When we looked at the leading freshman sires a few weeks ago, we noted two stallions, Complexity and Thousand Words , who had already been represented by a pair of stakes winners. Since then, both have gone on to further success. Complexity's son Black Forza captured the Richmond Stakes (G2) in England to become his sire's third stakes winner. Meanwhile, Thousand Words' black-type winners The Queens M G and Vodka With a Twist both returned to action, The Queens M G to add the Adirondack Stakes (G3), and Vodka With a Twist to claim second in the Sorrento Stakes (G3).
Coincidentally, the Sorrento Stakes was taken by Nooni, the offspring of another freshman sire, Win Win Win . Nooni's victory also meant that Win Win Win joined Complexity and Thousand Words among freshmen with multiple stakes winners, as just 3 1/2 hours earlier, another daughter, Win N Your In, had sped home 4 3/4 lengths clear in the Sharp Susan Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
This is a particularly promising beginning to Win Win Win's stud career, given that he retired to Ocala Stud near Ocala, Fla., for a fee of just $5,000. That price was certainly no reflection on the talent that Win Win Win displayed as a runner. Successful twice in three starts at 2, he embarked on the road to the 2019 Triple Crown after taking the seven-furlong Pasco Stakes by 7 1/4 lengths in track-record time at Tampa Bay Downs on his first start at 3. A third in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) and a second in the Blue Grass Stakes (G2) garnered Win Win Win sufficient points to join the lineup for the Kentucky Derby (G1), while simultaneously raising some questions about his distance capacity. The Derby appeared to supply an answer to those questions, as Win Win Win crossed the line in 10th, beaten 8 1/2 lengths, after racing in the rear early. Any remaining doubts were surely confirmed after the Preakness Stakes (G1), in which Win Win Win faded to seventh after running closer to the pace.
Given a two-month break before the final outing of his 3-year-old season, Win Win Win was switched to the grass and closed from last of eight in the early stages to capture the Manila Stakes at Belmont Park by a half-length in a very rapid 1:31.56. Win Win Win didn't return to the races until June of his 4-year-old season, when he produced a very disappointing effort in the 2020 First Defence Stakes over seven furlongs on turf at Belmont Park. A switch back to dirt saw something of a return to form with a second to Complexity in a mile allowance optional claimer. That duo returned the following month for the Forego Stakes (G1), and this time Win Win Win gained the day, closing from last in the 11-horse field to beat Complexity by a half-length with such rivals as Whitmore, Firenze Fire, Mind Control , and Lexitonian behind. Pointed to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), Win Win Win's career was ended by a tendon injury.
If his race record was that of a very talented sprinter/miler, enthusiasm for Win Win Win's potential as a sire had to be tempered by his less-than-commercial pedigree. His sire is the imported Sunday Silence horse Hat Trick, 2005 champion sprinter/miler in Japan and successful in the 2005 Mile Championship (G1) and the 2005 Hong Kong Mile (G1). Hat Trick made a good start to his stud career with 2011 champion European 2-year-old colt Dabirsim and 2012 Jamaica Handicap (G1T) victor King David in his first crop, but lack of consistent support effectively ended his United States career. There were just three stakes winners in his second and third crops, which totaled 63. The crop conceived immediately following Dabirsim's 2-year-old season saw something of a rebound with eight stakes winners, but the following five crops yielded just six black-type scorers. Hat Trick also shuttled to Australia, where results were disappointing, and Argentina, before moving to Brazil for 2017, dying there in 2020.
His offspring thrived in South America, where he sired 33 stakes winners, 24 graded, and 11 grade 1, headed by Macadamia, who also took the 2023 Gamely Stakes (G1T) when imported to the U.S. In addition to being by an unfashionable stallion, Win Win Win's initial appeal on pedigree was further diminished by the fact that his dam is by Smarty Jones, a wonderful racehorse but an extremely disappointing sire.
Out of the Union Rags mare Unanimity, Nooni has been in the spotlight since topping the Ocala Breeders' March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training as a $1.8 million purchase. Her only start prior to the Sorrento Stakes saw her romp by 9 1/2 lengths in a Santa Anita Park maiden special weight.
Although she never placed in three starts, Unanimity has a strong pedigree. She is a half sister to stakes winner Chary; the stakes-winning and graded-placed Courtesan; Lady Carlotta, dam of stakes winner Broadway Run; and The Shady Lady, dam of 2022 Astoria Stakes winner Devious Dame, and of Hades, successful in this year's Holy Bull Stakes (G3).
Unanimity's second dam, Pretty Discreet, went wire-to-wire to take a sloppy renewal of the Alabama Stakes (G1) by eight lengths at odds of 42.75-1 in 1995. Pretty Discreet, who is out of a sister to 1987 Kentucky Oaks (G1) victress Buryyourbelief, became an extremely successful broodmare, producing three stakes winners, including the brilliant Discreet Cat, who took the 2006 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1), and the 2010 King's Bishop Stakes (G1) scorer Discreetly Mine. She is also dam of the unraced Discreetly Awesome (by Hades' grandsire Awesome Again), the dam of the 2011 Ogden Phipps Handicap (G1) winner Awesome Maria, and granddam of Cairo Consort, champion 2-year-old filly in Canada in 2022.
The family goes back to the English-foaled Venturesome II. Imported by A.B. Hancock, Venturesome was carrying a Diadumenos filly who would be named Risky, and who was inbred 3x4 to Venturesome's third dam, Rinovata. Dam of the 1931 Alabama and 1930 Spinaway stakes victress Risque, Risky is, through that mare, ancestress of two other notable families. One stems from 1969 Canadian Oaks winner Cool Mood, a sister to the sixth dam of Nooni and has produced such as Izvestia, With Approval, Touch Gold, Haynesfield, Brilliant Speed, and Healthy Addiction. The other, through Risque's daughter Risque Blue, goes to 1980 Broodmare of the Year Key Bridge, dam of champions Fort Marcy and Key to the Mint, and also ancestress of currently leading European sire Wootton Bassett.
