By B. Jason Brooks

With Saratoga Sale grad Flightline fresh in the minds of potential buyers for this year’s Fasig-Tipton sale, yearlings from Phipps female families will again be in high demand.

This year’s Saratoga Sale features 15 yearlings from Phipps families, including 6 colts and 9 fillies.  In addition to their winning Phipps families, they are sired by elite stallions, including Curlin, Into Mischief, Justify, Uncle Mo, and Quality Road, among others.

At the sale last year, yearlings from Phipps families did well, with 14 selling for a total of $6.6 million or an average of $472,500, including two $1 million colts, both by Into Mischief.

Phipps families represented this year include those of Phipps foundation mares Baby League (2), Big Hurry (2), Businesslike (2), and Belle Histoire (1), all tail-female lines descending from imported French mare La Troienne. These families have produced an impressive 7 classic winners, including: Kentucky Derby winners Sea Hero (family of Big Hurry), Smarty Jones (family of Baby League), and Super Saver (family of Baby League), Preakness Stakes winners Personality (family of Big Hurry), Prairie Bayou (family of Businesslike), and Smarty Jones, and Belmont Stakes winners Easy Goer (family of Big Hurry) and Essential Quality (family of Baby League).

Other elite Phipps families represented in the Saratoga Sale also include: Lady Be Good branch of Helvetia (2); Hopefully branch of White Favor (2); Personal Ensign branch of Dorine (ARG) (1); High Voltage branch of Erin (1); Smuggler branch of Grey Flight (1); and, the Educated Risk branch of Grey Flight (1).

The boutique Saratoga Sale has seen multiple recent graduates from Phipps families go on win grade 1 races, including undefeated 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline, 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Sharing, 2021 Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) winner Flagstaff, and 2021 American Oaks (G1) winner Queen Goddess.  (See the full list below.)

Horses from Phipps families have had a stellar year thus far in the U.S., represented by 25 graded stakes wins (listed here), including 6 grade 1 wins accomplished by Pretty Mischievous in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Acorn Stakes (G1), Forte in the Florida Derby (G1), Arabian Lion in the Woody Stephens (G1), Matareya in the Derby City Distaff (G1), and Exaulted in the Shoemaker Mile (G1). (Globally, horses representing Phipps families have won 14 grade 1 or group 1 races in top-tier IFHA Part I countries.)

This success comes on top of a very strong year in 2022, with horses from Phipps families winning 11 grade 1 races and a total of 40 graded stakes in the U.S. and Canada (listed here).  With 109 Grade 1 races ran in these countries last year, that’s more than 10 percent of them won by horses from Phipps families.

Below is the recent graded stakes-winning Saratoga Sale grads from Phipps families as well as the 15 yearlings in the sale this year.

RECENT GRADED STAKES-WINNING SARATOGA SALE GRADS FROM PHIPPS FEMALE FAMILIES

Flightline (KY) c, MG1W (Tapit – Feathered, by Indian Charlie): G1 Metropolitan H. (2022); G1 Malibu S. (2021), 2nd-6th dams are Phipps: Receipt / Finder’s Fee / Fantastic Find / Blitey / Lady Pitt, Consignor Lane’s End

Sharing (MD) m, G1W/MGSW (Speightstown – Shared Account, by Pleasantly Perfect): G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (2019); G2 Edgewood S. (2020), 5th-7th dams are Phipps: Leix / Bold Irish / Erin, Consignor Upson Downs Farm

Flagstaff (KY) g, G1W/MGSW (Speightstown – Indian Giving, by A.P. Indy): G1 Churchill Downs S. (2021); G2 San Carlos S. (2020); G3 Commonwealth S. (2021), 5th-8th dams are Phipps: Bravissimo / Batter Up / Striking / Baby League, Consignor Lane’s End

Queen Goddess (KY) f, G1W/MGSW (Empire Maker – Royal Story, by Lemon Drop Kid): G1 American Oaks (2021); G3 Santa Anita S. (2022); G3 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Inv. (2023), 2nd-7th dams are Phipps: Bauble / Just Reward / Heavenly Prize / Oh What A Dance / Blitey / Lady Pitt, Consignor Ballysax Bloodstock

