Digging Into the Data: February 2020 Graded Stakes Update

Tonalist sired a 2-time stakes winner in February.

With 39 graded stakes in North America run during the 29 days of February, catalog pages saw major updates as horses added valuable blacktype to their families, even with the lack of Grade Is run during the month. 

Tonalist’s Shape (Tonalist) was the big star of the month with two stakes wins in February while Tapit (Pulpit) again led a category – albeit this time as a broodmare sire instead of a sire.

By The Numbers: Thirty nine different graded stakes ran in February with 24 running on the dirt and 15 on the turf with 37 different winners.

There were no Grade Is run in the U.S. in February with 13 Grade IIs and the rest Grade IIIs. The shortest race was the 5 ½ furlong Grade III Sweet Life run at Santa Anita on turf won by Laura’s Light (Constitution) with the longest race being the Grade II Mac Diarmida won by Zulu Alpha (Street Cry) over 11 furlongs on turf.

Eight of the graded stakes in February were run at less than a mile, eight were at a mile, and 23 were at 8 1/2 furlongs or more.

In all, 61 graded stakes have been run in North America this year with 35 on the dirt and 26 on the turf.

Gulfstream: Gulfstream Park held the most graded stakes in February at 16. The races were run between six furlongs on the dirt and 11 furlongs on the turf with five run at a mile.

The track ran two Kentucky Derby preps in February with the Grade III Holy Bull won by Tiz The Law (Constitution) on the first and Ete Indien (Summer Front) in the Grade II Fountain Of Youth on the 29^th. Tonalist’s Shape (Tonalist) made the Kentucky Oaks preps her personal playground with wins in the Grade III Forward Gal and Grade II Davona Dale in February.

Happy Birthday to You: Grade III Robert B Lewis winner Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile) was the only graded stakes winner born in January, with that being a January 27^th birthday. One-eyed wonder Hard Not to Love (Hard Spun) was born latest in the year with a May 11^th birthday.

March was the most popular month for graded stakes winners in February with 16, followed by 12 in April and six in February. May rounded out the foaling season with three winners.

Wondering which month is most popular so far this year for graded stakes winners? That would be March with 18 of the 58 individual graded stakes winners this year born that month. The least popular foaling month of the Northern Hemisphere for stakes winners is January with five graded stakes winners – one less than May.

Leading Sires: Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday) and Munnings (Speightstown) led all sires by graded stakes winners in February with three apiece.

Into Mischief’s three winners came on dirt and turf with one turf mile winner (Sombeyay in the Grade III Canadian Turf) and two dirt winners between seven and 8.5 furlongs. Munnings all came on the dirt between eight and 8.5 furlongs led by two Kentucky Oaks contenders (Finite and Venetian Harbor).

Into Mischief

Stud Fees: Starship Jubilee was conceived on the lowest advertised stud fee with Indy Wind (A.P. Indy) standing for $2,500 (he's now at $2,000) with Jehozacat at the highest U.S. fee with Tapit (Pulpit) standing for $150,000 when she was conceived (he's now at $200,000). The highest fee of all stallions with stakes winners in the U.S. is Frankel (Galileo), who was standing for £125,000 when Elizabeth Way was conceived. He has seen a rise to £175,000 since she was conceived five years ago.

Auctions: Twenty five of the 37 winners sold at auction at least once with 13 going through the ring twice and one three times.

They sold for a combined total of $5,615,767 the last time they went through the ring with an average of $224,631. The most inexpensive through the ring was Factor This (The Factor) at $2,700 as a weanling (he sold for $11,000 as a 2-year-old) with the most expensive being the $1-million Thousand Words.

Multiple Stakes Winners: Cheermeister (Bodemeister), Tonalist’s Shape, and Zulu Alpha have all won multiple graded stakes this year. All three had stakes wins before this year, though only Zulu Alpha was a graded stakes winner before 2020.

Leading Breeders: Calumet bred two graded stakes winners in February. Zulu Alpha was purchased in-utero by Calumet while Admiralty Pier’s dam was purchased in January 2014 before being bred to Calumet’s English Channel (Smart Strike) and producing the gelding. Neither horse is currently owned by Calumet.

Calumet

Calumet leads all breeders in 2020 with four horses winning five stakes races led by Zulu Alpha with two wins. Flaxman Holdings and KatieRich are the two other breeders with more than one stakes winners with both having two graded stakes winners this year.

Broodmare Sires: Not For Love (Mr. Prospector) and Tapit led all damsires in February.

