A baker's dozen of Group/Graded winners for Hard Spun

Hard Spun’s first crop of runners had already put their sire in the record books. After two seasons of racing from this first group, no sire had been represented by more Stakes from their first crop. His initial group of runners now reflects 21 Group/Graded or Stakes winner with Big John B becoming his latest added-money winner in the G2 Del Mar Handicap at Del Mar on August 23.

In his first-ever Stakes start, Big John B was allowed to settle in mid-pack by jockey Mike Smith through six furlongs. Once past that point, he urged the big dark bay or brown five-year-old to pick up the pace and he responded immediately, taking over the lead as the field entered the stretch, while never looking back.

Big John B was bred by Brylynn Farm, Inc., in Florida. His ownership has changed four times in the past year but it appears he’s found a permanent home now with his most recent purchaser, Michael House. A winner of 10 races and over $400,000, Big John B is out of Stakes winner/multiple Graded-placed Baldomera and is a half-sister to G3 winner Circle Unbroken.

Hard Spun is having his best year as a sire in 2014 with three G1 winners in North America. Other son Wicked Strong won the Wood Memorial earlier in the year and finished second in the G1 Travers by a nose, also on August 23rd. One week earlier, son Hardest Core won the G1 Arlington Million while daughter Hard Not To Like was victorious in the G1 Jenny WIley at Keeneland this past spring.

Hard Spun, who returns to Darley in American from Darley in Japan for 2015, is now represented by a total of 32 Stakes winners, 13 in Group/Graded company with five G1 winners. Big John B is his seventh Group or Graded winner of 2014.