In commercial terms, the winners of last weekend's Kentucky Derby (G1) trials represented—to borrow a phrase from Joni Mitchell—"the breadth of extremities."
At one end we have the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) victor Plutarch and Sam F. Davis Stakes captor Renegade, both by seven-time leading sire Into Mischief —already sire of three Kentucky Derby winners—out of mares by Curlin : Plutarch out of 2015 champion 3-year-old filly Stellar Wind, and the $975,000 yearling purchase Renegade out of graded stakes winner Spice Is Nice, herself a daughter of grade 1 scorer Dame Dorothy.
At the other end of the commercial scale comes a duo from the first crop of a pair of stallions currently standing for just $5,000. One is the Withers Stakes winner, New York-bred Talk to Me Jimmy, a son of Modernist , and the other Silent Tactic, successful in the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3), and by Tacitus .
Talk to Me Jimmy
Talk to Me Jimmy, who realized $31,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, had only run twice before the Withers Stakes, a race in which he went wire to wire to triumph by 11 lengths. Third in a New York-bred maiden over a mile at Aqueduct Racetrack in September, he returned to take a similar race at Aqueduct by 5 1/2 lengths Nov. 9.
Modernist, a son of Uncle Mo who stands at Darby Dan Farm, won three of 11 starts over three seasons. Like Talk to Me Jimmy, Modernist tallied on the Road to the Derby, taking the 2020 Risen Star Stakes (G2), and finishing third in the Louisiana Derby (G2). At 4, he added another graded stakes success in the Excelsior Stakes (G3).
Talk to Me Jimmy's dam, Prairie Trip, a daughter of Trippi, was an extremely durable performer making 56 starts over five seasons, winning 10 times, although only at a modest level, ending her career scoring in a $4,000 claiming event at Delaware Park. She is, however, a half sister to another stakes producer in Russian River, whose son Marckie's Water captured the 2019 Charles Whittingham Stakes (G2T). There is nothing of real note under the third dam, the Storm Bird mare Steady Gaze, but she is a half sister to Worth Avenue, successful in the 1989 Tempted Stakes (G3), and to Saxon Shore, third dam of Nicoletta, winner of the 2019 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (G1).
Steady Gaze was out of the Reviewer daughter Sweeping View, who had good form at 2 in 1977 when her efforts included a second in the Astoria Stakes and a third in the Sorority Stakes (G1). Sweeping View's dam is the consequential mare Miss Swapsco. Owner of a pedigree that featured the 1936 Epsom Derby winner Mahmoud and his very fast half brother Mirza II, 2x3, Miss Swapsco captured three black-type events, including the 1968 Ashland Stakes.
At stud she produced stakes winner and producer Vite View (a full sister to Sweeping View), stakes winner Secreto's Glory, and more importantly in the long-term, Ballade, dam of siblings Glorious Song (a champion in Canada and the United States, and herself dam of the sires, Singspiel, Rahy, and Rakeen); Devil's Bag (1983 champion 2-year-old male and a successful sire); and Saint Ballado (multiple graded stakes winner and an outstanding sire). Beyond those previously mentioned, Miss Swapsco is also ancestress of eight other group or grade 1 winners, including Mezzo Soprano, a highweight in Europe; Vivlos, a champion in Japan; other Japanese standouts Cheval Grand, Verxina, and Danon Chantilly; and 2002 Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes (G1T) scorer, Sligo Bay.
Talk to Me Jimmy is bred on the TrueNicks A++ cross of Indian Charlie and sons and grandsons over Trippi mares, which has produced four stakes winners from only 19 starters. He also has double of Weekend Surprise through her sons A.P. Indy (grandsire of the dam of Modernist), and Honor Grades, sire of the second dam of Talk to Me Jimmy.
Silent Tactic
Silent Tactic, who came from last to first in a 12-horse field to take the Southwest Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths, was something of a longshot at 12-1, and according to the bettors at least, was his stable's second string behind Smarty Jones Stakes winner Strategic Risk, who wound up finishing 10th. This was the second win in four starts for Silent Tactic, who had won a maiden at Woodbine on his debut last October, and subsequently took second in the Grey Stakes (G3) and second 4 1/2 lengths behind Strategic Risk in the Smarty Jones Stakes. He had fetched $60,000 as a yearling, but then realized $500,000 at the 2025 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Old in Training.
Like Modernist, Silent Tactic's sire, Tacitus, scored on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. In fact, he took the 2019 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) and Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) before crossing the wire a staying-on fourth (elevated to third on the disqualification of Maximum Security ) in the Derby itself. He didn't win again that year, but did take second in the Belmont Stakes (G1), Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), and Travers Stakes (G1), and third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1). Remaining in training at 4, he added a win in the Suburban Stakes (G2), a second in the Woodward Handicap (G1), and a third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup before retiring to stud at Taylor Made Stallions. By Tapit out of champion Close Hatches, he is a full brother to last year's Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) heroine, Scylla, and to graded winner Batten Down.
Silent Tactic is not only the first stakes winner from the first crop of his sire, but he's also the first—from only three starters to date—for Gun Runner as a broodmare sire. His dam, the once-raced Magical Sign, a half sister to graded-placed Moraz, is out of the A.P. Indy mare Malvinia. A full sister to Malibu Moon and to Lady Nichola, the dam of graded winner Worth Repeating, Malvinia is also half sister to stakes-placed Mutually Benefit (dam of stakes winner Compelled), and to Curriculum (dam of graded winner and sire, Temple City). The third dam, Macoumba, a daughter of Mr. Prospector, was a group 1 winner at 2 in France, as was her own dam, Maximova.
Bred on a reverse of the prolific Gun Runner/Tapit cross—already responsible for 10 stakes winners, seven graded, including current classic hopeful Paladin—Silent Tactic has an intriguing pedigree pattern. He is inbred to 4x3 A.P. Indy, and both Tapit and Tacitus are bred on versions of an A.P. Indy/Unbridled (Fappiano) cross, where the dam of Silent Tactic is a Fappiano/A.P. Indy cross. In addition, Close Hatches, the dam of Tacitus, and Silent Tactic's broodmare sire, Gun Runner, are both Fappiano/Storm Cat crosses.
