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

Bittersweetness

Well it was an interesting weekend to say the least. No offence to Travers winner Afleet Express or Personal Ensign winner Persistently, but I think both winners where flukey. In the case of Afleet Express, he just nosed out Fly Down who I personally think is the second best 3yo in the US behind the absent Lookin at Lucky. As for Persistently, she got a perfect ride after Rachel was forced to the lead. However, I doubt she wins another race as only 2 of her vanquishers have since (Songtress and Sara Louise where the only two to win another race so far, Garden District is now retired, Zardana is MIA and Unriveled Belle all of a sudden can't win). With that being said, both wins are bittersweet.

Express' sire of course is Afleet Alex who basically singlehandly made Delaware Park the place to be. Per is owned by the Phipps family who of course owned Personal Ensign who sadly passed away this year. In matter of fact, PE's granddaughter Storm Flag Flying upset Azeri in this race in 2004. The loss stings a little bit less as Per is from the same female family as a weanling filly by Hard Spun (Per's granddam is the one and only Heavenly Prize and her sister Oh What a Windfall is the dam to the weanling).

As much as I'm disapointed in Super Saver (hope he's okay, second to last is unlike him) and Rachel (she ran her freaking heart out, and got beat in the last half furlong by a bad ride by Calvin). The biggest disapointment on the weekend was Life at Ten. She had a perfect spot and faded at the end to finish third. Also Miss Singsix ran like who I though she would.

On the West Coast, Richard's Kid defended his PC title. While he has a few dirt wins, I just don't think he has what it takes to win the Classic. I hope Awesome Gem is okay, he's the one I'm worried about the most. I think he's never finished in last. Then again it was that kind of weekend with the Hungerian Bullet, Overdose losing for the first time in Germany.

As for this week's Challenge, I only got one entry so I'm discounting this week's totals and will try again this upcoming weekend. I should have a few nice posts this week, stay tuned!

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.