Specificity, Dam Of Pride, Dies At 30

[Wandering Eyes]

Specificity (Alleged), the dam of the champion racemare Pride (Fr) (Peintre Celebre), died on New Year’s Eve in France at the age of 30.

Bred in Kentucky by Pin Oak Farm, Specificity won the listed George Stubbs S. at Newmarket when trained by John Gosden. She was later bought by Sven and Carina Hanson at Keeneland as an eight-year-old broodmare.

Exported once more, this time to France, Specificity produced another 14 foals to add to the three she left in America, with the most notable of her 11 winners being her eighth foal, the Hansons’ treble Group 1 winner Pride.

Raced on by her breeders until the age of six, Pride notched her first success in Britain when trained by Gerard Butler and continued to progress once switched to the care of Alain de Royer Dupre, for whom she won the G2 Prix Conseil de Paris and G3 Prix Allez France as a 4-year-old, followed by a brace of Group 2 victories at five. Her annus mirabilis came in 2016 when an ambitious international campaign saw Pride win the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, G1 Champion S. and G1 Hong Kong Cup to end her career as the top-rated mare in the world. As a broodmare, Pride’s most notable runner is the dual French Group 2 winner One Foot In Heaven (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who is now trained in Australia by Chris Waller.

Pride was not her dam’s sole Group winner, as her daughter by Teofilo (Ire), born when the mare was 21 and named Fate (Fr), won the G3 Prix de Flore in 2014 and was also third in the G1 Prix Ganay.

“Specificity had a classic European pedigree, and we succeeded in buying her at Keeneland in 1996 for just $150,000, as she was in foal to Caller ID,” recalled Carina Hanson. “Her yearling colt [who became the five-time winner Noble Calling] was however probably the most expensive yearling sold by Caller ID when we sold him at Arqana August. He made almost the price of his dam.”

She continued, “We mated her to Peintre Celebre as we wanted the Northern Dancer turn of foot, and we got Pride.

“Specificity had a fantastic temperament and was so kind. She was boarding with Anna Sundstrom at Haras du Grand Chene, and she was loved and taken care of by her daughter Lillie, who led her in and out from the paddock every day.

“She was in good spirits with legs like a yearling until her last days, when her heart started to weaken and she was put to sleep immediately.”

Pride, now 19, has a yearling colt by Fastnet Rock—a full-brother to One Foot In Heaven—and was barren to the same stallion last year. She will visit Lope De Vega this season.

 

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