Kentucky Oaks: Princess of Sylmar emerges from Majestic Warrior's first crop

Princess of Sylmar, who ran down last year’s champion juvenile filly Beholder in the final sixteenth to score a 38.80-to-1 upset win in the 139th running of the Kentucky Oaks, is the first Grade 1 winner for second-crop sire Majestic Warrior, an 8-year-old son of A.P. Indy who stands at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky.

The chestnut filly, homebred in Pennsylvania by Ed Stanco, who races as King of Prussia Stable, churned through the stretch under Mike Smith and appreciated every bit of the Oaks’ 1 1/8 miles in her second consecutive start at the distance.

Majestic Warrior won his first two starts at 2, including the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga, but never regained that form at 3 and only raced beyond 7 1/2 furlongs three times in eight career starts. A.P. Indy’s productivity as a sire of stamina is well established, however, and both Majestic Warrior’s first dam Dream Supreme and second dam Spinning Round were multiple graded stakes winners.

Retired to Ashford in 2008, Majestic Warrior had enough potential to attract substantial interest from commercial breeders, and a strong response to his first crop at auction has kept up the momentum. He was bred to 167 Northern Hemisphere mares in 2012, according to Jockey Club statistics, the sixth-most in North America.

Princess of Sylmar, who earlier this year won both the Busher and Busanda Stakes at Aqueduct, is one of four stakes winners for Majestic Warrior to date and is his second graded stakes winner along with Declan’s Warrior, winner of the Grade 3 Bay Shore last month at Aqueduct.

Princess of Sylmar is the first foal out of the Catienus mare Storm Dixie, who won one of ten starts and placed in the 2007 Crockadore Stakes at Belmont. She has a yearling filly by Pennsylvania sire E Dubai and was bred to Petionville this year.

Golden Wave Band, Princess of Sylmar’s second dam, was a three-time stakes winner in New Mexico. The Dixieland Band mare produced Group 3 winner Rhythm Band and Grade 3-placed Musical, in addition to Storm Dixie.

Majestic Warrior’s second dam Spinning Round is also by Dixieland Band, giving Princess of Sylmar a 4x3 cross of the late Lane’s End stallion, who was the leading broodmare sire of 2004.