By Elaine Belval
I’ll Have Another was a convincing winner of the G2 Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita last weekend to become the first major stakes winner from Flower Alley’s second crop. The young sire now appears to have a classic contender for the second straight year, after his daughter, the G1 winner Lilacs and Lace, ran in the 2011 Kentucky Oaks.
Flower Alley won the G2 Lane’s End S. and was a classic contender himself, finishing unplaced in Giacomo’s Kentucky Derby. He later won the G2 Jim Dandy S., the G1 Travers S.—defeating Bellamy Road and Roman Ruler—and ran second in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic to Horse of the Year Saint Liam.
Flower Alley is a son of leading sire Distorted Humor. His dam Princess Olivia is a winner by Lycius who was sold to Japan a few years after foaling Flower Alley, and she has since produced a GSW and a GSP horse in that country. Princess Olivia is a direct female descendant of the elite mare Goofed—the fifth dam of Flower Alley—best known as the dam of champion and chef-de-race Lyphard (by Northern Dancer). Interestingly, with her sire Lycius out of a Lyphard mare, Princess Olivia is 4 x 4 to Goofed.
Retired to Three Chimneys Farm for the 2007 season, Flower Alley offered breeders an intriguing pedigree. Both his sire and dam are bred on a Mr. Prospector/Northern Dancer cross, making him inbred 3 x 3 to Mr. Prospector and 4 x 4 to Northern Dancer.
Flower Alley’s best runners include Lilacs and Lace and Bouquet Booth (no inbreeding), My Wandy’s Girl and Jam’n Jackson (inbred to Mr. Prospector), and I’ll Have Another (inbred to Danzig).
With his oldest foals just four-year-olds, Flower Alley is off to a solid start at stud. He has 70% starters (not including two-year-olds of 2012), over 50 individual winners, and five SWs (including three GSWs). His progeny average almost $30,000 in earnings.
I’ll Have Another was bred by Harvey Clarke, is owned by J. Paul Reddam, and is trained by Doug O’Neill. He broke his maiden at Hollywood Park in July in his first start, then finished second in the G2 Best Pal S. at Del Mar the next month. The colt was unplaced in his third start, Saratoga’s G1 Hopeful S. in September. The Robert Lewis was I’ll Have Another’s first race since the Hopeful, and after his successful comeback, he will be pointed to the G1 Santa Anita Derby on April 7th.
Flower Alley continues to stand at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky, where his 2012 fee is $7,500.