Kentucky Oaks legacies: 1943 winner Nellie L.

Aug 26, 2026 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Nellie L. after her victory in the 1943 Acorn S. at Belmont Park (Photo courtesy of Keeneland Library Morgan Collection)

The Kentucky Oaks (G1) has impacted not only racing history, but also Thoroughbred breeding. Oaks alumnae have gone on to become notable broodmares who have left an enduring legacy for generations.

To kick off our series celebrating Oaks winners as influential producers, we’ll commemorate the ancestress of reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty, who recently romped in the Whitney (G1) at Saratoga. The 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1), Belmont (G1), and Travers (G1) champion is a direct descendant of the 1943 Kentucky Oaks winner, Nellie L.

If you start with Sovereignty’s mother (dam), Crowned, and grandmother, Mushka (second dam), and count back through the generations in the maternal line, you’ll eventually find Nellie L. as Sovereignty’s eighth dam.

Nellie L., sent off as the 3-5 favorite in the Oaks, romped by six lengths on a muddy track. She was the first Oaks winner for Calumet Farm, the iconic Bluegrass nursery that would become the all-time leading owner and breeder in the history of both the Derby and the Oaks.

Trained by Ben Jones, like Calumet’s Triple Crown legends Whirlaway (1941) and Citation (1948), Nellie L. was also by the same stallion as Whirlaway. Both were sired by *Blenheim II, the 1930 Epsom Derby winner who was imported to the Bluegrass. (The asterisk in his name is the old style for denoting importation.)

Nellie L. added the Acorn S. at Belmont Park, where she again relished a sloppy track to defeat a couple of significant opponents. The third-place finisher, Stefanita, went on to become champion three-year-old filly, and back in fourth was Askmenow, the previous year’s champion two-year-old filly.

Nellie L. wins the 1943 Acorn S. at Belmont Park (Photo courtesy of Keeneland Library Morgan Collection)

Note that the photo above, courtesy of Keeneland Library’s Morgan Collection, captures the reality of racing during World War II. At the left, see the sign about what to do in case of an air raid. The exigencies of wartime conditions were felt everywhere.

Although Nellie L. scored her only two stakes wins in the Kentucky Oaks and Acorn, she was the first to turn that prestigious double. Fellow Calumet homebred Princess Turia would emulate her in 1956, followed by Hall of Famers Cicada (1962); Dark Mirage (1968); Susan’s Girl (1972); Davona Dale, also of Calumet (1979); Bold ‘n Determined (1980); and Open Mind (1989).

Other Oaks/Acorn heroines include Heavenly Cause (1981) as well as champions Bird Town (2003), Abel Tasman (2017), Monomoy Girl (2018), Pretty Mischievous (2023), and Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (2024).

Nellie L. hailed from an historically important family. Her mother, Nellie Flag, and grandmother, Nellie Morse, were both champions who took on the boys in Triple Crown races.

Nellie Morse defeated males in the 1924 Preakness. Only two fillies have done so since: Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra (2009) and Swiss Skydiver (2020).

For #MareMonday, let's celebrate Nellie Morse, who won the 1924 Pimlico Oaks & then days later won the @PreaknessStakes too. As a broodmare, she produced Nellie Flag, one of @CalumetFarm's foundation mares. @Steve_Byk @ussporthistory @Equine_History @PastTheWire @TheRacingBiz pic.twitter.com/tmEgycLxzP

— Jennifer S. Kelly (@TheSirBarton) October 5, 2020

But Nellie Morse was overturned as the favorite in that year’s Kentucky Oaks, crossing the wire third in a troubled trip. Indeed, the first-past-the-post, Glide, was disqualified for causing interference. The filly who finished second, Hall of Famer Princess Doreen, was officially awarded the victory, and Nellie Morse was elevated to second.

Nellie Morse’s champion daughter, Nellie Flag, earned one of her biggest victories over males in the 1934 Kentucky Jockey Club S. She remains the last filly to beat the boys in that Churchill Downs feature, now a qualifying race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Nellie Flag was favored in the 1935 Kentucky Derby, but she was a hampered fourth to Triple Crown winner Omaha. Advancing to the Preakness in hopes of echoing her mom’s success, Nellie Flag wound up seventh.

Although Nellie Flag peaked as a two-year-old on the racetrack, she became a prolific broodmare. She left several influential daughters, including champion mare Mar-Kell.

A full sister to Nellie L., Mar-Kell had a better resume as a racehorse. She also produced a superior performer in Mark-Ye-Well, hero of the 1953 Santa Anita H. and 10 other stakes. In comparison, Nellie L.’s best foal, De Luxe, was just a two-time stakes winner.

Yet Nellie L.’s quiet legacy became louder over the generations. Her greatest gift to the breed turned out to be her unraced daughter, Comely Nell, who was foaled when Nellie L. was getting up in years at the age of 22.

Comely Nell produced champion Bold Forbes, the 1976 Kentucky Derby winner who bravely carried his speed over 1 1/2 miles to hang on in the Belmont. His Triple Crown chance was foiled by a third in the Preakness. Bold Forbes was a successful sire, with his top offspring including champion Tiffany Lass, the 1986 Kentucky Oaks winner.

Bold Forbes, Angel Cordero Jr. up, winning the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. (Photo courtesy of Keeneland Library Featherston Collection)

Comely Nell’s daughters Nellie Forbes, See You at the Top, and Priceless Fame have furthered and expanded her maternal line for decades.

Nellie Forbes is the ancestress of Grade/Group 1 winners Drain the Clock, Imperial Beauty, Jan Vermeer, and Together.

See You at the Top produced multiple Grade 1 vixen Life at the Top, the near-miss runner-up to Tiffany Lass in the Oaks. Life at the Top’s descendants include Grade/Group 1 scorers Cutlass Bay and Grace Hall.

Priceless Fame, a full sister to Bold Forbes, produced Grade/Group 1 heroes Saratoga Six and Dunbeath. But her daughters have amplified her influence, especially Milliardaire, who foaled near-millionaire Lakeway.

Lakeway, a four-time Grade 1 star, just missed by a head in the 1994 Kentucky Oaks. She went on to produce stakes victress Sluice, whose leading runner was Grade 1-winning millionaire Mushka.

Mushka’s daughter, Crowned, renewed the family’s links to the American classics by foaling Sovereignty. Ninety years after his ancestress Nellie Flag was beaten by Omaha in the Kentucky Derby, 82 years after Nellie L. won the Oaks, and almost a half-century since Bold Forbes, Sovereignty turned the Derby/Belmont double.

SOVEREIGNTY WINS THE KENTUCKY DERBY! 🌹

Bill Mott trains and @JuniorandKellyA was aboard for @godolphin! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/wOzqOFVRkb

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) May 3, 2025