There was quite a bit of alarm expressed on both sides of the Atlantic over the fact that the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes (G1) and Coaching Club Club American Oaks (G1)—respectively the most prestigious races to be run in Europe and North America last weekend—drew a total of just nine runners. It doesn't, however, take a big field to make a classic contest, and that was underlined by the outcome of both events. In the King George, the relentless gallop of this year's Cazoo Derby (G1) victor, Adayar, enabled him to turn back the challenge of one of the leaders of the older generation, Mishriff. The Coaching Club American Oaks drew just four starters, but after an intriguing opening stages chess game, three of those, the undefeated Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) victress Malathaat; Clairiere, fourth in the Kentucky Oaks and a grade 2 winner earlier in the year; and longshot, Maracuja, were virtually line abreast with little more than a furlong to run. Surprisingly, Maracuja proved the strongest of the trio in the closing stages prevailing by a head over Malathaat, as Clairiere dropped from contention.
This was quite a reverse in form, as Maracuja's previous start had seen her finish well behind Malathaat and Clairiere, as a staying on but never threatening seventh in the Kentucky Oaks. She'd earned her way into that race with a late-closing second in the Gazelle Stakes (G3), an effort which came after a maiden win over 6 1/2 furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack in February. Before that she'd started just twice, for a second and a third in Aqueduct maiden events.
Maracuja's late-running style is somewhat reminiscent of her sire, Honor Code, from whose second crop she is a member. From the final crop of A.P. Indy, Honor Code, also boasted impressive credentials on the distaff side of his pedigree. His dam, the stakes winner and multiple graded stakes producer Serena's Cat, is not only by Storm Cat, but is also out of the stakes winner Serena's Tune, a daughter of Hall of Fame racemare Serena's Song. Serena's Tune is a half sister to five other stakes winners, four of which are graded/group winners, including the group 1 winner Sophisticat.
On the track, Honor Code's deeds lived up to his illustrious pedigree. He ended his 2-year-old career as one of the leaders of his generation, three starts bringing a maiden victory at Aqueduct, a second in the Foxwoods Champagne Stakes (G1), and a victory over Cairo Prince in the Remsen Stakes (G2). He was sidelined for most of his 3-year-old season after finishing second in an allowance event at Gulfstream Park in March on his seasonal reappearance, but returned in November to secure a late-charging victory in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance at Aqueduct. Honor Code kicked off his 4-year-old campaign with a win in the Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2), and in summer rose to the head of his division with last-to-first triumphs in the NYRA.com Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and Whitney Stakes (G1). He couldn't reproduce that form in his last two starts, but a third to American Pharoah and Effinex in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) combined with his earlier success was sufficient to tie-up an Eclipse Award as champion older male. The following year he began his stud career, standing at Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Ky., at an initial fee of $40,000.
With six stakes winners in his first two crops of 3-year-olds and upwards, Honor Code has yet to prove himself a prolific stakes sire, but he's certainly established that he can get a good one. In addition to Maracuja from his second crop, his first crop produced Honor A. P. , who defeated eventual Horse of the Year Authentic to take the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1), and Max Player , who on his most recent outing defeated Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) hero, Mystic Guide , and the previously unbeaten grade 1 winner Happy Saver , to take the Suburban Stakes (G2).
Maracuja's dam, Patti's Regal Song, a daughter of Unbridled's Song, was a winner at 3, and also took second in the Wild Rose Stakes at Prairie Meadows. She's produced five winners from five starters, all minor with the exception of Maracuja. Patti's Regal Song is half sister to the Adirondack Stakes (G2) victress Regally Appealing, and to Regal Miss Copelan, who took the Colleen Stakes. Both of these mares also visited Unbridled's Song, with Regally Appealing producing Appealing Bride, the dam of the multiple graded stakes-winning sprinter/miler Appealing Tale and stakes winner Colerful Bride, and Regal Miss Copelan becoming dam of both Rockport Harbor (winner of five of eight starts, including the Remsen Stakes (G2), Nashua Stakes (G3), and Essex Handicap (G3)) and Song of Solomon, the dam of Canadian graded stakes scorer A. A. Azula's Arch.
If Unbridled's Song is close to the height of fashion as a broodmare sire, the same can't be said of Regal Pennant, the dam of Patti's Regal Song, Regally Appealing, and Regal Miss Copelan. Winner of the Ontario Debutante Stakes at Fort Erie, Regal Pennant is by Banner Bob, a smart multiple graded stakes-winning sprinter/miler by the Bold Ruler horse Herculean, who ended up at stud in Venezuela after a fairly brief stint in Kentucky. The Canadian-foaled Regal Pennant was a product of extremes, as her dam, Regal Relation, was by the French-bred and -raced stayer, Kamaraan II. Regal Relation never ran, but was a sister to the Highlander Handicap third, Goose Green, one of just three black-type horses sired by Kamaraan II during his time at stud in Canada.
The female line goes back to a root not found in the General Stud Book, an American-foaled daughter of the imported stallion, Janus, who is ancestress of numerous important runners, including Kentucky Derby winners Azra, Exterminator, Regret, Riley, Ben Brush (also an important sire), and Gato Del Sol; Belmont Stakes winner Counterpoint; Preakness Stakes winner Half Time; Kentucky Oaks winners Bronzewing, Lemco, Modesty, and Amerivan; and twice champion older male and leading sire, Nodouble. The family was designated A1 in the Bruce Lowe family tables, but it's actually the same G2a mitochondrial haplotype as the #9 family that has produced such as Cyllene, sire of four Epsom Derby winners, and as grandsire of Phalaris, male line ancestor of an overwhelming percentage of modern Thoroughbreds; Fair Play, sire of Man o' War, and more recently Galileo and Dubawi.
Moving to contemporary pedigrees, Maracuja is a product of the A.P. Indy/Unbridled's Song cross that has produced 17 stakes winners, including other grade 1 winners Magnum Moon, Capezzano, Moonshine Memories, and Unbridled Command.
