Cover image courtesy of Yarraman Park Stud
The Phipps family’s Personal Ensign (USA) (Private Account {USA}) line continues to be so highly-regarded within North American circles that it remains hard enough to get into on the sporadic occasions that it becomes available in the Northern Hemisphere. It is rarer still when it comes to the Australasian market, meaning that the presence of Lot 210, a filly by Lope De Vega (Ire) out of Peace Parade (USA) (War Front {USA}) from Yarraman Park Stud, at Inglis this weekend offers an opportunity of real international significance.
Years of planning
The filly’s place in Inglis Easter is the result of several years of global planning by American breeder Craig Bernick of Glen Hill Farm. Bernick took over the reins of the Florida-based Glen Hill from his grandfather Leonard Lavin in 2008.
Lavin raced his first horse in 1967 and over the next few decades enjoyed great success as the breeder and/or owner of the likes of influential sire Relaunch (USA), his G1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff-winning daughter One Dreamer (USA) and G1 winner Convenience (USA) (Fleet Nasrullah {USA}).
Bernick has since built on those foundations by operating with an international eye, in several instances through targeting representatives of various blue hen families. Peace Parade, the dam of Lot 210, is one such example as is Notting Hill (Pierro), a granddaughter of Shantha’s Choice (Canny Lad) who is responsible for Bernick’s other Easter offering in Lot 186, a filly by I Am Invincible.
Lot 210 - Lope de Vega (Ire) x Peace Parade (USA) (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Bernick is also partners with John Camilleri in Sounds Of Heaven (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), a Group 1-placed granddaughter of multiple Group 1 producer Beauty Is Truth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who is now with Joe Pride, while over in France, there is Les Pavots (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}) to look forward to with trainer Francis-Henri Graffard.
A half-sister to G1 Cox Plate hero Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Les Pavots is a great-granddaughter of Urban Sea (USA) (Miswaki {USA}) and lived up to her illustrious heritage last season by winning the G2 Prix du Calvados at Deauville and running third in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac.
Where it all began
“I grew up a little around horses, though it was more about seeing them during the school holidays and then going to races,” says Bernick. “But I grew up with the pedigree books more.
“My grandfather raced his first horse in 1967 and had been breeding from his own families and stallions after that. When I took over in 2008, our pedigrees had become a bit tired and so we started buying some yearlings.”
“My grandfather raced his first horse in 1967 and had been breeding from his own families and stallions after that. When I took over in 2008, our pedigrees had become a bit tired and so we started buying some yearlings.” - Craig Bernick
Among the first wave of yearling acquisitions was Marketing Mix (Can) (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}), a US$150,000 (AU$227,800) purchase who won a pair of Group 1 races and over US$2 million.
“We became more international about seven or eight years ago, and that is where we’re really focussing right now,” he says. “I think with those deep families, when a good horse comes up, they’re usually really good. Especially on turf. So we’re trying to buy into the best pedigrees that we can and kind of hope from there.”
“... we’re trying to buy into the best pedigrees that we can and kind of hope from there.” - Craig Bernick
Powerful families, of course, rarely lose their momentum. Crucially, they also tend to translate across the globe.
Lope De Vega, worldwide appeal
In the case of the Peace Parade filly, bred like Lot 186 under the Armitage Bloodstock banner, there is the familiarity of her sire Lope De Vega to appeal to an Australian audience. Lope De Vega shuttled to Patinack Farm from 2011 to 2014, during which time he left behind the Group 1 winners Gytrash, Santa Ana Lane, Vega Magic and Vega One.
Gallery: Australian-bred Group 1 winners by Lope De Vega (Ire)
Today, the son of Shamardal (USA) is a permanent resident of Ballylinch Stud in Ireland, where a fee of €125,000 (AU$240,200) reflects a stud record of 125 stakes winners, various successful sire sons and an emerging record as a broodmare sire that is currently highlighted by the high-class European 2-year-olds Persian Force (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and The Ridler (GB) (Brazen Beau).
Three fillies by the sire are catalogued to Easter; in addition to the Peace Parade filly, they comprise of Lot 49 out of Gone Glimmering (USA) (Tapiture {USA}) and Lot 67 out of Hint Of Pink (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}).
The importance of the female family
“I last saw this filly last April,” says Bernick. “She’s a beautiful filly - a quality Lope De Vega. I know it can be important for female families or their sires to be at least from the geography you’re selling into.
“Obviously she’s by Lope De Vega, an European sire, and from an American family but I thought it would work for Australia because the female family is so good.
