Hall Of Fame - Jolly Good

Original article written by Danny Warren posted 12 years 1 week ago

Jolly Good was very well named…….she was Jolly Good !

Jolly Good could be regarded as one of the unluckiest mares in SIM History with two seconds and a fourth in three heart wrenching attempts at a Steward’s Cup trophy, but if anything that only adds to the story of this classy sprinter/miler who went on to win a Broodmare of the Year title.

Jolly Good was created by John Slotman and in either a moment of sublime genius or incredible luck, John’s decision to send a Pleasant Tap x Secretariat mare to the breeding barn for a meeting with Charismatic produced a stunning chestnut filly.

Pleasantariat never raced, while Charismatic, although a “real life” Gr.1 Kentucky Derby winner, he managed just two wins in the SIM with the Gr.2 Kelso Handicap his best victory. Charismatic was also seeing his final group of mares, with Pleasantariat one of the five. Charismatic had by then established himself as a quality stallion with nine millionaires amongst his foals and John was hopeful that Charismatic could produce something special in his last, limited crop.

With not much to guide him on the correct distance to run Jolly Good over, and the tiny filly also didn’t give away any clues, John eventually decided to begin her career at the mile at Florence Park in Kentucky where she raced very greenly, but was good enough to run a solid second behind Risky Tears.

There then appeared a great chance for Jolly Good to claim her debut win in London, so after leaving the U.S, she arrived on a cold, wet day at Heathrow Airport and prepared for a European campaign. With just three opponents, Jolly Good was expected to run well, but although she ran a much cleaner race, she could again only manage second, this time against a future top class filly in Pinafore.

With the storm clouds brewing above his frustrated head, John gave Jolly Good a full months rest before her next try at winning her maiden. Jolly Good looked a lot fresher in the yard and after stalking the leader for most of the race, ran on well to claim the prize with another ten lengths back to the third horse.
Still not convinced Jolly Good was anything out of the ordinary, she was entered into an allowance race to finish off her first year of racing. She stumbled at the start, but was able to reign in the small field before running away late for the win.

Jolly Good flourished during her short break and so it was decided that to test her in stakes company for the first time in Munich. After again missing the start, Jolly Good sat quietly until the home straight and then bounded past her four rivals to win well.

Now it seemed that Jolly Good had learned the will to win, John wanted to see if she could win again in stakes company, this time in Milan. She had just three horse against her again, but this time there was some real class, with Gr.1 placed and multiple graded stakes winner, Performingmiracles in the field. Jolly Good was up to her playful best again, infuriating John by breaking away perfectly, only for her to lag badly off the pack mid race, leaving her with a lot to do. Not that John was watching, his head sitting snugly in his hands, wondering why his cheeky chestnut couldn’t do things the easy way. Performingmiracles cruised along out front, easily outpacing the other two and looked certain for victory, but Jolly Good picked up her feet and rattled home to steal the win virtually a stride before the post, with the cheers of the large Italian crowd in the closing stages being the only thing to make John turn his head and see the finish.

A trip through the Western Europe countryside and through the Chunnel back to London allowed Jolly Good to again appear fresh from a month off to tackle her first graded race in the Gr.3 Windsor Forest Stakes. Morning Cascade took off before the home turn while Jolly Good ran along with Dark Blue in chase. Dark Blue couldn’t keep up and Morning Cascade had no answer when Jolly Good ran on by and suddenly the little filly had won her fifth race in succession.

The time had come to test Jolly Good against the best lady horses in Europe and a small, but very select field of three runners lined up against her in the Gr.1 Matron Stakes in Ireland. Diamond Black had already won five times, the previous years runaway winner Seven Wonders who had won nine from twelve and was hoping to retire with another win and the remarkable Rise To The Test, who was the darling of the European turf coming off wins in three straight Gr.1’s and had won six of her seven starts. Diamond Black stumbled at the start which slightly interfered with Jolly Good early in a race where any mistake would be costly. At the turn Diamond Black was well beaten and Rise To The Test charged for home leaving Seven Wonders behind. Jolly Good ran on hard but missed out by a length and a half, but certainly not disgraced in such a high class race.

