Industrial Policy: All in the Family

“I never could have known when I wrote down Hip No. 50 in my journal of horses to watch at a nearby Fasig-Tipton sale in 2010 that it would lead to such an incredible journey. Each time I see my beloved Fifty, I know that if I had never had the courage to write Dolphus Morrison, I never would have essentially experienced what it felt like to own a racehorse while I was so young. I never would have led a horse onto the track at Churchill Downs as a young fan or come within inches of the great Zenyatta. And most of all, I know God has blessed me with a tremendous filly that will always be an important part of my life.” – OTTB Spotlight: Miss Fifty, December 2012

Miss Fifty’s racing days are over and with the conclusion of those days comes the end of tracking her workouts and races, replaced with feeding her grain and alfalfa every day – and of course treats that she demands she be given. She is now retired from the racetrack, where she earned $81,917 in 17 starts.

But while her career has come to an end, that of her three-year-old half-sister – Industrial Policy – is just beginning. Born just weeks before I met Miss Fifty, Industrial Policy and Fifty share the same dam in Copa de Oro (by Coronado’s Quest), but, whereas Miss Fifty is sired by Johannesburg, Industrial Policy is a daughter of Harlan’s Holiday.

As a two-year-old, Industrial Policy was purchased by Klaravich Stables for $75,000 at the OBS April Sale. Klaravich Stables, headed by Seth Klarman – the founder and president of one of the world’s largest hedge funds, The Baupost Group – is run in partnership with another successful businessman: William Lawrence, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of one of the world’s most distinguished alternative investment advisers. Like many horses that carry the white and red silks for Klaravich Stables, the daughter of Harlan’s Holiday was given a name with a financial theme.

Placed in the barn of Chad Brown – a young, successful trainer who had previously worked for the late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel – Industrial Policy made her debut on December 16, 2012 at Aqueduct, encountering a field of five other two-year-old fillies in a maiden special weight going a mile and seventy yards over the inner track. Tracking the pace, Industrial Policy made a rally in the late stages, finishing a good second behind the runaway winner. Although she crossed the wire six lengths behind the winner, she was five lengths clear of the third-place finisher.

Industrial Policy’s respectable debut earned her favoritism in her second start, but the filly could only manage a third-place finish in a five-horse field. After another third-place effort at Aqueduct – this time in just a four-horse contest – Industrial Policy descended to the maiden claiming ranks.

In her first start at the claiming level, Industrial Policy was available for a $65,000 tag in a race that had been initially scheduled for the turf, but had been taken off the grass due to rain. Again, the blaze-faced filly finished third. Competing at the same level in her subsequent start – and this time on the turf – Industrial Policy made her Belmont Park debut, in which she made a notable late rally, only to come up a head short as she finished second.

This game effort earned a return to maiden special weight company, which came two and one-half months later at Saratoga. Remaining on the turf, Industrial Policy faced seven rivals in the mile and one-sixteenth contest. The filly closed from nearly the rear of the field to finish second, separated by the winner by just ¾ of a length.

On August 19, Industrial Policy went to post for her seventh lifetime start. Despite several good performances – she’d never finished worse than third – she’d yet to visit the winner’s circle. Staying in maiden special weight company on the grass, the Chad Brown trainee was extending to a mile and three-sixteenths – a furlong farther than she had ever traveled.

Breaking from the outside in a nine-horse field, Industrial Policy settled into her usual closing position near the back, racing three paths off the rail as the fillies entered the first turn. With five lengths separating her from the leader down the backstretch, Industrial Policy remained off the rail, racing alongside rivals as the horses neared the final bend.

Jose Ortiz, who had ridden the filly in her third start, gradually began to ask Industrial Policy to increase the pace around the far turn. As a contingent of horses battled for the lead at the top of the stretch, forming a wall before the daughter of Harlan’s Holiday, Industrial Policy was forced to swing widest of all in order to find racing room. Charging down the center of the track, Industrial Policy found her best stride at the sixteenth pole, suddenly accelerating impressively as she surpassed her opponents, kicking clear to win by an easy two lengths.

Now that Industrial Policy has finally earned a victory, more difficult battles await, as she will no longer face horses who have never won. But even though it took her seven attempts to break her maiden, she has been a very consistent runner who has never lacked ability. No matter what her future holds, Industrial Policy will have a loyal follower in me.

