Tag: Taking Stock

Taking Stock: Sharp as a Tack

Pan the camera away from Saratoga and Del Mar, where the glamorous juveniles debut one after another, and focus for a moment on two lower-profile tracks that hosted two eye-popping performances this weekend.

On Saturday at Prairie Meadows, Tyler's Tribe, a 2-year-old Iowa-bred gelding by Sharp Azteca (Freud), won the 5 1/2-furlong Iowa Stallion Futurity by 12 1/2 lengths in 1:04:18 to remain undefeated in three starts. He earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure–you read that correctly–for the easy score. It wasn't a fluke, either, because in his previous start Tyler's Tribe won the Prairie Gold Juvenile S. at the same track and distance by 8 1/2 lengths in 1:03.64, earning an 86 Beyer.

Now shift to Monmouth, where the 2-year-old colt Sharp Aza Tack, also by Sharp Azteca, won the 5-furlong Tyro S. Saturday on turf by 7 1/2 lengths in :55.71, his second win in as many starts. He was given an 85 Beyer.

Those speed figures are amongst the highest earned by juveniles males this year, and they were delivered by two first-crop runners of a stallion who started off for $10,000 at Three Chimneys but is surprisingly among the leading freshman sires and is as sharp as a tack on the lesser circuits.

Through Monday, Coolmore America's Justify (Scat Daddy) led all first-crop sires by progeny earnings with $558,021. The Triple Crown winner was unraced at two but is already represented by two group/graded winners, both fillies, one in Europe and the other at Saratoga. At Del Mar Sunday, another promising filly, Justique, won a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special in her first start by going from last to first in a visually stunning race, and she was promptly named a 'TDN Rising Star.' A $725,000 Keeneland September purchase, Justique was given a 72 Beyer for her win. Her sire stood for $150,000 in his first year at stud and obviously attracted some of the best mares around. Justique, for example, is a half-sister to Grade l winner Mo Town.

The same can't be said for the first book of Sharp Azteca, a Grade l winner of $2.4 million, but he is nevertheless second to Justify by earnings with $521,940 and tied with him as co-leader of black-type winners. And Sharp Azteca leads all freshmen sires with 13 winners, which is seven more than Justify has so far. This is surprising because the stallion raced only once at two, in December at that, and he didn't win his first start until late February at three, like Justify. What this suggests is that perhaps the Sharp Aztecas will have improvement in them with age, and perhaps he won't end up as a flash in the pan, as most inexpensive stallions who strike early but fail to sustain momentum do. Only time will tell, of course, but at the moment, Sharp Azteca is a revelation and another success story for Three Chimneys, which hit the lottery last year when Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) surpassed already lofty expectations with his first crop to land the freshman sires' championship. He has since gone on to even greater glory with his 3-year-olds.

Sharp Azteca–a son of a full brother to Giant's Causeway–won eight of 17 starts but didn't become a Grade l winner until late at four, when he won the Cigar Mile by 5 1/4 lengths from Grade l winner Mind Your Biscuits, with another Grade l winner, Practical Joke, 2 3/4 lengths away in third. Gun Runner, by the way, didn't become a Grade l winner until he was four as well.

Sharp Azteca's first yearlings weren't particularly in demand, averaging $36,228, with a median of $30,000 last year. Tyler's Tribe made $34,000 as an Iowa yearling. Sharp Aza Tack sold for twice the average, $72,000, at Keeneland September and then again for $100,000 at OBS March this year. He's been his sire's only maiden winner at a top track so far. Before the Tyro, the colt won a five-furlong maiden special on turf at Santa Anita.

