She was claimed for $5,000 out of a race in which she bled badly. Yet here we are, 75 years later, celebrating Iltis (War Relic) as founder of a dynasty freshly decorated, coast to coast, on consecutive weekends.The moment of alchemy for Iltis was the transfer early in her breeding career to Ocala Stud, where a remarkable stallion, Rough'n Tumble, and the still more remarkable O'Farrell family were together putting Florida in the Thoroughbred map.A first date between Iltis and Rough'n Tumble produced My Dear Girl, as leading juvenile filly of 1959 the state's second national champion after Needles. Their next foal, the unraced Me Next, became granddam of GI Preakness Stakes Tank's Prospect (Mr. Prospector). After a colt of modest accomplishment, Iltis delivered Rough'n Tumble one last daughter, Treasure Chest, who broke the Arlington mile record on turf.It is through Treasure Chest that My Miss Mo (Uncle Mo), winner of the GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on Preakness eve, traces to Iltis. Her dam-a half-sister to GIII Pimlico Special winner Harpers First Ride (Paynter)-is a granddaughter of Treasure Chest's stakes-winning daughter by Northern Dancer, Gold Treasure.In the main, however, Treasure Chest is known as bedrock of a famous family in Europe: notably as granddam of those marvelous brothers Glint of Gold (GB) and Diamond Shoal (GB), who both collected top prizes in four different countries. To that extent, you could hardly seek a greater contrast in the legacy of Treasure Chest's sister My Dear Girl, whose second foal dramatically assisted the work of Intentionally, standing up the road at Tartan Farms, in giving Florida a key role in the modern American Thoroughbred.His name, of course, was In Reality: a lifeline to Man o' War, and probably as influential on the modern breed as the two champions from the same crop that eclipsed him on the racetrack, Dr. Fager (another by Rough'n Tumble) and Damascus.Ultimately My Dear Girl produced 13 winners from 14 starters and 15 named foals. She delivered GI Flamingo Stakes winner Superbity (Groshawk) when she was 20; and a final foal aged 23 in 1980, a filly by Mr. Prospector. She was retained by breeder Frances Genter and, as My Dear Lady, became a minor stakes winner before going on to produce a Group 2 winner in France, Albarahin (Silver Hawk). My Dear Lady's daughter by Caro (Ire), My Dear Frances, had meanwhile been exported to Japan-but left behind a filly by Irish River, bought by Edward P. Evans as a weanling.Irish Dear finished tailed off on her only start but Evans kept faith in her genes, keeping her to breed. Unfortunately her second career was also quickly curtailed, albeit two of her three foals did muster minor black type for their respective purchasers. One was a filly named Catalina Cat (Tabasco Cat), yet she brought just $13,000 when sold as a 7-year-old; and her own breeding career would also end prematurely, after just five foals.Four were mediocre males, but the solitary filly by Silent Name (Jpn) was another story. Sold privately, Fanticola started as she would continue, giving her best against some of the best: second to none other than Beholder (Henny Hughes) on debut, and later beaten a neck in the GI Gamely Stakes but getting her day in the sun in the GII Royal Heroine Stakes.Fairly remarkable, then, that Clear Creek Stud could recruit Fanticola as an 11-year-old for just $60,000-in foal to Flatter-at Keeneland November in 2021. Sure, initial foals by Medaglia d'Oro and Into Mischief were on their way to proving disappointing, but her latest colt by City of Light must have been shaping pretty well if able to realize $375,000 in the same ring the following September.He has meanwhile become familiar as Formidable Man, who last weekend won his third Grade I prize in the Shoemaker Mile. In the past year he has only been beaten by an outstanding European miler, duly emulating his sire by thriving with maturity. He belongs to the same 2021 crop, his second, as City of Light's other standout Fierceness. So while he has otherwise only mustered four Grade III winners, he retains every right to come up with others who may now progress to new heights. After all, he has maintained full subscription bar a single crop of 64 live foals-his incoming juveniles-after which his fee was sensibly cut to $35,000 from $60,000. While his overall ratios remain only respectable, his