Major Dude (KY) c, MGSW (Bolt d’Oro – Mary Rita, by Distorted Humor): G2 Penn Mile S. (2023); G3 Kitten’s Joy S. (2023); G2 Pilgrim S. (2022), 2nd – 5th dams: Possibility / Personal Ensign / Grecian Banner / Dorine (ARG), Consignor Taylor Made

Pink Sands (KY) m, MGSW (Tapit – Her Smile, by Include): G2 Inside Information S. (2020); G3 Rampart S. (2019), 6th-8th dams are Phipps: Diary / Narrative / Belle Histoire, Consignor KatieRich Farms

Tizamagician (KY) h, MGSW (Tiznow – Magic Union, by Dixie Union): G3 Tokyo City Cup S. (2021); G3 Cougar II S. (2021), 5th-10th dams are Phipps: Royal Dilemma / Queen Empress / Irish Jay / Irish Witch / Witchlike / Romanesque, Consignor Woodford Tb.

Thoughtfully (KY) f, GSW (Tapit – Pension, by Seeking the Gold): G2 Adirondack S. (2020), 1st-4th dams are Phipps: Pension / Furlough / Blitey / Lady Pitt, Consignor Gainesway

Jouster (KY) f, GSW (Noble Mission {GB} – Playtime, by Street Cry {IRE}): G2 Appalacian S. (2021), 1st-6th dams are Phipps: Playtime / Storm Flag Flying / My Flag / Personal Ensign / Grecian Banner / Dorine (ARG), Consignor Lane’s End

2023 FASIT-TIPTON SARATOGA SALE YEARLINGS FROM PHIPPS FEMALE FAMILIES

HIP #2 — b. f. (KY) 3/31/22 (Maclean’s Music – Baby Rags, by Union Rags), 8th – 9th dams: Hopefully / White Favor (Warrendale Sales, Barn 1)

HIP #13 — b. c. (KY) 5/2/22 (Uncle Mo – Canteen, by Candy Ride {Arg}), 4th – 7th dams: A Pretty Smile / Marking time / Allemande / Big Hurry (Taylor Made Sales, Barn 10)

HIP #24 — dkb. f. (KY) 3/1/22 (Omaha Beach – Complicated, by Blame), 1st – 6th dams: Complicated / Consequence / Educated Risk / Pure Profit / Clear Ceiling / Grey Flight (Indian Creek, Barn 6)

HIP #45 — gr/r. f. (KY) 4/11/22 (Blame – Fastbridled, by Unbridled’s Song), 2nd – 6th dams: Pennant Champion / Personal Ensign / Grecian Banner / Dorine (ARG) (Mill Ridge Sales, Barn 5)

HIP #60 — dkb. c. (KY) 2/20/22 (Munnings – Guilty Verdict, by Medaglia d’Oro), 1st – 6th dams: Guilty Verdict / Smuggler / Inside Information / Pure Profit / Clear Ceiling / Grey Flight (Taylor Made Sales, Barn 7B)

HIP #74 — b. c. (KY) 4/4/22 (Constitution – Icon Project, by Empire Maker), 5th – 6th dams: Searching / Big Hurry (Lane’s End, Barn 7C)

HIP #118 — dkb. f. (KY) 5/3/22 (Constitution – Nina Fever, by Borrego), 6th – 9th dams: Comic Relief / His Duchess / Businesslike (Hunter Valley Farm, Barn 2)

HIP #127 — b. f. (KY) 2/14/22 (Not This Time – Philanthropic, by Malibu Moon), 8th – 9th dams: Hopefully / White Favor (Taylor Made Sales, Barn 7B)

HIP #153 — b. f. (KY) 3/27/22 (Omaha Beach – Sconset, by Tapit), 4th – 10th dams: Get Lucky / Dance Number / Numbered Account / Intriguing / Glamour / Striking / Baby League (Four Star Sales, Barn 7C)

HIP #154 — b. c. (KY) 2/6/22 (Into Mischief – Seek and Destroy, by Verrazano), 2nd – 9th dams: Search and Seizure / Search Party / Deputation / Wedding Party / Betrothed / Vowed / Narrative / Belle Histoire (Indian Creek, Barn 6)

HIP #160 — dkb. f. (KY) 3/8/22 (Quality Road – Shoppers Return, by Put It Back), 4th – 7th dams: Impish / Lady Be Good / Past Eight / Helvetia (Taylor Made Sales, Barn 7B)