Sharp Azteca's other winners have come at places like Ellis Park, Lone Star, Canterbury, Louisiana Downs, Colonial, Finger Lakes, Puerto Rico, Mexico, etc., so he's bringing the fight to Justify and other higher profile first-crop sires from the bottom up and doing an admirable job of it. For instance, the filly Alma Rose won a six-furlong maiden special at Colonial Downs July 19 by 10 1/2 lengths; a day earlier, another filly, Cuz Ur Pretty, won a five-furlong maiden special at Finger Lakes by 9 3/4 lengths; Mister Sharpie won a five-furlong maiden special at Louisiana Downs July 10 by 5 lengths.; and Tyler's Trible won his debut June 20 at Prairie Meadows in a 4 1/2-furlong race by 16 3/4 lengths. You get the picture.

Both Tyler's Tribe and Sharp Aza Tack have run fast enough to suggest they will be competitive at places like Saratoga and Del Mar, and if they take after their sire, they should improve with age, too. If and when that happens, Sharp Azteca's profile will get a huge boost.

Other Factors

The camera loves Sharp Azteca. He's an exceptionally well conformed and attractive stallion. See for yourself in the embedded video. He's also a grandson of Storm Cat, and his first four dams are by such sires as Saint Liam, Conquistador Cielo, Danzig, and Forli. His dam is a half-sister to the dams of Firing Line, who was second in the Gl Kentucky Derby, and multiple Grade l winner Bowies Hero. His fifth dam is Canadian champion filly and Broodmare of the Year Kamar, a daughter of Key to the Mint who was a foundation mare for Three Chimneys, producing millionaire Gorgeous for then Three Chimneys owner Robert Clay (she was bred by Hermitage Farm, A.G. Clay, and R.N. Clay), as well as Gl Kentucky Oaks winner Seaside Attraction (bred by the same partnership as Gorgeous) for W.T. Young's Overbrook.

What's not to like, then, about Sharp Azteca?

In two words, Jorge Navarro.

The disgraced trainer, who's now behind bars, handled Sharp Azteca throughout his career. In March of 2020, Navarro, with others, was charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District (SDNY) of New York with two counts of misbranding and adulterating drugs and “doping” horses within his care.

In 2019, Sharp Azteca covered 195 mares in his first year at stud, according to figures from The Jockey Club. In 2020, the number dropped to 101–something that's common for second-year horses. In 2021, the horse covered only 36 mares, and this year the number was 32, at $5,000 live foal, according to Three Chimneys (The Jockey Club figures haven't been published yet).

These numbers aren't entirely out of line in the commercial marketplace, but Navarro's association with the horse undoubtedly depressed them further and more than likely took a bunch of bidders out of the ring for his first sales yearlings as well.

In August of 2021, one month before the Keeneland September sale, Navarro cut a deal with SDNY and pled guilty to one charge of misbranding and adulterating drugs and admitted in court he'd administered PEDs to Sharp Azteca among others.

That's a stain that's not easy to wipe away, but Sharp Azteca is sure making an effort to do so in his second career as a stallion.

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

The post Taking Stock: Sharp as a Tack appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Taking Stock: The Phipps Influence

Last Thursday, I received an email out of the blue from someone I didn't know. Evidently Jason Brooks listens to me every Wednesday on Steve Byk's “At the Races” radio show where we discuss pedigrees among other things, and Brooks wanted to inform me that there were “21 graded stakes wins in the first half of 2022 for horses with Phipps pedigrees.”

According to Brooks, he does social media for Phipps Stable and operates the account @PhippsStableFan on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Curious, I took a look at his Twitter account. He'd quoted something I'd said on Byk's show a day earlier: “Flightline is absolutely exceptional. He comes from a great Phipps family. It's really phenomenal. He's a massive talent. He's going to be one of the most desirable stallions when he goes to stud. – Sid Fernando.”

Then on Friday, I took a call from someone I did know very well, Canadian owner-breeder Chuck Fipke, a longtime client of ours at Werk Thoroughbred Consultants. Fipke had two homebreds in graded races Saturday, Canadian champion Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown) in the GII Nassau S. at Woodbine and Title Ready (More Than Ready) in the GII Stephen Foster S. at Churchill.