ability to pull a top-class one out of his hat, plus solid performance at the sales, are together consolidating a nice middle-market niche.In this instance, as we've seen, he has had something to work with. On the face of it, Formidable Man's dam had revived a branch of the Iltis dynasty that had fallen rather fallow. But her first and second dams had very limited opportunity, between their own misfortune (eight foals between them) and the mediocre caliber of their covers. With that compression in mind, Formidable Man is a legitimate echo of the days when Florida created a powderkeg for the modern American Thoroughbred. Laying down the LawThat big bang continues to spread. Take GIII Winning Colors Stakes winner Usha (Tiz the Law) as a random example. Her granddam's sire Valid Appeal is by In Reality. Tiz the Law's damsire Tiznow extends another branch, through Relaunch; while his grandsire Tapit's dam Tap Your Heels is out of a mare doubly indebted to In Reality: not just for her own granddam, Moon Glitter, but also for the granddam of her sire Unbridled.Usha has already been a breakout performer for her sire, with that GI La Brea success last winter. As the busiest stallion in the land last year, with 274 mares, Tiz the Law obviously has overwhelming reinforcements coming down the line. With a third crop of juveniles coming into play, he's closing the gap on overall class leader Vekoma.The latter has 23 stakes winners from 229 starters to date (6.3 percent) now including a ninth at graded level (2.5); Tiz the Law also has nine of those (3 percent), among 15 stakes winners (5.1), from 194 starters. But it's neck and neck between the pair in 2026. Each has seven stakes winners, but Tiz the Law has three at graded level, and eight graded stakes performers overall from 142 starters; compared with two and five respectively for Vekoma, from 162.These two are making their numbers count, but there remain plenty of interesting stallions in this group: Volatile has a monster talent in T O Elvis, for a $10,000 cover; Complexity punches way above weight, in his cumulative stakes action; and Honor A.P. is valiantly confirming his class with a very restricted hand. Mind you, there are also one or two among their peers in fairly urgent need of a big summer… The Hollywood Steel CupOf course, Vekoma also has momentum for the medium term, through a steep upgrading of his mares. His ninth graded stakes winner came in one of America's most storied races, and by almost 10 lengths. Unfortunately the familiar travails of the Californian industry confined Forged Steel to no more than $120,000 for winning the GII Hollywood Gold Cup, but thankfully Saffie Joseph and his clients still treasure the heritage of a race inaugurated by Seabiscuit himself sufficiently to fly back across the nation and claim it again.Forged Steel's fourth dam is Hangin Around (Stage Door Johnny), Canadian Broodmare of the Year in 1980-when her daughter Rainbow Connection (Halo) won the first of consecutive Sovereign Awards as leading Canadian filly of her crop. Rainbow Connection herself proceeded to the same distinction as a broodmare in 1994, as dam of multiple Canadian champion Rainbows for Life (Lyphard) besides also French Group 2 winner Colour Chart (Mr. Prospector), while later becoming second dam of champion Tempera (A.P. Indy).This colt instead traces to Hangin Around through Rainbow Connection's half-sister Hangin on a Star (Vice Regent), winner of the final leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. The Breeders' Stakes is run over 12 furlongs on turf, and was also won by Hangin on a Star's granddaughter Irish Mission (Giant's Causeway). The interventions of Unbridled's Song and Tale of the Cat did not especially dilute these chlorophyll flavors in Forged Steel's dam and granddam, who respectively won on synthetics and turf. Joseph was duly entitled to campaign Forged Steel on grass, but Vekoma has certainly vindicated the switch to dirt.Whatever the clouds over California, the arrival from Kentucky of Collected must be counted the brightest of silver linings. The GI Gamely Stakes success of his prolific daughter Thought Process puts a seal on his consistent output, his cumulative 23 stakes winners at 6.4 percent of named foals putting him precisely in step with Vekoma himself.The post Breeding Digest: A Formidable Legacy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.