La Troienne
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La Troienne, born in France in 1926, was a Thoroughbred racing mare by Teddy (Fr), out of Helene de Troie (Fr) by Helicon (GB). She was bred and owned by Marcel Boussac.
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[edit] Racing wasn't her game
Racing in France, almost always entered into events in which she was outclassed by better company, La Troienne seems to have started seven times, winning once, and placing once. By her last race, her entire earnings totaled $146. But none of this mattered...because La Troienne eventually became one of the most famous and the most influential, if not the most influential, broodmares in the United States.
Sent by Boussac to England to be sold at Newmarket's December Sales in 1930, she went for the surprising sum of 1,250 guineas (a guinea equals one pound and one shilling). At the time, she was in foal to Chef-de-Race Gainsborough. But her buyer, Colonel E. R. Bradley of the Idle Hour Stock Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, certainly knew his horseflesh. La Troienne came in time to be described as "the most important producer to be brought across the Atlantic Ocean in this century." And this even though the filly she produced with Gainsborough was born deformed and had to be destroyed.
[edit] But babies were
La Troienne wasn't much to look at: small and plain, very unlike her three-parts French sister Adargatis, but she somehow gave to her progeny tremendous speed. She produced fourteen foals and 12 of them raced. 10 of those 12 were winners. The first of these was the Champion Black Helen, by Black Toney, born in 1932. Black Helen won the American Derby, the Florida Derby, the Maryland Handicap, and the CCA Oaks Stakes. The second was born in 1934, Biologist, by Bubbling Over who won the 1926 Kentucky Derby. The third was Baby League, born in 1935, again by Bubbling Over, who became the dam of four stakes winners: the great Hall of Fame filly Busher, as well as Mr. Busher, Striking, and Harmonizing. Her fourth winning foal was Big Hurry, another Black Toney filly, born in 1936, and the dam of five stakes winners: Be Fearless, Bridal Flower, The Admiral, Great Captain, and Searching. La Troienne also brought forth the great Hall of Fame colt Bimelech, born in 1937. By Black Toney, Bimlech won the Belmont Stakes, the Preakness Stakes, and placed in the 1940 Kentucky Derby. Big Event came next in 1938, a Blue Larkspur filly and dam of stakes winner Hall of Fame. In 1939, she dropped Businesslike who was the dam of two stakes winners: Busanda (who was the dam of Buckpasser) and Auditing. Then came Besieged by Balladier in 1940, Broke Even in 1941, a colt by Blue Larkspur, Back Yard in 1942, a gelding by Balladier, and in 1944 Bee Ann Mac by Blue Larkspur. Belle Histoire came along in 1945, once more by Blue Larkspur. Belle Histoire was the dam of stakes winner Royal Record. La Troienne's last two foals were Belle of Troy in 1947, again by Blue Larkspur, and the gelding Trojan War in 1948 by Shut Out.
From the names of La Troienne's foals, it's evident Colonel Bradley liked to name his horses with words beginning with B. (See Blue Larkspur.)
Les Brinsfield, a pedigree expert, wrote: "Anyone who wants can take any daughter of La Troienne (or all of them) and trace them through pedigrees to today's stars. It will be a rare week when there is no stakes winner linebred to La Troienne."
[edit] Becoming a legend
In 1938, at the age of 13, La Troienne was badly frightened by a thunderstorm. Startled and confused, but worse, half blind due to a loss of vision in her right eye, she ran straight into a tree. Her right shoulder was so badly damaged the vets assured Colonel Bradley she would have to be destroyed. Col. Bradley said, "Put ten men with her night and day if it will help. We'll never get another like her." At the time La Troienne was carrying Businesslike. Businesslike ran twice and lost twice. If La Troienne had been destroyed that day there would have been no descendents of the less than wonderful racing filly, Businesslike. What this would have meant was there would have been no Buckpasser, no Slew o'Gold, no Easy Goer, no Silver Charm, no Funny Cide, no Smarty Jones, plus many more now gone and surely many more to come.
When Col. Bradley died in 1946, his stock was sold off. A syndicate including Greentree Stud, King Ranch, and Ogden Phipps was very fortunate...the syndicate got La Troienne.
After her foaling days had ended La Troienne lived out her life in comfort. She died at Greentree Stud at the age of 28 on January 30, 1954.
La Troienne is the stuff of legend. In the "Family Table of Racehorses, Vol.III," she and her descendents occupy three full pages. Her best foals were her daughters. La Troienne heads her own branch of Family 1, tracing to Tregonwell's Natural Barb Mare.
But Bimelech, her greatest son, became a great sire himself. He is found in pedigrees everywhere, as is his mother, the greatest broodmare of the Twentieth Century.
[edit] Trivia
The Grade III seven furlong La Troienne Stakes at Churchill Downs, Kentucky is, of course, named after La Troienne. In 2006, it was won by Joint Effort.