Fipke wasn't too concerned about Lady Speightspeare, an attractive chestnut 4-year-old filly who'd already won a Grade I race at two and is destined to join his accomplished broodmare band as a valuable member. She ended up dead-heating for the win after being passed in the stretch, becoming trainer Roger Attfield's 2,000th winner in the process. It was fitting that Attfield attained the milestone with a Fipke runner. The two have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship together, and Attfield also trains Fipke's 5-year-old horse Shirl's Speight (Speightstown), winner of the GI Maker's Mile S. at Keeneland in April.

Fipke wanted to primarily discuss Title Ready, a 7-year-old Grade III winner who is multiple Grade II placed, with earnings of more than $750,000. He'd like to stand the horse at stud next year and wants to bolster his resume and earnings, and as an involved owner he'd had a conference call with trainer Dallas Stewart and jockey Brian Hernandez on how best to ride the horse for maximum effect. The plan, Fipke said, was to drop him back, get him to the rail, save ground, and make a belated run on the inside as Sonny Leon had done with Rich Strike in the Derby. It didn't quite work out this time; Title Ready finished fifth, his closing kick blunted after staying closer to the leaders than anticipated and altering course in the stretch.

Undeterred, Fipke called again after the race to map out a plan for Title Ready for the remainder of the year. Why is he so interested in standing Title Ready? Because Title Ready is out of the unraced Monarchos mare Title Seeker, a Phipps-bred daughter of the great Personal Ensign. Fipke had purchased Title Seeker for $1.7 million in 2006 at Keeneland November, and he'd bred and raced her Seeking the Gold daughter Seeking the Title, a Grade III winner.

Seeking the Title in turn produced Fipke's Grade I winner of $3.4 million, Seeking the Soul, a son of the Fipke homebred Grade I winner and champion Perfect Soul (Ire). Like Title Ready and Seeking the Title, Seeking the Soul was trained by Dallas Stewart, and he raced as a 7-year-old as well. He now stands for Fipke at Ocala Stud.

Also on Saturday, Brooks emailed me again to update his list. There'd been two more graded stakes wins, he said, upping the total to 23: Frosted Over (Frosted) won the GIII Dominion Day S. at Woodbine Friday, and the other race was the aforementioned one that Lady Speightspeare won Saturday.

Fipke had purchased Lady Speightspeare's second dam, Grade I winner Lady Shirl, for $485,000 in 2005 at Keeneland November when the mare was 18 and nearing the end of her breeding career. “You know, I looked at her closely before I bought her, and I noticed that she looked younger than she was–she didn't look her age at all. And, eh, she had a great Phipps family behind her tracing to La Troienne (Fr), and I wanted to get some fillies from her,” Fipke said by phone Monday.

Lady Shirl's third dam was the Phipps-bred (Wheatley Stable) Brilliantly, whose next four dams were Glamour/Striking/Baby League/La Troienne–the last named one of the most influential mares in the Stud Book, if not the most. The Phippses came into this branch of La Troienne by acquiring Baby League from E.R. Bradley's Idle Hour Stock Farm. In fact, they acquired several other Bradley-bred daughters of La Troienne as well.

Fipke got three foals, all fillies, from Lady Shirl. Two of them made it to the track under the guidance of Attfied. The first, Lady Shakespeare (Theatrical {Ire}), was a Grade II winner of $495,608, and she is the dam of Lady Speightspeare. The second, Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul), won the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and earned $1,390,729. She is the dam of Shirl's Speight, who Fipke will also stand at stud at the end of his career.

It's an understatement to say that Fipke highly values the female families that have been cultivated by four generations of Phippses, starting in the mid-1920s with Gladys Mills Phipps (in the beginning with her brother Ogden Mills) through the famed Wheatley Stable, which bred and raced, among many others, the influential leading sire Bold Ruler, whose tail-male influence continues to this day through leading sire Tapit, the sire of Flightline.

