Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Malathaat leads Curlin sweep
Curlin recorded a rarity when the regally bred Malathaat led home a trifecta of his fillies in the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes on Saturday at Aqueduct.
Malathaat is out of Grade 1 winner Dreaming of Julia, by A.P. Indy, and out of Grade 1 winner Dream Rush. Shadwell purchased Malathaat from breeder Stonestreet Farm for $1,050,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale and placed her with Todd Pletcher, who also conditioned her dam.
“I see some similarities,” Pletcher said. “They are both nice fillies to be around and very professional in the mornings and very sweet around the barn. They are very easy to take care of and they both have shown they want to run long.”
Malathaat won her debut, then was a 7 3/4-length winner of the Tempted Stakes last month at Aqueduct. In the Demoiselle, she prevailed by three-quarters of a length over Millefeuille.
Millefeuille, a Juddmonte homebred, is a direct descendant of its blue hen Toussaud.
She’s “a nice blend of the mom, who is by War Front and from the Toussaud line, and she has that Curlin length to her,” Juddmonte manager Garrett O’Rourke said. “She won’t be as big as Curlin, but she has more stretch than her mother. Curlin was a free-racing horse, and she looks like she has that as well.”
Another 4 3/4 lengths back in third in the Demoiselle was the Woodslane Farm homebred Malibu Curl.
Malathaat was the eighth graded stakes winner of 2020 for Hill ‘n’ Dale resident Curlin, who is enjoying another outstanding season. He sits fourth on the general sires earnings list, with runners including Grade 1 Woodward winner Global Campaign, who finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks winner Paris Lights. He also is represented by graded stakes winners Chaos Theory, Gladiator King, Heavenly Curlin, Lady Apple, and Sally’s Curlin.
Congaree euthanized at 22
Classic-placed multiple Grade 1 winner and sire Congaree was euthanized Nov. 22 due to the infirmities of old age. The son of Arazi was 22 and had resided at Valor Farm near Pilot Point, Texas, where he had been standing prior to being pensioned earlier this year. The farm shared the news of his death on its social media channels Monday.
Congaree was bred and raced by the Stonerside Stable of the late Bob McNair and Janice McNair. He was one of a handful of horses the McNairs retained after selling their Thoroughbred holdings to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum in October 2008 to devote more time to their NFL franchise, the Houston Texans.
“Congaree was such a special horse,” Janice McNair said in a statement posted by Valor. “I am so grateful for all the many happy memories Congaree gave us. He was so unique, and had the most loving personality. He was a delight to be around, and it was always such a thrill to watch him run. Congaree was truly the horse of a lifetime for us.”
Congaree was born weighing 152 pounds, well above average size. He was confined to stall rest early on due to several broken ribs sustained in his delivery, but overcame that difficult beginning to become one of the best runners of his generation. Racing through parts of five seasons, he compiled a record of 25-12-2-4 for earnings of $3,267,490, winning or placing in 16 graded stakes. He won the Grade 2 Wood Memorial in his stakes debut, defeating eventual Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos, before finishing third in both the 2001 Derby and Preakness. Later that summer, he notched his first Grade 1 score in the Swaps.
In 2002, Congaree won the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap, Grade 2 Del Mar Breeders’ Cup Handicap, and, in the fall, the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, defeating Aldebaran, who would go on to be an Eclipse Award champion sprinter. Congaree continued a win streak by opening 2003 with scores in the Grade 2 San Pasqual and Grade 2 San Antonio before finishing second by a head in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. He again defeated Aldebaran to win the Grade 1 Carter Handicap. He added two more Grade 1 victories, taking the Hollywood Gold Cup over the summer before repeating in the Cigar Mile.
Congaree stood in Kentucky and New York before eventually arriving in Texas. He is the sire of 16 stakes winners, led by multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Jeranimo. He also is the sire of Grade 1 winners Don’t Tell Sophia and Killer Graces, and graded/group winners Maoineach, Mythical Power, and Shrinking Violet.