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Mother Knows Best Aka Assassin
Original article written by Vicki Johnson posted 1 year 1 week agoMother Knows Best
Vicki Johnson
I was looking at the Thoroughbred Hall of Fame horses and on the second row was a horse named Aka Assassin. She had a genteel look to her and seems to be searching for something. A pretty bay mare with stripe down her face. She was overlooked since no one had authored an article about her. Who is this mare? So, I decided to look for more information.
Bred by Ronda Figal in Kentucky Year 24 by Samurai and out of famous performance and stakes producing mare Aka Black Mama. Aka Assassin had winning blood coursing through her body from both sides of family. Her father won $2,616,00 as a dirt miler and sired foals winning more than eight million dollars. Aka Black Mama offspring had more than three million in winnings.
Given to Chivista Chivas in Year 25 and sold to Authur Cutler in Year 26 for $7,000. Mr. Cutler was her final owner, and I am assured he thought that was well spent money!
Raced on dirt as a two-year-old twice at Adolescent Acres proved that sprinting on dirt was not her calling. She came in 7th and 5th winning $240 in her second race. Kept in the stable to allow more time to develop, her next dirt start in Week 13 brought her first place win out of nine on mile track.
Again, she was kept off the racetrack until she made another appearance in Year 28 in a 4 and older Steeplechase Race. She won her first race with speed index of one hundred. This would be her pattern over the next few years. Year 28 brought two more Stakes win and just the beginning of multiple years of winning steeple chasing stakes at the blinding speed of one hundred. Her style was to start aggressively, clear the hurdles, and have a little bobbled over the last one. But this did not hinder her from flying home to first place. This played out year and year while racing. Her total wins were $2,565,140 and was named to the Horse Hall of Fame. She raced in the Steward Cup Steeplechase with two seconds and one third. Not able to pull off a win there. Year 29,30, 32, Aka Assassin was named Older Steeple Chase Horse of the Year.
She was retired in year 32 where she started her second career as a broodmare. Her eight foals won $147,000 total in winnings. One of her daughters was Wish Two whose offspring won $5,9090,910. Wish two was the mother of Run for the Shadow. This great mare won $4265,500 in steeple chasing. If you look closely this year, a colt named Hero For 1 Day has been flying around the hurdles. He has already become a stakes winner and won $54,000 so far this year! I would keep an eye on him to see what all is in the future for this promising colt!
It is amazing to see how a horse won so much with style and speed, then pass it on down generations to others. Maybe that is what she is looking for in her picture. Her future winners leading the pack like she did years ago. She died during foaling in Year 38. A great loss to Mr. Cutler I am sure, but she still lives in her descendants today.