Well, we didn’t even name our top performing 2yo in last year’s thread but, on the whole, our babies did better than expected, with quite a few losing their maiden tags in their first season on the track. Here’s hoping it’s not all downhill from here! Looking forward to next year, here are the babies we’re most excited about:
[color=blue]April Fool’s Day. (April 1). By Candidate out of NCh Highland Paint. Only half sibling to race is MW, MP.
[color=blue]Ballot Paper. (June 16). Another boy by Candidate out of NCh Nudge Me. Half to MSW Atlantic City and Debate With Me.
I’m having the worst year ever; feels like my stable is no better than our Color War team stable (by which I mean the slow ponies, because the team is great).
As for last year’s picks; I sold the pretty colt early and he didn’t do much in the new home. [color=red]Zanahoria looked promising so I leased her to Starfish and she raced more than her stud qualified full brother, but we’re expecting her to get better with time. She broke her maiden in her most recent race. [color=red]Puede Que Haya was probably the best 2yo of mine, she won a stakes race, earned a Champion title and she’s also leased to Starfish. The third filly is still very tiny so she didn’t even start training.
Of others, the greatest surprise was probably [color=red]La Chunga - she won three races and earned quite a lot. Also [color=red]Meva Nit d’Estiu, a black created filly, just won a maiden race and looks very promising.
I managed to reduce my band of this year’s yearlings and I’m still selling some in the upcoming auction. Of the ones who stay, these look exciting:
Last year’s picks haven’t done too much, but I’m hoping they will pick up at 3! From last year’s top picks, they’re performed thusly: [color=blue]Decorated has only won once but ran 4th in an Ungr.; [color=red]Marseillaise hasn’t broken her maiden yet; [color=blue]Postmaster has hit the board in all 9 starts and last ran 3rd in an Ungr.; [color=blue]Nexus can’t find the broad side of a barn (unplaced in 5 tries); and [color=red]Tendresse won her first 2 starts then was injured in her 3rd outing and went home for a bit, but wraps up the year hitting the board 6/7 times.
Overall, our 2018 crop had 27 runners from 37 foals, 11 winners (41%) and 1 stakes winner.
This year I’m actually excited for several 2021 2yo’s. Special highlights to:
[color=blue]Caleuche (Animal Kingdom x Filly From Chile, by Man O’War). Half to undefeated 2yo Color Run and SP 3yo Frost on Tap.
[color=blue]Downfall (V is for Victory x Darkfall, by Danzig). Half to MSW Ch. Evocation who won 3 of her 5 starts this year. Dam is half to gold-rated No Telling (produced MSW’s GCh. Solo Sunset, Ch. Tell All) and MSW Ch. Sunless Seattle.
[color=red]Hard Candy (Worthy Victor x Candy Girl, by Those Will Do). Half to SW 2yo Navy Girl who won 2 of 3 starts this year. Dam is half to NCh. Call To War and NCh. Space Chips. From Worthy Victor’s first crop.
[color=blue]Jawbreaker (Drum Major x Cherry Cheesecake, by Distinct Possibili). I’m excited for all Cherry foals at this point! Half to SW’s Ch. Get the Axe and Ch. Cherries Jubilee.
[color=red]Lingerie (Foolhardy x June My Love). Third foal out of my favorite mare, MSW GCH. June My Love. Half to SP Juniper Tree and multi-winner Tendresse. Plus Foolhardy.
[color=blue]Lord of Misrule (Long Live the King x Coronet). Half to SW The Trumpet Calls, and SP’s Ch. Dark Crown and Ch. Song of Roland. I always have good luck with Long Live the King foals.
Last year’s picks were much better than expected! [color=blue]Arkenstone is undefeated in two starts, [color=red]Diamond In The Sky and [color=blue]Rhapsody In Gold and [color=blue]Stellar Starbound are stakes-placed, and Starfleet Captain is a G2 stakes winner who placed in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI). An amazing bunch of homebreds after years of uninspiring crops
Haven’t given as much thought to this upcoming crop but do have a few very exciting ones in the pipeline:
[color=red]Crown of Oak (Changeling x Fleet Hope): beautiful gray whose half-sister [color=red]Starfleet Captain is a G1-placing G2 winner. Their dam did her best running long on turf as an older horse, so surprised and happy her first was a precocious stakes winner. Hoping for the same from Oak.
[color=blue]Dawn Will Come (Eighteen Karat x Rainy Day Morning): his dam is long-winded and did his best going longer so I wasn’t concerned that his older sister hasn’t shown much as a 2YO. He’s from the amazing Sunset Beach family and his sire has some decent 2YOs so here’s hoping he comes into hand faster.
[color=blue]Heart of Glory (Eighteen Karat x Scotland’s Glory): he’s still tiny but hopefully he’ll be mighty! Comes from the Lymerick family via Celtic Princess and has a multiple-placed half-brother. He’s a Worth/Rogue cross, so fingers crossed he’ll be golden on the track.
[color=red]Twice Blessed (Eighteen Karat x Beautiful Is Gone): she’s another result of inbreeding, this time to Heart of Gold, who appears as her sire’s dam and her dam’s granddam. She’s her dam’s first foal, so can’t wait to see how she runs next year.
Almost time to unleash the babies and watch board percentages drop horrendously! A few I posted about have been training VERY well so I’m quite excited for this year’s crop.
but, on the whole, our babies did better than expected, with quite a few losing their maiden tags in their first season on the track. Here’s hoping it’s not all downhill from here! Looking forward to next year, here are the babies we’re most excited about:
(by which I mean the slow ponies, because the team is great).
and she raced more than her stud qualified full brother, but we’re expecting her to get better with time. She broke her maiden in her most recent race. 
The third filly is still very tiny so she didn’t even start training.