“There’s many, many female champions in there. The third dam My Flag was a two-year-old champion and she foaled Storm Flag Flying, a two-year-old champion and a sister to (granddam) On Parade. It’s just a very, very good pedigree. And of course Lope De Vega has done well in Australia as well.”
“... I thought it (Lot 210's pedigree) would work for Australia because the female family is so good. There’s many, many female champions in there.” - Craig Bernick
The filly is the second foal out of the unraced Peace Parade following a retained 3-year-old Kentucky-bred Candy Ride (USA) filly named Streeterville (USA).
“We bought Peace Parade as a yearling,” says Bernick. “She showed a lot of talent but got hurt and never ran. She had a Candy Ride filly in Kentucky and the second year we bred her, she didn’t get in foal.
“We sent a couple of mares into Europe to breed to Southern Hemisphere time - I was just looking to get some horses into Australia to try and bring some different pedigrees into that market - and she was one of them. We got her in foal to Lope De Vega and sent her down.”
Craig Bernick | Image courtesy of Keeneland
The line is most easily associated with the Phipps family, in whose hands it has thrived for over 60 years. It was back in 1963 that Ogden Phipps dipped into Argentina to purchase Peace Parade’s fifth dam Dorine (Arg) (Aristophanes {GB}). She had been a star in her native country, winning 11 of 23 starts and approximately US$150,000 (AU$227,800) in earnings, then a record for an Argentinean mare.
“I bought several expensive mares but the one I wanted the most, Dorine, was really not very expensive,” Phipps recalled in a story for Spur. “In South America, she was something, the greatest. You ask (trainers) Angel Penna or Horatio Luro about her and they throw up their hands in exclamation.”
Horse of a lifetime, Personal Ensign
Dorine was sent to Claiborne Farm in Kentucky and latterly bred to resident stallion Hoist The Flag (USA). The outcome was a minor-winning filly named Grecian Banner (USA) who was retained and sent repeatedly to Phipps’ homebred stallion Private Account (USA); the first foal, a colt, was Group 1 winner Personal Flag (USA) and the third was Personal Ensign (USA).
Personal Ensign’s racing career coincided with the arrival of Claude ‘Shug’ McGaughey as trainer to the Phipps family. The stable had run through several uncharacteristically quiet years but McGaughey’s appointment signalled an upturn in fortunes, for which Personal Ensign was a key player.
An unbeaten juvenile campaign was capped by a win in the G1 Frizette S. and despite fracturing a hind pastern during a pre-Breeders’ Cup work later that year, she returned successfully to rattle off Group 1 wins in the Beldame S. (twice), Shuvee H., Hempstead H., Whitney H., Maskette S. and Breeders’ Cup Distaff, in which she ran down the G1 Kentucky Derby heroine Winning Colors (USA) (Caro {Fr}) to win in the shadow of the wire. She retired unbeaten in 13 starts - indeed, she was the first American horse to retire unbeaten since Colin (USA) eighty years earlier.
Not only that, Personal Ensign became an outstanding producer. Her first foal, Miner’s Mark (USA), won the G1 Jockey Club Cup. Her second, Our Emblem (USA), was Group 1-placed and later sired Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem (USA) while a later colt, Traditionally (USA), won the G1 Oaklawn Handicap.
Meanwhile, among her fillies, My Flag (USA) (Easy Goer {USA}) won four Group 1 races including the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies; seven years later her daughter Storm Flag Flying (USA) (Storm Cat {USA}) emulated her dam by landing the 2002 edition, thereby sealing an unprecedented run of three Breeders’ Cup heroines in as many generations.
Peace Parade is out of Storm Flag Flying’s Group 3-placed sister On Parade (USA) (Storm Cat {USA}), who has also done her bit for the family as the dam of G2 Dixie S. winner Parading (USA), Group 2-placed Protesting (USA) (A.P. Indy {USA}), in turn the dam of dual Group 3 winner Performing (USA) (Speightstown {USA}), and Group 3-placed Parade (USA) (Tapit {USA}).
“It’s such a good family,” says Bernick. “I assume it is going to appeal to owner-breeders. This filly’s dam is by War Front, the second dam On Parade is by Storm Cat and the third dam My Flag is a champion daughter of Easy Goer.
The appeal for Australians
“They’re all world-class sires and its a pedigree completely free of Danehill, which I think is a big help for Australia. Physically, she looks like a good filly who can run, but down the road she’s also open to any stallion there.”
“... its (Lot 210) a pedigree completely free of Danehill, which I think is a big help for Australia. Physically, she looks like a good filly who can run, but down the road she’s also open to any stallion there.”- Craig Bernick
Meanwhile, Bernick’s other filly on offer, Lot 186, also possesses excellent connections as a granddaughter of Redoute’s Choice’s accomplished sister Monsoon Wedding (Danehill), a Group 2-placed mare who foaled G3 winner Precious Lorraine (Encosta De Lago) among five stakes horses.