The next generation was Gladys's son Ogden Phipps, who raced icons Personal Ensign, Easy Goer, and Buckpasser; and her daughter, Barbara Phipps Janney, who bred and raced the great filly Ruffian with her husband Stuart Janney Jr. After them came Ogden's son Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps, who bred and raced, among many other high class and influential colts and fillies, GI Kentucky Derby winner Orb, in partnership with cousin Stuart Janney lll; and Ogden's daughter Cynthia Phipps, who bred and raced champion Christmas Past. The present generation of Phipps Stable is headed by Dinny's daughter Daisy Phipps Pulito and son Ogden Phipps II.

Back in the 1990s when I was bloodstock editor of Daily Racing Form, I'd occasionally speak to Dinny Phipps about the female lines that he and his family had cultivated through the decades, and he always enjoyed discussing them. Four decades later, many of those families are still highly productive, and I'm sure he'd be especially pleased that one branch through the acquired Lady Pitt's daughter Blitey is responsible for Flightline, who is undefeated in four starts and two Grade I races and has yet to be asked for 100% effort though he's won by open lengths in each start.

Graded wins

Brooks sent me a list of the horses responsible for the 23 graded wins, but he'd included two who were from dams whose sires were bred by the Phippses, and I'm not including them in this tally. Only those horses descending from Phipps families or a dam bred by a Phipps are counted. He'd also mistaken–these things can easily happen with two horses sharing the same name–the pedigree of 2-year-old Adare Manor (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who is from a Phipps family, for U.S. graded winner Adare Manor (Uncle Mo); therefore, she's out as well.

Through Saturday, there were 225 graded races contested in Canada and the United States. According to Brooks's research, the winners of 20, or almost 9%, descend from families developed or bred by the Phippses. That's significant influence. The Phippses emphasized quality over quantity and developed a limited number of deep families from mares they'd acquired, and through the years there have been many beneficiaries of Phipps breeding who got into these families as the principals culled them. These families have given past and present breeders a deep foundation on which to build upon and create their own top-class horses, and that is one of the important legacies of the Phippses.

Below are the 15 horses and their Phipps families that have accounted for the 20 graded races through Saturday. Note that seven of them, like Lady Shakespeare, have won a Grade l race at some point in their career.

Grade I Winners

Flightline (Tapit) [Blitey branch of Lady Pitt]
Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) [Glamour/Striking branch of Baby League/La Troienne]
Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) [Busanda branch of Businesslike/La Troienne]
There Goes Harvard (Will Take Charge) [No Fiddling branch of Big Hurry/La Troienne]

Grade II Winners

Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) [My Boss Lady/Striking branch of Baby League/La Troienne]
Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot) [Clear Ceiling branch of Grey Flight]
Turnerloose (Nyquist) [High Voltage branch of Erin]
Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown) [Glamour/Striking branch of Baby League/La Troienne]

Grade III Winners

Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb) [Second dam Cabbage Key co-bred by Ogden Phipps ll]
Glass Ceiling (Constitution) [Bases Full/Striking branch of Baby League/La Troienne]
Cellist (Big Blue Kitten) [Blitey branch of Lady Pitt]
Cody's Wish (Curlin) [Baby League/La Troienne]
Frosted Over (Frosted) [Allemande branch of Big Hurry/La Troienne]
Queen Goddess (Empire Maker) [Blitey branch of Lady Pitt]
Becca Taylor (Old Topper) [Glamour/Striking branch of Baby League/La Troienne]

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

The post Taking Stock: The Phipps Influence appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Taking Stock: First Crops Yield Classic Winners

Rich Strike (Keen Ice), upset winner of the Gl Kentucky Derby at 80-1, and Secret Oath (Arrogate), the powerful Gl Kentucky Oaks winner, are members of the first crops of their respective sires, both of whom were late-developing Classic-distance horses. Keen Ice and Arrogate each won his first stakes race at Saratoga in late August at three, in the Gl Travers S. at 10 furlongs. Keen Ice won the “Midsummer Classic” in 2015 at 16-1, defeating Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in a shocker. Arrogate won the race the next year at 12-1 by an astonishing 13 1/2 lengths, setting a track record of 1:59.36 in the process. At stud, neither was expected to make a notable impression until his first crop was three, and that's how things played out. Arrogate finished 10th among leading first-crop sires of 2021 and Keen Ice 12th. Neither was represented by a black-type winner last year.

