Caulfield on Tiz Midnight
BAYAKOA S.-GII, $200,250, LRC, 12-6, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, 1:41 3/5 (NTR), ft.
1–#@TIZ MIDNIGHT, 117, f, 4, by Midnight Lute
1st Dam: Tough Tiz’s Sis (MGISW, $903,792), by Tiznow
2nd Dam: Leaseholder, by Taylor’s Falls
3rd Dam: Leasehold, by Stevedore
O-Karl Watson, Michael E Pegram & Paul Weitman;
B-Karl Watson & Paul Weitman (KY); T-Bob Baffert;
J-Victor Espinoza. $120,000. Lifetime Record: GISP,
9-4-3-1, $334,720. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Everything is meant to be bigger (and better) in the USA, whether it’s the 24-oz. Prime Porterhouse at Malone’s in Lexington or the 6ft 10in John Isner slamming down ace after ace against his hapless opponents on the tennis court. And size also seems to play its part in the gulf that generally separates the European turf horse from the American dirt performer.
For illustration, take a look at Weatherbys’ Statistical Record which includes a list of Britain and Ireland’s leading sires in order of cumulative progeny earnings. Eighteen stallions had amassed earnings in excess of £10 million to the end of 2013. No doubt thanks to the influence of Northern Dancer and Danzig, the vast majority of them measured between 15.2 and 16.1 hands, the main exceptions being Pivotal and Selkirk (both listed as 16.2 ½).
So, from a European viewpoint, it comes as something of a surprise to see Tough Tiz’s Sis, a daughter of the 16.3-hands Tiznow, mated to the 17-hands Midnight Lute. But this is a dirt pedigree through and through–Tiznow spent his 15-race career exclusively on dirt, while Midnight Lute’s career divided into nine starts on dirt and four on all-weather.
Turf doesn’t figure either in the career so far of Tiz Midnight, the product of the whopping Midnight Lute and Tiznow combination. This game 4-year-old filly achieved Grade II-winner status in the Bayakoa S. over the dirt at Los Alamitos three days ago. That victory improved the consistent filly’s career figures to 9-4-3-1, so her prospects clearly haven’t been diminished by having very big horses as her sire and broodmare sire. That said, she didn’t make it to the races until the April of her 3-year-old campaign and her second start came as late as Dec. 21. She didn’t win until the end of June this year, so has to be considered a late-maturer.
Tiz Midnight’s first stakes success increases Midnight Lute’s total of graded winners to five, all of which have Mike Pegram among the owners.
This very bright start saw Midnight Lute’s fee increase to $25,000 this year, with his price staying the same for 2015. It could be important that everyone keeps their expectations in check for a while, as numbers–or lack of them–are going to play their part in Midnight Lute’s story for a year or two.
Although he enjoyed the normal first flush of popularity when he retired to Hill ‘n’ Dale for the 2009 season, his book size suffered over the next few years, falling from an initial 159 mares (for 121 live foals) to 114 in his second year (71 live foals) and 96 in his third (65 live foals). That means he has been comparatively short of 2-year-old and 3-year-old representatives this season–and partly explains why it has been his first crop which has supplied four of his five graded winners, plus five of his six non-graded stakes winners.
Of course, Midnight Lute’s success has spurred a revival in demand for his services. After his first yearlings sold for up to $310,000 in 2011, his 2012 figures were 115 mares for 81 live foals. Then the likes of Shakin It Up, Midnight Lucky, Govenor Charlie, Mylute and Midnight Ballet all highlighted their sire’s potential during late 2012 and early 2013. The result was a 2013 book of 146 mares and 116 live foals. With these harbingers continuing to thrive on the track in 2013, Midnight Lute attracted a book of 186 earlier this year, so he is going to have plenty of 3-year-old ammunition from 2017 onwards.
As a 17-hands individual, Midnight Lute did well to race at all as a 2-year-old. Even better, he won his only start, over six furlongs at Del Mar. Naturally his progeny tend to need a bit of time, but he had 11 first-crop juvenile winners, including six stakes horses, followed by eight winners in 2013 and seven so far this year. The likes of Mylute, Shakin It Up and Skipalute have been graded placed at two, so a juvenile graded winner looks sure to come along, sooner or later.
Tiz Midnight’s dam is Tough Tiz’s Sis. As her name indicates, Tough Tiz’s Sis is a younger sister to Tough Tiz, but the name’s emphasis proved unfair. Whereas Tough Tiz managed only one win from 17 starts, the year-younger Sis earned more than $900,000. Her career highlights were Grade I victories over 1 1/16 miles in the Lady’s Secret S. at three and the Ruffian H. at four–victories which proved she was similarly effective on dirt and all-weather. Again, though, she never ventured anywhere near the turf.
This was understandable as Taylor’s Falls, the sire of Tough Tiz’s Sis’s dam Leaseholder, tackled only dirt during a 30-race career. Taylor’s Falls was a speedy son of In Reality, another dirt specialist who appears three times in the first five generations of Tiz Midnight’s pedigree.
Although Tiznow will be 18 years old in 2015, it is still comparatively early days for his broodmare daughters, the eldest of whom are 11 years old. Tiznow has commanded a fee of $75,000 for so long now that it is easy to forget that he spent his first seven seasons at fees around $30,000. Even though he was a dual winner of the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, he initially had to overcome the perceived handicap of being a son of Cee’s Tizzy. Consequently, whatever his older daughters achieve, they might ultimately be outshone by fillies from the $75,000 crops.
Not that the older daughters are doing at all badly. Tiz Midnight is their fifth graded winner, with her predecessors featuring Personal Diary (GI Del Mar Oaks on turf), Renee’s Titan (GII Santa Ynez S.) and Fashion Alert (GIII Schuylerville S.). Each of the five has a different sire. This pretty much mirrors Tiznow’s own record as a sire, as this versatile stallion owes his 30 graded winners to 23 different broodmare sires.