MARCH 2014 MarketWatch INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS FOR THE THOROUGHBRED INVESTOR 2013 Broodmare of the Year Nominees Profiles of the leading broodmares of 2013 2013 broodmare of the year nominee Serena’s Cat, dam of 2013 graded stakes winners Noble Tune and Honor Code RICK SAMUELS 2013 BROODMARE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES AVA KNOWSTHECODE 1994 b. mare 2013 GSW: JUSTIN PHILLIP Breeder: Oakbrook Farm Owner: Oakbrook Farm 2014: In foal to GIAnt’s CAUSEWAY his ain’t Ava Knowsthecode’s first ride at the rodeo. In Raise a Native Mr. Prospector, 1970 Gold Digger 2012 the bay daughter of Cryptoclearance out of the Fappiano, 1977 CRYPTOCLEARANCE, Dr. Fager Avatar mare Ava Romance owned by Bill and Patricia Killaloe, 1970 T dkb/br, 1984 Grand Splendor Klussman’s Oakbrook Farm was among the 10 nominees for Tom Rolfe Hoist the Flag, 1968 MarketWatch broodmare of the year. Naval Orange, Wavy Navy 1975 Dedicate Mock Orange, 1959 At that time she had produced from seven foals to race five AVA KNOWSTHECODE Alablue b, m stakes winners, four of them graded. While the number of Ribot February 4, 1994 Graustark, 1963 Flower Bowl stakes winners has not changed, the quality has. In 2013 her Avatar, 1972 Mount Marcy Brown Berry, 1960 5-year-old son Justin Phillip (by First Samurai) stepped up Brown Baby AVA ROMANCE, Gallant Man a rung on the graded stakes ladder when he won the grade I Gallant Romeo, 1961 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga for his owner, Zayat ch, 1981 Sunny Romance, Juliets Nurse 1973 Clandestine Sundestine, 1963 Stables. He followed that win with a third in the Forego Stakes Summer Blossom (gr. I) and a second in the Vosburgh Invitational Stakes (gr. I) before a fifth-place finish in the Xpressbet Breeders’ Cup Sprint the Triple Crown trail in 2012, having won the Holy Bull Stakes (gr. I). He retired to stud at Castleton Lyons with a race record (gr. III) at Gulfstream Park to launch his trek. However, injury (32-7-6-8) rarely found today but one reflective of the hardy waylaid that journey for the undefeated son of Bernardini (by Midwestern roots of his female family. A.P. Indy—Cara Rafaela, by Fappiano’s son Quiet American). Grade-III placed on turf in Hollywood Park’s Senorita He stood his first season at stud in 2013 at Claiborne Farm for Stakes, Ava Knowsthecode raced four years, starting 29 times a fee of $7,500. and earning $156,596. Her dam, Ava Romance, was craft- Lightly raced Encode, a $625,000 yearling purchase, is ed from even harder wood, starting 56 times and earning a now 4-year-old son of Bernardini racing for Sheikh $283,749, including winning or placing in 13 stakes on the Mohammed. Encode is one-for-two and has yet to run in 2014. Midwest circuit. Her sire, Avatar, won a pair of 12-furlong Encrypt, Ava Knowsthecode’s 2-year-old colt by Tapit (whose stakes including the classic Belmont Stakes (gr. I). broodmare sire, Unbridled, is a son of Fappiano), also has 4x3 Cryptoclearance was rather hickory-carved himself, starting inbreeding. He was a $1.2 million Keeneland September year- 44 times with 12 wins and earnings of more than $3.3 mil- ling. lion. A multiple grade I-winning son of Fappiano, one of the Keyed Entry, the first graded stakes winner produced by more long-winded branches of the Mr. Prospector sire line, Ava Knowsthecode, is a variation on a theme. Rather than Cryptoclearance sired 42 stakes winners, including Belmont being inbred to Fappiano, the son of Honour and Glory is Stakes winner Victory Gallop and Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) inbred 4x5 to Fappiano’s granddam, Grand Splendor, through winner Volponi. her daughters Gonfalon (the second dam of Honour and Glory) Fappiano seems to play an interesting role in Ava and Killaloe (the dam of Fappiano). Knowsthecode’s success as a broodmare. Three of her four Ava Knowsthecode was bred to Giant’s Causeway for 2014 graded stakes winners have a significant connection to the and is due to foal in early May. Although bred similarly to Fappiano family. Justin Phillip is inbred to Fappiano 4x3. He Justin Phillip, the resulting foal will not carry any inbreeding to is from the first crop of First Samurai (by Giant’s Causeway), Fappiano. whose granddam, Frisson, is a daughter of Fappiano. Alex’s Allure (by Sky Classic) and grade II winner Successful Another of Ava Knowsthecode’s graded stakes winners car- Mission (by Successful Appeal) are Ava Knowsthecode’s other ries this same inbreeding. Algorithms was firmly entrenched on two stakes winners. M By Tom Hall Foals Named FORA Runners Winners SWs GSWs G1SWs ’13 GSWns Progeny Earnings AVA KNOWSthecode’S LIFETIME PROGENY RECORD 12 11 8 7 5 4 1 2 $2,432,480 Successful Mission Alex’s Allure gelding, G3SW Encode mare, SW SUCCESSFUL APPEAL gelding, Wnr In foal to Ava Darling SKY CLASSIC