HIP #161 — b. f. (KY) 2/20/22 (Authentic – Sine Wave, by Big Brown), 4th – 9th dams: Private Seductress / In Full Cry / In Hot Pursuit / Lady Be Good / Past Eight / Helvetia (Mulholland Springs, Barn 4)

HIP #198 — ch. f. (KY) 2/18/22 (Curlin – Tooken, by Giant’s Causeway), 3rd – 9th dams: Oscillate / Dance Number / Numbered Account / Intriguing / Glamour / Striking / Baby League (Hill ‘n’ Dale, Barn 2)

HIP #214 — ch. c. (PA) 3/17/22 (Justify – Wembley, by Bernardini), 6th – 10th dams: Overpowering / High Voltage / Dynamo / Bransome / Erin (Warrendale Sales, Barn 1)

HIP #231 — dkb. c. (KY) 2/26/22 (Nyquist – Aspen Hilltop, by Bernardini), 6th – 10th dams: Rules of the Game / Open Hearing / Oak Cluster / Busanda / Businesslike (Taylor Made Sales, Barn 7B)

Photo: Flightline at the 2019 Saratoga Sale.

by B. Jason Brooks

Phipps Stable’s homebred Dreams of Tomorrow has shipped to Canada in seek of his first graded stakes win on Sunday, July 23rd in the grade 2 Connaught Cup Stakes, a seven-furlong turf race at Woodbine Racetrack with a purse of C$175,000.

The six-year-old Speightstown horse will break from post № 6 in a field of 10 with jockey Patrick Husbands aboard. Post time for the eighth race on the card is 4:48 pm Eastern.

Dreams of Tomorrow has 5 wins and 8 placings from 21 career starts, with earnings of nearly $350,000. He earned blacktype at the age of four for placing in the Henry S. Clark Stakes at Pimlico on the 2021 Preakness undercard. Among graded stakes company, he finished fourth in the grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga Race Course in 2021 and, most recently, fifth in the grade 3 Poker Stakes at Belmont Park last month.

He experienced a significant setback that delayed the start of his five-year-old campaign last year due to some bone-bruising that forced a nine-month layoff. Since his return last September, he has two wins, both allowance optional claiming races, with one at Tampa Bay Downs in December 2022 and the most recent at Belmont Park in May of this year.

Dreams of Tomorrow is the first foal out of Medaglia d’Oro mare Sabbatical, from the Get Lucky branch of Phipps foundation mare Baby League. Get Lucky, by Mr. Prospector, is the ancestress of Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, as well as grade 1 winners Bluegrass Cat, Callback, Chocolate Gelato, Girolamo, Got Lucky, and Imagining. Get Lucky’s juvenile great granddaughter Pipit recently broke her maiden in the listed Victoria Stakes at Woodbine on July 16th.

Photo: Dreams of Tomorrow in the 2021 Lure Stakes at Saratoga. ©Phipps Stable Fan

by B. Jason Brooks

PHIPPS STABLE’s homebred filly Surprisingly is seeking her second graded stakes win in the 57th running of the grade 3 Matchmaker Stakes on Saturday, July 22nd at Monmouth Park. Winner of the grade 3 Endeavour Stakes in February at Tampa Bay Downs, she has since placed in the grade 2 Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa in March, grade 3 Beaugay Stakes at Belmont Park in May, and grade 3 Eatontown Stakes at Monmouth Park in June.

The four-year-old Mastery filly enters the race tied with stablemate Personal Best for the second shortest odds in the field at 3-1, with the favorite being Klaravich Stables’ Chad Brown-trained Consumer Spending at 5-2. With a purse of $300,000, the Matchmaker Stakes is the fifth race on Monmouth Park’s Haskell undercard and has a post time of 1:52 pm Eastern.

Jockey Paco Lopez retains the mount with Surprisingly breaking from outside post № 7. The Monmouth meet’s leading jockey guided Surprisingly to a win in her career debut as a juvenile at Monmouth as well as her Endeavour Stakes victory at Tampa this year.

While Hall of Fame trainer Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey is seeking his first career Matchmaker win, Ogden Phipps’s champion Buckpasser mare Numbered Account won the race in 1972 at Atlantic City Race Course, with jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. aboard for trainer Roger Laurin. The win declaration came after a lengthy ten-minute inquiry and the stewards ultimately disqualifying first-place finisher Alma North for having drifted in and out in the stretch to “intimidate” her foes after tiring under jockey Michael Hole, according to the New York Times.

