TRUE ROMANCE

A decade ago, Florida-bred Musical Romance made national headlines with a Breeders’ Cup victory on her way to a championship season.

BY JOANN GUIDRY

The heroine of every romance novel has a meet cute guy theme and then twists and turns to her happily-ever-after ending. Such is the tale of Florida-bred multiple Grade 1 stakes winner Musical Romance, who in 2011 posted her Cinderella story. By the end of the season, the glass slipper, or glass horseshoe in this case, definitely fit: Musical Romance won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1), became a millionaire and then collected the 2011 Eclipse Award as champion female sprinter. And here’s something of note: She was bought for the bargain price of $22,000 at a juvenile sale.

But let’s back up to the beginning of Musical Romance’s story. At the 1991 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s February juvenile sale, Ocala Stud sold a Florida-bred filly by Who’s for Dinner out of Victorious Meg, by Soy Numero Uno, for $15,000 to William Terrell. The filly bred by Ocala Stud, J.M. O’Farrell Jr. and Ed Weist was subsequently named Romantic Dinner; she won one race, earned $67,730 and became a broodmare.

“Some time in late 1994, I got a call from Billy Terrell,” Ocala Stud president Mike O’Farrell said. “He said that he and his partners had bred Romantic Dinner to a stallion in New Jersey and he wanted to make a deal. He wanted to send the mare down to Ocala Stud, have us foal her out, raise the foal and then we could keep Romantic Dinner.”

O’Farrell had actually bought Victorious Meg, the dam of Romantic Dinner, for $20,000 from Lin-Drake Farm as agent, at the 1985 OBS October mixed sale. Out of Florida-bred stakes winner and multiple stakes-producer Cricket Club, by Dr. Fager, Victorious Meg then produced Florida-bred graded stakes winner Nome, by Double Sonic. Nome, an earner of $363,626, was bred by Ocala Stud Farm, J. M. O’Farrell Jr. and Ed Weist.

“Good broodmares are always hard to come by and it was the Dr. Fager line,” O’Farrell said. “So we did the deal and Romantic Dinner became an Ocala Stud broodmare.”

O’Farrell’s instincts were good. For Ocala Stud, Romantic Dinner produced Florida-bred stakes winners Lady Gin, Sea of Green and stakes-placed Decennial. She then would go on to become the granddam of Florida-bred Grade 1-winners Musical Romance and Rigoletta; Florida-bred Grade 2 (Puerto Rico) stakes winner Vuelve Ruben; Florida-bred Grade 3-winner Gourmet Dinner; Florida-bred stakes-winners Gaston A. and Forevamo; and stakes-winner Queen Amira (GB).

“Romantic Dinner turned out to be just the kind of broodmare I was hoping for,” O’Farrell said. “Actually, I guess she turned out to be even better than I had hoped for.”

Candlelight Dinner, Romantic Dinner’s 2002 filly by Ocala Stud stallion Slew Gin Fizz, was sold privately to Richard Averill. She only raced one season as a 3-year-old, winning once and earning $17,600. Ocala Stud bought her back privately and she joined the farm’s broodmare band. It was another good decision by O’Farrell. Candlelight Dinner produced the aforementioned Florida-bred graded stakes-winners Musical Romance (by Concorde’s Tune) and Vuelve Ruben (by Concerto) and Florida-bred stakes-winner Forevamo (by Uncle Mo). Millionaire Musical Romance was also an Eclipse Award winner and Vuelve Ruben was named a multiple champion in Puerto Rico.

THE ROMANCE BEGINS

Consigned by Ocala Stud to the 2009 OBS April juvenile sale, Musical Romance sold for $22,000 to William Kaplan as agent for Pinnacle Racing Stable. Adam Lazarus, a New York native who moved to the Miami area in 1990, founded Pinnacle Racing Stable, a racing partnership, in 2002. The Pinnacle Racing Stable partnership originally bought 50% of Musical Romance with Kaplan, who trained the filly, owning the other 50%. But that original partnership soon encountered a misstep, literally.

“On just her second day of training, Musical Romance cracked a pastern,” Lazarus said. “I let the Pinnacle Racing Stable partners opt out of their shares and sell their shares back to me. Bill Kaplan retained his 50% share.”

Lazarus paid for Musical Romance’s pastern surgery and subsequent four-month rehab time. When she returned to training, Lazarus resold shares in her to other Pinnacle Racing Stable partners.

Musical Romance broke her maiden in her third career start on Oct. 23, 2009, at Calder Race Course. She won by five-and-a-quarter, stopping the clock in 1:12.34 for the six furlongs. Stepped up to stakes company in her next start, she finished an unimpressive seventh in the Joe O’Farrell Juvenile Fillies Stakes on Nov. 14 at Calder. That was followed by a third in an allowance race on Dec. 7 at Calder. On the season, she earned $22,365, just a little bit more than her purchase price.

The 2010 season was a mixed bag filled with hints of Musical Romance’s potential, only to be followed by disappointment. She won an allowance race on the turf on Jan. 23, then came a

string of three off-the-board finishes in stakes races. Finally, on June 6 at Calder, Musical Romance collected her first black type win, capturing the Sweettrickydancer Stakes by half a length. Her winning time was 1:34.88 for the mile on the turf.

