derby (Gr1); the Sorrento Stakes (Gr2) victress Vegas Magic; Dubyuhnell, winner of the Remsen Stakes (Gr2); and the Iroquois Stakes (Gr3) captor Curly Jack.

Mage’s dam, Puca, is a daughter of Big Brown, who coincidentally is the only horse other than Mage and Justify to win the Kentucky Derby having made just three previous starts. Puca scored a spectacular 16 length victory on dirt in a Belmont Park maiden special weight at two, and also finished second in the Gazelle Stakes (Gr2) on that surface. After a distant twelfth in the Kentucky Oaks (Gr1), Puca ran only once more at three with another unplaced effort. Away for 18 months, Puca returned as a turf performer, and on that surface earned another three wins, including when gaining black-type by taking the Steve Pini Memorial Stakes at Suffolk Downs. Mage is her second foal, the first being the stakes placed Gun Runner filly, Gunning. Puca is half-sister to the prolific middle distance turf horse Finnegans Wake, an earner of almost $1,600,000, with five graded stakes victories, including the Churchill Downs Turf Classic Stakes (Gr1). Their dam, stakes placed Boat’s Ghost, is half-sister to stakes winner Ooey Gooey and stakes placed Father Wayne. Puca’s granddam, Rocktheboat, is a multiple winner who is half-sister to Griffin’s Habor, the granddam of multiple stakes winners Smooth Chiraz and Okey Dokey Kyle. Rocktheboat is out of another multiple stakes winner, Native Boat, herself a halfsister to four stakes horses, including stakes winner Double Devils Food. The family goes back to the noted broodmare, Style, a sister to Hopeful Stakes winner Traffic, and ancestress of nearly 50 stakes winners, including Badger’s Coast and Surfing Home both Champions in South Africa, as well as Gay Style, Spit Curl, Eishin Deputy and Floatyourboat. The family has been in North America since the 1870s, and Style’s fourth dam, Bonus, is dam of Twenty Grand, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 1931, and ancestress of a more recent classic winner in Afleet Alex successful in the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 2005. This family is the relatively rare D1b mtDNA haplotype (found in the female line of less than 2% of the population). Interestingly enough, Big Brown is also from this family, as is his broodmare sire, Nureyev, and he also carries Lt. Stevens, a brother to Nureyev’s granddam, Thong. This suggests that Puca’s offspring have a good shot of inheriting the “right” nuclear dna for the D1b mtDNA irrespective of the stallion to which she is bred. We’ll also note that that Mage is bred on the pattern of cross a stallion with a mare from his own broodmare sire line (here Danzig). The pattern is particularly similar to the 2019 Kentucky Derby winner, Country House, who is by Lookin At Lucky (who is by Good Magic’s grandsire, Smart Strike, out of a mare by Danzig son, Belong to Me), with a dam by a son of Danzig.

With the Preakness Stakes (Gr1) coming just two weeks after the Kentucky Derby - a gap between races that is generally deemed insufficient for the top-class North American thoroughbred - only Mage of the Kentucky Derby starters reappeared for the second leg of the Triple Crown. He ran a solid race, but with no pace collapse in front of him, could only stay on for third, behind National Treasure who after being gifted an easy lead held on by head.

