Essential Quality from family of Japanese Triple Crown winner
Essential Quality established himself as an early favorite for the Kentucky Derby with his victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. The Tapit colt, a homebred for Godolphin, is from a family that has had recent classic success – albeit, a world away. He is from the immediate family of 2020 Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail.
Essential Quality is out of the homebred graded stakes-placed Elusive Quality mare Delightful Quality. Her dam, the Storm Cat mare Contrive, was a $3 million purchase by Darley at the 2005 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall selected mixed sale. At that time, Contrive’s daughter Folklore had recently won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and was on her way to a divisional championship.
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Folklore’s second foal was Rhodochrosite, an Unbridled’s Song filly purchased for $385,000 by Koji Maeda at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale. She never raced, but has gained elite status as the dam of Contrail. A son of fellow Japanese Triple Crown winner Deep Impact, the unbeaten Contrail was the country’s champion 2-year-old of 2019, and this year won the Grade 1 Japanese 2000 Guineas on April 19, the Grade 1 Japanese Derby on May 31, and the Grade 1 Japanese St. Leger on Oct. 25.
Capitalizing on the update from Essential Quality, several representatives from this family were on offer at this week’s major-market mixed sales in Kentucky. On Sunday night, Indelible, an unraced half-sister to Essential Quality, was purchased for $1.6 million by Nobutaka Tada at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall selected mixed sale. Her first foal, a weanling Bernardini filly, followed her through the ring and sold for $260,000 to All In Equine.
Folklore’s winning daughter Cherokee Maiden was set to be offered during the Keeneland November breeding stock sale’s elite Book 1 session on Monday. The 3-year-old Distorted Humor filly was consigned as a racing or broodmare prospect.
Also expected to be sold on Monday at Keeneland was Tizahit, the dam of Grade 1 winner Come Dancing. The mare is a half-sister to Contrive.