Breeders' Cup Vault: Triple Generation

The Phipps family had lots of success with foals by Private Account out of the mare Gracian Banner. Three foals who where produced from this combo where multiple race winners. Two of them became millionaires. While G1 winner Personal Flag was a nice horse, it was his kid sister Personal Ensign who stood out from them all. Trained by Shug McGaughey, Personal Ensign had defeated males earlier that year in the Whitney and was coming off a win in the Beldame. She was trying to finish her career undefeated in the 1988 Distaff. In that same race however was Winning Colors, on the same track where she defeated the boys earlier the same year in the Kentucky Derby. It turned into a fantastic race that lead to this:



That capped a perfect career for Personal Ensign, the first major stakes winner to do so since Colin (Zenyatta will try to do what Personal Ensign did on Saturday). As a broodmare Personal Ensign turned out to be successful.

Her son Miners Mark would win the Jockey Club Gold Cup, another son Our Emblem is the sire of War Emblem. Her daughter Pennant Champion is the granddam of Interactif, and another daughter Title Seeker is the dam to Seeking the Title. However, like her mother, the Easy Goer filly My Flag would stand above her brothers and sisters.

While not undefeated like her dam, My Flag entered the 1995 Juvenile Fillies off a second in the Fritzette to Golden Attraction. My Flag went off as the second choice and was able to not only run down Golden Attraction, but her stablemate Cara Rafela as well.



Golden Attraction had done enough to grab 2yo Filly honors however, her stablemate Cara Rafela is better known as the dam of Bernardini. Ironiclly, both GA and Cara where trained by Wayne Lukas, the trainer of Winning Colors who Personal Ensign had run down seven years before. My Flag went on to finish third in the Belmont the next year behind Editors Note and Skip Away (who would becoming a Hall of Famer like her dam). In the shed, she hasn't been as successful as her dam. Although her daughter On Parade is the dam of Parading.

Then there is Storm Flag Flying, granddaughter of Personal Ensign, daughter of My Flag. The daughter of Storm Cat certinally had some huge shoes to fill. Like her mother did seven years before (see the pattern), Storm Flag Flying prepped in the Frizette. However, instead of finishing in second, she won. Entering the 2002 Juvenile Fillies as the favorite, she had a simlar running style that of her granddam and dam. Sitting off the pace and making her run in the stretch. Like the both of them she was able to run down stablemates. This time they where Composure and Santa Catarina who where trained by Bob Baffert.



This completed a perfect season for Storm Flag Flying, netting her Champion 2yo Filly honors. After a poor 3yo season where she only raced twice, she returned as a four year old. While she really was never the same horse again, she did win another G1. That was in the Personal Ensign at Saratoga. She showed the same heart that her grandmother and mother had defeating Azeri in the process. She ended her career with a solid second place finish in the 2004 Breeders' Cup Distaff behind Ashado.

Storm Flag Flying hasn't had the best of luck in the shed, however her son Colors Flying has won a race. She had a Smart Strike filly this year and is foal to Unbridled's Song.

Later today: 2007 Mile

Oak that Bluegrass

Final major preps this weekend! The Bluegrass down at Keenland and the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn, both are G1 races this year. I'm not going to do a major preview of the two races as I had a really nice post all written up then accdently posted before I was done. So I had to delete it unfortanlly. Anyway here are the two fields!

9th (5:30)
Toyota Blue Grass S. (G1)
1 1/8 Miles (All Weather Track) | Open | 3 Year Olds Stakes | Purse: $750,000
Prg. # PP Horse Jockey Trainer Wt. Claim $ Equip. Med. ML
1 1 Odysseus Maragh R Albertrani Thomas 123 LA 7-2
2 2 First Dude Dominguez R A Romans Dale 123 LA 8-1
3 3 Stately Victor Garcia Alan Maker Michael J 123 LA 30-1
4 4 Make Music for Me Smith M E Barba Alexis 123 LA 6-1
5 5 Codoy Velazquez J R Hubley Mark 123 L 30-1
6 6 Pleasant Prince Leparoux J R Ward Wesley A 123 L 3-1
7 7 Paddy O'Prado Desormeaux K J Romans Dale 123 LA 10-1
8 8 Aikenite Gomez G K Pletcher Todd A 123 LA 4-1
9 9 Interactif Bejarano R Pletcher Todd A 123 LA 4-1

9th (4:47)
Arkansas Derby (G1)
1 1/8 Miles | Open | 3 Year Olds Stakes | Purse: $1,000,000
Prg. # PP Horse Jockey Trainer Wt. Claim $ Equip. Med. ML
1 1 Super Saver Borel C H Pletcher Todd A 122 L 9-5
2 2 Dublin Thompson T J Lukas D Wayne 122 L 7-2
3 3 Noble's Promise Albarado R J McPeek Kenneth G 122 L 2-1
4 4 Northern Giant Espinoza V Lukas D Wayne 118 L 8-1
5 5 Uh Oh Bango Bridgmohan S X Owens R Kory 122 L 15-1
6 6 New Madrid Castellano A Jr Ice Tim A 118 L 20-1
7 7 Berberis Gryder A T Asmussen Steven M 118 L 30-1
8 8 Line of David Court J K Sadler John W 118 L 15-1
9 9 Pulsion Nakatani C S Biancone Patrick L 118 Blk-Off L 15-1

I will say that I like Make Music for Me in the Bluegrass and Super Saver in the AR Derby.

Also tomorrow, Stardom Bound makes her grass debut, Bell's Shoes takes another shot at stakes action, and much more.

To end the night, Apple Blossom, what can I say? Zenyatta showed that she is the best! I haven't watched the replay yet, but I plan to within the next couple of days or so. Hopefully a race against the males is next, but if her connections bring her back to Cali to face females, I believe people will not be happy. It's somewhat fitting that she won on the same day that Personal Ensign passed away. The first major horse to retire undefeated since Colin, Personal Ensign won the 1988 BC Distaff defeating Winning Colors who defeated the boys that season in the Kentucky Derby. Personal Ensign would go on to be the dam of three G1 winners including BC Juvi Fillies winner and Belmont 3rd place finisher My Flag, herself a G1 producing dam (BC Juvi Fillies winner Storm Flag Flying). I'm going to miss her.

Also don't forget that the Live Chat returns to it's normal Monday time at 7 pm EDT, there might be a couple of special guests, so stay tuned for that. Recap will be returning on Sunday as well.