Surprisingly has a career record of four wins and four placings from ten starts, with earnings of $276,950. Her dam Vagabond is a half-sister to graded-stakes winner Great Island and she’s from a prominent Phipps female family that traces back to foundation mare Our Country Place, a daughter of multiple grade 1 winner Maplejinsky. The family includes grade 1 winners Guarana, Pine Island, Pleasant Home, and Point of Entry, the latter three Phipps homebreds.

By B. Jason Brooks

Phipps Stable’s partnership-owned stakes winner Perform is ending a two-month layoff after finishing sixth in the grade 1 Preakness Stakes last time out.  The Good Magic colt is entered for the $135,000 Curlin Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Friday, July 21st, a mile-and-an-eighth prep race for the meet’s marquee Travers Stakes on August 26th.

Perform broke his maiden in March at Tampa Bay Downs, putting in a bold bid three wide around the far turn before kicking clear in the stretch for a two and three-quarter length victory.  His Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey credited the longer distance and jockey for the win, stating, “[e]verything came together when we ran him two turns over at Tampa with Irad (Ortiz Jr.). Irad kind of schooled him a little bit and got him to relax behind those horses and he finished up really good.”

He followed up his maiden win with a victory in the Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park in April.  After stumbling at the start, he regrouped and settled in. He dramatically dove to an opening on the inside heading to the sixteenth pole and then altered out in the deep stretch to surge at the wire and win by head. 

Last time out, he dove into deep waters for the classic grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in May .  Racing off of the pace in the first turn and down the backstretch, he was urged in the far turn, going five wide, but had nothing left once hitting the stretch to finish sixth.

Since the Preakness, Perform has put in a steady series of workouts, including a four-furlong bullet on June 17th at Belmont over the dirt in 46.93 seconds.

Jockey Jose Ortiz will be aboard Perform for a second time, having finished fourth aboard him in a maiden special weight back in January at Gulfstream Park, a race won by eventual Kentucky Derby winner Mage.    

Owned in partnership by Woodford Racing, Lanes End Farm, Phipps Stable, Ken Langone and Edward J. Hudson, Jr., he was purchased at the Keeneland September 2021 sale for $230,000.  His granddam is a half-sibling to sires Into Mischief and Mendelssohn and four-time champion Beholder.

by B. Jason Brooks

HALL OF FAME trainer Claude “Shug” McGaughey is seeking his third consecutive win of the grade 3 Eatontown Stakes on Saturday, June 17 at Monmouth Park.  He won the mile and a sixteenth turf race with Phipps Stable’s Vigilantes Way in 2021 and Annette Allen’s Stolen Holiday last year.

His entry this year is Phipps Stable’s homebred four-year-old filly Surprisingly, winner of the grade 3 Endeavour Stakes in February at Tampa Bay Downs, her only previous graded stakes win.  Since then, she has placed in the grade 2 Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa in March and the grade 3 Beaugay Stakes at Belmont Park last month.

Her morning-line 7-2 odds are tied for the second shortest in the field.  The race favorite is Peter Brant’s grade 1-winning Machmer Hall-bred Gina Romantica at 3-1.  The Eatontown Stakes is Race 11 on the Monmouth card and has a post time of 5:12 pm Eastern.

Surprisingly has a career record of four wins and three placings from nine starts, with earnings of nearly $250,000.  Among her six career turf starts, she has three wins and one placing.  She earned her fastest career Beyer speed figure of 90 in both of previous two starts in which she placed in graded stakes races.

Jockey Paco Lopez will be aboard Surprisingly for the Eatontown.  The Mexico native rode Surprisingly to her career debut win as a three-year-old at Monmouth as well as her graded-stakes victory this year.  He also guided Vigilantes Way to victory in her Eatontown victory two years ago.  A month into the Monmouth meet, Mr. Lopez is currently the New Jersey track’s leading jockey with 25 wins and a 31 percent winning percentage.  He has won the meet’s jockey title nine times.

Surprisingly is out of the McGaughey-trained Arch mare Vagabond, who is a half-sister to graded-stakes winner Great Island.  Prior to Surprisingly’s start last month, Mr. McGaughey stated “It’s always special to try and win one for the Phipps family…  [Surprisingly has] a great pedigree on the bottom side, some of which we’ve had. Vagabond had some little problems that got in her way or she would have been better than her record shows. I think she’s going to make a really nice broodmare.”

