Rich Family Takes First Mission, Perform to Preakness

It is now less than three weeks to the Kentucky Derby (G1), but weekend activity among the 3-year-olds temporarily shifted the focus to the second classic, the Preakness Stakes (G1). The two races that gave Preakness pointers were the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G2)—theoretically a Derby trial, but by virtue of the points system and timing often not serving that purpose—and the home state prep, the Federico Tesio Stakes. The Lexington fell to First Mission, who scored by a half a length over onetime Derby favorite Arabian Lion. This was only the third start for First Mission. He'd begun his career in a sprint at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in mid-February, when he'd closed for second, beaten three-quarters of a length by another newcomer, Bishops Bay. Stretching out to 8 1/2 furlongs, First Mission got off the mark in style March 18 in a maiden special weight at the New Orleans oval, where he scored by 6 3/4 lengths. First Mission is a son of Street Sense, who is best known for being the first horse to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and Kentucky Derby. Beaten a head by Kentucky Derby third Curlin in the Preakness, Street Sense rebounded to take the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) and Travers Stakes (G1) in summer. Second to Hard Spun, who'd finished one place behind him in the Derby and Preakness, in the Kentucky Cup Classic (G2), Street Sense ended his career with a fourth in the 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), won by Curlin. Retired to stand at Darley (and at times shuttling to its Australian facility), Street Sense has been a reliable source of class with 80 stakes winners, 32 graded, from his first 12 crops. Initially, he seemed to be something of filly sire, with his first five grade 1 winners (Aubby K, Wedding Toast, Sweet Reason, Callback, and Street Fancy) all being fillies, but more recently he's added the grade 1-winning males McKinzie, Maxfield, and Speaker's Corner, all now young sires. He has five Australian crops, which have yielded 12 stakes winners, seven graded, four of them grade 1. First Mission's dam, Elude, also has a Preakness Stakes connection, as she is by Medaglia d'Oro out of a mare by Roar, so bred on an identical cross to the magnificent Rachel Alexandra, heroine of the 2009 edition. The Roar mare in this case, the Argentine-foaled Forty Marchanta, was a very accomplished performer in her own right. Racing in her native country, she captured the Polla de Potrancas-Argentine One Thousand Guineas (G1) and the Gran Premio Seleccion de Potrancas Argentine Oaks (G1) as well as taking second in the Estrellas Juvenile Fillies-Blaquier (G1) and Mil Guineas (G1). Forty Marchanta is a half sister to the graded winning and grade 1-placed South March, and a half sister to the dams of three other graded scorers in that part of the world, mostly notably last year's Gran Premio de las Americas-OSAF "Copa Eduardo S. Blousson"-Internacional (G1) victor, Chanta Joy (ARG). Elude's granddam, Marcha Toss (by Buckpasser's son Egg Toss) was also a sister to a high-class runner in Man Toss, successful in the Gran Premio Joaquin V. Gonzalez (G1) and Gran Premio Dos Mil Guineas (G1). Through Elude's third dam, the Argentine graded winner Marchande, the family goes back to Carezza, a sister to Congreve, a top-class runner who later developed into what has been called "the most important 20th century South American stallion." The family has been in Argentina for almost 150 years. First Mission is the best of the four stakes winners from 22 starters bred on the in-house Darley nick of Street Sense with mares by Medaglia d'Oro. The pedigree is also interesting from the mtDNA standpoint. Street Sense is by a stallion from the 'N' mtDNA line out of a mare from the 'L' and Elude is by a stallion from the 'L' out of a mare from the 'N.' More than 20 winners of the Federico Tesio Stakes have gone on to contest the Preakness, although only Deputed Testamony completed the double. That achievement is now the likely goal of Perform, who scored a mild upset in the Tesio, rallying from last in the nine-horse field to tally by a head. Although he made his debut as far back as last July, Perform has been something of a work in progress, as he didn't break his maiden until his sixth start—the outing prior to the Tesio—scoring by 2 3/4 lengths over an extended mile at Tampa Bay Downs March 11. Notably, his form has improved as he's stretched out, and the nine furlongs of the Tesio marked his longest start to date. Perform is the eighth stakes winner from the first crop of champion 2-year-old Good Magic, a horse who has appeared here frequently over the last few months. His dam, Jane Says, a daughter of Tale of Ekati, was only placed. She is a half sister to Sarah Her Highness, who earned lower case black-type at Woodbine, but her dam, Judy B, a three-time winning daughter of Marquetry, owns a very distinguished pedigree. She is the first daughter of none other than Leslie's Lady. A minor stakes winner, who did run some speed figures that were very high for her grade, Leslie's Lady went on to far greater distinction as a broodmare. Two years after Judy B was born, Leslie's Lady produced Into Mischief, winner of the Hollywood Futurity (G1) and now the dominant sire of the era with four consecutive Leading Sire titles to his credit. If that wasn't enough, Leslie's Lady's subsequent offspring included Beholder, an Eclipse Award-winning champion at 2, 3, 5, and 6, and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) and UAE Derby (G2) winner Mendelssohn, a graded-stakes sire with his first crop (now 3). Jane Says, like Into Mischief, Beholder, and Mendelssohn, is from the Storm Cat line, and that line is proving a good foil for Good Magic, with graded scorers Dubyuhnell and Reincarnate, and stakes winners How Did He Do That and Bat Flip all bred on that cross. The pedigree is also interesting in that both Curlin, the sire of Good Magic, and Marquetry, the sire of Perform's second dam, are bred on a Mr. Prospector/Vice Regent cross.