Code Variance Justin Phillip BERNARDINI Encrypt GIant’S CAUSEWAY mare, Wnr mare, Unr horse, G1SW colt, Unr GILDED TIME AWESOME AGAIN FIRST SAMURAI TAPIT ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 Keyed Entry Is It Safe horse, G2SW mare, Unr No Report Farfalina HONOUR AND GLORY YES It’S TRUE Algorithms Unnamed Aborted mare, Rnr horse, G3SW colt STORMIN FEVER OLD TRIESTE BERNARDINI BERNARDINI 2 / marketwatch.bloodhorse.com 2013 BROODMARE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES CLEAR MANDATE 1992 ch. mare 2013 GSW: STRONG MANDATE Breeder: G. Watts Humphrey Jr. & Pamela H. Firman Owner: G. Watts Humphrey Jr. DIED 2011 ome fine broodmares seemingly spring from Nearctic Northern Dancer, 1961 Natalma nowhere, defying pedigree pundits to explain them. Vice Regent, 1967 DEPUTY MINISTER, Menetrier But Clear Mandate is not one of them. A top race- Victoria Regina, 1958 S dkb/br, 1979 Victoriana mare sired by champion sire and broodmare sire Deputy Bunty Lawless Bunty's Flight, 1953 Broomflight Minister out of a grade I winner from an excellent family, Mint Copy, 1970 Jabneh Shakney, 1964 Clear Mandate would have generated more surprise by CLEAR MANDATE Grass Shack ch, m failing in the paddocks than by succeeding. Native Dancer February 8, 1992 Atan, 1961 Mixed Marriage While not a champion, Clear Mandate was close to Sharpen Up, 1969 Rockefella Rocchetta, 1961 being an ideal racemare for owner/breeder G. Watts Chambiges DREAM DEAL, Amerigo Humphrey Jr. (who bred the mare in partnership with his Terrible Tiger, 1965 aunt, Pamela Firman). She was durable enough to race ch, 1986 Likely Exchange, Proprietress 1974 Swaps Likely Swap, 1962 through four seasons and 31 starts; precocious enough Most Likely to win at 2; and classy enough to capture three grade I events and place in three more. Nureyev), whose Sunday Silence daughter To the Victory Clear Mandate’s prowess ranked her as one of the bet- was a game runner-up in the 2001 Emirates Airline Dubai ter members of the family of Affection, a French-bred World Cup (UAE-I). daughter of Isidor imported to the U.S. in 1916 by her A great success as a commercial broodmare, Clear breeder, John Sanford. Clear Mandate’s branch of the Mandate produced eight named colts, all of which were family descends from Affection’s granddaughter Strange offered at the Keeneland September yearling sale. Seven Device (Stimulus—Escutcheon, by Sir Gallahad III), one sold for a total of $10.68 million, including listed stakes of three stakes winners for her dam and a full sister to winner Full Mandate (by A.P. Indy), sire of multiple grade the great matron Bourtai, dam of champion Bayou and I winner Ron the Greek, and multiple grade III winner ancestress of champions Shuvee, Slew o’ Gold, War Pass, Newfoundland (by Storm Cat). Clear Mandate also pro- Talking Picture, and Sacahuista. duced three fillies: one, Diva (by A.P. Indy) was offered at While not as accomplished a broodmare as Bourtai, the 2007 Keeneland November sale as a 4-year-old brood- Strange Device produced two stakes winners and the mare in foal to Forestry and brought $600,000. The other Heliopolis filly Most Likely, dam of six-time stakes win- two, Bright Line (by Fusaichi Pegasus) and Fine Line (by ner Likely Swap (by Swaps). Likely Swap, in turn, pro- Mineshaft) were retained by Humphrey for his broodmare duced the tough mare Likely Exchange (by Terrible band. Tiger), winner of the 1979 Delaware Handicap (gr. I) and Ironically, the least expensive of Clear Mandate’s foals, dam of 1985 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Creme Fraiche a $200,000 2012 yearling by Tiznow, may turn out to (by Rich Cream). have been a case of saving the best for last, as Clear Dream Deal, a Sharpen Up half sister to Creme Mandate died shortly after foaling him in February 2011. Fraiche, was perhaps not quite in her half brother’s class Named Strong Mandate, he is Clear Mandate’s claim to but was not far off it either, winning the 1989 Monmouth broodmare of the year honors after romping in the 2013 Oaks (gr. I). As a broodmare, she produced not only Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) and finishing a game third in the Clear Mandate but also grade II winner Dream Scheme Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I). Now on the Triple Crown (by Danzig), listed stakes winner A Diehl (by Aldebaran), trail, he ran second to Tapiture in his 2014 debut, the and multiple Japanese stakes producer Fairy Doll (by Southwest Stakes (gr. III). M By Avalyn Hunter Foals Named FORA Runners Winners SWs GSWs G1SWs ’13 GSWns Progeny Earnings CLEAR MANDAte’S LIFETIME PROGENY RECORD 12 11 10 9 3 2 1 1 $1,743,381 The Mighty Tiger Fine Line Smart Mandate horse, G2SPl Diva mare, Wnr horse, Unr Full Mandate STORM CAT Chairman Strong Mandate mare, Wnr MINESHAFT SMART STRIKE horse, SW horse, Pl colt, A.P.