Surprisingly is sired by Claiborne Farm stallion Mastery and her female family traces back to Phipps foundation mare Our Country Place, acquired by Ogden Phipps in 1993.  A daughter of multiple grade 1 winner Maplejinsky and a half sibling of Triple Tiara winner Sky Beauty, Our Country Place is the ancestress of grade 1 winners Guarana, Pine Island, Pleasant Home, and Point of Entry.

Video: Surprisingly winning the grade 3 Endeavour Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on February 4, 2023. (Jockeys helmets are required to match the color of their saddle towels at Tampa, hence the white cap with the sold black silks.)

by B. Jason Brooks

Phipps Stable’s homebred Dreams of Tomorrow is returning to graded stakes company for the first time since 2021 on Saturday, June 10th in the 37th running of the grade 3 Poker Stakes, a $200,000 turf race on the Belmont Stakes undercard for ages four years and older covering one mile.

The 6-year-old Speightstown horse will break from post № 4 in a field of 7 with jockey Manuel Franco retraining the mount. Mr. Franco was aboard for his last race, a two-length victory in an $80,000 allowance optional claiming race on May 11th at Belmont Park covering a mile and a sixteenth over the turf. Post time for the fifth race on the card is 1:44 pm Eastern.

From 20 career starts, he has 5 wins and has finished among the top three 13 times, with earnings of more than $340,000. He has had success on the turf at Belmont Park, winning twice and finishing runner-up once from three starts. He earned black type at the age of four, placing in the listed Henry S. Clark Stakes at Pimlico on the 2021 Preakness undercard. His only career start among graded stakes company came in September that year, finishing fourth in the grade 2 Bernard Baruch Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

According to his Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, the start of his five-year-old campaign last year was delayed after he experienced some bone-bruising that took a long time to heal, forcing a layoff of more than nine-months. Since his return, he has won twice from five starts, both wins coming in allowance optional claiming races.

Dreams of Tomorrow is the first foal out of Medaglia d’Oro mare Sabbatical, from the Get Lucky branch of Baby League / La Troienne, one of the most attractive families in the stud book. The family includes grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver as well as grade 1 winners Bluegrass Cat, Callback, Dance Number, Frost Giant, Girolamo, Got Lucky, Numbered Account, Private Account, Rhythm, and Phipps-bred sires Not for Love and Polish Numbers.

Photo: Dreams of Tomorrow in the 2021 Lure Stakes at Saratoga.
©Phipps Stable Fan

Phipps homebred Bakers Bay has reinvented himself as a shorter-distance runner and will face a tough challenge in the $350,000, grade 3 Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland on Saturday, April 8.  At five and a half furlongs over the turf, the race will be the shortest distance race of his career.

After finishing off of the board in stakes action at the ages of 5 and 6 at longer distances, he has been cut back this year to shorter distance races of six-and-a-half furlong races.  His pedigree has had success at shorter distances, with his sire More Than Ready as well as his second and third dams each having won multiple graded stakes races at distances of six to seven furlongs.

The Shakertown Stakes is the fourth start of his 7-year-old campaign.  He was runner up in a pair of allowance optional claiming races over the all-weather track at Turfway in January and February, earning 93 Beyer speed figures in each.  He easily won his March start there, also over the all-weather track, a race that earned him his highest career Beyer of 95. Joe Talamo, his winning jockey last time out, retains the mount for the Shakertown.

Baker’s Bay’s is a seventh-generation Phipps homebred, from the family of La Troienne’s daughter Big Hurry, acquired by Ogden Phipps in 1946 from Col. E.R. Bradley’s Idle Hour Stock Farm.  His first four dams—Abaco (Giant’s Causeway), Cat Cay (Pleasant Colony), Cadillacing (Alydar), and Relaxing (Buckpasser)—are grade 1 and/or multiple graded stakes winners.

In addition to Bakers Bay’s recent win, Phipps Stable has had some nice wins in the first quarter of the year: Surprisingly (Mastery), a homebred 4-year-old filly, won the G3 Eatontown Stakes; 3-year-old colt Clever Thought (Quality Road), owned in partnership with Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, broke his maiden at second asking; and, 3-year-old colt Perform, owned in partnership with Woodford Racing, Lane’s End Farm, Ken Langone, and Edward Hudson, Jr., also broke his maiden.

