Given that it was a $1 million, grade 1 event at Santa Anita Park, it was no surprise that the inaugural California Crown Stakes (G1) saw two accomplished Bob Baffert-trained sons of Quality Road and Into Mischief battling to the wire. In the end, that pair—National Treasure and Newgate —were separated by just a nose, but diving between them to claim the day by a head was a less-heralded runner, the Argentine-bred Subsanador .
Trained by Richard Mandella, Subsanador was making just his fourth start in the United States, having debuted the day after last Christmas. Unlike some South American imports, Subsanador was a good but not dominant performer in his native land. Indeed, rather paradoxically, in view of his excellent current form as an older horse, it was as a 2-year-old that Subsanador most stood out from his contemporaries in Argentina.
Third on his debut, the chestnut then reeled off a trio of juvenile victories, including the Gran Premio Montevideo (G1) and Gran Premio Estrellas Juvenile (G1)—Argentina’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) equivalent—before ending his first season with a half-length defeat to Nino Guapo, whom he’d beaten in both his grade 1s, over a wet track in the Premio Miguel Cane (G2). Despite that defeat, his earlier wins were sufficient for him to earn a title as champion 2-year-old.
Subsanador (middle) prevails in the California Crown Stakes
Unplaced in his first two starts at 3, Subsanador returned to form to score three more victories at a mile, including the Clasico El Virtuoso (G3), which he took by 10 lengths, and Gran Premio des La Americas OSAF (G1), where he had four lengths to spare. Only seventh of nine in the Gran Premio Estrellas Mile (G1), Subsanador rebounded to take the nine-furlong Clasico Peru (G2), his first race beyond a mile, by a head.
Brought to the U.S. and running off a five-month break, Subsanador closed out the year in the Dec. 26 San Antonio Stakes (G2), finishing a respectable fourth behind Newgrange , Mixto , and Brickyard Ride , beaten 3 3/4 lengths by the winner. Overall, his 2023 form was sufficient to see him weighted 115 on the World Thoroughbred Rankings.
Subsanador performed much better on his next outing, missing by just a head to Newgate, in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1). A disappointing fourth, after prompting the pace, in the Hollywood Gold Cup (G2), Subsanador gained his first U.S. victory with a 1 1/2-length tally over Il Miracolo in the Phillip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park.
Subsanador’s sire, Fortify , is a U.S.-raced son of Distorted Humor who is out of an A.P. Indy mare who is three-quarters sister to Mineshaft . Fortify never won a stakes but showed considerable ability as a 2-year-old. Successful by 5 1/2 lengths on his debut, on his next three outings Fortify took second in the Hopeful Stakes (G1), third in the Champagne Stakes (G1), and fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), all three races won by Shanghai Bobby. At 3 Fortify was unplaced in three of his four starts but did win an Aqueduct allowance race by 8 1/4 lengths.
Sold to stand at Haras Vacacion in Argentina, Fortify, from his first seven crops, has been represented by 50 stakes winners, 42 graded, and 17 grade 1, including other champions Joy Nikita, Joy Canela, Joy Epifora, and Joy Neverland.
Subsanador wins the Philip H. Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Park
Subsanador is out of Save the Date, an unraced daughter of Hurricane Cat (a group winner in England at 2, and by Storm Cat out of champion Sky Beauty). Save the Date is a half sister to black-type winner Solamente Vos, both out of Satarain, a graded stakes performer from a shuttle crop by the Deputy Minister horse Salt Lake. Satarain is half sister to Sambullida, the granddam of Satu, who captured the Gran Premio Joaquin S. de Anchorena (G1).
The third dam of Subsanador, Sa Torreta, is a daughter of Southern Halo, a 10-time leading sire in Argentina, and best known in North America as sire of More Than Ready. Sa Torreta won five black-type races in Argentina, three graded, and is a sister to stakes winner Kumcha, and to the dam of stakes winner Kostya, and half sister to the dam of Fastidiada, a black-type scorer who took second in the Gran Premio Republica Argentina (G1).
The family arrived in Argentina with the importation of Sa Torreta’s dam, the Phipps-bred Quick Glance, a three-time winner by Time for a Change. Her dam, Bonnie Blink, never ran, and beyond Quick Glance she never produced an individual of note, but she was bred extremely well. By Buckpasser, she was out of Test Stakes winner Glamour, dam also of English St Leger (G1) hero and sire Boucher; stakes winner Poker, the broodmare sire of Seattle Slew and Silver Charm, and Intriguing, the dam of champion 2-year-old filly Numbered Account. Buckpasser was out of Busanda and Glamour out of Striking, and both Busanda and Striking were both War Admiral out of a daughter of La Troienne, Bonnie Blink had three-quarters sisters—Busanda and Striking—from her own female line, 2×2. Since Numbered Account was by Buckpasser out of a daughter of Glamour she was bred on a very similar pattern.
If we look at the pedigree of Kotuku, the dam of Subsanador’s sire, Fortify, we see that she also has Glamour and Busanda in the pedigree of her sire, A.P. Indy, and that she goes tail-female to Striking, the dam of Glamour. This gives Kotuku three crosses of Busanda/Striking, where Fortify’s fifth dam is closely inbred to that combination.
