Literary Critic: Today’s Pedigree of the Day

 

Each day, we will look all over the country to discover a horse running that has a pedigree worth noting. We will not always pick a stakes race. In fact, we may even try to find a horse running in a claiming race that may just have a pedigree worth noting. And, you may argue that there is a horse running on that day that deserves to be noted more than the one that we have selected. If so, then submit your horse and your arguments. We may print your selection and your short bio. We hope to engage conversation.

Today’s Selection: Literary Critic, a 3YO filly who will be making her career debut in the loaded 4th race at beautiful Del Mar – the track tucked away in scenic San Diego and where Bing Crosby loved to sing “Where the Surf Meets the Turf.”

Owner: Pam & Martin Wygod

Breeder: Pam & Martin Wygod

Sold at Public Auction: N/A

Trainer: Clifford Sise, Jr

Jockey: E.A. Roman

Sire: City Zip, a half-brother to the outstanding stallion Ghostzapper, was a fantastic racehorse who won the G1 Hopeful Stakes as a 2YO and went on to carve out over $800,000 in earnings. But the son of Carson City and the fabulous mare Baby Zip has become one of North America’s best stallions, and, at the same time, one of the best kept secrets in the world of Thoroughbred Stallions. City Zip, who is now 19 years old and stands at Ambassador William S. Farish’s Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, KY., now has 13 crops of racing age. In those years, he has sired 1,124 foals with 897 starters, 72 stakes winners, 6 champions, and 700 winners. Those starters have combined to win nearly $80 million in purse money. His best offspring include the Champion race mare Dayatthespa, who won the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and earned over $2.2 million. He also sired the multiple G1 winner Catch a Glimpse, who was Horse of the Year in Canada and earned over $1.8 million. He also sired a third Champion filly in Finest City, who won the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and has earned – already — $1.2 million. Work All Week, another champion, won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and earned over $1.5 million. I have long been a fan favorite of City Zip, and his sire, Carson City. Carson City was the sire of Zip City Dancer, who was the dam of Purim’s Dancer. That filly raced for a partnership of Corey Johnsen, Lenny Kohn, Doug Donnelly and me. Purim’s Dancer was multiple Graded Stakes placed. She won the Wishing Well Stakes at Santa Anita, too, and ran third to the great, two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint champ Mizdirection in the G3 Las Cienegas Stakes at Santa Anita in 2013. So, I’ve been looking for that Carson City/City Zip cross ever since.

Dam: Ain’t She Sweet, by the great stallion Storm Cat, was unraced and of her first five foals, only one has raced. But her lineage sure does pack a page with black type. Ain’t She Sweet is a full sister the Champion filly Sweet Catomine, the G1-winning filly Life Is Sweet, and the Stakes-winning, Graded Stakes Placed colt Calimonco. Sweet Catomine had five wins in only seven starts at 2 and 3 and earned over $1 million – including a victory in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, the G1 Santa Anita Oaks, the G1 Del Mar Debutante, the G2 Oak Leaf, and the G3 Santa Ysabel Stakes. Life is Sweet had six wins from 2 to 4 and nearly earned twice as much (over $1.8 million), including the G1 Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic, the G1 Santa Margarita, the G2 La Canada, and the G2 El Encino. Calimonco, a colt who went on to a career at stud, had 5 wins from 3 to y and earned nearly $400,000 – including a couple of stakes wins and a third place finish in the G2 Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park.

Second Dam: Sweet Life, by Kris S., was a stakes winner in her own right with career earnings of over $223,000 and a victory in the Providencia Stakes at Santa Anita. But her claim to fame was hooking up with Storm Cat. They could sure cook up some good ones together. For all that success together, Sweet Life was named the Broodmare of the Year in 2009.

Third Dam: Symbolically, by the very fine California stallion Flying Paster, was a stakes placed winner of over $163,000, and the best runner out of her mother – the stakes winner Hail to the Queen. But Symbolically greatest contribution to the game didn’t come on the racetrack, as good as her record of 6 wins was. Her legacy was in the breeding shed and in the foaling barn. She threw the likes of Pirate’s Revenge, a G1 winner of the Milady Handicap. She mothered the likes of Echo of Yesterday, who was a multiple stakes winner. And, he foaled the likes of Carribbean Pirate, a stakes winner who was third in the G3 La Jolla Handicap at old Del Mar. All three of those were by the stallion Pirate’s Bounty. But, most of all, Symbolically was to become known as the dam of Sweet Life.

Point of Interest: The female family of this great tree is still going strong today, as well. Torrent, by the Claiborne Farm Stallion Blame, was a winner at 2 and already at 3 this year. And, she is stakes placed, too, having run second in the Trapeze Stakes at Rimington Park and third in the Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Racing Notes: The fourth race on Del Mar’s 2017 opening day card today will be a MSW for Fillies & Mares 3YOs and Up. Yet, all 8 entered for the 6F event on the dirt are 3YOs. But this matchup will not be an easy affair. Slim Fit, a daughter of Tiznow, is owned by Glen Hill Farm and sold for $335,000 as a yearling. She ran second in her first start at Delaware Park for trainer Tom Proctor (who just so happened to have trained our Purim’s Dancer – side note). Pretty Owl, a filly by Into Mischief, cost $250,000 at OBS last year and has been training like a bear for Bob Baffert. Snowdust, a daughter of The Factor, fired a bullet work at Santa Anita on June 28 for trainer James Cassidy. Discreetly Leah, who has been off a year for trainer Art Sherman, gets first time Lasix and has worked three super times in a row. Soul Singer, who goes for Peter Miller, cost $230,000 last year at OBS. And, the huge favorite is likely to be Classy Tune, who cost $135,000 at OBS last April, and has already run two super races with a second and a third to the Graded stakes placed winner Mopotism (who just ran second in the Indiana Oaks). Wow. Tough sledding. But Literary Critic shows 8 published workouts since May 20, 2017 and she should be super fit and the 6Fs definitely suits her pedigree. On July 14, the filly worked 5Fs in a handy 1:00.40. That was the second best time of the day. She may be up against some good ones, but she just might be the best of the best.

Ultimate Fact: If Literary Critic can show some pop today, she will be worth a ton of money as a broodmare prospect, in her own right. But if she can show the racing class of her grandmother, great-grandmother and others in her family? Then the Wygods have a real reason to smile. This one has the class to take them anywhere they want to go. In style.