From The Bargain Bin to the Winner’s Circle

There are complaints from time to time that only expensive bluebloods can compete at the top echelons of the Sim. A little four-year-old mare named Chocolate Pigeon (64510) has something to say about that. An exclaimer and recent winner of the Grade III Maryland Distaff, she is proof that it remains possible to find a diamond in the rough.

There’s nothing obviously exciting about Chocolate Pigeon from her bloodlines. Chocolate Pigeon is by the French-born sire Markella, a son of Green Dancer out of a Tyrant mare. In real life, Markella stands in New Zealand. In the sim Markella has sired six horses, three of whom are winners. Only Chocolate Pigeon is a stakes winner. Chocolate Pigeon’s dam is by Hollywood Brat, who is in turn by Cannonade out of a Vaguely Noble mare. As a dam-sire Hollywood Brat has produced three winners from fifteen runners. Once again Chocolate Pigeon is the only stakes winner. The highlight of her pedigree is her dam’s dam-sire, the incomparable Danzig. In terms of inbreeding she is 4×4 to Northern Dancer and 4×5 to Bold Ruler.

Chocolate Pigeon began her career inauspiciously in a NW3L allowance for the Sectracker stable. Asked to run 8.5 furlongs in a weak four-horse field, the three-year-old filly finished third by 13 ¼ lengths with a dismal speed figure of 56. Sectracker tried again four weeks later in a mile-long dirt maiden special weight. On the muddy track, she finished fourth of fourteen, earning a 68 fig. Could be worse, but there were no signs yet that she was anything but a claimer. So logically enough, Sectracker dropped her down to a $5000 claimer against the boys, trying a seven-furlong sprint this time. She finished sixth of ten. Given that she was a lightly-raced horse dropping in class, it is unsurprising that she was claimed.

Winsalo owned Chocolate Pigeon for four races during her three-year-old season. The trainer jumped her up in class and experimented with her running style. In those starts, she bounced around in class a bit and tried distances from 6.5 to 8 furlongs. She was always game and competitive, finishing no worse that fourth in those four starts. In her final start for the trainer, she won a $5000 maiden claimer at a mile against a full field, earning a career-best 88 speed figure and winning by a convincing 2 ½ lengths. She was earning good speed figures for a three-year-old claimer, and was snatched up once she hit the $5000 level.

Hef01 owned the filly for her next seven starts. The trainer bumped her up to the $25000 level where she earned an impressive 94 fig, but she finished fourth in the field of ten. She ran well for Hef01, usually finishing second or third and never running worse than fourth. The trainer experimented with stretching her out, but she seemed happiest at a mile. She ran in claimers, starter allowances, and allowances with middling success.

Then she turned four and something finally clicked for her. Hef01 put her in a $20000 claimer, which she won handily. Fortune500, her current owner, picked her up and put her back into starter company. She had never been successful in these tough races, but suddenly her competitive drive kicked in. She won four of her next five starts (finishing second in the other), all starter allowances at around a mile. Fortune500tried her in a ten-furlong allowance, where she finished second, then sent her off to win yet another starter allowance. Then came the biggest race of her life.

On May 18, 2007, Chocolate Pigeon had never won a regular allowance despite several attempts. She had never managed the triple-digit speed figures needed by graded stakes horses. So what possessed Fortune 500 to enter her in the Grade III Maryland Distaff? Perhaps a faith in her increasing skills, perhaps some other sign that she was ready, perhaps temporary insanity. It’s hard to say, but the gamble paid off. The trainer hired jockey J. Caves, who has been winning at a 20% rate this year, and that may have been part of the difference. Chocolate Pigeon broke alertly, sitting in fourth just a length behind speedy leader Blessed Belle. The tough little mare hung steady around the turn and then, wonder of wonders, grabbed the lead heading into the stretch. She briefly looked as though she might fold, but then drew off to win by 1 ¾ over a talented field of mares.

So, there you have it. She’s cheaply bred; as of Tuesday, her sire is available for a whopping 16 breeding points and her dam-sire for 5. She ran in claimers for a long time and looked like she probably belonged there. Her trainers handled her just fine. But no one told her that all these factors meant that she couldn’t win a graded race. When the right trainer, the right distance, and the right time in her career all came together, she just went out and did it. This mare, who is still eligible for starter allowances and who had never won a regular allowance as of her 21st start, is now a graded winner with plenty of good races left in her.

These horses may be hard to come by, but they’re out there. Now go on and find one of your own.