In the fantasy horse racing game I play, we pick a maiden each month to add to our stable, and I have most recently zeroed in on Prissy. In her debut at Keeneland, she ran into two tigresses in Colonial Flag and Centre Court, and the pace severely disadvantaged her as she went on to be 4th. But I don't know how much attention I would have paid her if not for her pedigree: her dam, Last Kitten, failed to hit the board in three starts, but is kin to Kitten's Joy, Precious Kitten, and Justenuffheart, the latter not only a stakes winner of over $300,000, but also dam of Dreaming of Anna, Justeniffhumor, and Lewis Michael. So, I'm not bothered by the bottom half of this pedigree; in fact, I'm enamored.
Prissy is by Unbridled's Song. Reviewing his top horses, I'm bowled over by the impact he's made, by the consequential horses he's had. He's become one of those sires that you can't give three horses for and do justice. He's not the sire of Unrivaled Belle or Eight Belles or Zensational; it's more the case that they're by him. But one thing about Unbridled's Song: he really doesn't sire impactful turf horses. You can sum up his impact on the turf pretty easily, and the absolute absence of group winners in Europe is really startling for a sire of his standing. As a turf sire, Unbridled's Song has Thorn Song, not the most consistent of horses, but twice a grade I winner, and Magnificent Song, who took the Lake George and Garden City in succession in 2006. He has a couple of Christophe Clement fillies, Seducer's Song and Strike It Rich, who both won graded stakes. He has a good super-short turf sprinter now in Inspired, and probably had an even better one a few years ago in Unbridled Sidney. Even the Score looked like a turf horse for a while, but never won a graded stake, and ended up doing a lot more on dirt. Ravi's Song has competed successfully on turf, although she's not grade I quality on turf or dirt. In terms of turf earnings in North America, Unbridled's Song has ranked in the top 35 for eight straight years, although only once has he been better than 20th. He gets his share of turf stakes winners. But the impact simply isn't there.
I wonder if the Unbridled's Song are settled enough to perform to their ability on turf? Their hyperactivity and speed is why I think a couple have worked as turf sprinters. I think of an Unbridled's Song turf horse I thought had potential but who never ended up winning a stake, the beautifully bred Warrior Song (out of La Gueriere, making him half brother to Lasting Approval). In his his four wins, all two turns on the turf, he was up by at least a length after the first call. Prissy may run contrary to type here, to her benefit: she was last of 12 after a quarter mile in her debut.
To be honest with you, I had forgotten about the proximity of Dreaming of Anna and Lewis Michael to Prissy. I was thinking Justenuffhumor was the third top sibling of her dam, instead of being one of three top horses that one of her sisters produced. So I was thinking this family had struck three times under the first couple of dams, while it's more like five or six times. I think it's too much for me to bypass Prissy in teh game, as much as take the Unbridled's Song-on-the-dirt issue seriously.
You might ask if Prissy can perhaps run on the dirt? Maybe this is one way to get past the problem? Dreaming of Anna won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on the dirt, after all. But Prissy is training to be a turf filly -- literally. Longchamp has been brought over here. At Palm Meadows, at least her last six works were on the turf.
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