Although Bernardini's four-year-old daughter, Saracosa, had 12 starts prior to the Bob Fortus Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds on December 27, she had never started in another added-money event. She was obviously well placed by conditioner Brendan Walsh and came from second last to win the one and one-sixteenth mile event while pulling away at the wire.
Bred in Kentucky by Meritage Ventures, Inc., Saracosa is out of the unraced Medaglia d'Oro mare Homeschooling who is a half to Listed winner/G3-placed Dream Kirari. This is also the family of champions Hector Protector and Bosra Sham along with French Two Thousand Guineas winner Shanghai.
Bernardini has sired over 70 Stakes winners. Bellera won the G3 Comely last month in New York and his other 2019 Stakes winners include Capezzano (G1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3), Cherry Lodge (Ladies’ Turf Sprint Stakes), Desert Isle (Zadracarta Stakes), Micheline (Sorority Stakes) and Crescentcitypretty (Azalea Stakes).
Bernardini will stand 2020 breeding season at Jonabell Farm in Kentucky for a fee of $40,000, stands and nurses.