It's a bit of a different story now. Keen Ice and Arrogate are the sires of two black-type winners apiece, which wouldn't be anything to shout home about, except they've accounted for the two most prestigious races for 3-year-old colts and fillies.

By Curlin, Keen Ice was raced by Jerry Crawford's Donegal, whose Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) came from far back to finish fifth in the Derby behind Rich Strike. Crawford, a client of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, has a penchant for purchasing late-running 10-furlong horses, which I wrote about in this space two weeks ago, and Keen Ice, a $120,000 yearling, fit that profile. Initially trained by Dale Romans, Keen Ice was transferred to Todd Pletcher sometime during his 4-year-old campaign, and for Pletcher he won the Gll Suburban over 10 furlongs at five. However, Keen Ice only won three of 24 starts during his career, though he placed in numerous Grade l races for both Romans and Pletcher and earned $3.4 million. As a strict come-from-behind horse, he was frequently pace-traffic/trouble-compromised in races, most of which were usually too short for him. The 2017 edition of the Gl Whitney at Saratoga over nine furlongs is a case in point: Gun Runner, a son of Candy Ride (Arg), led for most of the race and won by 5 1/4 lengths; early on, Keen Ice trailed in last after a bad start but rallied for second.

Arrogate, a gray son of Unbridled's Song trained by Bob Baffert, was literally and figuratively a horse of a different color from Keen Ice. He had speed and the ability to carry it a distance, plus the acceleration to outrun opponents from anywhere in a race. He won his Travers leading throughout, but in a celebrated Gl Breeders' Cup Classic later that year against California Chrome, Arrogate impressively ran down his pace-setting older rival, who looked a winner in deep stretch only before Arrogate passed him to win. Keen Ice finished third, 10 3/4 lengths behind California Chrome, after getting bumped after the break and closing from far back.

Arrogate won seven of 11 starts, earned a North American record $17.4 million, and went to stud at owner Juddmonte Farms for $75,000, the highest fee among newcomers for the 2018 season. Gun Runner, who was retired to Three Chimneys, was second, with a $70,000 fee. Keen Ice began his career for $20,000 at Calumet, which had bought into the horse for his 5-year-old campaign. Keen Ice now stands for $7,500, Arrogate is dead, and Gun Runner, who led all North American-based first-crop runners last year, stood for an advertised fee of $125,000 this year, if you could get to him.

It's all about first-crop 2-year-old performances for the commercial marketplace, but the 10-furlong Classic in Louisville is another matter altogether.

Stamina Lines
Calumet's interest in Keen Ice was understandable for several reasons. The farm's present ownership has a keen interest in standing and breeding stayers, and champion turf horse English Channel, a staying son of Curlin's sire Smart Strike, was Calumet's best recent stallion.

Smart Strike, a son of Mr. Prospector, was known for reliably transmitting stamina; aside from English Channel and Curlin, his sire sons also include Lookin at Lucky, who like Curlin was a champion and Gl Preakness winner. Lookin at Lucky sired the 65-1 Derby winner Country House, who was awarded the Classic on the disqualification of Maximum Security in 2019.

Likewise, Curlin, who wasn't highly placed on the 2012 first-crop list, is a conduit for stamina; his sons and daughters have been particularly active in the runups for the Derby and Oaks through the years, and in 2021, Malathaat won the Oaks. This year, Nest was second to Secret Oath. Curlin got Gl Belmont S. winner Palace Malice from his first crop and Gl Preakness winner Exaggerator a few crops later, and he's one of the most reliable stallions for siring Classic-type runners.

