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The five-for-five winner-producing mare Rough Water features in the next of our Housatonic Recommended Matings, and she will be another to visit the promising freshman sire Irish War Cry.
New to stud in 2019, Irish War Cry is a son of Curlin, one of the top handful of sires in the country, and probably the single greatest classic dirt influence we have at stud these days. Those classic genes came through to Irish War Cry quite clearly: after an unbeaten, stakes-winning juvenile campaign at Laurel, Irish War Cry stepped up to take the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes in his 3-year-old debut over the previous season’s Eclipse Champion Classic Empire, added the Grade 2 Wood Memorial in his final Kentucky Derby prep, and subsequently finished a close 2nd in the classic Belmont Stakes. Irish War Cry returned to the races at 4, when he added the Grade 3 Pimlico Special to his resume. He covers his first mares this spring, and we think he has every right to become a leading sire in the region (you can read more about him here).
We like Irish War Cry for Rough Water more specifically because she is a granddaughter of Storm Cat, and that is a nick which has provided Curlin with plenty of success, including the Graded winners Diversy Harbor, King Zachary, Ocean Knight and Current. The fact that Irish War Cry showed more speed and brilliance than Curlin and many of his sons makes him even more well-suited to this particular cross, we think.
Rough Water has already produced three winners from her three foals by Mr. Prospector-line stallions like Curlin (a Mr. P grandson), so this cross looks good from both angles.
Physically, both Irish War Cry and Rough Water are tall, big-bodied horses (she’s just a tad longer than he), that should complement each other nicely in a case of like-to-like.
Irish War Cry wins the G2 Wood Memorial
Irish War Cry wins the G2 Holy Bull
Irish War Cry wins the Marylander Stakes at 2
Irish War Cry wins first-time out at 2 going 6 furlongs