Like Mage, National Treasure had won nothing but a maiden, prior to his classic triumph, that race a maiden at Santa Anita, last September, in which the subsequent Santa Anita Derby (Gr1) victor Practical Move finished third. Despite the winless streak, National Treasure did continue to run consistently in high-class competition. On his second start he took second, albeit beaten 5¼ lengths to stable-companion, Cave Rock, in the American Pharoah Stakes (Gr1), and in his only other juvenile outing claimed third to Forte and Cave Rock in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (Gr1). This term, the bay kicked off with a third, beaten a neck and ¾ length in the Sham Stakes (Gr3), and then, after a rough trip, took fourth in the Santa Anita Derby (Gr1), behind Practical Move. Other than his maiden win, when he was on the lead throughout, setting fractions of :21.89 and :44. 37, National Treasure had employed stalking trips in his races. In the Preakness, more by default than intention, National Treasure found himself in front again, and was permitted to saunter through an opening half mile in 48.92. That ensured that National Treasure reached the business end of the race with plenty in hand - most unusually for a North American route race, the fastest quarter was the one between the three-quarters and the mile - and he gamely resisted the stretch long challenge of Blazing Sevens by a head. National Treausre is a son of the prodigiously talented Quality Road. An impressive winner in his only start at two, Quality Road headed the Derby betting after taking the Fountain of Youth Stakes (Gr2) and Florida Derby (Gr1), but was sidelined from the classics by a quarter crack. On his return to action, Quality Road added the Amsterdam Handicap (Gr2) over 6½ furlongs, and followed that by a third in the Travers Stakes (Gr1) and a second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (Gr1) both at ten furlongs. As a four year-old, in six starts Quality Road took the Hal’s Hope Stakes (Gr3); Donn Handicap (Gr1), by 12¾ lengths; Metropolitan Handicap (Gr1); and Woodward Stakes (Gr1). Fast enough to set a track-record for 6½ furlongs at Saratoga, Quality Road found a mile and quarter just beyond his scope, but carried his speed well enough to twice establish new track marks over nine furlongs.

National Treasure is Quality Road’s first North American classic winning colt, but he has previously been represented by a Kentucky Oaks (Gr1) winning daughter, Abel Tasman, the Champion Three Filly of 2017. His other notable sons include the Champion Two year-old Colt, Corniche; Emblem Road, who has earnings of over $10,000,000 to date, mainly courtesy of win in the Saudi Cup; and grade one winners City of Light, Spring Quality, Roadster, Hootennany and Klimt. Among his other daughters of note are Champion Two year-old Filly, Caledonia Road, Dunbar Road, Bellafina, Bleecker Street, Salty and Illuminant. National Treasure is the first black-type winner from the first four runners - three winners - out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare, Treasure. She never won, despite recording six second or third places in seven starts, but is half-sister to the black-type winners Inspired, Silver City, Elope (by National Treasure’s grandsire, Gone West) and Initiation. The second dam of National Treasure, Proposal, a graded stakes placed daughter of Mt. Livermore, is a sister to the Jaipur Handicap (Gr3) victor Multiple Choice, and half-sister to Lady Godiva, the dam of grade one winner Leofric, and to Lemon Lady, the granddam of the 2021 Iroquois Stakes (Gr3) scorer, Major General. Lady of Choice, the third dam of National Treasure, is by Storm Bird out of a Secretariat mare - the same cross that produced Storm Cat and Summer Squall - and is half-sister to Well Chosen, who not only captured the Ashland Stakes (Gr1), but also produced the grade one winner turf horse, Telling. The dam of Lady of Choice, Chosen Lady, was a sister to graded winner Academy Award, three-quarters sister to graded winner Statuette (dam of Champion Irish Two year-old Colt and Canadian sire, Tomahawk) and to graded stakes winner Good Mood, herself dam of Travers Stakes (Gr1) deadheater Golden Ticket (by a son of National Treasure’s grandsire, Gone West), and fourth dam of grade one winner Dream Tree.

National Treasure is the first stakes winner from 15 starters by Quality Road out of mares by Medaglia d’Oro, but he does have two other stakes winners out of mares by a son of Medaglia d’Oro’s grandsire, Sadler’s Wells. On the obverse, Medaglia d’Oro, has proved to be exceptionally well-suited by

Gone West line stallions, as four of the six grade one winners out of his daughters are bred on this cross, the other three, Rock Fall, Olympiad and Competitionofideas, all being by Speightstown.

Quality Road and his sire, Elusive Quality, both go back to the famed tap-root mare, Frizette, who is also ancestress of Elusive Quality’s grandsire, Mr. Prospector, and Medaglia d’Oro’s broodmare sire, Bailjumper. This is a branch of the Achilli ‘I’ mtDNA line. National Treasure is also from the ‘I’ mtDNA line, and although it’s not the branch which includes Frizette, it’s one that has an illustrious history in its own right, as National Treasure’s tenth dam, Masda, is a stakes winning sister to Man o’ War, who numbered a Preakness Stakes among his triumphs, and his seventh dam is a sister to Assault, who captured the Triple Crown in 1946. With the Triple Crown no longer on the line, Mage skipped the third leg, the 1½ mile Belmont Stakes (GR1). National Treasure did return to the lists, as did the Kentucky Derby third Angel of Empire, but favouritism fell on Forte, who despite having been a vet’s scratch from the Kentucky Derby, and still on the vet’s list 14 day’s later when the Preakness was run, had been back working just two days after the second classic.

