By Christie DeBernardis
The best horse longtime New York breeder Joanne Nielsen has produced to date is MGSW and MGISP Upstart (Flatter), who now stands at Airdrie Stud. The dark bay was a bit unlucky in that he was born the same year as 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) and he faced the Horse of the Year on three separate occasions with his best finish being a third in the GI Haskell Invitational S.
Nielsen figured if she couldn't beat him, she might as well join him and bred two of her nine mares to the Ashford resident, including Upstart's dam Party Silks (Touch Gold). The resulting colt will sell Monday as Hip 62 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale.
“I had a colt, Upstart, that ran behind American Pharoah on a regular basis,” said Nielsen. “So, I thought why not take the mother of Upstart to American Pharoah. I am thrilled with it. We believe American Pharoah has the capacity and hopefully we will get some return on it.”
Like Upstart and Hip 62, Party Silks–a half-sister to GSW Josh's Madelyn (Quiet American)–was born and raised on Nielsen's Sunnyfield Farm in Bedford, New York. In addition to Upstart, the mare also produced the stakes-placed 3-year-old New York Hero (Mineshaft), who was the third highest-priced yearling at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-Bred Sale, selling to trainer Linda Rice, acting as agent for Sheila Rosenblum, for $335,000.
“Upstart is the best I've had at this time,” Nielsen said. “New York Hero is just beginning, hopefully. Party Silks has been a very good mare. Her foals usually all run.”
Party Silks did not disappoint her breeder with her latest yearling.
“He is absolutely beautiful,” said Nielsen when reached by phone while at the sales grounds in Saratoga. “He just arrived about an hour ago. I am sitting near him right now. He is very athletic looking and perfectly healthy. I am very proud of him.”
The native Floridian, who is on the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Board of Directors, added, “We hope he can run. We certainly have the right mother and the right father.”
Nielsen will offer her other American Pharoah yearling, a filly out of Visions of Annette (Distorted Humor), a few days after the Party Silks colt as Hip 329 in Fasig-Tipton's NY-Bred Sale Aug. 11. While there are 15 yearlings by American Pharoah catalogued to the Select Sale, Nielsen's filly is the only member of the three-time Eclipse winner's first crop on offer at the New York-Bred sale. Visions of Annette, who hails from the family of MGISW Evening Jewel (Northern Afleet), has two foals of racing age, but neither have made it to the track yet.
“The American Pharoah filly is beautiful and by a very beautiful mother,” said Nielsen. “The dam is athletic, so we endorse her.”
Nielsen and her husband Gerald, who was NYTB President up until the time of his passing in 2004, started Sunnyfield Farm with a group of friends in 1974. One of their early successes was Capades (Overskate), who won the GI Selima S. in 1988 and a pair of Grade IIs in 1990, earning over $1.05 million.
“Our children all rode and competed,” Nielsen said when asked what got her into breeding. “We enjoyed it and we didn't want to give up on horses. We loved what we were doing. We began breeding and had a good time. We were partnered with three other families and all went out and bought the farm together. As their children finished [with horses] and didn't want to go on, we bought our partners out one at a time, so we just own it now, but it was a lot of fun having our friends there.”
The Nielsens are widely respected in the New York breeding program and their boutique operation offers six other yearlings, in addition to Hip 329, at the upcoming NY-Bred sale: Hip 340, a Tiznow colt; Hip 389, a son of Paynter; Hip 423, a Union Rags filly; Hip 604, a colt by Into Mischief; Hip 622, a son of Flatter; and Hip 627, a daughter of Take Charge Indy.
The Select Sale runs Monday, Aug. 6 and Tuesday, Aug. 7 with sessions beginning at 6:30 p.m., and the New York-Bred Sale will be held Saturday, Aug. 11 and Sunday, Aug. 12 with sessions also starting at 6:30 p.m.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
