Blue Hen Mares - The 1960s
by Julia Lord

Welcome to the fourth installment of our series looking at some of the greatest "Blue Hen" Thoroughbred mares. This time we feature some wonderful mares from the '60s. Their descendants include such names as Ruffian, Terlingua, Glorious Song, Seattle Slew, Icecapade, With Approval, Touch Gold, Althea, and Singspiel.

Soaring
1960-1981, chestnut (Swaps x *Skylarking II, by Mirza)
Although she was not much of a runner herself, Soaring was a half-sister to two stakes winners. She turned out to be an excellent broodmare, dam of 13 foals, 11 runners, 10 winners, 2 stakes winners and one stakes-placed. Her SW son Mehmet was a good sire, but it is through her daughters that she has been so successful. Seven of her daughters had foals, and all of them produced winners. Five of the seven were stakes producers. Two of them in particular are creating a female family full of stars.

Miss Swapsco, by Cocoes, was a SW herself, and produced 6 winners, 2 SW, 2 SP. She has seven producing daughters, and all but one are stakes producers. Her daughter Ballade could certainly be considered a "blue hen" mare herself, having produced the likes of Glorious Song (herself dam of Rahy, Rakeen, Singspiel, etc.), Thaidah (dam of 4 winners already), Devil's Bag and Saint Ballado (both good sires). Miss Swapsco's other daughters include Sweeping View and Devil's Sister (each dam of 2 SWs) and Vite View and Heathers Surprise (each dam of 1 SW).

Far Beyond, by Nijinsky II, was only a very modest winner, but she has turned out to be a superb broodmare. She produced 8 winners, only one SW, but her first two foals were SP Battle Creek Girl (by His Majesty) and SW Wings of Grace (by Key To The Mint), both of which have been excellent producers. Battle Creek Girl is the dam of SWs Tricky Creek, Wavering Girl, Speed Dialer, Everhope, and Parade Ground, and is already the granddam of 6 SWs. Wings of Grace is the dam of major SWs Plenty of Grace and Soaring Softly. Four more daughters of Far Beyond have also produced winners, and two of them are stakes producers.

............ Hyperion (1930, chestnut)
....... *Khaled (1943, brown)
............ Eclair (1930, bay)
... Swaps (1952, chestnut)
............ *Beau Pere (1927, brown)
....... Iron Reward (1946, bay)
............ Iron Maiden (1941, bay)
Soaring
............ *Blenheim II (1927, brown)
....... Mirza II (1935, bay)
............ Mumtaz Mahal (1921, grey)
... *Skylarking II (1947, chestnut)
............ Apelle (1923, chestnut)
....... Jennie (1936, bay)
............ Lindos Ojos (1928, grey)

Shenanigans
1963-1977, grey (Native Dancer x Bold Irish, by Fighting Fox)
Shenanigans was a moderately good winner, stakes-placed at age 2. Of her six foals, three were stakes-winners. Of course, she will always be remembered primarily as the dam of the immortal Ruffian, but her other two SWs were both excellent sires as well: Icecapade and Buckfinder. Her two other colts were winners, and On To Glory has become a very good sire. And her only surviving daughter, Laughter (by Bold Ruler) has carried on the line in admirable fashion. From 11 foals, she had 8 runners, 7 winners, 5 stakes-winners. Four of her five SWs were colts, and they have gone on to varying degrees of success as sires, with Private Terms being the best. Her daughters have done very well: SW Steel Maiden (by Damascus) has produced two stakes horses, Dress Ship (by Hoist The Flag) has produced two stakes horses and is the grand-dam of 2 more so far, Light Of Foot (by Majestic Light) has produced one SW and is the grand-dam of one more, and Laughing Look (by Damascus) had 3 SWs from her first 3 foals (including recent star Coronado's Quest), with no doubt more to come.

............ Unbreakable (1935, black)
....... Polynesian (1942, brown)
............ Black Polly (1936, bay)
... Native Dancer (1950, grey)
............ Discovery (1931, chestnut)
....... Geisha (1943, grey)
............ Miyako (1935, grey)
Shenanigans
............ *Sir Gallahad III (1920, bay)
....... Fighting Fox (1935, bay)
............ Marguerite (1920, chestnut)
... Bold Irish (1948, dk bay)
............ Transmute (1921, chestnut)
....... Erin (1927, bay)
............ Rosie O'grady (1915, brown)

Cool Mood
1966-1990, chestnut (Northern Dancer x Happy Mood, by *Mahmoud)
Cool Mood was a good winner, a SW at age 2 & 3. She is inbred 4x2 to *Mahmoud. She had 13 foals, 10 runners, 7 winners, 1 stakes-winner and 2 stakes-placed. Her only SW is also her best producing daughter, Passing Mood, by Buckpasser. From 9 foals, Passing Mood produced 7 runners, 6 winners, 5 SW and 1 SP, including a Canadian Triple Crown winner (With Approval) and a Belmont Winner (Touch Gold).

