In recent years, we have had several occasions to discuss the family of the imported mare *Magic Night, who in successive years was responsible for two important Breeders' Cup finishers - Artax, winner of the 1999 Sprint, and Tout Charmant, second in the 2000 Filly and Mare Turf.  We were already quite familiar with this family, having worked at Golden Gate Fields when one of its earliest good members, Oriental Magic, was a top grass sprinter in the area.

 

     However, it was the mare Fagers Charm, a minor stakes winner on the Northern California fair circuit who, when purchased by Robert and Barbara Walter, triggered a rebirth of what had been basically a long-dormant clan.  For the Walter's, Fagers Charm produced three foals prior to her death; the stakes winning siblings Charmonnier and Charm A Gendarme (dam of Tout Charmant) and stakes placed Charmalotta.  Charmonnier and Charm A Gendarme were by the Walter's stallion Batonnier; Charmalotta by their sire Cost Conscious. 

 

     Fagers Charm died at age 11, but she had a half sister by Apalachee named Raging Apalachee who had produced two completely ordinary horses prior to the advent of Artax.  She still has some young horses who have not raced, but none of them are by Artax's sire Marquetry and to date they have done nothing more to add black type to their ancestors’ own contribution.

 

     *Magic Night's family line is that of the foundation mare Banter.  But she is not from one of the family's best branches.  She was obviously imported to California, where she was introduced to three very common sires - the failure *Valerius II; the average Power Ruler (a son of Bold Ruler who sired oversized horses) and Ruken, a useful regional sire.

 

     Her daughter Charisma Magic, a sister to Oriental Magic, was obviously bred to better stallions and produced daughters by Dr. Fager; What A Pleasure; T. V. Lark; Silent Screen; Listcapade and Exclusive Native.  The Listcapade mare produced no foals, but any others who were bred to good sires continued the upgrading trend and obviously the two best branches have prospered and are listed below.

 

     But family is still not out of the woods.  There are almost as many horses from the clan in regional markets which are by stallions with questionable credentials as there are good horses who are in responsible hands.  One needs be very careful where he plants his feet with this bunch.

 

     Several matings the Walter's are responsible for are worth further discussion.  The Batonnier-Fagers Charm crosses effected some far-back linebreeding to *Magic Night's own family via half sisters Gay Gamp and Paravant (third dam of *Magic Night) on a 6 x 7 cross.  The Gay Gamp line comes via El Greco, broodmare sire of *Ribot in the pedigree of Batonnier.  

 

     The other match is responsible for the 1997 filly Allocute by Alleged-Charm A Gendarme, who is inbred to full sisters How and Sequoia.  Her *Ribot son double suggested late maturity and she took nine starts to win $56,737. Sadly she has been barren in 2004 and 2005 to Forestry and in 2006 to Victory Gallop. 

 

     Then there was Toujours Charmant, a 2000 unraced three-quarter sister to Tout Charmant by Slewvescent-Charmalotta.  She was inbred to *Herbager via daughters, and to Round Table and his half sister Love Game, which should have given her plenty of class.  It was also noteworthy that Charmalotta's sire is a son of Believe It, who carries a cross of another notable Australian mare, *Reveille II.  Sadly, Toujours Charmant was unraced and died at the age of five.  That same year she foaled a Robannier filly named Charm Galore who will turn two in 2007.

 

    

     This is a family to which we paid close attention over the last five or six years.  During that time, there have not been enough major winners to make us believe it is improving:  It simply has not branched out in enough directions and/or taken a firm enough foothold to suggest that it is worthy of doubling.  That day may come, but it has not come yet and at this point, we are inclined to doubt it.

 

     Nevertheless, when an offbeat branch of a long-quiet family comes to life, rather interesting things can begin to happen.  Affirmed's family comes to mind:  This Nature branch of the Correction family had produced little of note prior to his appearance on the scene, but since then is reponsible for any number of good horses including Dr. Caton, Lil E. Tee, Senor Pete, Thrill Show and Burnished Bronze. 

 

     The opposite can be said of the family of Spectacular Bid (the Elope branch of the Fly By Night family - a family which also produced Almahmoud).  There had been nothing of note to come from this family since Reign Road and indeed, the Spectacular portion of the clan is dead as a door-nail.  However, Kitten’s First, the dam of Kitten’s Joy has done for this family what nobody else could, getting not only her turf champion son but his half sister Justenuffheart by Broad Brush, who produced the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ winner, Dreaming Of Anna.  Kitten’s Joy is as much an ace as Spectacular was a dud.

 

     So yes, families do wake up.  And obviously, *Magic Night was a very good racehorse who just happened to be unlucky enough to land first in California.  She could easily have gone the way of the dodo like Spectacular.  But she did not.  Somehow, her splendid linebreeding to Pilgrimage; Galicia; Bend Or (13 lines!); Sanfoin/Sierra and that great Cup horse from down under himself, Carbine, has managed to survive.  We'll be looking to several specific mares to see whether or not the clan can carry on:  Tout Charmant of course, who has a 2004 filly by Storm Cat named Charming Toutsie and a 2005 unnamed colt by that same leading sire.  Then there is (Tout Charmant’s half sister) and Forest Grove’s unraced full sister Charmant Forest, who produced a filly by Officer in 2006 and Charm a Song, the winning Unbridled’s Song half sister to the pair who foaled a Forestry colt in 2006.

 

 

*Magic Night (AUS), 1958-1972

By =Star Kingdom-=Betrothal (AUS) by *Ajax

Golden Slipper S., 3rd AJC Sires Produce S.

 

Charisma Magic, 1970 f. by Power Ruler.  Winner.

     Fagers Charisma, 1976 f. by Dr. Fager.  Winner.

          FAGERS CHARM, 1981 f. by Sham.  Alameda County Fillies and Mares H.

              CHARMONNIER, 1988 g. by Batonnier.  California Cup Classic,

                        2nd San Bernardino H. G2, etc.

                   TOUT CHARMANT, 1996 f. by Slewvescent.  Matriarch S., G1,

                        2nd Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf G1, etc.

                   FOREST GROVE, 2001 c. by Forestry.  Los Angeles Times H., G3.

              CHARM A GENDARME, 1989 f. by Batonnier. 

                        Senorita Breeders' Cup S., G3, etc.

              Charmalotta, 1990 f. by Cost Conscious.  2nd Boo La Boo S.

                   Charbonnier, 2001 g. by Robannier.  2nd Joseph T. Grace H.

          Valentine Magic, 1993 f. by Knight.  Winner.

              Malameeze, 2003 c. by Saint Ballado.  3rd Lane’s End S., G2.

          Raging Apalachee, 1988 f. by Apalachee.  Unraced.

              ARTAX, 1995 c. by Marquetry.  Champion Sprinter, 1999.  Breeders'

                   Cup Sprint,G1 etc.

    

     What Magic, 1981 f. by What A Pleasure.  Winner.

          Love Charm, 1991 f. by Romeo.  Winner.

              PETESKI’S CHARM, 1997 c. by Peteski.  Emerald Downs Derby,  3rd Ascot H., G3.

              Te Cuira Mucho, 2001 f. by Pyramid Peak. 3rd California Oaks.

 

     T. V. Charisma, 1975 f. by T. V. Lark.  Winner.

          Appaluce, 1982 f. by Apalachee.  Unplaced.

              SWEEPING STELLA, 1989 f. by Honey Jay.  Tougaloo S., etc.

 

Oriental Magic, 1972 c. by Power Ruler.  3rd Hollywood Express H., etc.

 

FAMILY 14-A