Blazing Sevens

By Alan Porter

Winner of Champagne Stakes (G1) and second in the Hopeful Stakes (G1) at two, Blazing  Sevens came within inches of a Preakness Stakes (G1) triumph at three. He is from the first  crop of Curlin’s son, Good Magic, Champion Two-Year-Old and now an outstanding young  classic sire. 

Good Magic has been very good with mares from the Storm Cat line. He also has graded  winner Dubyuhnell out of a mare by Forest Wildcat (sire of Wildcat Heir and D’Wildcat);  graded stakes winner Reincarnate out of a mare by Scat Daddy (by Johannesburg, himself  broodmare sire of a Curlin line grade one winner, and a son of Hennessy, also sire of Henny  Hughes– himself broodmare sire of a graded winner by a son of Curlin); there are two Good  Magic stakes winners out of mares by Harlan’s Holiday (sire of Into Mischief,  Majesticperfection and Shanghai Bobby); and a stakes winner out of a mare by Tale of Ekati  (sire of Girvin, and a son of Tale of the Cat, also sire of Lion Heart, and grandsire of  Kantharos and Uncaptured). On the cross of Curlin and other sons over Storm Cat line, we  can also note grade one winner Grace Adler out of a mare by Newfoundland, and black-type  winners out of mares by Giant’s Causeway (who is represented by such as Not This Time, Creative Cause, Eskendereya, First Samurai and Frost Giant), Forestry (sire of Discreet Cat  and Shackleford), Stormy Atlantic, Stormin Fever, Tactical Cat, Lion Hearted, Lion Hearted  and Pure Prize. Daughters of Bernstein, Bluegrass Cat, Cat Thief, Freud (brother to Giant’s  Causeway) and Yankee Gentleman could also be considered. 

Good Magic is out of a Danzig line mare, but like his sire, Curlin and grandsire, Smart Strike,  he has crossed well back over mares from the Danzig line. Dornoch and Mage, classic  winning brothers by Good Magic are out of mares by Big Brown, a son of the Danzig stallion,  Boundary. The 2024 grade one winner Mixto is out of a mare by Concerto, whose son,  Bellamy Road, is broodmare sire of Curlin grade one winner Bright Future. On this cross, we  can also note a quartet of stakes winners out of daughters of Polish Numbers; grade one  winner Known Agenda out of a mare by Byron (from the Danehill branch) as well as stakes  winners out of mares by Foxhound, Pine Bluff and Ascot Knight. This would also make it  worth considering mares by War Front (sire of The Factor, Summer Front, Declaration of  War and Hit it a Bomb), War Chant, Exchange Rate, Langfuhr and Belong to Me.

From another branch of Northern Dancer, there is a Curlin grade two winner out of a mare  by Dixieland Band and another out of a mare by that horse’s son, Dixie Union (sire of Union  Rags). This line could also be sourced through High Cotton, Hook and Ladder (broodmare  sire of a Curlin line stakes winner) and Overanalyze.  

Blazing Sevens is out of a mare from the Sadler’s Wells/Medaglia d’Oro branch of Northern  Dancer. Crossing a stallion back over his own broodmare sire line can often work well which  would encourage trying mares by Violence (who looks very interesting here) and Bolt d’Oro.  Medaglia d’Oro is by El Prado, also sire of Kitten’s Joy and Artie Schiller, and Sadler’s Wells has also been represented in North America by Magician and Capo Blanco (both by Galileo),  Powerscourt and Horse Chestnut. 

Nureyev is a three-quarters brother to Sadler’s Wells, and out of mares from the Nureyev branch of Northern Dancer, Curlin has a classic winner out of a mare by Royal Anthem and a  stakes winner out of a mare by that horse’s sire, Theatrical, and a graded stakes winner out  of a mare by Great Commotion. This also suggests trying daughters of Atticus, Fasliyev,  Unusual Heat and Spinning World. 

Curlin is out of a Deputy Minister mare – another branch of Northern Dancer – but he and  his sons have enjoyed exceptional success with inbreeding to that strain this already  appearing in more than 30 stakes winners, six grade one. Out of mares by Awesome Again there are six stakes winners, including grade one winner Keen Ice, and Awesome Again is  sire of Ghostzapper, Paynter, Oxbow, Daheer, Toccet, Awesome of Course and Awesome  Patriot. Other Deputy Minister branches that could be used are Dehere (whose son, Graeme  Hall, is broodmare sire of Curlin grade one winner Curalina), Forest Camp, French Deputy  and Silver Deputy. There is also a stakes winner out of a mare by Silver Deputy son Posse  and other sources of Silver Deputy are Archers Bay, Badge of Silver and Spring at Last. 

Good Magic has sired a stakes winner out of a mare by Malibu Moon, a son of A.P. Indy. The  cross of Curlin and sons with mares from the A.P. Indy line has produced nearly 40 stakes  winners. There are ten stakes winners out of mares by A.P. Indy himself, including  Champions Malathaat and Nest, and grade one winners Idol and Global Campaign, as well as  eight stakes winners, including grade one winners Paris Lights and Clairiere, out of mares by  that horse’s son Bernardini (sire of Stay Thirsty and To Honor and Serve).

There is a graded winner by Curlin out of a mare by Flatter (sire of Upstart and Flat Out). Culin grade one  winner Cody’s Wish is out of a mare by Tapit (sire of Constitution, Frosted, Tonalist,  Concord Point, Tapizar, Tapiture, Hansen and Trappe Shot). Tapit is by A.P. Indy son, Pulpit  (also sire of Corinthian – broodmare sire of a Curlin line graded winner – Sky Mesa and  Stroll). There is also a graded winner by Curlin out of a mare by Majestic Warrior, and it  could also be worth considering mares by Congrats (a brother to Flatter), Mineshaft (sire of  Dialed In and Discreetly Mine), Jump Start and Stephen Got Even. 

Curlin and sons are outperforming opportunity with mares from the Unbridled’s Song  branch of the Fappiano line. That includes grade one winner Idomatic out of a mare by First  Defence, and grade two winner Vegas Magic out of a mare by Rockport Harbor, and stakes  winners out of mares by Unbridled Express, Old Fashioned, Even the Score and Eurosilver,  with other possibilities including Arrogate (who will double Deputy Minster, a positive here),  Liam’s Map, Midshipman, Cross Traffic, Songandaprayer, Half Ours, Graydar, Dunkirk and  Will Take Charge. There is also a stakes winner out of a mare by Quiet American (grandsire  of Midnight Lute) from another branch of Fappiano. 

From the Gone West branch of Mr. Prospector, Curlin has sired stakes winner Scotland out  of a mare by Speightstown (sire of Munnings) and stakes winner Magic Spoon out of mare  by Canadian Frontier. Other Gone West branches include Elusive Quality (sire of Quality  Road and Smarty Jones), Grand Slam, Mr. Greeley and Proud Citizen. There is also a Good  Magic stakes winner out of a mare by Roman Ruler and one out of a mare by Aldebaran. 

Good Magic has grade one winner Muth, out of a mare by Uncle Mo (sire of Nyquist, Laoban and Outwork). Curlin has a graded stakes winner out of a mare by Indian Charlie, a son of In  Excess. In Excess is also sire of Rocky Bar, Notional and Bring the Heat, and Indian Charlie is  also sire of Adios Charlie, Bwana Charlie, Liaison and Cinco Charlie. 

Good Magic has a stakes winner out of a mare by Tiznow, and a graded stakes winner out of  a mare by Tiznow son, Colonel John, and Curlin has a graded winner out of a mare by Tiznow  son, Morning Line, and this also suggests mares by Tiz Wonderful.