Cool Mood's daughter Shy Spirit (by Personality), although unraced, was also a tremendous producer -- 8 foals, 7 runners, all winners, 4 SW & 1 SP, including another Canadian Triple Crown winner, Izvestia. Two of Shy Spirit's daughters have already produced SWs, and one of those SWs, Play All Day (by Steady Growth) has already produced 2 SWs.

Cool Mood's other daughters include Greenaway (by Arts And Letters), dam of 2 stakes horses and grand-dam of 2 SWs; Moody Maiden (by Apalachee), dam of 1 SP and grand-dam of 1 SP; and Princess Laika (by Blushing Groom) and Wishing Mood (by Coastal), each the dam of one SW.

............ Nearco (1935, brown)
....... Nearctic (1954, brown)
............ *Lady Angela (1944, chestnut)
... Northern Dancer (1961, bay)
............ Native Dancer (1950, grey)
....... Natalma (1957, bay)
............ Almahmoud (1947, chestnut)
Cool Mood
............ *Blenheim II (1927, brown)
....... *Mahmoud (1933, grey)
............ Mah Mahal (1928, grey)
... Happy Mood (1951, chestnut)
............ Count Gallahad (1934, bay)
....... La Reigh (1940, chestnut)
............ Risque Reigh (1934, chestnut)

Courtly Dee
1968, dark bay/brown (Never Bend x Tulle, by War Admiral)
Courtly Dee was a winner herself, and a half-sister to three stakes horses, as well as being sired by one of the best broodmare-sires of all time. But even those good things couldn't have predicted her amazing success as a broodmare -- she is the dam of 18 foals, including 17 runners, 15 winners, 8 stakes-winners and one stakes-placed. At least two of her sons (SW Twining, by Forty Niner, and SP Press Card, by Fappiano) look to be off to a good start at stud.

As for her daughters, they are building quite a dynasty. The best on the track is probably also the best broodmare, Althea (by Alydar). She won many stakes, beating the boys at age 2 & 3 in top races, and even ran in the Kentucky Derby. She had 5 foals, 4 of them raced and all were stakes-winners. Her daughters are all fairly young but one is already the dam of a SW.

Another daughter is Embellished, by Seattle Slew. She produced 3 SWs so far, and her SW daughter Seattle Dawn (by Grey Dawn II) had three foals, one a SW and the other two were stakes-placed. Foreign Courier, by Sir Ivor, produced two SWs -- Green Desert, an influential sire in England, and Yousefia, who is in turn the dam of a SW.

Another stakes-winning daughter, Princess Oola (by Al Hattab), is the dam of 2 SWs and the grand-dam of two stakes horses.

Four more daughters, although still young, are already the dams of at least one SW each: Maidee, by Roberto; Namaqua, by Storm Bird; SW Aishah, by Alydar; and SW Aquilegia, by Alydar.

............ Nearco (1935, brown)
....... *Nasrullah (1940, bay)
............ Mumtaz Begum (1932, bay)
... Never Bend (1960, brown)
............ *Djeddah (1945, chestnut)
....... Lalun (1952, bay)
............ Be Faithful (1942, brown)
Courtly Dee
............ Man O' War (1917, chestnut)
....... War Admiral (1934, brown)
............ Brushup (1929, bay)
... Tulle (1950, dk. bay)
............ *Beau Pere (1927, brown)
....... Judy-Rae (1944, bay)
............ Betty Derr (1928, bay)

Crimson Saint
1969, chestnut (Crimson Satan x Bolero Rose, by Bolero)
Crimson Saint was an excellent racehorse, winning 7 of 11 starts and winning four stakes at ages 2 through 4, and setting two new track records. None of her four siblings were anything special, but she came from an excellent line. Interestingly enough, she happens to be from the same female family as another mare featured this month, Shenanigans. Both descend from Cherokee Rose II (1910), a "tap root" mare of many excellent producers.

