Brocknardini bounces back from Grade 1 try with victory in Saturday’s Selima Stakes at Laurel Park. Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club Photo.
After a rough outing in her second career start two weeks ago, the Thirty Year Farm-bred Brocknardini bounced back in a big way with a win in Sunday’s $150,000 Selima Stakes at Laurel Park.
Stretching out to 1 1/16 miles from the 1-mile she raced over in the Grade 1 Natalma last out at Woodbine, Brocknardini broke strongly from the gate before happily taking up a midpack position under Joe Rocco Jr. The 2-year-old daughter of Palace Malice sat nearly 5 lengths off the lightly pressured leader as she put up moderate fractions of :24.77 and :51.26 with the complexation of the race not changing much down the backstretch.
As the field entered the turn, Selima turned serious with the pack bunching up and Brocknardini starting to look for room to escape her rail position. That came as they closed into the stretch and Rocco swung her a few paths wide to race outside the leaders.
Brocknardini was green at first when facing off with the early pacesetters but quickly got her mind back on the job and bolted past the field. Brocknardini didn’t leave a chance for the others try to catch her, building a lead down the stretch to win by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:47.45 over Flowers For Me.
Trained by George Weaver for Thomas and Daryn Brockley, Brocknardini broke her maiden on debut two starts ago by 4 3/4 lengths in a New York-bred maiden special weight over the same distance at Saratoga Race Course.
A $20,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearlings sale purchase by Nick Hines, agent, from Paramount Sales, she was wheeled back to this year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale where the Brockleys bought her from Pick View for $35,000.
Brocknardini is out of the Bernardini mare Broad Stripes, who is the dam of two winners from two to race. A three-time placer who sold for $20,000 to 3C Thoroughbreds at the 2022 Keeneland January horses of all ages sale, Broad Stripes is now an eighth-generation stakes producer. A half-sister to Grade 3-placed Manyuz, she is also a granddaughter of the Grade 3-placed On Parade.
On Parade produced multiple graded stakes winner Parading and Grade 2-placed Protesting with Protesting also the dam of multiple Grade 3 winner Performer and stakes winner Breaking The Rules with another On Parade daughter producing multiple stakes winner Madras Check.
On Parade is just one prolific broodmare out of the champion My Flag, whose other foals include champion Storm Flag Flying – who produced the dams of two graded stakes winners and stakes winner With Flying Colors among others.
My Flag herself is a daughter of the legendary undefeated Hall of Famer Personal Ensign.
Still residing in New York for 3C Thoroughbreds, Broad Stripes had a New York-bred filly by Maximum Security last year and was bred to Maclean’s Music in 2023 after missing to Fog of War in 2022.