Those old Phipps bloodlines continued winning at the highest levels in 2022, finding the winners’ circle in 11 Grade 1 races and a total of 40 graded stakes races in the U.S. and Canada.  This was accomplished by 24 different horses from 11 different Phipps families. With 109 Grade 1 races ran in these countries in 2022, that’s more than 10 percent of them being won by horses from Phipps female families. (Click here an up-to-date list for 2023.)

Below is a summary of the graded stakes winners by Phipps family followed by a comprehensive list of the winners, the graded stakes races they won, and the Phipps mares in their tail-female lines.

The most successful Phipps female family of the year was that of La Troienne mare Baby League.  The family had an ultra-impressive 5 Grade 1 wins and a total of 17 graded stakes wins. These successful horses include Chocolate Gelato, Forte, Golden Pal, Lady Speightspeare, and Shirl’s Speight, all of which have won at least one Grade l race at some point in their careers, as well as Becca Taylor, Glass Ceiling, and Ready for the Lady.

Descendants of Phipps foundation mare Lady Pitt won 6 graded stakes races, represented by Grade 1 winners Flightline and Queen Goddess and new graded stakes winner Cellist. 

Two Phipps families had 3 graded stakes wins in 2022. Phipps foundation mare Businesslike was respresented by Grade 1 winner Matareya winning 3 graded stakes victories. Big Hurry‘s descendant There Goes Harvard became a Grade 1 winner and Frosted Over and Princess Grace became multiple graded stakes winners. 

Four Phipps foundation mares were represented by two graded stakes wins on the year, including Dorine‘s descendant Dynamic One (bred by Phipps Stable) and Major Dude, both of whom scored their first career graded stakes wins. Phipps foundation mare Erin had descendants Sparkle Blue and Turnerloose earn their first graded victories.  Grey Flight‘s descendant Bella Sofia, a Grade 1 winner, added a pair of new graded stakes wins to her resume. Swizzlestick, a Phipps foundation mare foaled in the 1920s, was represented by Midnight Memories who also scored two graded stakes wins.

Finally, three additional Phipps families were represented with one graded stakes win each, with Helvetia’s descendant Howbeit earning his first graded stakes win, Cabbage Key‘s grandson Tiz the Bomb earning his second graded stakes win, and Dark Maiden’s descendent Fun to Dream earning her first graded stakes win, a Grade 1.

It’s also worth noting that this success was not limited to North America. When considering wins outside of the U.S. and Canada, an impressive 9 Group 1 races were won in top-tier Part I countries (as identified by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities), including England, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and New Zealand. The most notable of these winners is Alcohol Free (IRE), from the above-mentioned red-hot Phipps family of Baby League. She earned her fourth career Group 1 victory before being sold for US$6.7 million at the Tattersalls December sale.

2022 Graded Stakes Wins of Horses from Phipps Female Families and Group 1 Winners in Top-Tier Countries (PDF)

Phipps Stable maintained it’s multi-generational reputation for excellence in 2022, winning three stakes races, including a Grade 2, and co-owning a well-bred standout colt who has the right pedigree and team to be a Kentucky Derby contender in 2023.

From 50 starts (including partnership-owned horses), Phipps Stable won 7 races (14 percent) and finished among the top three in half (50 percent) of those races.  Earnings totaled $943,520.

Nearly half of the starts (24 races or 48 percent) were maiden special weight races, 7 (or 14 percent) were allowance optional claimers, 2 of them (or 4 percent) were allowance races, and 16 of them (or 32 percent) were stakes races.  

Stakes Races

Among the stakes races, Phipps Stable entries won 3 of them (19 percent) and finished among the top three in 9 of them (an impressive 56 percent).  

Four-year-old colt Dynamic One earned his breakthrough graded stakes win in the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban Stakes in July at Belmont after having won the listed $200,000 Blame Stakes in June at Churchill Downs. 

Before his Suburban win, Dynamic One had finished on the board in three graded stakes races. As a three-year-old, he was a close runner-up in the G2 Wood Memorial in April at Aqueduct. As a four-year-old, he took third in the G3 Challenger Stakes in March at Tampa and second in the G3 Ben Ali Stakes in April at Keeneland.

Bred by Phipps Stable, Dynamic One was purchased by Repole Stable and St. Elias Sable for $725,000 at the Keeneland 2019 September Yearling Sale. After the purchase, Phipps Stable accepted an offer to buy back into him and join his new owners as partners.

