Bird Town and Storm Flag Flying: The tale of two broodmares

Colors Flying, the first foal out of 2002 2yo champion female Storm Flag Flying (By Storm Cat) is finally making his first start this Saturday at Belmont.

Colors Flying
Your Comment: 2006 c AP Indy x Storm Flag Flying
Date: May 23, 2009
Track: Belmont Park
Race: 7 Distance: Six And One Half Furlongs
Surface: Dirt Age: 3U
Race Type: Maiden Special Weight
Purse: $43,000
Jockey: Raymundo D. Fuentes
Trainer: Claude R. McGaughey III

I don't know anything about his jockey and hopefully trainer Shug McGaughey has him ready for this start. Unfortanlly this will be the only SSF foal at the track for awhile, as she has not having foals hitting the track.

Storm Flag Flying is the granddaughter to two of the best Phipps horses to race in the late 80's. Undeafted super filly and 1988 Breeder's Cup Distaff winner Personal Ensign, and 1989 Belmont Stakes winner Easy Goer, who is more known for his rivarly with that year's Derby and Preakness winner Sunday Silence. Those two are the parent's of SSF's dam, My Flag. I really good filly herself, she beat Cara Rafala (who would become the dam of Bernardini) in the 1995 BC Juvi Fillies. My Flag followed up her 2yo season with a third place finish in the Belmont, as well as winning the Coaching Club Oaks.

Storm Flag Flying, won the BC Juvi Filllies, like her mother did. She also won the Matron and Frizette Stakes. Her 3yo season didn't go as well, although she did finish second in the Comley S. As a 4yo, she won the Personal Ensign, a race named after her grandmother, as well as the Shuvee. She wrapped up her career with a 2nd place finish in the Breeder's Cup Distaff in 2004, a race her grandmother had won 16 years earlier. The winner, Ashado, would become one of the greatest fillies to race.

Since this time she's had Colors Flying, but that has been her only success, she aborted twice (Once to Seeking the Gold (now pensioned) and Distorted Humor), another foal passed away last year. That colt was also by Distorted Humor.

Storm Flag Flying's failure of getting foals to the track reminds me of another mare, Bird Town is the same age as SSF and she's had simlar problems.

A daughter of Cape Town out of the Storm Bird mare, Dear Birdie, Bird Town did not have the success that SSF had as a two year old. However the light went on at 3, by winning the KY Oaks and Acorn, she was named Champion 3yo female in 2003. Retired at 4, she was bred to Belmont winner Empire Maker. In 2005, a colt was born, unfortanlly a freak accident claimed his life. Her second foal, named Elusive Bird (By Elusive Quality), never made a start. I believe she went to Indian Charlie this year. She does have a Ghostzapper colt named Bird Zapper, a Bernardini yearling colt and had an Awesome Again colt this year.

So who has the edge? In number of foals, it's Bird Town, but number of foals getting to the track, it's Storm Flag Flying. Hopefully both of these broodmares will have success in years to come.