Dreaming of Anna Gets 8th Turf Win
Filly Second to Ginger Punch Nears $2 Million In Mint Julep Victory
While Ginger Punch rules the older set, Dreaming of Anna is dominating 4-year-old ladies on turf, and nearing $2 million in earnings. The Mint Julep was her 8th turf win.
Dreaming of Anna gave another demonstration of her pedigree and game talent June 14, as she drew off at will after the half mile pole from a challenge by Street Sounds and finished the Early Times Mint Julep's 1-1/16 miles of turf from her normal front-running style in 1:42.77 under top jockey Garrett Gomez.
The chestnut filly zipped home 2-1/2 lengths ahead of Ballymore Lady. Kiss With a Twist came on for third.
Dreaming of Anna's Record and Trainer
The $169,950, grade IIIT Mint Julep was Dreaming of Anna's eighth turf victory, and pushed her record to ten wins from 15 starts. She has banked $1,988,175. The 8-1/2 furlongs victory at Churchill Downs gave trainer Wayne Catalano the confidence to continue Dreaming of Anna's campaign to the Aug.9 Beverly D. Stakes, grade IT, at Arlington Park, Chicago, her home base.
In 1977, Catalano was the nation's second-leading jockey by wins. He changed to training in 1983, and first assisted Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg.
Daughter of Rahy and Eclipse Winner
Dreaming of Anna is likely to compete again in the fall Breeders' Cup World Championships, where she won the 2006 Juvenile Fillies, grade I, event. That year she copped the 2-Year-Old Champion Filly Eclipse Award trophy.
A daughter of the successful sire Rahy, and the mare, Justenuffheart, Dreaming of Anna is the dream of owner Frank Carl Calabrese, a retired Chicago printing business magnate. His turf champion was named for his late sister, who tragically died of cancer at the age of 48.
Before getting into Thoroughbred racing and breeding, Calabreze did the same with Standardbreds for nearly 15 years.
Calabreze also owned Justenuffheart, whom he bred to Rahy before selling her to Mt. Brilliant Stables in 2005. Rahy traces to Nasrullah through his sire, Blushing Groom (1974), and grandsire, Red God (1954). Also in the family tree is Hail to Reason, a grandsire to Rahy's dam, Glorious Song (1976), a millionaire stakes winner.
Dreaming of Anna's Poppa and Relatives
Rahy (1985) has sired 973 foals and 81 stakes winners, including four this season. His Dancing Forever won the June 7 Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap, grade IT, and Verdana Bold scored in the May 18 Selene Stakes, Canada-III. Rahy's stud service fee is $60,000 at Robert N. Clay's Three Chimneys Farm, near Midway, Kentucky.
Ack Ack and Lear Fan, as well as the Kitten's Joy family show up in Justenuffheart's pedigree. She is a half-sibling to Kitten's Joy, champion turf horse of 2004, and to multiple grade I winner Precious Kitten.
Justenuffheart's daddy is Broad Brush (1983), by Ack Ack (1966), and her dam is Kitten's First (1991), by Lear Fan (1981).