Sired by Lane’s End stallion Union Rags, Dynamic One hails from the great Phipps female line of Breeders’ Cup champions Personal Ensign, My Flag, and Storm Flag Flying.

Five-year-old Medaglia d’Oro mare Vigilantes Way won the listed $100,000 Violet Stakes in September at Monmouth Park, giving her wins at the ages of three, four, and five years old.  Her previous stakes wins include the G3 Eatontown Stakes and Miss Liberty Stakes – both at Monmouth Park – and the Tropical Park Oaks at Gulfstream Park.

Another descendent of Personal Ensign, Vigilantes Way is the fourth graded stakes winner out of Phipps mare Salute (Unbridled). Her half siblings include multiple Grade 1 winner Mr Speaker, Grade 3 winner Fire Away, and novice champion hurdler Snap Decision.

Also of note, three-year-old filly Surprisingly earned stakes-placed honors by finishing runner-up in the listed $100,000 Tropical Park Oaks in December at Gulfstream Park.  Surprisingly shows good promise, having been a debut winner for trainer Shug McGaughey as a juvenile and winning two allowance races earlier this year.

Surprisingly is by Claiborne Farm stallion Mastery and out of Arch mare Vagabond, from the Phipps family of Our Country Place who was acquired by Ogden Phipps in 1993. Our Country Place’s family—described by pedigree analyst Kaitlin Free “as one of the greatest in recent history”—includes Grade 1 winners Guarana, Pine Island, Pleasant Home, and Point of Entry.

Promising Juvenile Signator

As for the standout juvenile of 2022 (full roster here), partnership-owned Signator, a gray Tapit colt out of Phipps-bred Seeking the Gold mare Pension, broke his maiden at second asking, cruising to an easy four-and-a-half length win in October at Belmont.  The impressive win earned him a “Rising Star” declaration from the Thoroughbred Daily News, a designation given to those the publication identifies as likely future stakes winners and he has been identified as a potential contender for the Kentucky Derby in 2023.

Purchased for $1.7 million at the April 2022 Ocala Breeders Sale, Phipps Stable owns Signator in partnership with West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing, Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck), Ken Langone, Edward J. Hudson, Jr., and Lane’s End Racing.

Signator is out of Phipps-bred Seeking the Gold mare Pension who was sold to Gainesway at the Keeneland November 2008 Breeding Stock Sale and shares the same sire and Phipps female family as the sensational Flightline.

While it may have been a somewhat quiet year for Phipps Stable, the stakes results and a very promising juvenile from one of elite Phipps female families demonstrates that the iconic racing stable continues to succeed among the highest levels in Thoroughbred racing.

Photo: Graded stakes winner Vigilantes Way in the winners’ circle with jockey Paco Lopez at Monmouth Park after earning her four career stakes victory in September.

More Than 10% of Breeders’ Cup Entries are from Phipps Female Families or by Phipps Sires.

The Phipps Influence will be on full display at the 2022 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland, with 15 entries from Phipps female families and 3 by Phipps-bred sires. With a total of 177 entries (including “also eligibles”) among the 14 Breeders’ Cup races, that’s more than 10 percent having Phipps bloodlines. And this influence is spread throughout the Friday and Saturday cards, with 12 of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races featuring one or more of them.

A total of 9 different Phipps female families and 3 Phipps sires will be represented. Among them, the Striking branch of Baby League / La Troienne will have by far the most, with 7 entries. They include two-time Breeders’ Cup champion Golden Pal, Grade 1 winners Chocolate Gelato, Forte, Lady Speightspeare, and Shirl’s Speight, and graded stakes-placed Be Your Best and Shoplifter.

Eight other Phipps female families will be represented by Flightline (Phipps family of Lady Pitt), Aloha West (family of Marguerite de Valois (FR)), Chain of Love (family of Ten Cents A Dance), Flash of Mischief (family of Big Hurry), Major Dude (family of Dorine (ARG)), Mise En Scene (GB) (family of Miss Disco), Mo Stash (family of Businesslike), and Stone Age (IRE) (family of Belle Histoire).

Three entries will represent Phipps-bred sires, including Three Technique (Mr Speaker), O Besos (Orb), and multiple graded-stakes winner Red Knight (Pure Prize).

