Digging Into the Data: January 2020 Graded Stakes Update

Tapit had the most graded stakes winners at four.

The first month of 2020 was a busy one for tracks across the country with graded stakes taking place from California to Florida and Texas to New York. What was once considered a quieter time of year now proves to be a big warm up for later goals with 22 graded stakes taking place across North America in January.

In a new monthly series, I’ll be looking at each month’s stakes and analyzing the information both for that month and the overall year. So let’s get digging!

By The Numbers: The first graded stakes of the year was the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez Stakes at Santa Anita on New Year’s Day over 5 ½ furlongs on the turf. Running for the second year as a graded stakes and upgraded from a Grade III in 2019 to a Grade II this year, the race was won by Pete Miller-trained Texas Wedge (Colonel John), his second winner in the race behind Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic) in 2017.

Stakes have come fast and furious since the first race with at least two a weekend (and as many as eight) all month long. Of the 22 on the calendar, two were Grade Is (the two Pegasus races during the last weekend of the month), five were Grade IIs, and 15 were Grade IIIs. Five different tracks hosted at least one graded stakes in January with 11 on dirt and 11 on turf.

Sprinting Versus Routes: While there is often talk of America’s speed obsession, at the graded stakes level in January it was all about the routes. There were six graded sprint races (four coming at Santa Anita), four one-mile races (two on dirt, two on turf), and 12 at 8 ½ furlongs or more.

For those who love watching horses over a route of ground, four races were run at 12 furlongs (all on turf and the longest distance of the month). That was the co-second most popular distance in terms of number of stakes – pairing with the mile races at four each and sitting just one behind the 8 ½ furlong races.

Mean Mary (shown here at Keeneland) was one of the 12F winners.

Kentucky-Breds: Horses bred in the United States dominated the January graded stakes with just two bred outside the country (Jolie Olimipica (Drosselmeyer) in Brazil and Desert Stone (Fastnet Rock) in Ireland). Not surprisingly, Kentucky-breds dominated the graded stakes with 18 of the 22 graded stakes winners bred in the state. The other two states represented were California (Queen Bee To You (Old Topper) in the Grade III La Canada at Santa Anita) and New York (Dot Matrix (Freud) in the Grade III John B. Connally Turf at Sam Houston).

Girl Power: Fillies and mares had an advantage in the number of stakes they won with nine restricted to fillies or mares. In open company however, the geldings out-won the colts and entires with eight gelded winners and five intact winners. The youngest filly to win was 3-year-old Bast (Uncle Mo) in the Grade II Santa Ynez with the oldest being Queen Bee To You.

Overall, three different 3-year-olds won graded stakes in January with a trio of geldings the oldest at seven – including Grade I Pegasus Turf winner Zulu Alpha (Street Cry).

Tapit On Top: Three-time Champion sire Tapit (Pulpit) has had a relatively quiet few years but he came back with a vengeance in January. Of the 22 graded stakes winners, Tapit is the sire of four of them. The stallion’s winners range in age from three (Enforceable in the Grade III Lecomte) to seven (Tusk in the Grade III Tropical Turf) with all but Tusk winning on the dirt.

The only other stallions to see their runners win more than one graded stakes in January were the Coolmore America duo of Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie) and the late Scat Daddy (Johannesburg). Scat Daddy had a stakes double at Gulfstream Park during the final weekend of the month (one being an ungraded stakes) but his two graded stakes winners came on different weekends.

The late Scat Daddy

Damsires: Dynaformer’s (Roberto) influence is still felt nearly a decade after his death with two of his daughters producing graded stakes winners in January. Both runners have proved to be stayers with Mean Mary (Scat Daddy) and Ms Peintour (Paynter) winning at 12 furlongs on turf. Dynaformer is the only damsire with two graded stakes winners in January though Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat) was presented both as a damsire and the sire of a damsire in Shamardal.

Breeders: Calumet and KatieRich had a successful January with the operations breeding two graded stakes winners each. Calumet’s biggest victory as a breeder was Grade I winner Zulu Alpha, who won the Pegasus Turf while KatieRich’s was Grade II winner Pink Sands.

Pink Sands is out of Grade I winner Her Smile (Include), who KatieRich paid $1.5 million for while carrying Pink Sands in 2014. Pink Sands has a 4-year-old full-brother named Timing Now, who is a two-time winner in Japan, and a 3-year-old half-brother by Empire Maker named Make Us Smile who is placed. Her Smile was served by Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song) in 2019.

