Darley America's Bernardini continued his meteoric rise as a broodmare sire with representation by four graded stakes winners April 2-3.
The 18-year-old son of A.P. Indy ranked 24th last year by earnings on BloodHorse's leading broodmare sires list. This year he's already jumped to eighth in the standings by earnings as of April 5 and is the fourth-leading broodmare sire by number of black-type winners with eight behind A.P. Indy and Street Cry (11 each) and Indian Charlie (nine).
All eight 2021 stakes winners with Bernardini as a broodmare sire are graded stakes winners, with the most recent winners including Soothsay in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2), Paris Lights in the Distaff Handicap (G3), Modernist in the Excelsior Stakes (G3), and Twenty Carat in the Beaumont Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select (G3).
Soothsay and Twenty Carat both became stakes winners in their respective races at Santa Anita Park and Keeneland.
Raydelz Stable bred Soothsay, by Distorted Humor, in Kentucky. The filly is now raced by Claiborne Farm with Perry Bass II, Ramona Bass, and Adele Dilschneider and is trained by Richard Mandella. She is on a meteoric rise, too, having won her first start Feb. 26 at Santa Anita Park and becoming a graded stakes winner in her second start. Soothsay is the first stakes winner out of the grade 2 winner Spellbound, who has a yearling filly by More Than Ready and produced a colt by Street Sense this year.
Twenty Carat is a 3-year-old by Into Mischief and also made her racing debut earlier this year. She became a winner in her second start Feb. 25 at Turfway Park by 7 3/4 lengths and then captured the Beaumont Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths. Twenty Carat is a homebred for Goncalo Torrealba's Three Chimneys Farm, who bred the filly out of Secret Jewel, a half sister to grade 1 winner Shared Account and grade 3 winner Colonial Flag. Secret Jewel has a yearling colt by Gun Runner and is carrying a foal by Street Sense this year.
Paris Lights and Modernist both continued enhancing their résumés as stakes winners at Aqueduct Racetrack. Paris Lights, by Curlin , won last year's Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) for WinStar Stablemates Racing and trainer Bill Mott. WinStar bred the 4-year-old filly out of winner Paris Bikini, who is a half sister to grade 3 winner America. Paris Bikini has a yearling colt by Always Dreaming and produced a filly by Uncle Mo in February.
Marty and Pam Wygod's homebred Modernist became a graded stakes winner last year in one division of the Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) and went on to finish third in the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2). The 4-year-old son of Uncle Mo was second in the $100,000 Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs for his 2021 debut before capturing the Excelsior by 2 1/2 lengths for Mott. The colt is the only foal produced by unraced Symbolic Gesture, a half sister to grade 1 winners and full siblings Sweet Catomine and Life Is Sweet, both by Storm Cat.
The other 2021 graded stakes winners with Bernardini as their broodmare sire are: Colonel Liam (Liam's Map ), who won the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T); Clairiere (Curlin), winner of the Rachel Alexandra Stakes Presented by Fasig-Tipton (G2); Maxfield (Street Sense), Mineshaft Stakes (G3) winner and third in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1); and Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro ), who won the Las Virgenes Stakes (G3).