The significant number of Breeders’ Cup entries with Phipps bloodlines is reflective of an amazing year they’ve had so far. A total of 36 graded stakes races in the U.S. and Canada have been won by horses from Phipps female families, with 13 of them having Phipps mares among their first three dams.

As for Phipps-bred sires, their progeny have won 5 graded stakes races this year, including 4 in the U.S. and 1 in Japan, with the most notable being Point of Entry’s multiple graded-stakes winning millionaire Lotus Land.

Finally, this success has been experienced on a global scale, with 15 Grade/Group 1 wins so far this year. While 8 of them have occurred in the U.S. and Canada, the remaining 7 have come in England, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile (all “top tier” Part I countries as identified by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities).

With the Phipps bloodlines being so well represented the Breeders’ Cup, one can expect additional Grade 1 wins and for the impressive results to continue throughout the remainder of the year.

A version of this article by B. Jason Brooks originally appeared in the November 3, 2022 issue of Thoroughbred Daily News.

View the list as a PDF here.

2022 BREEDERS’ CUP ENTRIES FROM PHIPPS FEMALE FAMILIES OR BY PHIPPS-BRED SIRES

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4

Juvenile Fillies, $2 million, 3:40 pm

Chocolate Gelato (G1W, 2/f) 1st-10th dams are Phipps: Special Treat / Snooze / Daydreaming / Get Lucky / Dance Number / Numbered Account / Intriguing / Glamour / Striking / Baby League

Shoplifter (GSP, 2/f) 2nd-9th dams are Phipps: New Dice / Get Lucky / Dance Number / Numbered Account / Intriguing / Glamour / Striking / Baby League

Juvenile Fillies Turf, $1 million, 4:20 pm

Be Your Best (IRE) (GSP, 2/f) 5th-9th dams are Phipps: The Garden Club / Fashion Verdict / So Chic / Striking / Baby League

Juvenile, $2 million, 5:00 pm

Forte (MG1W, 2/c) 6th-9th dams are Phipps: Stolen Base / Bases Full / Striking / Baby League

Juvenile Turf, $1 million, 5:40 pm

Major Dude (GSW, 2/c) 2nd-5th dams: Possibility / Personal Ensign / Grecian Banner / Dorine (ARG)

Mo Stash (SP, 2/c) 5th-7th dams are Phipps: Finance / Busanda / Businesslike

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5

Filly & Mare Sprint, $1 million, 11:50 am

Chain of Love (JPN) (MSW, 5/m) 2nd-4th dams are Phipps: Palais Versailles / Versailles Treaty / Ten Cents A Dance

Turf Sprint, $1 million, 12:29 pm

Golden Pal (MG1W, 2020 & 2021 Breeders’ Cup Champion, 4/c) 6th-9th dams are Phipps: Artist and Model / My Boss Lady / Striking / Baby League

Dirt Mile, $1 million, 1:10 pm

Three Technique (MGSP, 5/h) by Mr Speaker

Filly & Mare Turf, $2 million, 1:50 pm

Lady Speightspeare (G1W/MGSW, 4/f) 5th-8th dams are Phipps: Brilliantly / Glamour / Striking / Baby League

Mise En Scene (GB) (GSW, 3/f) 5th-6th dams are Phipps: Foolish One / Miss Disco

Sprint, $2 million, 2:30 pm

Aloha West (G1W, 2021 Breeders’ Cup Champion, 5/h) 8th-10th dams are Phipps: Boldness / Hostility / Marguerite de Valois (FR)

Flash of Mischief (GSP, 4/c) 7th-8th dams: Searching / Big Hurry

O Besos (MGSP, 4/c) by Orb

Mile, $2 million, 3:10 pm

Shirl’s Speight (G1W/MGSW, 5/h) 5th-8th dams: Brilliantly / Glamour / Striking / Baby League

Turf, $4 million, 4:40 pm

Red Knight (MGSW, 8/g) by Pure Prize

Stone Age (IRE) (GSW, 3/c) 5th-7th dams: Diary / Narrative / Belle Histoire

Classic, $6 million, 5:40 pm

Flightline (MG1W, 4/c) 2nd-6th dams: Receipt / Finder’s Fee / Fantastic Find / Blitey / Lady Pitt

Photo: Flightline and jockey Flavien Pratt at Santa Anita Park after winning the G1 Malibu Stakes by 11 1/2 lengths.