Grade 1 winner HIGH FLY (Atticus) was represented by his first winning
offspring on Wednesday when Madam Can Fly captured the 5TH race at Woodbine.
Owned and trained by Daniel Vella, and ridden by Robert Landry, the dark bay
juvenile vied for the early lead, opened up, and stayed on to score by a
half-length. Madam Can Fly, who was making her second start here, finished five
Polytrack furlongs in :58 3/5.
Bred and raced by Live Oak, High Fly captured his first three career starts
by open lengths — recording a 9 1/4-length debut maiden win, a three-length
allowance victory and a nine-length score in the Aventura S. for trainer Bill
White. He suffered his first career loss when stretching out to nine furlongs in
the 2005 Holy Bull S. (G3) and was subsequently switched from White to the barn
of Nick Zito.
High Fly responded by adding the Fountain of Youth S. (G2) and Florida Derby
(G1) to his lifetime mark. Following off-the-board runs in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness S.
(G1), the chestnut rounded out his career with a second in the Jerome H. (G2),
retiring with a 9-5-1-1, $927,300, record.
High Fly is out of the Grade 1-placed winner Verbasle (Slewpy) and counts as
a half-sibling dual Group 3 victor Estimraar (Holy Bull). His third dam is Grade
2 winner One Sum (One for All), herself a half-sister to 1981 Belmont S. (G1)
king Summing (Verbatim). Other notables in High Fly’s family include Grade 1
scorers First Albert (*Tudor Grey) and Hodges Bay (Vigors).
The seven-year-old stallion stands for a $3,500 live-foal fee at TW Stables
near Hatfield, Indiana.