Covert Love wins the Irish Oaks ( Pat Healy/PA Wire)
The Irish Oaks winner of 1941, Uvira II, has exerted tremendous influence on the stud book, with her descendants making their mark all over the globe.
Sarah Whitelaw writes that Uvira II was a daughter of Champion Stakes winner, Umidwar, and the Son-In-Law mare, Lady Lawless, whose fifth dam, Mayonaise, won the 1000 Guineas.
A winner of five of 11 starts, Uvira II (Umidwar), widely considered the best filly in Ireland of 1941,left behind five stakes winning males, but it has been through her daughters that the mare has truly left her mark.
Her stakes winning sons included Donn Handicap winner, Francis U (subsequently a successful sire in Argentina and sire of top class SA racemare, Bimbina, among others), the Travers Stakes placed, Colonel O’F, Pimlico Special winner, General Staff (who set track records at both Delaware Park and Monmouth), Preakness third, Noble Impulse and Parnassus.
Uvira’s daughters, however, proved more successful at stud, with her broodmare daughters headed by outstanding producers Missy Baba, Obedient, and Oonagh (the latter producing the Hawaii sired Epsom Derby third, Hunza Dancer, among others). While Obedient proved a productive broodmare in her own right (her Jerome Handicap winning son, Iron Ruler, sired Preakness Stakes winner, Alomas Ruler), it was Missy Baba who has truly created a lasting dynasty at stud.
The winning daughter of My Babu produced US champion sire, Raja Baba (Bold Ruler), Gr1 Arlington- Washington Futurity winner, Sauce Boat (Key To The Mint), and outstanding producers Gay Missile (Sir Gaylord) and Toll Booth (Buckpasser) among others.
Thus Missy Baba’s numerous top-class descendants include not only such champion sires as A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew), Al Mufti (Roberto) and Raja Baba, but also international classic winners/champions, such as Court Vision (Gulch) Duke Of Marmalade (Danehill), Lemon Drop Kid (Kingmambo), Plugged Nickle (Key To The Mint), Riskaverse (Dynaformer), Ruler Of The World (Galileo), and Summer Squall (Storm Bird). Brilliant racemare, Havre De Grace (Saint Liam), the Horse Of The Year in USA for 2011, traces back to Missy Baba through Toll Booth.
Former successful South African sires, Sportsworld (Alleged) and Tiger Ridge (Storm Cat), are also descended from Missy Baba in female line).Uvira II’s latest descendant showing considerable promise at stud is the four time G1 winner, Tonalist (Tapit).
Inbred to Missy Baba (through Tapit’s grandsire A.P. Indy (whose third dam, Gay Missile, was produced by Missy Baba) and through Missy Baba’s prolific daughter, Toll Booth, Tonalist was a superb racehorse, who ranked among the best of his multiple champion sire’s sons.
2014 Belmont Stakes – Tonalist
Fourth on his only start at two, Tonalist went on to win seven races at three and four, while establishing himself as one of the best of his generation in North America. One of three Tapit sons to win the G1 Belmont Stakes thus far, Tonalist also went on to land the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup in both 2014 and 2015, and he won the G1 Cigar Mile of 2015.
The Belmont winner is out of the winning Pleasant Colony mare, Settling Mist, one of three Gr1 producing daughters of Toll Both’s daughter, Toll Fee. As a four time G1 winning son of a multiple champion sire, and hailing from a magnificent family, Tonalist also looked to have plenty to recommend him as a stallion, and early signs suggest he may yet live up to expectations.
Despite himself making just one start at two, Tonalist made a good enough start with his first two-year-olds last year to finish 11th on the North American Leading First-Crop Sires list, with his first runners earning over $964 000 in 2019.
His progeny duly made the expected progress and improvement from two to three, and Tonalist is currently the second leading Second Crop Sire in North America and he ranks ahead of G1 winners, Palace Malice (Curlin) and Carpe Diem (Giant’s Causeway) and Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile on the list. Interestingly, Tonalist is one of three sons of Tapit on the Leading Second Crop Sires list, which is headed by Tapit’s dual G1 winning son, Constitution.
He has had 11 winners this year thus far, with his first crop headed by promising filly,Tonalist’s Shape.
The latter won her first five starts, with Tonalist’s Shape having reeled off impressive wins in both the Gr2 Davona Dale Stakes and the Forward Gal Stakes this year. She is, however, not the only runner of note to have emerged from Tonalist’s first crop thus far. Tonalist has already had five black type horses emerge from his first crop, including G3 Honeybee Stakes runner up, Alta’s Award (another filly, How Ironic, ran fourth in the recent Gr3 Florida Oaks), and hopes are high that his progeny, like Tonalist himself, can build on their promising starts.
Tonalist, who, like so many top class horses, carries multiple lines of Northern Dancer in his pedigree, is also by no means the only top galloper inbred to Missy Baba. Other notables bred like this include star Australian sprinter, Hay List (Statue Of Liberty), this season’s World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas winner, Missisippi Burning (Captain Al), and Australian Oaks winner, Rising Romance (Ekraar).