The Mr. Prospector horse Fappiano is also responsible for a notable stamina branch, primarily through Derby winner Unbridled–the sire of Empire Maker and Unbridled's Song. The branch through Empire Maker includes Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and Derby winner Always Dreaming. Derby winner Real Quiet is a son of the Fappiano horse Quiet American. Another Fappiano branch through Cryptoclearance leads to Candy Ride and his high-flying son Gun Runner, whose first crop contains among others Gl Arkansas Derby winner Cyberknife, Gl Santa Anita Derby winner Taiba, and last year's champion 2-year-old filly Echo Zulu, who lost for the first time in the Oaks.

Unbridled also sired the first-crop Derby winner Grindstone, who wasn't much of a stallion but did sire the Belmont and Travers winner Birdstone. The latter, in turn, sired two memorable first-crop runners: 50-1 Derby winner Mine That Bird and 12-1 Belmont S. winner Summer Bird.

Unbridled's best sire son Unbridled's Song was generally a transmitter of more speed than others from the line. Though his daughters have become outstanding producers of high-level runners, his sire sons have been found wanting, and Arrogate was considered the potential heir until his untimely death in 2020. That mantle now belongs to Lane's End's Liam's Map.

First-Crop Engineering
When stallions like Arrogate and Keen Ice retire, the general thinking of stud farms and breeders is to send them faster and more precocious mares to balance their late development and stamina. Juddmonte, for instance, was actively looking for these types of stakes-winning mares for Arrogate, who was unraced at two.

Ironically, Secret Oath is from a mare that doesn't fit this profile, though her dam was a well-performed runner.

Secret Oath, who was bred and is raced by Briland Farm, is from the Quiet American mare Absinthe Minded, a multiple Graded-placed black-type winner of $607,747. Secret Oath is therefore inbred 4×3 to Fappiano on the sire-line cross (both sire and broodmare sire trace to Fappiano). Her dam failed to win in three starts at two, and she didn't become a stakes winner until she was four, when she also placed in the Gl Apple Blossom. She won two more black-type races at five, when she again placed in the Apple Blossom.

Rich Strike is the 10th Derby winner bred by Calumet, but the first for the farm's current ownership. Like Secret Oath, Rich Strike is out of a stakes-winning mare – Canadian Classic and Graded stakes winner Gold Strike, a daughter of Smart Strike. Like the Oaks winner, the Derby winner is inbred on the sire-line cross, in his case quite closely, 3×2, to Smart Strike. The latter, by the way, is also the broodmare sire of Mine That Bird and his half-brother Dullahan, another Donegal runner, who was third in the Derby. Dullahan was sired by the Unbridled's Song stallion Even the Score and was bred similarly to Mine That Bird, as both were 5×3 to Mr. Prospector on the sire-line cross through Unbridled and Smart Strike.

There is precedent for the close inbreeding of Rich Strike in other Calumet Derby winners from the past. Iron Liege, for example, was 2×3 to full brothers Bull Dog (Fr) and Sir Gallahad lll (Fr), and Tim Tam was 3×3 to Bull Dog, so perhaps it was a calculated decision to inbreed to Smart Strike so closely in Rich Strike's case. At the least, his dam had to be one of the better mares to visit Keen Ice in his first year at stud.

Calumet had purchased Gold Strike, a champion Canadian 3-year-old filly, for $230,000 in 2015, and at the time she was already the dam of Llanarmon, a Sky Mesa filly who'd won the Gll Natalma S. at two. Llanarmon went on to place in the Woodbine Oaks and also won the Carotene S. at nine furlongs on turf. Gold Strike was herself a Grade lll winner who'd won the Woodbine Oaks and placed in the Queen's Plate against colts over 10 furlongs, which gives Rich Strike plenty of stamina on both sides of the pedigree.

In fact, Rich Strike's pedigree probably contains much more stamina than necessary for the U.S. racing ecosystem, but a confluence of factors in the Derby, including a rapid early pace– the first quarter of :21.78 was faster than the :22.76 set by champion sprinter Jackie's Warrior in the Gl Churchill Downs S.– and an inspired ride helped to showcase it.