Crimson Saint produced 11 named foals, 8 runners, 7 winners, 4 stakes-winners and two stakes-placed. Her first foal to race was the wonderful Terlingua (by Secretariat), who was a SW every year she raced (age 2-4) and then started producing SWs of her own. Terlingua's first foal to race was Storm Cat (by Storm Bird), who missed winning the Breeders' Cup by a nostril, and is now the most successful young sire around. Her next foal was Chapel Of Dreams (by Northern Dancer) who became an excellent turf runner, winning 5 stakes. Chapel Of Dreams has already produced one stakes horse, and Terlingua's first foal (unraced Lyphard's Dancer, by Lyphard) has already produced one SW.

Crimson Saint's sons included some widely varying types. One was the good SW Pancho Villa (by Secretariat) who was primarily a sprinter; another was Royal Academy (by Nijinsky II) who won the Breeders' Cup Mile; two more were stakes-placed: Encino (by Nijinsky II), and Border Run (by Secretariat).

Crimson Saint's other SW was the filly Alydariel (by Alydar), who is the dam of one SW already herself, and Crimson Saint's last foal, the unraced Prawn Cocktail, is the dam of one stakes-placed (her first foal).

............ Balladier (1932, black)
....... Spy Song (1943, brown)
............ Mata Hari (1931, brown)
... Crimson Satan (1959, chestnut)
............ Requiebro (1930, bay)
....... *Papila (1943, chestnut)
............ Papalona (1927, grey)
Crimson Saint
............ Eight Thirty (1936, chestnut)
....... Bolero (1946, bay)
............ Stepwisely (1941, brown)
... Bolero Rose (1958, chestnut)
............ Menow (1935, dk. bay)
....... First Rose (1946, bay)
............ Rare Bloom (1935, bay)

My Charmer
1969-1993, bay (Poker x Fair Charmer, by Jet Action)
My Charmer was a minor stakes-winner herself, from a family of good stakes producers, going back to the mare Myrtlewood (1932) who is the "taproot" mare of many excellent horses including the most successful sire of all time, Mr. Prsopector (she is his 4th dam). My Charmer also has a fascinating pedigree, being inbred 3x3 to full sisters Busher and Striking (both by War Admiral x Baby League). We discussed Striking in part one of this series. Doubling up on the Man O'War and *La Troienne blood appears to have been a factor in the remarkable success of My Charmer as a broodmare.

Her first foal was the amazing Seattle Slew (by Bold Reasoning), a name everyone will recognize. The only horse to win the Triple Crown while still undefeated, and a leading sire to this day, he is spreading these great genes far and wide.

Interestingly enough, all of her four SWs were colts, including the world's highest priced horse, Seattle Dancer (by Nijinsky II) who sold at auction for 13.1 million dollars as a yearling (whew!!!). The others were Lomond, by Northern Dancer, and Argosy, by Affirmed. They are all doing reasonably well at stud, but nothing to compare with Seattle Slew. She had three other colts, which were only moderately successful (one stakes-placed).

My Charmer's best daughter was Clandestina (by Secretariat) who was stakes-placed in Ireland and has been a good producer herself. She has had one SW (Desert Secret, who is looking like a good young sire so far) and two stakes-placed winners, all sired by Sadler's Wells, as well as four additional winners by various sires. Three of Clandestina's daughters have already produced winners.

My Charmer had four other daughters, her last four foals. None were raced, and they are still young (one has no foals yet; another has some foals too young to race yet), but so far one daughter, Charming Tiara (by Alydar) has produced a SP winner of over $100,000. Another daughter has produced several foals that were exported to England, and race records are hard to find, but at least one was a winner. It does seem likely, though, that My Charmer's lines will carry on through her sons and their descendants, and perhaps through her daughters' sons, more so than on the tail-female line.

............ *Princequillo (1940, bay)
....... Round Table (1954, bay)
............ *Knight's Daughter (1941, bay)
... Poker (1963, bay)
............ *Nasrullah (1940, bay)
....... Glamour (1953, bay)
............ Striking (1947, bay)
My Charmer
............ Jet Pilot (1944, chestnut)
....... Jet Action (1951, chestnut)
............ Busher (1942, chestnut)
... Fair Charmer (1959, chestnut)
............ Alsab (1939, bay)
....... Myrtle Charm (1946, bay)
............ Crepe Myrtle (1938, bay)

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