COUNT FLEET SPRINT H. (gr. III ), Oaklawn Park , April 13, 2013 , $250,000 Guaranteed , value of race $250,000 , 4 yo's & up , 6 furlongs , 1:09.63 Dirt FT .

Justin Phillip ended a long, stakes-winning dry spell when he recorded a three-quarter-length victory in the April 13 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (gr. III) at Oaklawn Park. It was the first black-type score in two years for the Kentucky-bred son of First Samurai, who last captured the 2011 Woody Stephens Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont Park.

Justin Phillip is trained by Steve Asmussen for Egyptian beverage company entrepreneur Ahmed Zayat’s Zayat Stables, which purchased him for $400,000 at the 2009 Keeneland September yearling sale from Oakbrook through Valkyre Stud, agent. He now holds a record of 6-4-7 from 26 starts, for earnings of $782,162.

Bred by California resident Pat Klaussman’s Oakbrook Farm, Justin Phillip is the sixth winner and fifth stakes victor out of the Cryptoclearance mare Ava Knowsthecode. Ava Knowsthecode’s best offspring include stakes winner Alex’s Allure (by Sky Classic); grade II victor Keyed Entry (by Honour and Glory); grade III victor Successful Mission (by Successful Appeal); and Algorithms (by Bernardini), who took the 2012 Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III).

Klaussman and her late husband Bill were some of the first clients of Catherine Parke’s Georgetown, Ky.-based Valkyre Stud. “Justin Phillip was absolutely gorgeous (as a foal), as were Successful Mission and Algorithms,” said Parke. “They’re bigger and longer than Ava Knowsthecode. She’s medium-sized boned and very correct.”

On the Klaussman’s behalf, Parke bought Ava Knowsthecode’s stakes-winning dam Ava Romance, while in foal to Majestic Light, for $95,000 at the 1989 Keeneland November mixed sale from Dan Mallory, agent. “We love to see breeders that have supported the industry for generations have a mare do something like this; it’s really wonderful,” said Parke of Ava Knowsthecode. “(Klaussman) is a great lady—it’s been a long time, so (this victory) is just wonderful for her.”

Eight of Ava Knowsthecode’s offspring have brought six figures at auction, including Encode, her unraced 3-year-old Bernardini colt, who fetched $625,000 from John Ferguson at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale. Kept at Valkyre, 19-year-old Ava Knowsthecode’s youngest foal is a yearling Tapit colt. She is scheduled to deliver a Bernardini foal soon.

First Samurai is the sire of 15 stakes winners. Among his six 2013 added-money winners are other graded victors Last Gunfighter (gr. III) and Swift Warrior (gr. IIIT). First Samurai stands for $10,000 at the Hancock family’s Claiborne Farm near Paris, Ky.—E.M.

PALOS VERDES S. (gr. II ), Santa Anita Park , January 19, 2013 , $150,000 Guaranteed , value of race $150,500 , 4 yo's & up , 6 furlongs , 1:07.73 Dirt FT .

Sahara Sky gave a surprise performance in the Jan. 19 Palos Verdes Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita Park. Coming off a seven-month layoff, he captured the six-furlong race by a length at odds of 21-1. It was the first stakes victory for the 5-year-old son of Pleasant Tap.

While Sahara Sky had campaigned in just one other black-type event prior to the Palos Verdes, he has finished in the money in all but two of his career starts. In his last start prior to the Palos Verdes, he ran third in an allowance contest at Betfair Hollywood Park last June.

Bred in Florida by Eddie Martin’s Martin Stables, Sahara Sky made his career debut for A.C. and Jane Hebert and trainer Jeff Hebert. The dark bay or brown horse caught the eye of Jerry Hollendorfer after winning that initial race by 41/4 lengths at Delta Downs, after which he was privately acquired by his current connections. Hollendorfer races Sahara Sky in partnership with Sweetwater Stable.

Sahara Sky is out of the Storm Cat mare Seeking the Sky, winner of a division of the 2000 Interborough Handicap (gr. III) and the Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct and an earner of more than $140,000.

The mare was most recently purchased in a dispersal of the Martin Stables horses at the 2009 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s October mixed sale. In foal to Spanish Steps, she was bought for $10,000 by Potrero and Eduarda Stables from Perrone Stables, agent.

Seeking the Sky’s first three dams are stakes winners. She is out of the Seeking the Gold mare Seeking Regina, who captured the 1994 Adirondack Stakes (gr. II). Her second dam, Fulbright Scholar (by Cox’s Ridge), is a half sister to grade I winner Bachelor Beau (by Raised Socially) and won the Busher Handicap at Aqueduct. They are both out of the stakes-winning Arts and Letters mare Matriculation.

All of Seeking the Sky’s five registered foals are winners, including her youngest offspring, a 3-year-old half brother to Sahara Sky named Animal Style (by Spanish Steps), who was bred in Kentucky by Eduarda Racing Stables. The mare was last reported to have been bred to Henrythenavigator in 2011.

Pleasant Tap, the sire of 59 stakes winners, stood at William S. Farish’s Lane’s End Farm near Versailles, Ky., until the son of Pleasant Colony was euthanized due to laminitis in 2010 at age 23.—E.M.