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In The Hall of Fame: Shalom
Original article written by Grace Moon posted 2 years 3 weeks agoShalom, a small black mare was nothing but quality, hitting the highest marks of success as both a racer and mother. Sired by the Hall of Fame stallion Star Signs, by the champion mare Can’t Live in Fear, Shalom was a natural star.
Shalom made her debut on day one of week ten as a two-year-old in a maiden special weight going a mile on the turf at Futurity park, Florida, winning in grade style by over five lengths. Two weeks later at Toronto Racecourse, Canada, Shalom took part in the grade two The Garden stakes, a mile long race on the turf for juvenile fillies and won by three and a half lengths. In preparation for the Steward’s Cup Juvenile Fillies turf, Shalom turned in a personal best time of 1:35.37 for the ungraded Steward’s Cup turf trial at SIMperior Park, Kentucky, winning by over six lengths. Coming into the Steward’s Cup Juvenile Fillies turf, Shalom was one of three fillies coming in with an unbeaten record. Shalom ran valiantly but was bested by half a length by the Eohippus filly Always, beating out another Eohippus filly Yahtzee by a neck.
At three, Shalom traveled to Europe, starting her new season at Coliseum Park Italy, for the ungraded Premio Colosseo, a mile long race on the turf for three-year-old fillies. Leading by a nose at the first call before dropping to third, Shalom went on to a three and a half length win over future Steward’s cup winner Aerobatics in a new personal best of 1:35.25. Two weeks later at Ireland Racecourse, Shalom turned in an impressive performance in the ungraded Soft and Sweet stakes, with a margin of four and one fourth lengths and a time of 1:35.50. Two weeks later Shalom returned to grade one company for the first time since the Steward’s Cup, in the Irish One Thousand Guineas at Ireland Racecourse. Facing off against the Steward’s Cup Juveniles Fillies turf winner Always who had remained unbeaten and won both the English and French one thousand guineas since, Shalom struggled at the start, but rolled past Always to win by three and one fourth lengths, stopping the clock at 1:35.25 for the second time in her career.
Journeying to Canada, Shalom met colts for the first time at Toronto Racecourse, Canada, in the grade two Masterkova mile. Beaten by half a length by multiple grade one winning Leonard Beagle bred stallion Ode to the Skies, the younger filly could not match the older stallion. On week thirteen, at Middleground Park, Tennessee, Shalom starred in the ungraded Banner stakes, whether she was still feeling her journey from Europe or struggling against older horses, Shalom struggled but fought on to a one and a half length win with a final time of 1:35.77. Shalom made her final start of the year at Baltimore racecourse, Maryland in the Steward’s cup filly and mare turf mile, a grade one event worth 750,000 to the winner. Others in the lineup included Juvenile winners Always and Horses For Courses and grade one winner Yahtzee. The Lanarkshire mare Across the Globe led for the first three calls with Shalom sitting in third behind Always but Shalom snuck past Always by a nose and roared past Across the Globe by three lengths stopping the clock at 1:35.36 for the biggest win of her career. Her three-length win remains the largest winning margin in the race.
At four Shalom made her seasonal debut at Lexington Racecourse, Kentucky in the ungraded Pajama Party stakes for four-year-old filles and older. Shalom won by an easy three and a half lengths over the stakes winning mare Bootylicious. Next time out at Inglewood park, Shalom blew away the competition in the grade two Royal Princess stakes by over five lengths. She kept it going again at Inglewood park in the Inglewood mile, winning by two lengths. At Toronto racecourse, Shalom found the final win of her career, in the Royal Mile stakes, winning for the second time this year by over five lengths. Shalom ended her career with a second and a fourth, in the We’re Going to Have Us A Throwdown, and the Stewards cup filly and mare turf mile respectively
Shalom produced fifteen foals, nine of which were stakes winners who earned over sixteen million between them. Her first foal, a filly by American Champion turf horse Florida Keys, Shanti wasn’t a bad mare, but far from the quality of her dam hitting the board, eight out of nine times, the one time she didn’t place was her sole venture into stakes competition. But her next foal, a tall dark bay colt by Frankel proved Shalom could produce top tier runners, Rilian’s sixteen race career was highlighted by two steward’s cup wins and the stallion saw modest success as a sire, his best runner being multiple champion mare How Long Is a Nite, and currently has three sons still at stud. Rilian was also the first of two-fellow hall of famers produced by Shalom. Her third foal, Tranquility, a chestnut filly by European champion Seven Keys, was her first champion, the South American champion two-year-old filly. Tranquility was a star broodmare in her own right, producing four millionaires and champion filly Precious. Her fourth foal, a chestnut filly by Waldo, Salaam never made it to the highest level but won stakes in America, Europe, and Africa.
Ebonheart, a dark bay mare by Held High was her second Steward’s cup winner, winning the year 41 edition of the filly and mare turf mile by a length and a half. Her six foal was the black sheep of the family, the only one of Shalom’s foals who failed to break their maiden, Beauty was by European champion Headlines, who never raced outside of maiden company, her best effort being a second, two lengths behind the winner but Beauty did produce a handful of decent runners, so she earned some redemption as a mother.
Now we are getting to the real star of the show, the mare who cemented Shalom’s statis as a blue hen broodmare, the Hall of Fame filly Memento Mori, by Eohipphus. Memento Mori was the best turf miler of her generation regardless of sex. Never off the board, only three horses have the distinction of beating her, winning eleven grade ones but you can read more about her in her own article I wrote earlier. Mia Tuta Amo was the result of a repeat visit to Frankel, making the grade two winner a full sister to Rilian. Her next foal a dark bay mare by hall of famer War Lock, was Shabbat, who never won a stakes race.
Vinces, a black gelding by champion three-year-old Night Broken, wasn’t a competitive stakes horse but raced until the age of nine, and earns my respect as a durable tough horse, making over forty starts. L’chaim’s, a dark bay filly by Micky, starring moment came at two, winning a juvenile steward’s cup race. Unetaneh Tokef by Blessed Wolf won but left a lot to be desired. Shalom’s last great foal was the dark bay filly Sia by Beauty Only, a grade one winning juvenile who took on the boys and won in the European classics at three, Sia was a champion European three-year-old filly and has already produced one millionaire with a few more years ahead of her breeding career, there still may be another star.
Afikomean was from a third visit to Frankel, winning half her stars and producing the stakes winner Afiko by Knock Four Times. Her last foal, a filly Adon Olam was by Distant Dreams, the rival of Memento Mori, so I like to imagine these two would not get along well but Adon Olam was stakes placed.