Letter to the Editor: Win Approval

World Approval (Northern Afleet)'s victory in the Woodbine Mile is a major accomplishment for not only himself, but his dam. Success in broodmares may be measured many years down the road or immediately, and World Approval's dam, Win Approval (With Approval), is one of them in the immediate category. It is not often a colt could make $1,837,363 and yet be the third highest money earner of a broodmare. Frankly, that would not be such a bad accomplishment for a stud. Win Approval's top four progeny have won no less than 35 stakes races. Miesque's Approval has won $2,648,879, Za Approval (Ghostzapper) has won $1,904,666, and Revved Up (Sultry Song) earned $1,548,653. This type of success is historical in context and transcends merely complementary notice by a breeding expert. To put perspective on this accomplishment, the outstanding and now deceased stallion Scat Daddy (Johannesburg), whose last stud fee was for $100,000 has four millionaires.

With the exception of Ghostzapper, of note is that none of the other sires mated to Win Approval to produce a millionaire are expensive sires. Sultry Song stood for about $7,500; Miesque's Son was not an incredibly expensive stallion, and Northern Afleet stands for $6,500. These are certainly sires that hold their own, but it is not as if World Approval was covered by Galileo (Ire) eight times.

One quirky accomplishment of Win Approval is that she actually had two horses that won stakes races the same day. According to the website of Florida-based Live Oak Stud, “On Sept. 9, 2006, 8-year-old Miesque's Approval brought home the GIII Red Bank S. en route to the Breeders' Cup, while 9-year-old Revved Up won the Bob Harding S., both races at Monmouth Park.”

Making this all the more interesting, Revved Up's sire is Sultry Song, who himself was a part of a “brother act” where the half-brothers Solar Splendor and Sultry Song (Live Oak Stud horses) notably won Grade I races on the same day in 1992 at New York's Belmont Park.

Win Approval has to be in the conversation of best broodmare of our time.

Rinaldo Del Gallo, III, Esq.