Zulu Alpha’s dam Zori was purchased by Calumet Farm (ticket signed as Bluegrass Hall) for $120,000 at the 2012 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale while carrying Zulu Alpha. Already the dam of stakes winner Bank The Eight (Distorted Humor), Zori had one final foal after Zulu Alpha – a colt named Zulu Echo (English Channel), who placed in one of his two starts.

Linebreeding: Those concerned about linebreeding in the Thoroughbred will be happy to know that four graded stakes winners had no linebreeding (note, this doesn’t mean they are free of popular lines) in their first five generations. Four others had both strains of the linebreeding in their fifth generation while five went the opposite direction and had at least one cross in their third generation.

The closest case of linebreeding comes from a daughter of a stallion many consider an important outcross for the breed with Uncle Mo’s Bast inbred 2 x 3 to Arch (Kris S.) with her dam a daughter of the stallion and Uncle Mo’s dam also by the stallion. That is the only strain of linebreeding Bast has in her pedigree with her grandsire and granddam both clear of any inbreeding in Bast’s first five generations.

Sales Prices: If you had bid on Hip 554 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale, you would have ended up with what now looks like a bargain in Grade III W.L. McKnight Stakes winner Spooky Channel (English Channel). The gelding sold for $10,000 at that sale as the least expensive of the graded stakes winners and has won seven of 12 starts for $207,806 in earnings.

The 12 graded stakes winners to go through the ring at least once averaged $315,769 their last time through the ring (in most cases that is as a yearling or 2-year-old, though Phat Man (Munnings) sold as a racing age horse). Five horses went through the ring at least twice with two going through the ring three times.

The most expensive is the duo of Pink Sands (Tapit) and Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man) with both bringing $625,000 – Pink Sands as a yearling and Mucho Gusto as a 2-year-old. The most expensive weanlings was $200,000 Bast, who was pinhooked and sold for $500,000 the following August at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale.

Did you know Melissa offers research services to the racing industry? Visit www.PyroisMedia.com for more information about her research and other services or send her an email at Melissa@PyroisMedia.com for more information.

January 2020 Graded Stakes Winners

Date	Race	Grade	Horse	Sire	Dam
1/1	Joe Hernandez	2	Texas Wedge	Colonel John	Callmenancy
1/4	Sham Stakes	3	Authentic	Into Mischief	Flawless
1/4	San Gabriel	2	Desert Stone	Fastnet Rock	Starstone
1/5	Santa Ynez	2	Bast	Uncle Mo	Laffina
1/11	Marshua's River	3	Magic Star	Scat Daddy	Meadow Breeze
1/11	Las Cienegas	3	Jolie Olimpica	Drosselmeyer	Jolie Celina
1/11	Tropical Turf	3	Tusk	Tapit	It's Midnight
1/11	La Canada	3	Queen Bee To You	Old Topper	Silk Queen
1/18	Louisiana Stakes	3	Silver Dust	Tapit	Filare l'Oro
1/18	Lecomte	3	Enforceable	Tapit	Justwhistledixie
1/18	Toboggan	3	Mind Control	Stay Thirsty	Feel That Fire
1/19	Astra	3	Ms Peintour	Paynter	Dyna's Dynasty
1/20	Palos Verdes	2	Captain Scotty	Quality Road	She Is Raging
1/20	Megahertz	3	Carressa	Uncle Mo	Iplaytricks
1/25	W.L. McKnight	3	Spooky Channel	English Channel	Spooky Kitten
1/25	Fred W. Hooper	3	Phat Man	Munnings	Nicole's Dream
1/25	Inside Information	2	Pink Sands	Tapit	Her Smile
1/25	Pegasus World Cup	1	Mucho Gusto	Mucho Macho Man	Itsagiantcauseway
1/25	Pegasus Turf	1	Zulu Alpha	Street Cry	Zori
1/25	La Prevoyante	3	Mean Mary	Scat Daddy	Karlovy Vary
1/26	John B. Connally Turf	3	Dot Matrix	Freud	Aunt Dot Dot
1/26	Houston Ladies Classic	3	Lady Apple	Curlin	Miss Mary Apples