Princess Violet gives NY-breds a G1 head start with victory in Keeneland’s Madison (Keeneland Photo)
It is no secret that the New York-bred population has been going from strength to strength since 2012, when the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund instituted an across-the-board 50% increase in incentive awards and the New York Racing Association gave purses a dramatic hike. Witness Dayatthespa, crowned earlier this month as the 2014 New York-bred Horse of the Year, who was also the overwhelming choice for female turf Eclipse champion. In the context of the “new normal” for the program, however, there is every indication that 2015 could set new racetrack benchmarks.
As of mid-April 2015, New York-breds are off to their fastest start in graded stakes in recent memory, with five graded stakes wins so far this year. New York-breds also collected five graded victories by mid-April of 2012, but with a preponderance of Grade 3s over Grade 2s. In 2015 it is the other way around, with a Grade 1 score thrown in for good measure.
Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s International Star, who sits atop the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard, accounts for three graded wins: the Grade 3 LeComte Stakes (1/17), Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes (2/21) and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby (3/28).
Upstart, another of New York’s three top-achieving Kentucky Derby-minded sophomores, delivered a tour de force performance to win the Grade 2 Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes (1/24). But for a controversial disqualification for interference, Upstart would have also carried away the prize in the Grade 2 Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth Stakes after crossing the finish line first by a decisive 2 3/4 lengths (2/21).
Finally, Princess Violet gave the New York-bred population its first Grade 1 victory well ahead of schedule this year with a determined half-length score in the Grade 1 Madison Stakes for fillies and mares at Keeneland on April 4.
While has become a matter of course for Empire-breds to collect four or five Grade 1 wins in the course of the year, we usually have to get much deeper into the racing calendar before the first, which usually comes at Saratoga or Del Mar.
New York-bred graded win tallies through mid-April (2010-2015):
| Grade 3 | Grade 2 | Grade 1 | Total | Earliest G1 win by a NY-Bred | |
| 2015 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | April 4 |
| 2014 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | August 21 |
| 2013 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | August 172 |
| 2012 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | August 253 |
| 2011 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | June 114 |
| 2010 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | July 45 |
1 Palace, Alfred G. Vanderbilt H, Saratoga.
2 Discreet Marq, Del Mar Oaks, Del Mar
3 Willy Beamin, Foxwoods King’s Bishop Stakes, Saratoga
4 Mission Approved, Woodford Reserve Manhattan H., Belmont Park, Belmont Day
5 Franny Freud, Prioress, Belmont Park
In short, New York-breds are off to a roaring start in graded stakes competition this year. Moreover, the pattern of the last three years says that even before the meat of the racing season begins, i.e. from the Kentucky Derby forward, Empire-breds will be able to pad their graded winnings.
For the last three years New York-breds have picked up either two or three graded victories in late April / early May. In fact, there are two opportunities coming up just this weekend. On Saturday graded stakes winner La Verdad will defend her title in the Grade 2 Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct in her 5-year-old debut, and multiple stakes placed Warrioroftheroses throws his hat into the (bull-) ring for the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic.
We’ll take the first Saturday in May as another G 1!