The leading broodmare sire three years in a row, TAPIT’s legacy continues at Churchill Downs this weekend when the legendary sire sees his daughters with runners in both the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1).
Churchill Downs cards on Friday and Saturday are full of TAPIT’s influence with nine runners in the graded stakes out of his daughters. That group includes Prom Queen and Bella Ballerina in the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and Danon Bourbon in the Kentucky Derby. If Either Prom Queen or Bella Ballerina win the Kentucky Oaks, it won’t be the first time his daughters have found success in the Oaks as broodmares.
TAPIT’s Grade 1 winning daughter Pretty City Dancer proved to be an excellent broodmare early in her career as the dam of 2023 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous from her second foal. The dam of four winners from four to race, Pretty City Dancer could improve both her sire’s legacy and her own on Friday as the dam of Bella Ballerina.
#14 Pretty Mischievous takes the 149th Kentucky Oaks!
Jockey: @Tyler_Gaff
Trainer: @brenpwalsh
Owner: @godolphin🎥: #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/6FVDdnCpjD
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) May 5, 2023
Prom Queen’s own dam Miss Bling Bling is receiving her first attempt at getting a Kentucky Oaks winner with Prom Queen the first filly and second foal overall out of the mare. Placed on the track, Miss Bling Bling is a full sister to TAPIT’s Grade 2 winning daughter Actress with the duo out of Canadian champion Milwaukee Appeal.
There is already a precedent for this family at Churchill Downs with Actress’s son Hit Show finishing fifth in the 2023 Kentucky Derby. That colt has proven to be a graded stakes stalwart, earning a Grade 1 victory last year with a Dubai World Cup (G1) win.
In addition to Pretty Mischievous’ victory TAPIT’s daughters are also the dams of 2025 Kentucky Oaks third Bless the Broken and that year’s fourth place finisher Tenma. Bless The Broken is also scheduled to run in Friday’s La Troienne (G1). A sire-of-sires, TAPIT is also the grandsire of Kentucky Oaks runner Pashmina with his sons the sires of Kentucky Oaks winner Monomoy Girl and third place finisher Desert Dawn.
TAPIT himself is the sire of Kentucky Oaks winner Untapable, Kentucky Oaks runner-up Shook Up, and Kentucky Oaks third Zazu.
TAPIT is the grandsire or broodmare sire of four Kentucky Derby runners with his daughter Wild Ridge producing Japan’s Kentucky Derby hope Danon Bourbon. The colt is one of five winners from six to run out of the TAPIT daughter with her foals including the stakes placed Clubhouse.
Earning his way into the race via the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby with a Fukuryu S. victory, Danon Bourbon is looking to become the third runner out of TAPIT’s daughters to finish in the top four in the Kentucky Derby.
FUKURYU STAKES
(3YO / Open Class / Dirt / 1800m)🥇 DANON BOURBON
(Maxfield × Wild Ridge (Tapit))Danon Bourbon delivered a commanding victory, dominating a right-handed sand track with a steep uphill finish！
— 𝐊𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐀🐎𝐂𝐫◉𝐢𝐱_𝐝𝐮_𝐍◉𝐫𝐝 (@Kontenasan_bf) March 28, 2026
TAPIT’s sons have also done well in the Kentucky Derby as sires with one son siring 2022 Kentucky Derby runner-up Tiz the Law and another siring 2024 fourth place finisher Catching Freedom.
TAPIT is the sire of five top four finishers in the Kentucky Derby with his son Essential Quality finishing third in the race and siring a Kentucky Derby runner from his first crop in The Puma. His third place finishing son Tacitus was also set to have a Kentucky Derby runner in Silent Tactic, though that one scratched on Wednesday. Constitution is also the sire of two Kentucky Derby runners.
While the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby are the biggest races of the weekend, TAPIT is the sire, damsire, or grandsire of runners in 11 of Churchill Downs’ 16 stakes races between Friday and Saturday with 22 entrants in those stakes.