Escena the Hunted
15.3hh Bay Mare
Halory Hunter - Escena, by Strawberry Road
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Formerly owned by Jess Paquette
Although Menicena, Escena's second foal, is beginning to emerge as the progenitor of an interesting steeplechase family, it really wasn't until Escena's fourth that she produced another that would affect the breed at large.
That filly, by Halory Hunter, was named Escena the Hunted. Halory Hunter is a rather obscure sire, with only eight foals in the SIM. Seven of those eight were winners, however, and besides Escena the Hunted, he also got the graded stakes winner Paradise Hunter.
Escena the Hunted was her sire's biggest winner by far, however. After winning two races at two, a dirt sprint maiden and a turf mile allowance, Escena the Hunted finished off the board in both the Frizette Stakes (G2) and Steward's Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). At three, she raced a staggering nine times, winning once in the Ballston Spa Steward's Cup Handicap (G1). She was also second in the Ashland Stakes (G1) behind A.P. Extreme and the Dearly Precious Stakes behind Soldier Girl in the beginning half of the year. In her last two starts at three, she ran monster races behind Affirmed Star, finishing second in the First Lady Stakes (G1) and Steward's Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1).
After emerging as a potential turf star, Escena the Hunted raced five more times, all on turf, at the age of four. She won the Fiji Stakes (G3), defeating Awesome Dancer, then was fourth in the Desert Duty Free. In just two weeks, she came back to be second in the Ramona Handicap (G1) in California, followed by a victory over Pride of Exploit in the Affirmed Star Stakes (G2). She closed her career with an uncharacteristically off performance in the Ballston Spa Handicap (G1), where she finished fourth.
Escena the Hunted retired with five wins and five seconds in nineteen starts, and earnings of $1,074,100.
The pretty, stripe-faced bay filly soon made a name for herself in the breeding shed. Her first four foals were six-figure earners, including grade one winner Escenathepunished. The latter, by Punishment, herself produced grade one winner Cool Water and multiple grade one placed Simple Mission.
Escenathepunished's name can be seen in quite a few pedigrees today, however, through her only unraced foal: Escena the Flame, a fierce, blaze-faced daughter of Loki Flame. Escena the Flame's first two sons were grade one winning millionaires: Lone Road (Lonhro) and Bowman Field (Black Condor). Asian champion Escena Spirit (Fumetsu) came along next, and a couple of years later the multiple graded stakes winner Queen Of Fire (Le Dauphin Noir).
After another handful of stakes-performing and winning sons and daughters, Escena the Flame was bred to Well Traveled, a rather underrated son of Rado. The result was a strapping black colt named Escena the Voyager. He was named European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, and later in his career knocked heads with the best in the business all over the world, defeating the likes of Pax Dei, The Demon, Dark Stare, and Wind in the Sage in the process. He won the Prince of England Stakes (G1) and Elevation Stakes (G2) at four, then the Broadway Handicap (G2) and San Juan Breeders' Stakes (G3) at five, retiring with seven victories and $1,001,500 in earnings. He only has four foals on the ground and is in his third season at stud, but actually could be a nice little sire for owner A.R. Roberts. All four mares that he has seen are not producing with much of anyone, including the likes of Feat, Dream in the Dark, and Frayed. (Just on a side note, I've also seen some interesting steeplechase nicks from some of my own mares with him, further supporting the idea that this female family might really like the hurdles.)
His younger half brother is showing some more flash in the shed. Lurking, who defeated Deadly in the German Derby (G1) and won three other graded stakes through his career, already has three winners from his first crop. The handsome black owned by Carolyn Eaton also looks to be a nice sire if he gets the right kinds of mares, and with a sire line like Stealth Ninja might be worth a gamble.
A case could easily be made, however, for Temper the Flame being the best of Escena the Flame's foals. The four-year-old son of Moya has eight wins in his thirteen starts, four second place finishes, and one third, with earnings of $1,034,140 to date. Recently, he turned in a phenomenal performance in the Prince of England Stakes (G1), defeating Bucking Trends and Stars of Tomorrow with a speed figure of 84. He has never run slower than a 75 in route races, and also has victories in the Oceanside Derby (G1), Inglewood Derby (G2), Romeo's Cup (G3), Sunny Sky Turf, Premio dell'Italia, and Superlative Stakes. His losses are still nothing less than fantastic performances, with narrow second place finishes to Go Do in the German Derby (G1), Stars of Tomorrow in the Desert Duty Free (G1) and Bucking Trends in the Ireland's Champion Stakes (G1) and a third to Alexei and Something Wild in the London Derby (G1).
Escena the Knight was the final foal from Escena the Flame, and the son of steeplechase star Knighted has, to date, finished worse than second only once. On the flat. The longer he runs, the better he seems to get, as he displayed when he blew away the very nice Hats in the Kilimanjaro Classic (G2) in his first attempt at a mile and a half, two weeks after which he stretched it even farther, winning the fifteen furlong Cape Town Diamond Plate (G2).
Following the rather astounding influence known as Escenathepunished, Escena the Hunted would two years later produce the grade one winning miler Escena the Focused, a dark bay son of Effortless Focus. Winner of four of ten starts and $1,207,000, he only sired three foals - all geldings - in the breeding shed, one of which was a winner.
The Wild Island Twist filly Escena the Twisted followed on his heels. The rather feminine dark bay filly was never off the board in thirteen starts, at one point going on a five-race tear that included the Flawlessly Handicap (G2) over Tenacity, Escala Cromantica Stakes and Orbit Stakes. Her streak was snapped with a second place finish in the Los Campeones Distaff (G1). Having run her entire career in route races, her other win is even more impressive: a six-length victory at five furlongs in the Occurencia Stakes. All in all she won six out of thirteen, was second four times and third three with earnings of $1,087,840.
Escena the Twisted produced two daughters, both six-figure earners: Blinko (Crystal Night) and Macabre (Lokite Magic). Macabre produced no major stakes winners, but all of her foals were winners and cumulatively earned $886,100. Blinko, on the other hand, produced grade two stakes winner and multiple grade one placed Fame Awaits (A Crown Awaits) as her first foal, as well as stakes winner and grade one placed Blink (Three of Crowns) and grade two winner Just Like That (Black Condor). Rather unfortunately, neither branch of the family is taking off in the present day, although Blinko's three-year-old Feat daughter Patty Wagon is developing rapidly.
Escena the Hunted's final truly "big" horse was Escenatheforgotten, a son of Isolation. The little gray colt was victorious eight times in fourteen starts with five second place finishes. His only off-the-board performance was a fourth place finish in Change the Stars's Desert Sheema Classic. He won the Cox Plate (G1), San Francisco Breeders' Cup Mile (G1), Underwood Stakes (G3) and Maryland Millions Turf during his career. He produced only two foals before an unexpected end to his stud career, including the winning mare Escenathefighter, who produced three six-figure earners.
Well down the line, some talent still crops up from time to time in the later branches of Escena the Hunted's female family. Multiple stakes winner and stakes producing sire Silver Crown (Benjamin Franklin) is a great grandson, for example.
Quite fortunately for turf route enthusiasts, Escena the Hunted is still a strong influence in pedigrees today and looks to remain so for generations to come. Beyond her from the Escena empire, well, we have just barely scratched the surface.