Maria's Mon's Growing European Legacy

With the successful Chantilly debut of George Strawbridge homebred and new 'TDN Rising Star' Another Sky (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) in March (video), the colt appears to be another feather in the cap of his dam, the unraced Darkova (Maria's Mon). Her first foal is the European highweight, MG1SW Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), her second, his full-brother, the French SP Troarn (Fr).

Darkova, however, is not the only European Group 1 producer flying the flag in Europe for her late Pin Oak Stud-based sire Maria's Mon, as the MSP Chatham counts triple juvenile Group 1 winner Air Force Blue (War Front) among her offspring. Those two matrons are just two of 363 mares by the 1995 Eclipse Champion 2-year-old, who, despite an abbreviated stud career, is the broodmare sire of seven European group winners from 88 runners (8%) on that continent. Maria's Mon's 11 stakes winners as a broodmare sire in Europe is good for a 12.5% strike rate.

A son of the Majestic Light horse Wavering Monarch out of Carlotta Maria by Caro (Ire), Maria's Mon was bred by Morton Rosenthal and raced by his wife Rosalind. Making just seven starts, the Rick Schosberg trainee won his Belmont unveiling in July of 1995, Saratoga's GIII Sanford S. and was a solid third in the GI Hopeful S. at the latter track. Two Grade I triumphs back at Belmont-the one-mile Futurity S. and the Champagne S. at 1 1/16 miles -put the seal on his championship season, as a left ankle fracture during a gallop derailed his Breeders' Cup bid.

Winless in two starts at three, Maria's Mon was retired to Pin Oak Stud, who had secured him for stud duties late in his 2-year-old season. The grey provided eight Grade I winners over the course of 11 crops-all barring Latent Heat (GI Malibu S., 1400m) winning between distances of 1700m-2000m–before being euthanised at the age of 14 in September 2007 after standing for a career-high of $60,000. Overall, Maria's Mon sired 55 black-type winners, 31 at the graded/group level from 784 runners.

His best offspring, 2006 GI Kentucky Oaks third Wait a While, was named the Eclipse Award Champion 3-Year-Old Filly. A multiple graded stakes winner on dirt, her three top-level victories were all on grass, as she took the American Oaks and two editions of the Yellow Ribbon S.

One of only a handful of sires to throw two winners of the GI Kentucky Derby in Monarchos (2001) and Super Saver (2010), Maria's Mon almost garnered an Irish Classic laurel with the 2007 filly Miss Jean Brodie, a distant eight-length second to budding highweight and eventual six-time Group 1 winner Snow Fairy (Ire) (Intikhab) in the G1 Irish Oaks at The Curragh.

From just 48 runners in Europe, the grey was ultimately responsible for 32 winners (66.7%), five black-type winners (10.4%) and two group winners–G3 Diomed S. hero Bushman (GB) and G3 Athasi S.-winning filly Emiyna. Quarrel also completed the trifecta in the G2 Mill Reef S.

Once his daughters became established in the paddocks, Maria's Mon quickly proved himself a broodmare sire of note. His 57 black-type winners (20 group/graded) from 1140 runners includes eight champions and an identical number of Group 1 winners. From a European perspective through early April, Maria's Mon is credited with 67 European winners (76.1%) and 11 black-type scorers (12.5%) from the aforementioned 88 runners.

Leading that throng is the G1 Prix du Jockey Club hero turned G1 Irish Champion S./G1 Champion S. victor Almanzor, now a stallion at Haras d'Etreham who also shuttles to Cambridge Stud in New Zealand. The bay has maintained a €35,000 covering fee every year in the Northern Hemisphere and has 106 representatives in his first crop, yearlings of 2020. Those foals averaged $116,030, good for third on the TDN's European First-Crop Weanling Sires' List in 2019. Commanding a NZ$30,000 in 2018, Almanzor has 97 Southern Hemisphere foals born last spring in Australasia and covered another solid book at that fee last term.

Another young stallion that raced in Europe with great success is Ashford Stud's Air Force Blue, who commands $15,000 this year. Incidentally, he too has 106 first-crop representatives, in his case juveniles of 2020. As yearlings, they averaged $98,230 for 44 sold, which put the Coolmore representative fourth among North America First-Crop Sires of 2019. During the OBS March Sale last month, five juveniles were sold from six offered, averaging $119,200, ranking him sixth by average on the TDN First-Crop 2-Year-Old List. They will start hitting racecourses on both sides of the Atlantic later this spring after the threat of coronavirus has faded.

Maria's Mon's Monday Show, black-type placed in Germany, is the dam of French MGSW & G1SP Usherette (Ire) (Shamardal); Italian GSP Show Day (Ire) (Shamardal); and the 4-year-old filly Magnetic Charm (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), who went on to prevail at the listed level in England and became Grade II placed in the Canadian S. at Woodbine for Her Majesty The Queen in 2019.

Other group winners out of Maria's Mon mares are the 2018 G2 Prix Dollar hero Alignement (GB) (Pivotal {GB}); 2011 G2 Norfolk S. winner Bapak Chinta (Speightstown); Energia Davos (Brz) (Torrential) claimed the 2015 G3 Darley S.; and Raymi Coya (Van Nistelrooy) gave notice in the 2007 G3 Oh So Sharp S. Maria's Mon was also represented by G1 Middle Park S. third Huntdown (Elusive Quality).

Considering his first few crops were bred at lower stud fees, Maria's Mon appears poised to build on his early success-especially in Europe–as a broodmare sire, as his youngest daughters are only 12.