Broodmare of the Week – Bahati sponsored by the Legion of Boom!

Hit a milestone as I have passed 3,000 hits on the blog page. I want to thank the two people in Lithuania (not kidding) who view my blog. You must really love Northwest racing. Respect. I would also like to thank my mother for last night going to my blog and hitting "refresh" 2,700 times for me to meet this milestone. I will try to remember Mother's Day next year. 

Did you know there are only 4 broodmares to have ever produced two Gottstein winners? They are (1) Campus Queen (1930) who produced 1940 winner Campus Fusser and 1945 winner Hank H.; (2) Half Saint (1930) who produced 1941 winner Prince Ernest and 1944 winner Super Valley; and (3) Highly Favored (1976) who produced 1985 winner Krupa and 1994 winner Favored One (A huge thanks to Research Goddess Sue Van Dyke for finding this information for me!) 

The fourth is our Broodmare of the Week: Bahati

Why is this Broodmare of the Week sponsored by the Legion of Boom? 

You see, last year’s WTBOA Sale's topper, purchased by Glenn Todd and Dr. Mark DeDomenico for $70,000 was named Legion of Boom. Legion of Boom, now two-years old, is by Harbor the Gold out of Broodmare of the Week Bahati. So, the fun part of this post is I get to keep putting up YouTube videos of the Legion of Boom destroying the Broncos and the 49ers (being a season ticket holder for 10 years, it just feels good!). For instance:

Bahati is Broodmare of the Week because Del Rio Harbor still sits at the top of my 3-year old rankings of colts: http://www.militaryhawk.blogspot.com/2014/05/brewer-divisional-rankings-updated-with.html. Del Rio Harbor got stuck on the rail and his speed was not used in the first four furlongs of the Auburn Handicap last Sunday. I still think he is the best 3-year old at Emerald Downs right now with all due respect to Noosito, Mebossman, and Jimmy Joe Meeker. And now let’s pause for some Kam Chancellor:

Bahati is a twelve-year-old mare by Horse Chestnut out of Drouth Willow (by Premiership).  Bahati was purchased by Halvorson Bloodstock for $17,000 at the 2003 Keeneland September sale. Although she never raced, she proved her value as a broodmare, which we will get to shortly. But first a lethal hit from our sponsor:

Denver just wanted to get on the plane after that. 

Bahati has an interesting pedigree. Her sire Horse Chestnut won the Triple Crown in South Africa. He won 9 of his 10 career starts. He won a Grade III in the United States, but in preparation for the Grade I Donn Handicap he fractured his splint bone and was retired to Claiborne Farm to stand stud in 2000. In 2009, he was sent back to South Africa to stand stud at Drakenstein Stud:

http://www.drakensteinstud.com/stallions/chestnut/about/

And now a word from Earl Thomas:

Bahati’s dam Drouth Willow won the Chapati Stakes at Pleasanton in 1991 at even money. In her twenty-race career she earned over $117,000. Drouth Willow was purchased in foal to Seattle Dancer at the 1992 Keeneland November sale for $43,000.  Bahati was Drouth Willow’s highest price yearling sold during her broodmare career.

Bahati never ran and was sold by in 2006 by Blue Ribbon Farm, agent in foal to Tizbud for $5,700. The astute purchase was made by Bar C Racing. Unfortunately, the Tizbud foal died in 2007, but Bahati’s luck would quickly change because her 2008 foal was Couldabenthewhisky. Whisky was purchased by Wally Jenne for $5,500 at the 2009 WTBOA Sale.  Whisky went on to win over $183,000 including winning 3 stakes races as a two-year old. One of those wins was the 2010 Gottstein Futurity:

(Picture by Terra Lee)

Bahati’s 2009 foal was by Stolen Gold and sold for $8,000 at the 2010 WTBOA Sale. Named Bahati’s Gold, she went on to win and place in some stakes races at Portland Meadows.

Bahati did not have a foal in 2010, but made up for that when in 2011 when she had Del Rio Harbor. Last year’s two-year-old champion is still at the top of my divisional rankings. Here is what I said in my most recent post:

1) (Last Ranked #1) Del Rio Harbor – Won an Allowance race against the likes of Strawberry Dawn, Kenai King and Redsolocup in an impressive (1:03.65) to start his year. Then the Auburn Handicap. I have to question the strategy a little bit in the stakes race. Being on the rail and having speed why would you not move to the front to be clear of the horses outside of you? The fractions were slow and he could have taken the lead easily. Stikine Slough clearly wanted to rate behind horses. Not sure why Del Rio did not go on with it from the inside. For now, I will keep him #1 because I feel like the race was ran in such an odd way that he deserves another chance.

So far, Del Rio Harbor has won over $128,000 and several stakes races already, including the Gottstein Futurity:

At the 2013 WTBOA sale, the Boom was lowered as Bahati’s Harbor the Gold yearling sold for a sales topping $70,000. Named Legion of Boom, we are all looking forward to his appearance on the track. He’s had 6 workouts at Pegasus Training Center to date.

In a complete non-shocker, Bahati has a Harbor the Gold yearling filly in 2013 and was bred back to Harbor the Gold so we expect another full brother or sister is on the ground for 2014. For some reason, Bar C must think that this cross works? 

Always Love Your Animals and the LOB,

Will