Musical Romance (foaled 2007 in Florida) was an American National Champion Thoroughbred racemare purchased for $22,000 who is best known for her 2011 win of the $1,000,000

Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint is a 7-furlong (1408 m) Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred fillies and mares three years old and up. As its name implies, it is a part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-e ...

hosted that year by

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

. Ridden by

Juan Leyva ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

, she was trained by

Bill Kaplan Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

, co-owner with the Pinnacle Racing Stable headed by managing partner Adam Lazarus.

Background

Bred in Florida by the O'Farrell family's Ocala Stud, Musical Romance was sired by Concorde’s Tune and out of the mare Candlelightdinner, by Slew Gin Fizz. While not from the most fashionable of bloodlines, her Breeders' Cup biography says that "speedsters abound in her family tree." Musical Romance was purchased for $22,000 by Adam Lazarus and trainer Bill Kaplan at the 2009 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company sale of juveniles. Lazarus then sold shares in his fifty percent to a group of investors. During her second day of training the Musical Romance suffered a fracture of the

pastern The is a part of the leg of a horse between the fetlock and the top of the hoof. It incorporates the long pastern bone (proximal phalanx) and the short pastern bone (middle phalanx), which are held together by two sets of paired ligaments to fo ...

, the part of the leg between the

fetlock Fetlock is the common name in horses, large animals, and sometimes dogs for the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints (MCPJ and MTPJ). Although it somewhat resembles the human ankle in appearance, the joint is homologous to the ba ...

and the

hoof The hoof (plural: hooves) is the tip of a toe of an ungulate mammal, which is covered and strengthened with a thick and horny keratin covering. Artiodactyls are even-toed ungulates, species whose feet have an even number of digits, yet the rumin ...

.''pinnaclestable.com'' Florida Horse magazine, page 33 - All for Romance

Racing career

The injury meant it was not until September 19, 2009 that Musical Romance could make her racing debut at

Calder Race Course Calder Casino is a casino located in Miami Gardens, Florida. It includes slots, electronic table games, and bingo. The casino opened in 2010 and features a gaming floor with 1,100 slot machines, including video poker, as well as electronic r ...

, a Florida facility where she remained for all her starts as a two-year-old. Beginning with three events for maidens, she finished third then fourth before getting her first win on October 23. Beaten in her next three starts, Musical Romance began her three-year-old campaign on January 23, 2010 at

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...

with a victory in an allowance race. Four starts later she got her first stakes win in Calder's Sweettrickydancer Stakes. She ended 2010 with one more win in an allowance optional claiming race plus she earned two seconds and three third-place finishes in other

stakes race Glossary of North American horse racing: Additional glossaries at: *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting *Glossary of equestrian terms This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargon ...

2011 Championship year

Having previously been raced almost exclusively at distances of 1 1/16 to 1 1/8 miles at age three, trainer Bill Kaplan entered Musical Romance in sprint distances beginning in 2011. Racing at Gulfstream Park and Calder Race Course, between January 1 and April 10 of 2011 Musical Romance made five starts, finishing fourth three times and fifth in the two others. However, she began to show her preference for the shorter distances and ran best when she lay off the pace until making a move coming down the stretch. Musical Romance had a second place result in the Hollywood Wildcat Handicap before winning the Ema Bovary Stakes and the U Can Do It Handicap. Moved up to top level competition in Calder's

Grade 1 First grade (also called Grade One, called ''Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by re ...

Princess Rooney Handicap The Princess Rooney Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged three and older over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt run annually in early July at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Hist ...

she ran second by a neck to Sassy Image then, still at Calder, followed up with a win in the Barb's Dancer Stakes. In September, Musical Romance was shipped to Pennsylvania's

Presque Isle Downs Presque Isle Downs & Casino is a casino and horse racing track near Erie, Pennsylvania, owned and operated by Churchill Downs Inc. History The developer, MTR Gaming Group, broke ground in October 2005 for the new facility, which opened on February ...

for the $400,000 Masters Stakes. Run at 6 1/2

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s on an

all weather track An all-weather running track is a rubberized, artificial running surface for track and field athletics. It provides a consistent surface for competitors to test their athletic ability unencumbered by adverse weather conditions. Historically, v ...

, she got her first Grade 2 stakes win. In her next start at

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for it ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, she ran second in the 6 furlong

Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes The Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged three-years-old and older over a distance of six furlongs on the dirt held annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course, Lexingt ...

to Holiday for Kitten owned by

Ken and Sarah Ramsey Kenneth L. "Ken" Ramsey (born 1935) and Sarah Kathern "Kitten" Ramsey (February 5, 1939 – May 29, 2022) are horse breeders and owners of Thoroughbred race horses. They have multiple graded stakes winners, three Breeders' Cup winners, and the ...

. At this point, Musical Romance had earned close to $700,000 for her owners who made the decision to pay a $130,000 supplemental fee to enter her in the million dollar

to be run November 4 at

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. Riding in his first ever Breeders' Cup race, Musical Romance's regular jockey

immediately moved her to be on the rail by the time the horses reached the first turn. Running behind the early leader until coming down the stretch for home, she charged between the two front runners to win by 1 1/4 lengths and take first money of $540,000. Musical Romance would be voted the

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

as the 2001

American Champion Female Sprint Horse The American Champion Sprint Female Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to the top female horse in sprint races usually run at a distance of 6 or 7 furlongs. This category honoring female sprinters became par ...

and named Florida's 2011 Horse of the Year.

2012, the final year of racing and sale

In 2012, the now five-year-old Musical Romance won the Grade 1 Princess Rooney Handicap and the Mike Sherman Memorial Stakes at Calder Race Course plus the Grade 2

Inside Information Stakes The Inside Information Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are four years old or older, over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt held annually in late January at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, ...

at Gulfstream Park. She returned to defend her title in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, hosted in 2012 by California's

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

. Musical Romance struggled and never threatened the leaders, finishing far back in sixth behind winner

Groupie Doll Groupie Doll (foaled April 14, 2008) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter, she is best known for winning the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint in 2012 and 2013. Unraced as a two-year-old she showed good form as a three-yea ...

. Musical Romance was sold in the November 5, 2012 Fasig-Tipton sale for $1.6 million. She was purchased by the prominent Japanese breeder Katsumi Yoshida to stand as a

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

at his Northern Farm on the island of

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

in Japan. As of 2021, Musical Romance was produced three foals by Deep Impact and another by Heart's Cry.

Pedigree

External links

Video of Musical Romance's win in the 2011 Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Sprint

References

{{reflist 2007 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Florida Racehorses trained in the United States American Champion racehorses Eclipse Award winners Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winners American Grade 1 Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 10-a