Shipping into Remington Park in Oklahoma from Churchill Downs, the Bernardini-sired, Kenny McPeek-trained two-year-old Oliviaofthedesert finally earned her Black Type stripes with a hard-fought win in the Trapeze Stakes on December 18th.
Starting from the inside post, the juvenile filly split the pack for the first half mile and then began to pass her rivals down the backstretch. As the field turned for home, she had two to pass and fought courageously down the stretch to get up for the win at the wire.
Out of the Stakes-placed Unbridled's Song mare, Queenie's Song, Oliviaofthedesert was bred by Timber Town Stable, LLC, and Jane Winegradner in Kentucky. Queenie's Song is out of G3 winner/G1-placed Queen of Money, dam of multiple Stakes winner/G3-placed Quiet Cash, Stakes winner Pockefullofpesos, and the Stakes-placed duo of Auditor and Miss Skagit Stable (dam of multiple Stakes winner Spanky Fischbein).
This year, Bernardini is also the sire of G1 winner Capezzano (one of 15 at the highest level for his sire), G2 Blue Grass Stakes winner Art Collector, and $500,000 Dueling Ground Oaks winner and G1-placed Micheline. Art Collector is Bernardini's 22nd Graded Stakes winner on dirt since 2015 - no stallion standing for less than $175,000 can top that.