For the rest of the season, Musical Romance added another allowance win and posted a skein of stakes-placings. She was second in the Our Dear Peggy Stakes and Ms Brookski Stakes. There was also a trio of thirds in the Judy’s Red Shoes Stakes, listed Calder Oaks and listed Elmer Heubeck Distaff Handicap. Musical Romance earned $154,751 on the season.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON

The 2011 racing season did not start well for Musical Romance, but it most certainly had an amazing ending.

Musical Romance finished off the board in her first five starts of the season. Then on April 25 at Calder, she was second to Cherokee Queen in the Hollywood Wildcat Handicap and would never be off the board for the rest of the season.

On May 22 at Calder, Musical Romance won the Ema Bovary Stakes by a nose over Bella Moneta. That was followed by a three-quarter length win in the U Can Do It Handicap on June 11 at Calder. Then she posted a second in the Princess Rooney Handicap (G1) at Calder on July 9 and won the Barb’s Dancer Stakes on Aug. 7 at Calder. Three weeks later, she was third in the Connie Ann Stakes on the turf at Calder.

Kaplan then took Musical Romance on the road, leaving south Florida for the first time in her career. What followed was truly a romantic novel surprising twist.

First up was the Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes (G2) on Sept. 10, where Musical Romance notched a neck victory over Ariana D. In winning her first graded stakes, she stopped the clock in 1:16.40 for the six and a half furlongs on the synthetic Tapeta Footings surface. From there, it was on to Keeneland for the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (G2) on Oct. 8. Musical Romance just missed, finishing second by a head to Holiday for Kitten on the synthetic Polytrack surface. “It was Bill who suggested we run Musical Romance in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint,” Lazarus said. “But she wasn’t nominated to the Breeders’ Cup, so that meant we’d have to supplement her to the race for $130,000. We decided to do it. Bill and I came up with the money just in time to make the supplement deadline.” The Musical Romance show moved on to Churchill Downs for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) on Nov. 4. Breaking well, Musical Romance ran just off the pace before rallying three-wide coming into the stretch. Angled to the rail, she drew clear to win by a length and a quarter over Switch with Her Smile finishing third. Winning time for the seven furlongs was 1:23.47. Musical Romance collected $540,000 for the win and boosted her seasonal earnings to $1,040,734.

The BC Filly & Mare Sprint victory garnered Musical Romance the 2011 Eclipse Award as champion female sprinter. With that title, she became the fourth national champion bred by Ocala Stud. The others in that elite club are: My Dear Girl (1959 champion 2-year-old filly), Roman Brother (1965 Horse of the Year and champion handicap horse as voted by Daily Racing Form); Office Queen (1970 champion 3-year-old filly). Musical Romance was also named the 2011 Florida-bred Horse of the Year, Florida-bred champion older female and Florida-bred champion female sprinter.

BACK FOR MORE

Musical Romance returned to race in 2012 and added two significant wins to her career. On March 17 at Gulfstream Park, she captured the

Florida-bred Musical Romance n Coady Photo Florida-bred Musical Romance, Juan C. Leyva n Liz Lamont Photo

Inside Information Stakes (G2) by three-quarters of a length ahead of Hot Summer. Her winning time for the seven furlongs was 1:21.88.

After a second to the formidable Groupie Doll in the Humana Distaff Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs, Musical Romance tallied the second Grade 1 win of her career two months later at Calder. She won the Princess Rooney Handicap (G1) on July 7 by half a length ahead of Nicole H. She stopped the clock in 1:10.92 for the six furlongs.

Next was a third to Dust and Diamonds in the Gallant Bloom Handicap (G2) on Sept. 22 at Belmont Park. Back home at Calder, Musical Romance won the Mike Sherman Memorial Stakes on Oct. 6. Her connections rolled the dice again, entering her in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita Park on Nov. 3. Unfortunately, this time around she finished sixth to Groupie Doll.

Musical Romance, the $22,000 juvenile purchase, was retired as a national champion with career earnings of $1,681,885. She was named the 2012 Florida-bred champion older female and Florida-bred champion female sprinter.

Consigned by Three Chimneys Sales to the 2012 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall sale, Musical Romance sold for $1.6 million to Katsumi Yoshida. She was sent to Japan to begin her broodmare career. Her most successful foal is stakes-placed Serieuse (Jpn), a 2016 filly by Deep Impact (Jpn), who has earned $355,856 to date.

But Musical Romance’s legacy will always be her Cinderella 2011 racing season, proving fairy tales can come true. TFH

Musical Romance

2007 bay mare by Concorde’s Tune – Candlelight Dinner, by Slew Gin Fizz

Breeder: Ocala Stud Owners: Pinnacle Racing Stable & William Kaplan Trainer: William Kaplan

Career Race Record/Earnings

41-12-6-8/$1,681,885

Career Blacktype Stakes Wins

2012 Princess Rooney Handicap (G1) 2012 Inside Information Stakes (G2) 2012 Mike Sherman Memorial Stakes 2011 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) 2011 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes (G2) 2011 U Can Do It Stakes 2011 Ema Bovary Stakes 2011 Barb’s Dancer Stakes 2010 Sweettrickydancer Stakes

Highest Honors

2011 Eclipse Award – Champion Female Sprinter 2011 Florida-Bred Horse of the Year/Champion Older Female/Champion Female Sprinter 2012 Florida-Bred Champion Older Female/ Champion Female Sprinter