OBS March 2024 Pedigree Selections

Taking a look at some intriguing pedigrees

I’ve spent the last few weeks digging deep into the OBS March catalog, and with the breeze show beginning March 6th, soon we’ll have some physical observations to go along with the pedigree prep work. Today, I’d like to highlight a few of the pedigrees that I found noteworthy. These are not necessarily my top selections in the sale, as they are not taking conformation or vet work into account, but are horses I felt were worth taking the time to talk about in this space. They range from horses that will likely bring six-digit sales prices to those I think could slip under the radar.

Hip 222 - f. Practical Joke x Fierce Scarlett (Scat Daddy)

I have to begin with this filly, as while the sample size is still small, this sire line cross has been nothing short of remarkable to date. The cross of Practical Joke over Scat Daddy has exclusively produced stakes winners from seven starters, all in Chile, where both stallions are quite dominant. Four of those starters are G1 winners, and only two of those seven are full siblings. Four of them, including the set of siblings, are out of second or third dams by sons of Gone West, as this filly is. In ten additional starters on the Into Mischief/Scat Daddy cross, there are two more stakes winners - Into Mischief’s graded stakes winner Mutasaabeq, and Goldencents’ Jackpot Baby, who is out of a Scat Daddy second dam. While these numbers are sure to come back down to a reasonable level with more starters, it’s hard to deny that there’s some kind of benefit to crossing Into Mischief, and particularly Practical Joke, with daughters of Scat Daddy.

That is not the only appeal of this filly, however. Her dam was a winner at two going 8 1/2 furlongs on the turf, and was 3/4 of a length away from a black type placing when finishing fourth in the G2 Jessamine Stakes behind future G1 winner Concrete Rose. Following that effort, she was beaten a neck in a mile allowance optional claiming race on the turf by Itsmyluckycharm, who would win two stakes races that year. In her following race, she’d be defeated two lengths by Sorrentina Lemon, who finished second in a stakes race in her next start. Although Fierce Scarlett was unable to win another race, and had multiple extended breaks in her career, she kept good company in her career and was a consistent runner up until her final start. This filly is her first foal.

Hip 222’s third dam, She Won’t Tell, is a full sister to Affirmed, the damsire of Into Mischief’s sire Harlan’s Holiday. The cross of Affirmed over She Won’t Tell has been tried ten times in total, four times with the direct tail-female line, and Harlan’s Holiday himself has a stakes winner from She Won’t Tell’s tail-female line. It may be worth noting that that stakes winner, Golden Delicious, was out of a second dam by Into Mischief’s damsire Clever Trick.