Catching Up With Round Pond

Round Pond visiting the winner's circle after the 2006 Breeders' Cup Distaff. (Photo by Horsephotos.com)
From one of the early crops of Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Awesome Again, Round Pond helped solidify her sire’s reputation as a stallion who produces big horses.
Round Pond started her career in February of her 3-year-old year and broke her maiden in her second start by eight lengths, putting her on the fast track to becoming a stakes horse. Not surprisingly, her next start came in the Honeybee Stakes and she again impressed when earning her first stakes victory by 5 ¾ lengths.
A few weeks later, she again broke another barrier when getting her first graded stakes victory in the Fantasy Stakes. However, the big win of her 3-year-old season came in June when she beat eventual champion 3-year-old filly Smuggler in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes.
The Acorn put her on the map as a horse to watch, but after a second-place finish in the Delaware Oaks in mid-July, Round Pond’s 3-year-old season was put behind her as she took off the rest of the year.
In 2006, Round Pond came back at Oaklawn Park, the track she proved to love the year before when winning three races there. The streak continued, as she won her return by 2 ¾ lengths before following that up with a win over multiple graded stakes winner Happy Ticket in the Grade 3 Azeri Breeders’ Cup Stakes.
Round Pond went back on the shelf again after the Azeri, staying away from the track for more than five months. She was transferred from trainer John Servis to Michael Matz during her absence.
Round Pond’s return to the track in the Molly Pitcher Breeders’ Cup Handicap wasn’t an easy place to start. She stalked leader Promenade Girl for most of the race before dueling in an attempt to get the win. In the end, she came up a head short, which didn’t discourage her connections from sending her to the Grade 1 Beldame Stakes. 
Facing one of the toughest fields she’d see in her career, Round Pond found herself in front at the third call by a head over Take D’ Tour, but that didn’t last long. With about an eighth of a mile left, Round Pond had dropped back into third, 3 ½ lengths behind leader Fleet Indian. At the finish line, she was still third, seven lengths behind Fleet Indian and Balletto, who finished only a head apart.
Round Pond went into the Breeders’ Cup Distaff looking for her first win since the Azeri Breeders’ Cup Stakes in March. She raced directly behind the leaders, only two lengths off the pace after the first call. Jockey Edgar Prado had her in the perfect position to strike around the far turn, a move that proved to be the changing point of the race.
As the field straightened out, Prado urged Round Pond through a hole on the rail and the race was over. Round Pond romped down the stretch, pulling away to win by 5 ½ lengths to become Awesome Again’s third Breeders’ Cup winner and his first in the Distaff.
2006 BREEDERS’ CUP DISTAFF

Round Pond returned the next year, finishing fourth in the Rampart Handicap. Her final career start came in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap where she finished third. After the race, it was discovered that she had suffered an injury during the race and she was retired immediately.
“She was a ‘one of a kind’ filly,” owner Rick Porter told The Blood-Horse. “I just wish she had received the Eclipse Award crowning her as a champion. Looking back at her career, she never was beaten when she didn’t have a problem, except for her maiden race. … She is an awesome filly. She is better than most people realize. I think she was one of the greatest. She has that great determination, toughness, and heart. I will never forget those fantastic races she ran. I will miss her racing days.”
Round Pond nearly hit the $2-million mark during her career, retiring with $1,998,700 in earnings with seven wins, two seconds, and three thirds in 13 races.
ROUND POND ROMPED IN THE BREEDERS' CUP DISTAFF IN 2006

Photo by Horsephotos.com
That November, Round Pond went through the Fasig-Tipton fall selected mixed sale, where she caught the attention of Darley. She was added to the stable’s broodmare band after Darley bloodstock adviser John Ferguson placed a winning bid of $5.75-million for her. The then-5-year-old mare was the sale topper by more than $1.5-million.
“Obviously, her race record was what caught everyone’s eye, but she is also a big, scopey, beautiful, correct mare,” said Michael Banahan, Darley’s director of farm operations. “She passes on quality to all her foals.”
Round Pond was bred to A.P. Indy in 2008 but did not get pregnant. She proved that the wait for her first foal was worth it when she gave birth to an A.P. Indy colt in 2010. Named Long River, he broke his maiden in December of his 2-year-old season. Like most promising colts, Long River was put on the Kentucky Derby trail for a few races in 2013 but didn’t have much success and resurfaced in the fall. He ended his 3-year-old season with his first stakes victory and got his first graded stakes-placing in the Excelsior Stakes in March 2014. Long River has been running in graded stakes all year and finished third in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 27.
Round Pond’s second foal is an Elusive Quality gelding named Long Water. Long Water broke his maiden in April 2014 by 2 ½ lengths in his seventh start before finishing third in a May allowance race. He hasn’t raced since but has been working regularly at Saratoga.
Round Pond also has an unraced 2-year-old filly named Fjord and an unnamed yearling filly, both by Bernardini. She didn’t have a foal this year but is currently bred to Tapit.
Living at Darley’s Jonabell Farm, Banahan says Round Pound is kind and handles every new situation calmly. Darley has high hopes for her career as a broodmare.
“She has started off well with her first foal, the stakes winner Long River,” he said “We are optimistic that he will develop into a graded stakes winner during the year. She has a few nice foals coming along behind him, so we are hopeful that she can develop into an extremely nice producer for us.”
When Round Pond won the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, she joined an accomplished list of mares. But with her first foal already having a stakes win to his name, Round Pond is on her way to joining the elite list of top mares who also are able to excel in their second careers as broodmares.
ROUND POND AT DARLEY

Photo courtesy of Darley America