Pedigree Analysis

The first of Copa de Oro’s offspring to be sired by a stallion other than Johannesburg, Industrial Policy is a daughter of another grandson of Storm Cat, Harlan’s Holiday. A graded stakes winner as a two-year-old and a grade one winner at both three and four, Harlan’s Holiday was an outstanding racehorse, winning two of the most well-known Kentucky Derby (GI) prep races – the Florida Derby (GI) and Blue Grass Stakes (GI) – as a sophomore before capturing the Donn Handicap (GI) as a four-year-old prior to finishing second in the world’s richest race, the Dubai World Cup (GI).

Harlan’s Holiday has carried his brilliance into his stud career, which began at Airdrie Stud in Kentucky. Now standing at one of the nation’s premier farms, WinStar Farm, Harlan’s Holiday’s progeny have found success both in the sales ring and on the track since the earner of $3.6 million entered stud in 2004. In just his first crop, Harlan’s Holiday produced nine stakes winners, including the grade one-winning juvenile Into Mischief – who has blossomed into a successful sire himself.

Harlan’s Holiday has sired ten grade one horses to date, including the 2012 Champion Two-Year-Old Male Shanghai Bobby, the grade one-winning Majesticperfection, and Denis of Cork – who finished second in the Belmont Stakes (GI) and third in the Kentucky Derby. Harlan’s Holiday is currently ninth on this year’s list of leading sires in North America, on which he finished eleventh last year in terms of earnings. He ranked eighth among sires of stakes winners in 2012, for which he currently stands in sixth.

The sire of Harlan’s Holiday, Harlan, was a grade one-winning sprinter whose success as a sire – though respectable – does not match his own son’s achievements, although Harlan’s Holiday has not yet sired an equivalent to himself. Also the sire of the multiple grade one-winning Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes (GI) runner-up Menifee, Harlan is a son of the legendary Storm Cat. This of course makes Harlan’s Holiday a grandson of the tremendous sire, allowing him to share that status with several other notable stallions, including not only Johannesburg, but also First Samurai, Shamardal, and Wiseman’s Ferry.

The successful Storm Cat/Mr. Prospector sire line cross was brought to life with Industrial Policy. Ann and Jerry Moss of Zenyatta fame chose to keep their mare, Copa de Oro, with a sire from the Storm Cat line, choosing Harlan’s Holiday. This cross has produced many of Harlan’s Holiday’s graded stakes winners, including Denis of Cork, General Election, Mendip, Notacatbutallama, and Willcox Inn. The Storm Cat/Mr. Prospector cross in general has been incredibly productive, yielding the likes of the grade one winners Aragorn, Book Review, Denebola, Finder’s Fee, Ghanaati, Mani Bhavan, and One Cool Cat.

Copa de Oro is a daughter of Coronado’s Quest, a multiple grade one-winning son of champion Forty Niner. Coronado’s Quest, a homebred for Stuart S. Janney III, has also served as the broodmare sire of the grade one winners Boys at Tosconova and Mani Bhavan, as well as the additional graded stakes winners Delaunay and Mendip.

Although winless in her six starts, all three of Copa de Oro’s foals that have raced have found the winner’s circle, each of them earning at least $60,000. Her first foal, a Johannesburg colt named Gold Cup Kid, won four of his twelve starts, earning $61,530 while only once running outside the claiming or starter allowance ranks. Miss Fifty, her second foal, garnered $81,917 in her seventeen-race career, capturing five of those starts.

Industrial Policy, although she has only won once thus far, is arguably Copa de Oro’s best foal yet, having earned $100,000 while only running for a tag twice. With a win at America’s most prestigious meet, Industrial Policy has shown perhaps the most class of any of Copa de Oro’s offspring.

Copa de Oro’s dam is the multiple stakes-winning Slide Show, who produced the graded stakes-winning, multiple grade one-placed Voodoo. Slide Show, a daughter of the stakes-placed Screen Landing, is a half-sister to the black-type winner Goodie Good Girl and the black-type-placed runners Boomer Land and Western Flick.

Through her dam, Industrial Policy is a direct descendant of the Reine De Course mare Astrology, a stakes-placed English-bred mare who produced the stakes-winning leading sire Star Shoot, who sired the first American Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton. As a descendant of female family nine, Industrial Policy is a member of the same family as Alydar, Bull Lea, Mahmoud, Shergar, Urban Sea, and Upset.