Resilience Brings Three Decades of Dedication to Derby

When Wood Memorial (G2) winner Resilience  was a foal, he carried himself in the way that elite racehorses do; with a self-assured manner that showed he knew what was expected of a horse with his pedigree.

"I remember back when he was a foal, he would come out and look you in the eye like, 'what's up,'" said co-owner Emily Bushnell. "He's just a confident dude and has just done everything right every step of the way. He's very sure of himself, and I wish I had his confidence."

That confidence was on full display April 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack when the bay son of Into Mischief   pounced from off the pace under Hall of Famer John Velazquez to stroll home a 2 1/4-length winner. In victory, he secured a spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby (G1).

"I'm still just soaking it all in," said Bushnell. "This horse means so much to my family and brings us all full circle."

Resilience was content the morning of April 7 at Mott's Belmont Park barn, and munched on carrots after his nap around the 9 a.m. maintenance break. Leana Willaford, Mott's Belmont-based assistant, reported that he and Elysian Meadows , who finished sixth in the Wood, are in fine fettle.

"Both horses and good," said Willaford. "We're very happy and we were hoping for Resilience's performance. He'll make his way over to Churchill sooner rather than later."

The talented Resilience is the result of nearly three decades of dedication and hard work by Bushnell and her parents, Pam and Marty Wygod, who bred Resilience and his dam, Meadowsweet .

Marty Wygod got involved in the Thoroughbred industry early in life, purchasing River Edge Farm in Buellton, Calif. in the 1960s, where he stood top Golden State stallions such as Benchmark, Bertrando and Pirate's Bounty.

"My dad grew up close to Belmont and just loved horses. He started hotwalking as a teenager and snuck out of school to go to the track," said Bushnell. "He just really loves the horses and he loves the breeding aspect of it."

Resilience's story begins in 1996 when the Wygods purchased a Rahy filly for $250,000 at the Keeneland July Sale of Selected Yearlings. The filly was later named Tranquility Lake, and proved to be well worth her purchase price after a career that saw her bank over $1.6 million in earnings and capture seven graded stakes, including grade 1s in the 1999 Gamely Breeders' Cup Handicap (G1T) at Hollywood Park and the 2000 Yellow Ribbon (G1T) at Santa Anita Park.

Tranquility Lake was selected from the sale by the late River Edge manager Russell Drake, who had also selected her multiple graded stakes-winning half-brother Benchmark as a weanling in 1991. Benchmark went on to become a cornerstone sire in California, and Tranquility Lake has left a lasting legacy of her own.

Tranquility Lake, whose multiple graded stakes-placed dam Winters' Love is a half-sister to 1983 Belmont Stakes-winner Caveat, retired from racing in 2001, and saw immediate success as a broodmare when bred to Storm Cat for her first five foals.

The first foal was the multiple graded stakes-winning turfer After Market, followed by group 2-winner Jalil, who was sold as a yearling to Godolphin for $9.7 million. The third Storm Cat foal, a colt named Inflection Point, did not race, and was followed by the multiple graded stakes-winning Mott trainee Courageous Cat.

It was through these breedings to Storm Cat that the Wygods were introduced to Waldman, the longtime stallion consultant at Overbrook Farm where Storm Cat stood. Now, more than 20 years later, the Wygod family and Waldman will have their first starter in the Kentucky Derby, and will do it together.

"It's really special," said Bushnell. "I've known Ric since I was a teenager and he loves the sport. He has a strong relationship with my dad, and they work well together. It's a team approach, and I'm really excited to be on this journey with him."

After her last Storm Cat foal, a colt named Recap in 2007, Tranquility Lake had two more colts by A.P. Indy and Candy Ride   in 2009 and 2012, respectively, making each of her seven foals male.

"We had After Market, Jalil, Courageous Cat, and she just kept having colt after colt after colt," Bushnell recalled. "Then, the last foal she had was a filly. The whole family was in one filly, and everyone was holding their breath with her to make sure she was OK and see what she was like as a racehorse."

The filly was Meadowsweet, a dark bay by Smart Strike who raced six times and won twice, including a 2017 turf route at Del Mar where she bested graded stakes-winner Pacific Wind  by a nose. Retired in 2018, Meadowsweet had her first foal, the Quality Road   gelding Cloud Forest , in 2019, and was then bred to Into Mischief in 2020. The resulting foal is Resilience, who has already continued to build upon his family's excellence in impressive fashion.

"It's obviously a really good nick of a Smart Strike mare with Into Mischief, and the family has deep history on the turf as well. We could potentially have a great dirt horse, or a great turf horse, and that's what we were looking for," said Bushnell. "We had all the faith in the world in this mare and wanted to give her the best shot, and there's no better shot than Into Mischief."

Bushnell said a 2-year-old full-brother to Resilience is currently at Ciaran and Amy Dunne's Wavertree Stables in Florida, and that Meadowsweet recently gave birth to an Into Mischief filly. She is expected to be bred to the five-time Champion General Sire again this year.

"We were so excited it was a filly this year," Bushnell said, with a laugh.

Resilience's existence is thanks to a friendship and partnership that has stood the test of time, as the Wygod family and Waldman are rewarded once again for their patience, expertise, and meticulous horsemanship. Saturday's result was emotional for Bushnell, who said she is involved in all aspects of her family's racing operation.

"We're on the phone with each other all the time making decisions and we are all very involved," said Bushnell. "I'm so excited to be carrying it on with my parents. I've been working with my dad in a professional capacity for about 15 years and I love being able to learn from him."

With Resilience and his team on their way to Louisville, Bushnell said being able to go on the journey of a lifetime with her family and closest friends by her side is something she will cherish forever.

"It's more than you can put into words," said Bushnell. "I feel like I was so incredibly nervous yesterday, but now that he ran so well, he showed he has the quality that we all thought. Just to be included on this ride with him is a joy."