Blueskiesnrainbows Gets First Winner in Indiana

Grade 1-placed, grade 2 winner, and freshman sire Blueskiesnrainbows  was represented by his first winner Sept. 17 at Indiana Grand Race Course, where his daughter French Vanilla won in gate-to-wire fashion by two lengths.

Bred in Indiana by Swifty Farms, which stood Blueskiesnrainbows for his first two seasons at stud, the filly is owned by Southwest Racing Stables and Steve Lewis. Trainer Genaro Garcia acquired the filly as a yearling for $9,000 last year at Fasig-Tipton's The October Sale. Garcia would have had a particular interest in French Vanilla because she is a half sister to stakes-placed winner Gio Pantera (Gio Ponti ), who the trainer campaigned to a third-place finish in the Hillsdale Stakes at Indiana Grand about a month before the sale.

French Vanilla's dam is the Malibu Moon daughter French Lick, who now has three winners from as many to race. Besides French Vanilla and Gio Pantera, the mare has produced the Midnight Lute  filly French Legacy, a remarkably consistent runner who has a 3-6-0 record out of 12 starts and has earned $111,518 so far. She is still racing for Swifty Farms and is now with trainer Bernie Flint.

Though unplaced as a racehorse, French Lick is a half sister to multiple graded stakes winner Beau's Town (Beau Genius) and to winner Lucky Socks (Temperence Hill), who is the dam of grade 3 winner Orchestrator. French Lick has a Pataky Kid  yearling colt and had a colt by Airoforce  this year. She was bred back to Midnight Lute.

Blueskiesnrainbows, a 10-year-old son of English Channel , won three graded stakes: the San Pasqual Stakes (G2), Swaps Stakes (G2), and Native Diver Stakes (G3). He also was second in the 2013 Breeders' Cup Marathon (G2) and third in the 2012 Santa Anita Derby (G1).

The stallion stood at Sunlight Farm near Sallisaw, Okla., this year for $2,500.

Another Indiana freshman sire also got his first winner at Indiana Grand Tuesday, when Got Spirit became the first winner for turf stakes winner Animal Style in her first start.

Bred in Indiana by the Samuel and William Martin Trust, Got Spirit won the six-furlong maiden special weight by 5 1/4 lengths for owner/trainer Ron Herrell. The filly is the second foal out of the winning Smoke Glacken mare Spiritual Trip, who has one other foal and one other winner.

Animal Style, a son of Spanish Steps, last reportedly stood for $1,500 at MB Kentuckiana Stallions near Palmyra, Ind. The sire has three foals in his first crop and had one in 2018.