“Improbable” would be a generous way to describe Robin Sparkles’ route to the winner’s circle for a graded stakes race at Saratoga Race Course.

Her dam, My Sparky, was modestly successful, winning five races from 17 starts and earning $147,000. In 2014, My Sparky was sold at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale, a sale that, while useful, carries none of the prestige of the company’s August yearling sales. Her sale price was $5,700.

My Sparky’s first two foals didn’t bring a lot of money at auction, and they didn’t do much on the racetrack, either. In 2016, she was supposed to be bred to Girolamo, but two cover attempts failed, and she ended up being bred to Elusive Quality—a stallion upgrade for sure, but one that happened wholly by accident. 

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