It is very early days, but it is beginning to look as if we may have a significant crop of freshman sires. So far no less than 16 of their number have sired at least one black-type winner, and more significantly, if we include Caravaggio who started his career in Ireland but now stands in Kentucky, six of them have sired graded stakes winners.
The latest to join the list of graded scorers by freshman sires of 2021 is Hidden Connection, who was making just her second start when running away with the Pocahontas Stakes (G3), which she took by 9 1/4 lengths, while running more than a second faster than the time set by the colt Major General (Constitution ) in the Iroquois Stakes (G3) over the same distance on the same day and earning an 87 Beyer, the best by any juvenile at a mile or more in 2021. Hidden Connection is by Connect , who thus became the fifth son of his sire, Curlin , to be represented by a stakes winner, the others being Palace Malice, Exaggerator, Florida's Jess's Dream, and the California-based Curlin to Mischief.
To see Connect on the board this early is very encouraging given that he didn't make his debut at 2 until December, when he finished third in a maiden at Aqueduct Racetrack. He broke his maiden first time out at 3, and followed up with wins in an allowance race, and the Curlin Stakes, where he went wire-to-wire to score by a length of future grade one winner Gift Box . Sixth behind a rampant Arrogate in the Travers Stakes (G1), Connect rebounded to defeat Gun Runner by a half-length in the Pennsylvania Derby (G2), then completed an excellent second campaign by getting home a head to the good in the Cigar Mile Handicap (G1). Connect opened up his 4-year-old season with a near five-length score in the Westchester Stakes (G3), and was prepping for the Mohegan Sun Metropolitan Handicap (G1), when he suffered a soft tissue injury that ended his racing career.
Hidden Connection is the second foal and second winner for her dam, C J's Gal. A daughter of Awesome Again, C J's Cal is a sister to the listed-placed C J's Awesome. The second dam, C J's Leelee, never won a black-type race, but did run second to the very accomplished Pure Clan in both the Golden Rod Stakes (G2) and Regret Stakes (G3T). C J's Leelee is a half sister to Capo Bastone . The only previous stakes winner under Hidden Connection's first four dams, Capo Bastone gained a win at the highest level in the Foxwoods King's Bishop Stakes (G1).
As so often happens, things do get strong the further back you go. The fifth dam, Stephanie Leigh, a daughter of Northern Dancer, was a stakes winner and graded placed. She's a granddaughter of Times Two, runner-up in the Selima Stakes (when it was a grade 1 class event), and third in the Kentucky Oaks and Spinster Stakes. Times Two is ancestress of more than 80 stakes winners, including champions Will Take Charge and Take Charge Brandi, and other grade 1 winners Take Charge Indy , Dance With Fate, My Gallant, and Omaha Beach , and Hong Kong's Horse of the Year Exultant.
Out of a mare by a son of Curlin's broodmare sire, Deputy Minister, Hidden Connection is one of 16 stakes winners by Curlin and his sons out of mares carrying Deputy Minister, the others including Keen Ice (out of a mare by Awesome Again, like Hidden Connection), champion older dirt male Vino Rosso , and other grade 1 winners Curalina, Grace Adler, and Structor.
