AKRON MOON: HIP 208 FTNOV

It’s hard to imagine a mare making a much better start to her stud career than Akron Moon, who is dam of two talented graded stakes performers, including this year’s spectacular juvenile filly, Bellafina, with her first two foals. What’s more, she sells carrying a Quality Road colt or filly who will be a sibling to those stakes winners.

Akron Moon’s current two-year-old, Bellafina, was an $800,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Two-Year-Old in training purchase and has shown herself to have been a bargain at that. The current leader of the juvenile filly division, Bellafina broke her maiden with a 4¼ lengths victory in the Sorrento Stakes (G2). The Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) saw Bellafina in equally untouchable form, as she drew off for another 4¼ length triumph, leaving the highly-rated Mother Mother and Brill in her wake. Bellafina was even more dominant in the Chandelier Stakes (G1), strolling to a 6½ lengths victory, in her first test around two turns. Bellafina now owns the highest Beyer (94) and Equibase (105) Speedfigures for a two-year-old filly in 2018, and is clear morning line favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

Bellafina is the second foal for Akron Moon, the first being Diamond King. Successful in the Heft Stakes at two, this year at three Diamond King captured the Federico Tesio Stakes, and also took second in the Smarty Jones Stakes (G3), and third in the Swale Stakes (G3) and Oklahoma Derby (G3).

Akron Moon is also dam of a yearling filly by Verrazano, and is bred to Quality Road for a brother or sister to Bellafina and Diamond King.

Akron Moon was also an accomplished runner in her own right, winning a maiden special weight at Woodbine, and then missing by just a nose in the Alywow Stakes at the same track on consecutive starts.

This outstanding mare is a daughter of the exceptionally successful sire Malibu Moon. The most prolific son of A.P. Indy, Malibu Moon has 114 stakes winners to his name, 15 of them grade one, including Kentucky Derby (G1) victor Orb, as well as such as Devil May Care, Life At Ten, Ransom the Moon, Moonshine Memories, Gormley, Declan’s Moon, Funny Moon and Malibu Prayer. Malibu Moon is also beginning to make a significant impact as a broodmare sire, his daughters having already produced 31 stakes winners to date, 11 of them graded, and in addition to Bellafina, they also include Champion Stellar Wind, and grade one winners By The Moon, Girvin and My Conquestadory.

A half-sister to the 2018 Hill Prince Stakes (G2) victor, Have at It, Akron Moon is out of the talented racemare, Akronism. She captured five black-type events, including the Royal North Stakes (G3), which she took by 3¾ lengths, and the Seaway Stakes (G3). Jerry Bomb, the granddam of Akron Moon, is out of Shibumi, a sister to Washington DC International (G1) victor Johnny D, and grade two winner Stardusk.

Only eight years old, and already dam of a brilliant grade one winning current two-year-old and of a progressive three-year-old stakes winner and graded stakes performer, Akron Moon – carrying a sibling to those horses – has clear foundation mare potential, as well tremendous commercial upside.

Pedigree Analysis by Alan Porter