Not For Love saw two of his daughters’ runners go to the graded stakes winners’ circle with Max Player (Honor Code) and Majestic Reason (Majestic Warrior) winning graded stakes. He proved to be part of a potent cross with both of his daughters’ graded stakes winners by A.P. Indy sons.

Tapit was the other damsire who found major success last month with winners on the Kentucky Derby and Oaks trail both by stallions from different sire lines. Silver Prospector (Declaration of War) won the Grade III Southwest while Finite (Munnings) won the Rachel Alexandra. Tapit’s Jehozacat also gave him a win as a sire with her victory in the Grade III Endeavour.  

Inbreeding: If you’re looking for a horse who has only one cross to any one horse in the first five generations, Tonalist’s Shape is your girl. While the filly has multiple crosses of Northern Dancer right off her page, he only shows up in her first five generations once with the same happening with Mr. Prospector.

There are six horses whose double crosses only come in the fifth generation. The closest inbreeding for any of the winners comes in the third generation with seven horses having at least one cross there. Of those, five have at least one cross to Mr. Prospector in the third generation.

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.

February 2020 Graded Stakes Winners

Date	Race	Grade	Horse	Sire	Dam
2/1	Holy Bull	3	Tiz The Law	Constitution	Tizfit
2/1	Sweetest Chant	3	Cheermeister	Bodemeister	Kuhlu
2/1	Forward Gal	3	Tonalist's Shape	Tonalist	Hitechnoweeenie
2/1	San Marcos	2	United	Giant's Causeway	Indy Punch
2/1	Swale	3	Mischevious Alex	Into Mischief	White Pants Night
2/1	Withers	3	Max Player	Honor Code	Fools In Love
2/1	Robert B Lewis	3	Thousand Words	Pioneerof the Nile	Pomeroy's Pistol
2/1	San Pasqual	2	Midcourt	Midnight Lute	Mayo On The Side
2/8	Thunder Road	3	River Boyne	Dandy Man	Clytha
2/8	Endeavour	3	Jehozacat	Tapit	Precious Kitten
2/8	Sam F. Davis	3	Sole Volante	Karakontie	Light Blow
2/8	Suwannee River	3	Starship Jubilee	Indy Wind	Perfectly Wild
2/8	Tampa Bay S.	3	Admiralty Pier	English Channel	Full Steam Ahead
2/8	Las Virgenes	2	Venetian Harbor	Munnings	Sounds of the City
2/9	San Vicente	2	Nadal	Blame	Ascending Angel
2/15	Santa Monica	2	Hard Not to Love	Hard Spun	Loving Vindication
2/15	Barbara Fritchie	3	Majestic Reason	Majestic Warrior	Love's Reason
2/15	Mineshaft	3	Silver Dust	Tapit	Filare l'Oro
2/15	Risen Star	2	Mr Monomoy	Palace Malice	Drumette
2/15	Rachel Alexandra	2	Finite	Munnings	Remit
2/15	Royal Delta	3	Cookie Dough	Brethren	Brooke's Valentine
2/15	General George	3	Firenze Fire	Poseidon's Warrior	My Every Wish
2/15	Risen Star	2	Modernist	Uncle Mo	Symbolic Gesture
2/15	Fair Grounds S.	3	Factor This	The Factor	Capricious Miss
2/16	Sweet Life	3	Laura's Light	Constitution	Light of a Star
2/17	Razorback	3	Warrior's Charge	Munnings	Battling Brook
2/17	Bayakoa	3	Go Google Yourself	Into Mischief	Taunt
2/17	Southwest	3	Silver Prospector	Declaration of War	Tap Softly
2/22	World Of Trouble	3	Jackson	Kantharos	Deposit Only
2/22	Buena Vista	2	Keeper ofthe Stars	Midnight Lute	Sociable
2/29	Herecomesthebride	3	Cheermeister	Bodemeister	Kuhlu
2/29	Davona Dale	2	Tonalist's Shape	Tonalist	Hitechnoweeenie
2/29	GP Mile	2	Mr Freeze	To Honor And Serve	Heavenly Cat
2/29	Canadian Turf	3	Sombeyay	Into Mischief	Teroda
2/29	Fountain Of Youth	2	Ete Indien	Summer Front	East India
2/29	Honey Fox	3	Getmotherarose	Get Stormy	Run Rosie
2/29	The Very One	3	Elizabeth Way	Frankel	Maid's Causeway
2/29	Mac Diarmida	2	Zulu Alpha	Street Cry	Zori
2/29	Palm Beach S.	3	Vitalogy	No Nay Never	Sylvestris