National Treasure attempted the same wire-towire trip has he enjoyed in the Preakness, but this time was pressured on the front end by the lightly raced Arcangelo. Turning for home with two furlongs to run, National Treasure faded from the scene as Arcangelo surged into a 3½ lengths lead. Further back, Forte who had been wide on the final turn, began a grinding run in pursuit. He never really looked like to catch the Arcangelo, but he did cut the deficit to 1½ lengths when edging his stable-companion, Tapit Trice, for second. Arcangelo (second pic) has come a long way in a relatively short time. Second in in a six furlong Gulfstream Park maiden special weight on last December on his debut, he could only manage a fourth in a similar event over a mile just under a month later. He showed much improved form in mid-March to score by 3½ lengths at the same venue, then captured the local trial for this race, the Peter Pan Stakes (GR3). Arcangelo is from the second of just three crops to represent the late twice World Champion, Arrogate. Undoubtedly one of the greatest runners of the 21st century, Arrogate’s star shone briefly, but brilliantly. He made his black-type in the Travers Stakes (Gr1), which he took by 13½ lengths in track-record time, and followed up by defeating older Horse of the Year, California Chrome, in a memorable Breeders’ Cup Classic (Gr1). On his four year-old debut, Arrogate took the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (Gr1) by 4¾ lengths in a new track record. In the Dubai World Cup (Gr1), Arrogate produced another astonishing display to score by 2½ lengths from Gun Runner despite completely blowing the start, and at one point trailing the leaders by 10 lengths. After that heroic effort Arrogate’s form tailed off and he failed to win in his final three starts, prior

PEDIGREE ANALYSIS U.S.A. Classics

PRETTY MISCHIEVOUS, Bay filly, 2020

to retiring to Juddmonte Farm, Lexington, Kentucky for the 2018 breeding season. Last year, Arrogate posthumously became a classic sire with his first crop, when Secret Oath captured the Kentucky Oaks (Gr1). That crop included three other stakes winners, including a second grade one scorer in the shape of Fun to Dream, who captured the La Brea Stakes (Gr1). Arcangelo is one of four stakes winners from Arrogate’s second crop, which last year was headlined by Cave Rock, who took the Del Mar Futurity (Gr1) and American Pharoah Stakes (Gr1), and ran second to Forte as favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Gr1), and And Tell Me Nolies, successful in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (Gr1) and Santa Anita Chandelier Stakes (Gr2). Rather remarkably, Arrogate’s nine stakes now feature, seven graded winners, and five of those grade one. Arcangelo’s dam, Modeling, never ran, but she is by Tapit, who has four Belmont Stakes winners to his name, and closely related to the Holy Bull Stakes (Gr3) and Fountain of Youth Stakes (Gr2) scorer Greatest Honour, who is by Tapit out of a half-sister to Modeling’s dam, the Storm Cat mare, Teeming. Modeling is also half-sister to the Starlet Stakes (Gr1) victress Streaming and her sister Treasuring, successful in the Star Shoot Stakes; to Cascading, winner of the Glorious Song Stakes; and to Achieving, who produced three stakes winners, including the San Carlos Stakes (Gr2) and Kona Gold Stakes (Gr3) scorer Cezanne. There are more Belmont Stakes connections under Arcangelo’s third dam, Better Than Honour, heroine of the Demoiselle Stakes (Gr2), and Broodmare of the Year for 2007. She produced not one, but two Belmont Stakes winners, and in consecutive years - the 2006 victor, Jazil, being followed by Rags to Riches, who memorably outfought Curln to add the 2007 Belmont to triumphs in the

