Tuesday, May 23, 2017
I have tried and failed to find a list of broodmares who have produced the most million-dollar earners, assuming there is one somewhere. But is it possible that Charlotte Weber's Win Approval is the all-time leader in that category?
When World Approval won the Gr. II, $250,000 Longine Dixie Stakes just prior to the Preakness, he went over the $1 million mark in earnings, becoming the fourth millionaire for the daughter of With Approval, who produced 10 foals in all during her career in the Live Oak Plantation breeding shed. World Approval, a foal of 2012, is the last of the 10, and his 2 1/4-length victory Saturday was a thing of beauty. But Julien Leparoux often rides stakes-winners to perfection.
The 5-year-old gelding is now 8-2-4 in 20 starts with earnings of $1,103,763 and his stakes record is impressive: competing in 16 stakes, 11 of them graded, he has compiled six victories, two seconds, three thirds and three fourths. Trainer Mark Casse gave him a rest of 5 1/2 months, and in his return on April 2, World Approval came back to win the EG Vodka Turf Classic at Tampa Bay Downs on the Florida Cup program, so he's 2-for-2 this year.
Win Approval's other millionaires are Miesques Approval ($2,648,879), Revved Up ($1,548,653) and Za Approval ($1,904,666). She has produced four other winners, one foal who didn't win in four starts, and one who never raced. The nine who did have now won 68 races, led by Revved Up, who won 20 times, and Miesques Approval and Winabull, who won 12 times each.
The way World Approval is performing, all those numbers should rise this season.
FRENCHIE STILL GIVING - The tale of Ocala advertising exec Kathy Taylor's rescue of nine horses from the busted Eddie Martin Stable South in 2010 has been chronicled here often. Seven years later, the exploits of the son of Shakespeare that she bred from one of the rescued mares continue to balloon.
After selling eight of the rescuees for a ham sandwich each, Kathy bred the Storm Bird mare Cent Nouvelles to Shakespeare and French Quarter was born. Kathy raised him, and two years later, the fiesty colt didn't reach his reserve at OBS and he was sold privately to Canadian owner Howard Walton. French Quarter began racing at Woodbine in the summer and Gulfstream in the winter, although the winter forays have not been nearly as frequent.
A few months ago, Gulfstream trainer David Fawkes claimed Frenchie for $62,500 and has since raced him three times. The third came on Saturday in the $100,000 Big Drama Stakes and Frenchie was competitive, as he usually is, finishing third in a tough field of 10 sprinters. He is closing in on $300,000 in career earnings.
From Kathy's point of view, the claim was a blessing - a blessing known as breeder's awards. Since his return to Florida in December, Frenchie has raced six times for the two barns, with two victories, a second and two thirds (both in $100,000 stakes). In his Gulfstream career, he has four firsts, two seconds and three thirds in 13 starts. That equates to nine breeder's awards of varying denominations and goes a long way to taking the sting out of what it cost to care for the original nine in 2010 and 2011.
And, like World Approval, Frenchie is still going strong.
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