Midnight Bourbon and Joe Talamo hold off Proxy and Mandaloun to win the Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds
From one of the last crops by the now-pensioned Tiznow (by Cee’s Tizzy), Midnight Bourbon became his sire’s 81st stakes winner with a victory in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans on Jan. 16.
Last year, Midnight Bourbon had shown high-class form. The bay had finished second to Sittin On Go (Brody’s Cause) in the G3 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 5 and had been third to Jackie’s Warrior and Reinvestment Risk in the G1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park on Oct. 10 in the last start at two for Midnight Bourbon.
The son of Tiznow made his 3-year-old debut in the Lecomte, rating kindly on the lead and holding the closers at bay to finish the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.41. The Lecomte will put Midnight Bourbon on some lists for the classics, and the handsome bay is expected to race next in the G2 Risen Star at the Fair Grounds on Feb. 13.
A classic victory would make Midnight Bourbon only the second son of Tiznow to win a classic; Da’ Tara won the 2008 Belmont Stakes. The same year, Colonel John won the G1 Santa Anita Derby and Travers, then in between had finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby. That was Tiznow’s best year with a classic crop of racers.
With the stallion now pensioned from breeding, there won’t be too many opportunities for more classic performers. Midnight Bourbon comes from Tiznow’s fourth-last crop, and the stallion has 106 2-year-olds, foals of 2019.
For the foals that are yearlings of 2021, the aged stallion bred 113 mares, with 85 reported in foal. Those pregnancies resulted in 63 live foals (56 percent live foals to mares bred). In his last breeding season, Tiznow covered 38 mares in 2020.
As a classic prospect, Midnight Bourbon is a very good-looking and well-proportioned colt with good muscle and speed for going a mile or more. Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet and consigned to the Keeneland September yearling sale by Warrendale, Midnight Bourbon sold to Winchell Thoroughbreds for $525,000, making the second-highest price for a Tiznow yearling in 2019.
Midnight Bourbon is the fourth named foal of his dam, the Malibu Moon mare Catch the Moon, and he is the mare’s fourth graded stakes winner. Catch the Moon’s first foal and stakes winner was Cocked and Loaded, one of the best racers by the Tiznow stallion Colonel John. At two, Cocked and Loaded won a pair of stakes, including the G3 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill.
The mare’s second foal was the best racer by Grade 1 winner Tale of Ekati, Girvin. A striking dark bay, Girvin won a pair of Grade 2 stakes, the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby in the first half of his 3-year-old season, then added the G1 Haskell during the summer of his 3-year-old season in 2017. After earning more than $1.6 million, Girvin stands at stud in Florida at Ocala Stud.
The third foal out of Catch the Moon was the gelding Pirate’s Punch (Shanghai Bobby), who was one of the best racers by his sire. Pirate’s Punch was three times placed at the Grade 3 level, then won the G3 Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park as a 4-year-old in 2020.
With high-class performers already on the page, Midnight Bourbon was a sales success, and he has added to the mare’s succession of stakes performers. There must have been other mares who produced four stakes winners in succession, but the only other I’ve uncovered with about this level of quality is the great champion racemare Miesque (Nureyev), whose first four foals all won stakes. Her fourth, the Woodman mare Moon is Up, was only a listed winner, but Miesque’s first and second foals – Kingmambo and East of the Moon – were both G1 winners.
Catch the Moon has a 2-year-old colt by Curlin who sold for $500,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale but is unnamed to date. The mare’s yearling is yet another colt, this one by Quality Road.
Catch the Moon is the first foal out of stakes winner Catch My Fancy (Yes It’s True), successful in the Barretts Debutante at Fairplex and the Fairfield Stakes at Solano. A $150,000 2-year-old in training, Catch My Fancy had plenty of speed, and she is the dam of stakes winners Dubini (Gio Ponti), winner of the 2019 Laurel Dash, and What a Catch (Justin Phillip), winner of the Rockville Centre Stakes.
There is plenty of speed in this family, and Catch the Moon is inbred 3×2 to Monique Rene (Prince of Ascot), a mare raced by John Franks. A winner of 29 races, including 15 stakes, Monique Rene was a legend in Louisiana racing. In addition to those mentioned above, the best racers to descend from her include Grade 1 winners Yes It’s True (De Francis Memorial Dash) and Silver Max (Shadwell Turf Mile), as well as Kiss a Native, champion 3-year-old colt in Canada.
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