Dr. Betty Hughes has purchased the new stallion Town Bee for her and husband Frank Johnson’s breeding operation in Lake Francis, Manitoba. He’s quick and game, and he’s got a powerful female family.
Hughes may have found herself another bargain with Town Bee, a son of multiple graded stakes winner Jersey Town ($819,668, Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) etc.), out of the stakes-placed stakes-producing mare Bees.
Town Bee made his racing debut without much fanfare in the United Arab Emirates, but was then shipped to the United States, where he sizzled on the front end through fast fractions to win both his starts at Turfway Park.
You can watch Town Bee speed to victory in his first North American start here, and follow it up with the YouTube video below, in which he duels through fast fractions of 21.59 and 44.46 and draws away to stop the clock in 1:09.56 for six furlongs, in what the track announcer calls “another eye-catching performance from Town Bee.”
Town Bee is a full brother to proven new sire Bee Jersey ($976,293, Metropolitan Handicap (G1), 2nd UAE 2,000 Guineas (G3), etc.) and a half-brother to stakes producer Candy Cat Can, dam of Blue Gator ($199,995, New York Breeders Futurity, 2nd Notebook Stakes).
Town Bee’s second dam Run For Lassie is an unraced daughter of Metropolitan Handicap winner Fappiano and a half-sister to Sanford Stakes (G2) winner Bite the Bullet and stakes-placed runners Black Mambo and Love Me True. Run For Lassie is also the dam of Comely Stakes (G3) winner Madison’s Charm.
Third dam Lassie’s Lady is a stakes-placed graded-stakes producing daughter of multiple Grade 1 winner and Triple Crown star Alydar, with one of the best female families in history. Lassie’s Lady is a half-sister to Wolfhound, the highweighted older horse at 4 on the European Free Handicap, and Golden Rod Stakes (G3) winner Weekend Surprise, among other stakes winners.
A dam of nine winners including two stakes winners, Lassie’s Lady is also the dam of Love Me True, the dam of European champion older horse Duke of Marmalade among numerous other high class stakes winners, runners and producers that are well worth exploring for pedigree aficionados. This pedigree goes on and on to the point where it’s clear why Town Bee was a runner who could also turn into a successful stallion.
Hughes purchased Town Bee out of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale last November for just $3,000, which was partially a result of being offered late in the sale. Hughes has had some excellent success with her stallion Vengeful Wildcat, who was a similar $2,200 purchase at the Keeneland Horses of All Ages Sale in January 2012.
Town Bee was bought sight unseen based on his race record and pedigree but was looked at by confirmation and pedigree analyst Judy Wardrope, the same person who found Vengeful Wildcat for Hughes.
Vengeful Wildcat has certainly proven himself a capable stallion in these parts, with stakes winners that include J. W. Sifton Stakes winners Purrsibility and Call the Cops, Astral Moon Overnight Stakes winner Purrsistent, and most recently Osiris Stakes winner Lady Cop and Buffalo Stakes winner Prairie Drifter.
“We had to get a stallion to breed to the daughters of Vengeful Wildcat,” said Hughes, who owns and still works full time at St. Francois Xavier Animal Hospital while husband Frank Johnson does “all of the work” on the farm.
The two 74-year-olds have enjoyed a good measure of success with their homebreds of late, and they still have over 40 horses on their farm in Lake Francis, including 23 broodmares. Eighteen of the mares will be bred while the remaining five have been pensioned. They’ll also have 12 horses at the track this year with trainers Devon Gittens and Elton Dickey.
“We keep all our mares and let them live out their lives here,” said Hughes. “Even after they can no longer be bred. And our trainers at the track have been excellent.”
Town Bee was bred by top North American owner/breeder Charles Fipke, and he will now be standing at Maggie Lawson’s Dunroven Farm in Rosser, Manitoba. He will be test bred to the couple’s own mares this spring, including the talented Astral Moon Overnight Stakes winner Purrsistent, who was one of the top females at the track during her racing career.
Interestingly, after Hughes purchased Town Bee, he was returned to his original home at Darby Dan Farm, where his full brother Bee Jersey stands, to await shipping to Manitoba.
Twenty years ago, Hughes bred her mare A Wild Kitty to Darby Dan stallion Kyle’s Our Man. The resulting foal was Gus Again, one of the best Manitoba-breds in history.
Gus Again won the Agassiz Stakes three times, as well as the Manitoba Maturity, and compiled an overall record of 17-13-9 in 56 starts for earnings of $220,354 (USD).
Good karma here.
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