In industrial phrases, the winners of final weekend’s Kentucky Derby (G1) trials represented—to borrow a phrase from Joni Mitchell—”the breadth of extremities.”
At one finish we now have the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) victor Plutarch and Sam F. Davis Stakes captor Renegade , each by seven-time main 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 buy Renegade out of graded stakes winner Spice Is Good , herself a daughter of grade 1 scorer Dame Dorothy .
On the different finish of the industrial scale comes a duo from the primary crop of a pair of stallions at the moment standing for simply $5,000. One is the Withers Stakes winner, New York-bred Speak to Me Jimmy , a son of Modernist , and the opposite Silent Tactic , profitable within the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3), and by Tacitus .
Speak to Me Jimmy
Speak to Me Jimmy, who realized $31,000 on the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, had solely run twice earlier than the Withers Stakes, a race through 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 an analogous race at Aqueduct by 5 1/2 lengths Nov. 9.
Modernist, a son of Uncle Mo who stands at Darby Dan Farm, received three of 11 begins over three seasons. Like Speak to Me Jimmy, Modernist tallied on the Highway to the Derby, taking the 2020 Risen Star Stakes (G2), and ending third within the Louisiana Derby (G2). At 4, he added one other graded stakes success within the Excelsior Stakes (G3).Join BloodHorse Each day
Speak to Me Jimmy’s dam, Prairie Journey, a daughter of Trippi, was an especially sturdy performer making 56 begins over 5 seasons, profitable 10 occasions, though solely at a modest stage, ending her profession scoring in a $4,000 claiming occasion at Delaware Park. She is, nevertheless, a half sister to a different stakes producer in Russian River, whose son Marckie’s Water captured the 2019 Charles Whittingham Stakes (G2T). There’s nothing of actual be aware beneath the third dam, the Storm Hen mare Regular Gaze, however she is a half sister to Price Avenue, profitable within the 1989 Tempted Stakes (G3), and to Saxon Shore, third dam of Nicoletta, winner of the 2019 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (G1).
Regular Gaze was out of the Reviewer daughter Sweeping View, who had good type at 2 in 1977 when her efforts included a second within the Astoria Stakes and a 3rd within the Sorority Stakes (G1). Sweeping View’s dam is the consequential mare Miss Swapsco. Proprietor of a pedigree that featured the 1936 Epsom Derby winner Mahmoud and his very quick half brother Mirza II, 2×3, Miss Swapsco captured three black-type occasions, together with 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 extra importantly within the long-term, Ballade, dam of siblings Wonderful Track (a champion in Canada and the US, and herself dam of the sires, Singspiel, Rahy, and Rakeen); Satan’s Bag (1983 champion 2-year-old male and a profitable sire); and Saint Ballado (a number of graded stakes winner and an impressive sire). Past these beforehand talked about, Miss Swapsco can be ancestress of eight different group or grade 1 winners, together with Mezzo Soprano, a highweight in Europe; Vivlos, a champion in Japan; different Japanese standouts Cheval Grand , Verxina, and Danon Chantilly; and 2002 Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes (G1T) scorer, Sligo Bay.
Speak to Me Jimmy is bred on the TrueNicks A++ cross of Indian Charlie and sons and grandsons over Trippi mares, which has produced 4 stakes winners from solely 19 starters. He additionally has double of Weekend Shock by her sons A.P. Indy (grandsire of the dam of Modernist), and Honor Grades, sire of the second dam of Speak to Me Jimmy.
Silent Tactic
Silent Tactic, who got here from final to first in a 12-horse discipline to take the Southwest Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths, was one thing of a longshot at 12-1, and based on the bettors a minimum of, was his secure’s second string behind Smarty Jones Stakes winner Strategic Danger , who wound up ending tenth. This was the second win in 4 begins for Silent Tactic, who had received a maiden at Woodbine on his debut final October, and subsequently took second within the Gray Stakes (G3) and second 4 1/2 lengths behind Strategic Danger within the Smarty Jones Stakes. He had fetched $60,000 as a yearling, however then realized $500,000 on the 2025 Ocala Breeders’ Gross sales Spring Sale of 2-Yr-Previous in Coaching.
Photograph: Coady Media/Cady CoulardotSilent Tactic wins the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park
Like Modernist, Silent Tactic’s sire, Tacitus, scored on the Highway to the Kentucky Derby. In actual fact, he took the 2019 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) and Wooden Memorial Stakes (G2) earlier than crossing the wire a staying-on fourth (elevated to 3rd on the disqualification of Most Safety ) within the Derby itself. He did not win once more that yr, however did take second within the Belmont Stakes (G1), Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), and Travers Stakes (G1), and third within the Jockey Membership Gold Cup Stakes (G1). Remaining in coaching at 4, he added a win within the Suburban Stakes (G2), a second within the Woodward Handicap (G1), and a 3rd within the Jockey Membership Gold Cup earlier than retiring to stud at Taylor Made Stallions. By Tapit out of champion Shut Hatches , he’s a full brother to final yr’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) heroine, Scylla , and to graded winner Batten Down .
Silent Tactic shouldn’t be solely the primary stakes winner from the primary crop of his sire, however he is additionally the primary—from solely three starters up to now—for Gun Runner as a broodmare sire. His dam, the once-raced Magical Signal, a half sister to graded-placed Moraz , is out of the A.P. Indy mare Malvinia. A full sister to Malibu Moon and to Woman Nichola, the dam of graded winner Price Repeating, Malvinia can be half sister to stakes-placed Mutually Profit (dam of stakes winner Compelled), and to Curriculum (dam of graded winner and sire, Temple Metropolis ). The third dam, Macoumba, a daughter of Mr. Prospector, was a bunch 1 winner at 2 in France, as was her personal dam, Maximova.
Bred on a reverse of the prolific Gun Runner/Tapit cross—already chargeable for 10 stakes winners, seven graded, together with present traditional hopeful Paladin —Silent Tactic has an intriguing pedigree sample. He’s inbred to 4×3 A.P. Indy, and each Tapit and Tacitus are bred on variations of an A.P. Indy/Unbridled (Fappiano) cross, the place the dam of Silent Tactic is a Fappiano/A.P. Indy cross. As well as, Shut Hatches, the dam of Tacitus, and Silent Tactic’s broodmare sire, Gun Runner, are each Fappiano/Storm Cat crosses.
