DIXIE S. (gr. II ), Pimlico , May 18, 2013 , $300,000 Guaranteed , value of race $300,000 , 3 yo's & up , 1 1/8 miles , 1:47.87 Turf FM .

One sire, one owner/breeder, one trainer, two homebreds. If it were possible to ride one jockey, this might very well have been a dead heat, rather than a first and third finish, respectively, for winner Skyring and his stablemate, Optimizer.

About an hour before capturing the second jewel of the Triple Crown May 18 at Pimlico Race Course, two D. Wayne Lukas trainees entered the gate for the 11/8-mile Dixie Stakes (gr. IIT). Calumet Farm sent out Skyring from post 10 and Optimizer from post 2.

After a clean break on the firm turf course, Gary Stevens piloted Skyring to the inside to set the pace with Humble and Hungry keeping in close behind. Joel Rosario settled Optimizer into third and Howe Great kept in fourth. Skyring led the field and held off rivals, including Humble and Hungry, while Optimizer traveled up the rail, holding onto third ahead of Howe Great. Leaving the far turn, Willcox Inn made his move from mid-pack, swinging wide to outpace the field and finish second behind Skyring. Optimizer finished third and Howe Great, fourth. It was a steady pace with fractions of :24.45 for the opening quarter, :48.32 for the half-mile, 1:11.98 at three-quarters, and 1:35.79 for the mile. The final time was 1:47.87. Winless in his last 11 starts, Skyring may just have needed a combination of the distance and the track to bring him back to the winner’s circle: his last visit to Pimlico, on Preakness day 2012, Skyring won the James W. Murphy Stakes. Counting his Dixie victory, Skyring’s record stands at 4-3-2 from his 20 starts. His earnings total $424,148.

Stevens praised his mount’s ability: “He went to the front easy enough. He just sprinted home. It was a very impressive performance.” Lukas was confident Skyring would do well at Pimlico. “This horse loved this turf course last year,” said the Hall of Fame trainer. “That’s why I told the owner, ‘We need to enter both (Optimizer and Skyring).’ ” That turned out to be good advice for Brad Kelley, whose Bluegrass Hall bred both colts, and who races under Calumet Farm. Both are sired by English Channel: Skyring out of Violet Lady, by Seattle Slew.

Skyring is the third stakes winner this year for English Channel. The 2007 champion grass horse who earned more than $5 million, English Channel ranks sixth on the third-crop sires list by earnings. Among his nine stakes winners are Blueskiesnrainbows (gr. II) and Channel Lady (gr. IIIT). English Channel stands at Lane’s End Farm near Versailles, Ky., for a fee of $25,000.—M.P.

MERVIN H. MUNIZ JR. H. (gr. II ), Fair Grounds , March 30, 2013 , $400,000 Guaranteed , value of race $400,000 , 4 yo's & up , About 1 1/8 miles , 1:49.76 Turf FM .

In late 1977, Walter Haefner, owner of Moyglare Stud in Ireland, privately purchased Elmendorf Farm’s champion Talking Picture from owner Maxwell Gluck. In foal to Hoist the Flag, the dark bay or brown daughter of Speak John was sent to Lee Eaton’s farm where Haefner boarded mares for his U.S. division. Three years later Haefner, shopping for a mate for his prize acquisition, chose an unproven stallion, the newly retired Affirmed. From the union between the first-crop Triple Crown winner and his 1973 juvenile filly champion, Haefner bred group II winner Easy to Copy.

It was a match made in heaven and a dynasty in the offing. Five more matings between Affirmed and Talking Picture produced five more fillies, four of them stakes horses: Epicure’s Garden, winner of the Hermitage Farm Stakes and dam of group II winner Lisieux Rose (by Generous); Trusted Partner, the first Moyglare-bred classic winner (the Goffs Irish One Thousand Guineas, Ire-I), dam of grade I winner Dress To Thrill (by Danehill), and granddam of Moyglare’s 2012 group II winner Sapphire (by Medicean); grade III winner Low Key Affair; and group-placed Magical Cliché, granddam of Moyglare black-type winner Unaccompanied (by Danehill Dancer).

As a broodmare, Easy to Copy produced three stakes winners: Go and Go Round Tower Stakes winner Desert Ease (by Green Desert), group I winner Easy Definition (by Alzao), and group III winner Two-Twenty-Two (by Fairy King). She is also the granddam of Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Handicap (gr. IIT) winner Amira’s Prince as well as Platinum Stakes winner Hen Night (by Danehill Dancer) through her non-winning Green Desert daughter Twice The Ease.

Four-year-old Amira’s Prince, who is inbred 4x3 to Danzig, is from the first crop of 2006 European champion juvenile male Teofilo. The son of Galileo was undefeated in five starts at 2, his only season to race. Of the 14 lifetime stakes winners from Teofilo’s first two crops, five carry inbreeding to Danzig through the broodmare sire, and two of the five are through the Green Desert branch of the Danzig family tree.

The crossing of Galileo with Green Desert mares has proved successful. From 12 foals 3-year-olds and up the mating has produced three (25%) high-quality black-type winners: Was (gr. I), Battle of Marengo (gr. II), and Lay Time (gr. III).

On the same day Amira’s Prince won the Muniz, Teofilo also sired Miblish to win the Magnolia Stakes at Kempton. Teofilo stands for Darley at Kildangan Stud in Ireland, where his 2013 fee is €35,000.—T.H.