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Seville’s Princess was originally booked to Code of Honor this spring, but following his untimely passing just before the New Year, we will move to Plan B and send her to the exciting first-year Kentucky sire Highly Motivated in 2023.
A $240,000 weanling purchase by noted bloodstock agent Mike Ryan, who called the colt a “stone runner” and a “must have”, Highly Motivated broke his maiden for trainer Chad Brown as a 2YO at Belmont over eventual G1 Florida Derby winner Known Agenda, then scored impressively in the Nyquist Stakes on the Breeders’ Cup undercard. He set a new Keeneland track record for 6-1/2 furlongs that day, and earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure (the second highest for a 2YO that season behind only Jackie’s Warrior). Freshened for a Triple Crown campaign, Highly Motivated was 3rd in the G3 Gotham, then ran dual Eclipse Champion Essential Quality to a neck when 2nd in the G2 Blue Grass. Off the board in the Derby, he was off the rest of the year and returned at 4YO to take a one mile allowance at Belmont, then set a new track record of 1:46.2 for 1-1/8 miles at Monmouth in the G3 Monmouth Cup, prior to a close 2nd in the G3 Iselin (giving 6lbs to the winner) in his career finale. Chad Brown called Highly Motivated “the best colt in our barn at 2 and 3”, and he had the figures to prove it. Highly Motivated is also a big, scopey, strapping son of Into Mischief and it’s easy to see why Mike Ryan was so high on him as a foal. Out of a SW daughter of the G1W Warrior’s Reward (by Medaglia d’Oro), Highly Motivated is bred on a strong cross for Into Mischief.
Seville’s Princess, meanwhile, is a half-sister to the stakes winner and quarter-million dollar-earner Rap Tale by a Storm Cat-line stallion like Into Mischief (Rap Tale is also a stakes producer), and to 3 more winners by Storm Cat-line sires. There’s also a black-type placed filly by Into Mischief himself under Seville’s Princess’s second dam (via a full-sister to Seville’s Princess’s dam), which we think bodes well for this pairing. In addition, Seville’s Princess is by the Galileo son Seville, so she’s from the same sire-line as Highly Motivated’s own broodmare sire and doubles up on this productive cross.
Physically, Highly Motivated and Seville’s Princess are quite similar types — both being tall, leggy horses with plenty of length and scope, and we expect that Highly Motivated’s substantial substance will bulk up Seville’s Princess’s foal more than her own feminine build (something which her mates have done without fail so far). And hopefully their foal will have plenty of speed and talent to go with it!