Las Virgenes Stakes (Gr1), Santa Anita Oaks (Gr1) and Kentucky Oaks (Gr1). Astonishingly, Better Than Honour might well have made it three Belmont winners in three years. Her 2005 colt, Casino Drive shipped in from Japan to take the Peter Pan Stakes by 5¾ lengths, and would have likely started second favorite to Big Brown - who was pulled up - had he not been sidelined by an injury. Better Than Honour’s dam and granddam, Blush With Pride and Best in Show were both also distinguished runners and producers. Blush With Pride numbered the Santa Susana Stakes (Gr1) and Kentucky Oaks (Gr1) among four graded stakes victories, and the Comely Stakes captress, Best In Show, also earned honors as Broodmare of the Year for 1982. Blush With Pride is also ancestress of Irish Oaks (Gr1) winner Peeping Fawn, Paris Lights, who took the CCA Oaks (Gr1), and Thewayyouare, successful in the Criterium International (Gr1). Meanwhile Best In Show is ancestress of other such celebrities as El Gran Senor and his brother Try My Best (who stands at the head of two sires lines through Last Tycoon and Waajib/Royal Applause), Spinning World, Almond Eye, War of Will, Chimes of Freedom, Redoute’s Choice, Platinum Scissors, Manhattan Rain, Aldebaran, Close Hatches and In Italian. Arcangelo is inbred 3x4 to Unbridled (by Fappiano), who appears as grandsire of Arrogate, and broodmare sire of Tapit and 4x4 to Deputy Minister. This continues the notable success of Unbridled line stallions with mares by A.P. Indy, which has produced at least three other stakes winners out of Tapit mares, and at least another six, including grade one winners Wicked Whisper and Colonel Liam out of mares by Bernardini, who like Tapit is by A.P. Indy out of a mare by son of Fappiano. As we said in the introduction to this article, the three classics left a murky picture of the leadership of the three division. Forte had beaten Mage in the Florida Derby immediately prior to the Derby, and was felt by many to have been the best in the Belmont. We considered Forte’s pedigree last year after his Breeders’ Cup Juvenile victory, but briefly, he is by the Medaglia d’Oro horse, Violence, out of the multiple stakes winning Queen Caroline, a daughter of Blame. The second dam of Blame, Bound, is a threequarters sister to Sadler’s Wells the grandsire of Medaglia d’Oro, giving the close relatives 4x4. The third dam, the Seattle Slew mare, Kew Garden, is half-sister to Contrive, dam of Champion Two year-old Filly Folklore (herself granddam of Japanese superstar Contrail), and granddam of Essential Quality, Champion at two and three in the U.S., and is out of highclass racemare, Jeano. This is the Stolen Bases, stirp of Striking’s branch of La Troienne, that has also produced Smarty Jones, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and finished second in the Belmont Stakes in 2004. Similarly, many came away from the Kentucky Derby believing that the most meritorious performance was that put up by Two Phils’ who gallantly clung to second after being just 1½ lengths the suicidial early pace at halfway. Two Phils’ came into the Derby off a storming 5¼ lengths success in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (that is literally Steaks - Jeff Ruby is a Steak House) (Gr3) on the all-weather at Turfway Park. He skipped the second and third legs of the Triple Crown, returning to romp by nearly six lengths in the $500,000 Ohio Derby (Gr3). That left him looking, arguably, the horse to beat in the second half of the season, but sadly he came out of the race with a career-ending injury.

Two Phils’ is by Danzig’s son, Hard Spun, who will be remembered in Australia through such as Le Romain and Gatting from his Southern Hemisphere shuttle crops. Two Phil’s dam, Mia Torri, is by General Quarters, a Florida-based son of Sky Mesa (by Pulpit). She was a smart runner, taking the Sugar Maple Stakes and Sunshine Millions Distaff Stakes, and earning seconds in the Charles Town Oaks (Gr3) and Bed o’ Roses Invitational Stakes (Gr3). Her dam, the unraced Birdstone mare Flip the Stone, is out of Flippy Diane, whose victory in the Maryland Million Distaff Handicap singles her out as the most significant daughter of her sire, Aaron’s Concorde (a son of French champion Two Year-Old Super Concorde). There is only one other stakes winner under Two Phil’s fourth dam, Elegant Edythe (by Northern Dancer’s close relative North Sea), and none under his fifth or sixth dams. Two Phil’s ninth dam, War Plumage, who after breaking her maiden in the Coaching Club American Oaks, went on to add titles as co-champion Three Year-Old Filly of 1939 and champion Handicap Mare of 1940. Her dam, War Feather - a record-breaking yearling fetching $50,500 way back in 1925 - was by Man o’ War out of the imported English dam Tuscan Red, a great-granddaughter of the mare Ornament, who had the distinction of not only being a sister to English

