Witnessing the level 1 victory added to the achievements of the descendants of Karakontie it seems only a matter of time with two of the five graded winners/his team already putting on strong showings against the elite company.
Spendarella , Gainesway’s 3-year-old purebred from an unusually powerful Spanish Bunny mare, claimed the bronze ring on August 20 by winning the Del Mar Oaks (G1T) award with a length of 4 and a half. Her leaderboard win followed by a second in the Crowning Stakes (G1) match in Royal Ascot and the victory in the Appalachian Stakes presented by the Japan Racing Association (G2T) at Keeneland and Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park.
The Spanish Bunny is a connoisseur purchased by Gainesway at the November 2015 Seed Sale in Keeneland, where it was purchased for $130,000 from a Taylor Made Sales Agency shipment. The mare, who had a single win on her race record, took the 1st place win with her first foal. Queen of Spain (Tribal rules ).
The union of a Northern Dancer stallion with a Northern Dancer stallion’s mare proved to be a powerful combination.
In her career to date, Karakontie has picked out 80 winners, 9 black winners and 7 other black performers. His mares apart from mares by Northern Dancer stallions accounted for 10 (62%) winners out of 16 starters and four (25%) black type winners. Spanish Bunny was responsible for two of the winners — Spendarella, and her 4-year-old sister who won big bets. Loveaffair in Spanish . Northern Dancer’s inbreeding has also produced high stakes winners Karak , a daughter of Down The Well (IRE) of Mujadil; and, Tournesol the winner of Galileo’s Magic of Reality (FR) bet (IRE).
Bred and raced by Flaxman Holdings, the Karakontie is from Bernstein, who has won multiple bets classified by Storm Cat (the grandson of a Northern dancer). Karakontie’s Dam, Sun Is Up (JPN), is the daughter of Sunday Silence of Flaxman’s group of 3 breeders, Moon Is Up (Forest Man), a six-time Flaxman champion and Miesque millionaire.
Not a racehorse, Flaxman offered Sun Is Up for sale at the November 2001 Livestock Share Sale in Keeneland, where she was acquired for a final price of $700,000. Flaxman did a great job of keeping her in the broodmare band. She made six winners including Karakontie and stake winners Sunday Dawn (Lemon Drop Kid) and Bottega (Mineshaft ).
Miesque is an influence in the genealogy of three stake winners selected by Karakontie: The only Volante winner Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3); Warrior Kenzai , who won the Heath Court Hotel Horris Hill Stakes (G3) at Newmarket; and, equity winners are listed in Ireland Cigamia .
Sole Volante was not a Light Blow winner, daughter of Kingmambo, son of Miesque, causing Sole Volante to cross 3×4 with the champion mare.
Kenzai Warrior and Cigamia both lost their mare by Lemon Drop Kid, Kingmambo’s son. Both of these stake winners are 4×4 hybrids with Miesque. This cross also includes 3×4 inbreeding with Storm Cat and 4x5x5x5 inbreeding with Sir Pros Inspector (Kingmambo’s male).
Spendarella did not cross with Miesque but she crossed 3 times with the Miesque sire Nureyev. Her sire is Nureyev’s son and a six-time lead in California. As a male parent, Unusual Heat has been represented by 25 black category winners to date, including 11 graded/group winners. The Spanish Bunny was crossed by a 3×3 with the Northern Dancer through his sons Nureyev and El Gran Senor, the Spanish Bunny, so mating with Karakontie resulted in a 4x4x5 Northern Dancer inbreeding.
Inbreeding with the Sunday Silence also seems to be a potentially successful strategy with Karakontie as indicated by Princess Grace a bet winner ranked five times by stallion Gainesway, who most recently finished second in the Beverly D. Stakes (G1T) half-length on August 13 at Churchill Downs and last year ranked third in Matriarch Staking (G1T). A hybrid of John and Susan Moore, Princess Grace is not a staked winner before Masquerade, being the daughter of Silent Name (JPN), son of Sunday Silence. Moore’s 5-year-old bet winners were bred from 3×3 to Silent Sunday.
