Prominent broodmare Air France dies at 19

Air France, dam of Grade 2 winners Smooth Air and Overdriven, was euthanized May 2 due to complications from foaling. She was 19.

According to a press release from Crestwood Farm, the mare’s newborn Bernardini colt is in good health and has been transferred to a nurse mare at the Lexington, Ky., farm, where Air France spent the majority of her broodmare career.

Homebred in Kentucky by Mt. Joy Stables, the French Deputy mare won 2 of 11 starts for earnings of $37,559. She raced primarily at Fair Grounds in Louisiana, with additional stops at Calder Race Course and the tracks of the Chicago area.

Air France was retired after her 3-year-old campaign, and her first foal was the Malabar Gold filly Super Phoebe. Super Phoebe was a winner on the racetrack and went on to produce two stakes-placed runners.

Her second foal was Smooth Air, a Mt. Joy homebred by Smooth Jazz who was among the more solid 3-year-old males of the 2008 racing season, with wins in the Grade 2 Ohio Derby and Hutcheson Stakes, a second in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, a third in the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby, and starts in that year’s Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Smooth Air returned at 4 to win the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap and finish second in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. He retired with earnings of $1,117,200 stands at stud in Louisiana.

The sixth foal out of Air France was the Tale of the Cat colt Overdriven, who won the Grade 2 Sanford Stakes before his career was cut short due to injury. He stood five seasons at stud in Florida before being pensioned, gelded, and sent to New Vocations in Lexington, Ky., to be retrained for another career.

After the success of Smooth Air and Overdriven, foals by Air France became a recognized commodity at auction. All Laced Up, a Bernardini filly, sold for $450,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September yearling sale. She was part of the initial book of mares for Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, and the ensuing colt brought $400,000 as a short yearling at this year’s Keeneland January horses of all ages sale.