Guineas Win Is Sweet For Sweeter Still

When Kameko (Kitten's Joy) won the G1 2000 Guineas on June 6, he made a fairly strong case for perseverance. His dam, the well-bred graded stakes winner Sweeter Still (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), had been the co-second highest priced lot at Keeneland's January Sale in 2014 at $750,000 in foal to Galileo (Ire), carrying her second foal and bought by Phyllis Wyeth to breed to her GI Belmont S. winner Union Rags. Four years later, Sweeter Still was plucked out of the ring at Keeneland November by the little-known T. Lesley Thompson for $1,500.

Bred by Annemarie O'Brien, Sweeter Still is out of the Belmez mare Beltisaal (Fr), who had herself commanded a modest price tag when bought by O'Brien's father Joe Crowley for 8,000 Irish guineas in 2001, having a relatively light pedigree at the time. Sweeter Still was given every chance when put into training with Annemarie's husband Aidan at Ballydoyle, but after just one start at two was sold to American interests.

Sweeter Still put together a productive campaign at three, winning a listed stake at Santa Anita at second asking and two months later adding a Grade III going a mile on the turf. She failed to shine at four and five, however, and after making one early season start at six was retired and covered by Giant's Causeway. Though she aborted that pregnancy, Sweeter Still returned to Giant's Causeway the following season and produced the $100,000 foal Dreaming Of Stella (Ire).

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