The daughter of I Am Invincible is the third foal out of Notting Hill, a two-time winner in four starts for Kris Lees who was originally purchased by Bernick in partnership with John Sikura of Hill ’n’ Dale Farm for $950,000 at the 2018 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. Bernick subsequently bought out his partner at US$700,000 (AU$1.063 million) at Keeneland in November 2019 and Notting Hill returned to Australia.
“That’s a great family too,” says Bernick. “She’s completely Australian from one of the best families they have. John Sikura and I bought Notting Hill in Australia at the conclusion of her racing career.
“When we had our dispersal, she was in foal to War Front and I bought out John. That War Front filly (Maroon Bells) won on debut over 5f at Gulfstream Park but got hurt in her second start.
Lot 186 - I Am Invincible x Notting Hill (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
“I’m comfortable having an operation in the US, Europe and Australia and I was keen to get Notting Hill back down there. We sold a nice I Am Invincible filly last year out of her (for $400,000 to Annabel Neasham and Blandford Bloodstock) and this filly is very nice too.”
He adds: “It’s a global business. For years, many American buyers never went anywhere else to buy, although that’s starting to change now. But so many people come to Kentucky to shop at our sales - European, Australian, South American, Japanese, Middle Eastern buyers. Everyone comes to Kentucky.
America, Europe and now Australia
“Our family have been in racing for a long time. We had a lot of turf horses and I really thought it was kind of time to expand internationally, firstly into Europe. And it was by doing more in Europe that introduced me into Australia - so many of the people that we do business with in Europe also do a lot of business in Australia.”
“... I really thought it was kind of time to expand internationally, firstly into Europe. And it was by doing more in Europe that introduced me into Australia - so many of the people that we do business with in Europe also do a lot of business in Australia.” - Craig Bernick
In addition to the American operation, Bernick maintains a broodmare band of around 15 in Europe to go with the mares based in Australia. The Australian racing side also has the potential to blossom in the near future through Sounds Of Heaven.
A 650,000gns (AU$1.311 million) Tattersalls October Book 1 graduate, the daughter of Kingman (GB) is out of a Galileo (Ire) sister to Group 1 winners Hydrangea (Ire), Hermosa (Ire) and The United States (Ire) and added further to the family last season by winning the Listed Michael Seely Memorial Fillies S. at York for Jessica Harrington. She was also third to Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot.
“The market in Australia is really driven by racing,” says Bernick. “People are going racing, they’re betting on it, and that is going back to the industry. It all stems from racing, which is a healthy place to be in.
“People (in Australia) are going racing, they’re betting on it, and that is going back to the industry. It all stems from racing, which is a healthy place to be in.” - Craig Bernick
“I kept a piece of a couple of yearlings that we sold and then I have Sounds Of Heaven with John Camilleri. She had her two runs at two in Europe, which were really good (she won at Leopardstown on her second start), and then four runs last year when she won a Listed race and was third in the Coronation.
“We kept waiting for the ground to be good for her and it never was. John was keen to get her to Australia. Obviously the prizemoney is so good down there and she’s a stakes winner with Group 1 form in Europe. So I thought why not?”
In Europe, Les Pavots is being prepared for her 3-year-old campaign while in the US, hopes run high that classy homebred Aspen Grove (USA) (Justify {USA}) can add further Group 1 wins to her record. The Justify (USA) filly was sent out by Fozzy Stack to win last year’s G1 Belmont Oaks Invitational at Belmont Park and is now under the care of Jack Sisterson.
“Les Pavots returned to Chantilly at the beginning of March,” says Bernick of the filly who is owned in partnership with Haras d’Etreham. “I’ve never had a horse improve from run to run like she did last year.
“We gave her a long break after the Breeders’ Cup (Juvenile Fillies Turf), where the 14 post probably didn’t help. She’s the type of horse who should come to hand early. She’s from the Urban Sea family, probably the best out there, and she’s exciting.
“Aspen Grove is going to run at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks day in the Modesty Stakes. If that goes well, hopefully we’ll run in the Grade (Group) 1 New York S.”
For now, however, the focus is on Inglis Easter. Bernick will be in attendance and once Sunday is done and dusted, he isn’t ruling out swapping roles.
“It’s exciting,” he says. “They’re two nice fillies to sell. And if that first day goes well, maybe we’ll give some of the money back on the second day - we’ll see what happens.”
