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As a daughter of the Storm Cat stallion Forestry out of a full-sister to Serena’s Song, we recommended that our clients would be best served to consider Mr. Prospector-line stallions for Serena’s Joy in 2018. With Pioneerof the Nile being one of the hottest conduits of the Fappiano branch of that line out there these days, his recently-retired son Midnight Storm will make an excellent match for her.
Serena’s Joy is a half-sister to the Grade 2 winner Doubles Partner (by Rock Hard Ten), and stakes winner Stormy Venus (by Stormy Atlantic, and the dam of Group 2 winner Don Americo, by Mr. Greeley). Another half-sister produced Group 2 winner Puissance de Lune (by Shamardal, a son of Giant’s Causeway) and is the granddam of Grade 1 winner Rizeena (by Iffraaj, a Gone West-line stallion, out of Serena’s Storm, by the Storm Cat son Statue of Liberty).
Serena’s Song, of course, was an Eclipse Champion race mare and is in the Hall of Fame, and she produced Group 1 winner Sophisticat, as well as Grade 2 winner Grand Reward and Grade 3 winner Schramsberg (all by Storm Cat). She is also the dam of Grade 2 winner Harlington (by Unbridled), plus the stakes winners Serene Melody (by Street Cry) and Serena’s Tune (by Mr. Prospector). Three of her daughters have produced stakes winners, and she is the third dam of Eclipse Champion Honor Code (by A.P. Indy out of Serena’s Cat, by Storm Cat).
Serena’s Joy herself has produced six foals of racing age, three of which have raced and won, including Street Line (by Street Cry), Al Dhakira (by Elusive Quality), and Junior Sister (by Arch).
In light of this female family’s repeated success with Storm Cat and Mr. Prospector-line sires, and given that Serena’s Joy herself is by a Storm Cat son, we identified several possible candidates for Serena’s Joy’s 2018 mate from the Street Cry, Gone West and Fappiano branches of Mr. Prospector’s male line. (Consideration was also given to the Hail To Reason sire-line, and that of A.P. Indy, but Serena’s Joy has a 2016 colt by Orb and a 2017 filly by Tapizar to her credit, while she’s in foal to Temple City for 2018 – so we suggested it might be best to see how those crosses play out before repeating them).
Given our clients’ budget, and their desire to have a commercially viable foal from Serena’s Joy in 2019, we landed on Midnight Storm as the best choice for Serena’s Joy this spring. His sire-line (that of Empire Maker’s son Pioneerof the Nile) is quite in vogue at the moment, and Midnight Storm himself is free of the Storm Cat blood with which Empire Maker and Pioneerof the Nile have had such success (Serena’s Joy, of course, carries that blood, as we’ve mentioned repeatedly already). His racetrack accomplishments and versatility (ten wins in 27 starts over four seasons, on turf and dirt, from seven furlongs to a mile-and-a-quarter, including seven Graded stakes victories) make him a most attractive sire prospect, and he is priced very reasonably at $12,500 at Taylor Made.
Physically speaking this match is a good one, too, as Midnight Storm is a strong, lengthy individual with a fabulous shoulder, and he will hopefully contribute a bit of leg to Serena’s Joy’s foal.
Midnight Storm wins the G1 Shoemaker Mile on turf
Midnight Storm wins the G2 San Pasqual on dirt
Midnight Storm wins the G2 Seabiscuit on turf
Midnight Storm wins the G3 Native Diver on dirt