Triple Crown winner Ormonde, generally acknowledged to be the greatest runner of the 19th century, but also dam of Sceptre, a filly who won four of the five English classics. War Plumage also appears as the seventh dam of the ill-fated 2006 Kentucky Derby victor, Barbaro. Through another channel - War Feathers’ half sister Leghorn - Tuscan Red is also ancestress of the 1963 Kentucky Derby scorer, Chateaugay, and of Little Current, a fast-finishing fifth in the Kentucky Derby and successful in the Preakness Stakes (Gr1) and Belmont Stakes (Gr1). Hard Spun’s second dam, Darbyvail, is a half sister to Little Current, meaning that Tuscan Red appears as the eighth dam of Hard Spun, and 12th dam of Two Phil’s. The wild card in the division at this stage is Arabian Lion, a horse who didn’t contest any of the legs of the Triple Crown. He was impressive in his debut which came in a six furlong maiden at Santa Anita Park, last October. His subsequent form, however, was fairly modest as he suffered defeats in his next four starts. Arabian Lion, then turned a corner, taking the Sir Barton Stakes on the Preakness Stakes undercard in a fashion that suggested he would have been a serious factor had he instead contested the classic. Dropping back from the 8½ furlongs of the Sir Barton, to seven furlongs for the Woody Stephens Stakes (Gr1) on Belmont Stakes Day, Arabian Lion accounted for the previously undefeated Drew’s Gold, by 1½ lengths. That effort earned the highest speedfigure of the year for a second season performer from the authoratative Beyer organization. Arabian Lion is from the first crop of Justify, out of Unbound, a Distorted Humor mare who won three of ten starts in Japan, before returning to the U.S. where she was blacktype placed in two starts. Unbound’s sister, the stakes placed Mary Rita, is dam of the multiple group winning Major Dude, one of the top U.S. turf threes of 2023. Possibility, the dam of Unbound and Mary Rita, is as well bred a mare as one could hope to find. A daughter of A.P. Indy, she is out of champion Personal Ensign a foal of 1984 who is generally recognized as the first North American racehorse to complete an undefeated career at the highest level since Colin nearly 80 years earlier. Personal Ensign proved to be every bit as good a producer as she was a runner, earning broodmare of the year honors in 1996. Three of her offspring captured grade 1 events: My Flag scored four times at that level, including the Coaching Club American Oaks and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies; Miner’s Mark’s successes included the Jockey Club Gold Cup; and Traditionally annexed the Oaklawn Handicap. Another son of Personal Ensign, Our Emblem (by Mr. Prospector and therefore a brother to Miner’s Mark and Traditionally), was grade 1 placed, and sired the Kentucky

Derby and Preakness Stakes winner War Emblem. Overall, Personal Ensign is already ancestress of 35 stakes winners, also including Champion Two year-old Filly Storm Flag Flying (out of My Flag) and other grade 1 winners Mr Speaker and Seeking the Soul. By way of contrast to the males, the 3YO filly division does appear to have a leader in Pretty Mischievous. She has won six of eight career starts, and followed up a neck success in the Kentucky Oaks (Gr1) by taking the Acorn Stakes (Gr1) by a head. Pretty Mischievous (third pic) is by the allconquering Into Mischief (from the Storm Cat line via Harlan and Harlan’s Holiday), who appears well on his way to a fifth successive Leading Sire title. Pretty Mischievous out of the Spinaway Stakes (Gr1) winner, Pretty City Dancer, a daughter of Tapit, the dominant stallion of the pre-Into Mischief era. Pretty Mischievous is one of five stakes winners from 29 starters by Into Mischief out of Tapit mares. Pretty City Dancer is half-sister to grade one winner Lear’s Princess, and is out of a half-sister to the grade one winning turf horse, My Big Boy. The female line goes back to La Troienne through her daughter, Businesslike, the granddam of the hugely influential Buckpasser, and Pretty Mischievious’s fifth dam, So Social, is by a son of Buckpasser’s sire, Tom Fool.