The Steward’s Cup Mile beckoned and a trip back to the US was arranged.

In one of the great Steward’s Cup Mile’s on record, Jolly Good was to face the largest field she had seen with horses of the calibre of Bound For Heaven, Monaachi, Moonstroked, Soft and Sweet and Sahara Star. It was a mad charge most of the way and Jolly Good sat behind the leaders in a good spot, but this was where her luck ran out. As the leaders began to fall back, Jolly Good was trapped in the pack and only saw daylight late. By then it was too late and although she ran on well, Jolly Good could only finish fourth behind Monaachi, who got a dream run along the fence.

Jolly Good travelled back to Europe in preparation for the next season and she opened the year with a good win in a listed stakes race in Milan.

Three weeks later, Jolly Good lined up in the Gr.1 Juddmonte Lockinge where after leaving John standing with his head shaking after yet another poor start, she flew home late to pass Rise To The Test, but couldn’t quite reach Tondeiru.

More frustration followed when another tardy beginning saw Jolly Good again second in the Gr.1 Matron Stakes behind Rise To The Test, with John cursing his luck again.

John decided it was time to try something different and applied blinkers to her head to see if this would help her barrier manners. John also decided to test how it would work in the Gr.1 Steward’s Cup Turf Sprint in Kentucky. Her workouts had been good, but could she stand up on raceday against the previous years winner in Stand Up Speak Up and super sprinter Right Hand Man in his last start and desperate to go out with a Steward’s Cup after twice finishing close up. Jolly Good broke well this time, but this was Right Hand Man’s day and he held off Jolly Good by two lengths. Jolly Good’s Steward’s Cup form now read, two races for an unlucky fourth and a second to an all time star.

After spending significant time over the decision, John sent Jolly Good back to Europe for one more year of racing. Jolly Good started off by going back to the mile in Milan without the blinkers and shot away for a very easy stakes win.

Now desperate for Jolly Good to win a well deserved Gr.1, John entered Jolly Good in the Gr.1 Golden Carnival Stakes in London, putting the blinkers back on over the shorter 6f journey. The field was small, but the class was high, with sprinters Desert Sands, Guitar Hero, Guitar Nation and Tarttaric all in good form. The two Guitar’s went out to the early lead, but with a furlong to go, Jolly Good powered her way through between them and burst clear for a three length victory and the Gr.1 that John had hoped she had in her. Jolly Good was on her very best behaviour and left John speechless at the presentation ceremony.

With the Steward’s Cup Turf Sprint lined up for her final race, Jolly Good was sent out against her own sex for a tune up run in the Gr.3 Tudor Rose Stakes where to a standing ovation from the British crowd, she won by six lengths in a canter.

One more trip to the US and New York for a final shot at Steward’s Cup glory with a totally different, yet very smart lineup in opposition. The unbeaten Love was the media darling, with Spirited and Ease also drawing attention, but the public adored the quirky little chestnut and her stall was a very popular place to be before the race. Love, Spirited and Ease all took off at a great pace and kept the pressure on high all the way. Love couldn’t take it anymore and then Spirited was passed by Jolly Good in pursuit of Ease. Sadly again for Jolly Good, she just couldn’t reel in the gap and once more found herself near the winners circle at the Steward’s Cup meet, but not in it.

Jolly Good was immediately retired with $1,706,800 in prize money, with nine wins and seven seconds from her 16 starts with her single run off the board a fourth in the Gr.1 Steward’s Cup Mile.

Jolly Good then set about her days as a producer and started well when her first foal, Very Nice won over $1.2 million and winning the Gr.1 Steward’s Cup Juvenile. Her next three foals all won around half a million dollars including Good Of The People who went on to produce two millionaire foals of her own. Jolly Good was then bred to sprinters rather than the milers she had been bred to and produced Hand Of God, who also won the Steward’s Cup as a juvenile and is now standing at stud after finishing his career with a virtually identical record to his dam. The smart Right Honourable was next and finally, Bespoke who has already won a Gr.3 in just ten runs.

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