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

The post Taking Stock: First Crops Yield Classic Winners appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Taking Stock: Young Stallions Dominate Derby Points Leaders

Led by Three Chimneys's Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}), young stallions with either first- or second-crop representatives account for 11 of the 20 leading point getters for the GI Kentucky Derby, and quite a few of these stallions, Gun Runner included, have the top 12 leading points earners for the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks as well.

First-Crop 3-year-olds

Gun Runner, whose first crop is three, has, incredibly, sired four individual Grade I winners so far, the latest of which is Zedan Racing's remarkable Taiba, who won the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby Saturday in only his second lifetime start. A $1.7-million purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-year-olds in training sale, Taiba has earned 100 Derby points, tying him for fifth place on the list with Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach the Crown {Jpn}) and Gold Square's Cyberknife (Gun Runner), a $400,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase who won the Gl Arkansas Derby the weekend before. Gun Runner is also represented by Klaravich Stables's Early Voting, who lost Saturday for the first time in three starts when second by a neck to Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) in the GII Wood Memorial S. Early Voting, who has 50 points, was a $200,000 Keeneland September yearling.

Among filles, Gun Runner has the undefeated Grade I winner Echo Zulu, last year's champion 2-year-old filly, with 130 points for the Oaks (as well as Shotgun Hottie, outside the top 12 with 41 points). A $300,000 Keeneland September yearling who races for L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds, Echo Zulu is second only to Kathleen O. with 150 points.

Echo Zulu won her season debut in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks by a nose from Hidden Connection (Connect), a Grade III winner at two from the first crop of Lane's Ends's Connect (Curlin)–also the sire of 2-year-old Grade I winner Rattle N Roll, sixth most recently in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. An $85,000 OBS June 2-year-old racing for Hidden Brook Farm and Black Type Thoroughbreds, Hidden Connection has 57 points for the Oaks, which puts her among the leading 12.

Juddmonte's late Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) hasn't dazzled like Gun Runner, but his first-crop daughter Secret Oath is one of the best 3-year-old fillies in the country. She was third last out in the Arkansas Derby to Cyberknife and prior to that had dominated fillies at Oaklawn, including a 7 1/2-length score in the GIII Honeybee S. A homebred for Briland Farm, Secret Oath has 80 points for the Oaks, but note that Yuugiri (Shackleford), who won the GIII Fantasy at Oaklawn when Secret Oath took on the boys and has 114 points for the Oaks, was a well-beaten third in the Honeybee.

Coolmore America's Cupid (Tapit) is the sire of first-crop daughter Desert Dawn, an Arizona-bred who won the GII Santa Anita Oaks Saturday by a neck from the previously undefeated Adare Manor (Uncle Mo). She has 108 points for the Oaks and is a homebred for H and E Ranch.
GIII Gotham S. winner Morello (Classic Empire) lost for the first time in four starts in the Wood Memorial after a bad start, finishing sixth, and will reportedly not head to the Derby. Nevertheless, the first-crop son of Coolmore America's Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile) has 50 Derby points and races for Blue Lion Thoroughbreds, Craig Taylor, and Diamond T. Racing. He was a $250,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old.

Second-Crop 3-year-olds

Taylor Made's Not This Time (Giant's Causeway) is the sire of GII Louisiana Derby winner Epicenter, who leads all colts with 164 points for the Derby. Epicenter races for Winchell Thoroughbreds and was a $260,000 Keeneland September buy. Not This Time, who had his second top-level winner Saturday when first-crop 4-year-old filly Just One Time won the GI Madison S., is also represented by GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. winner Simplification, with 74 points. Simplification, who was third in the GI Curlin Florida Derby Saturday, races for Tami Bobo and was a $50,000 RNA at Keeneland November as a weanling. Both Epicenter and Simplification, by the way, are from Candy Ride mares–which is the reverse cross of Gun Runner, who is by Candy Ride from a Giant's Causeway mare.

Airdrie's Upstart (Flatter) has been a revelation this season. He's the sire of Jeff Drown's Zandon, a $170,000 Keeneland September yearling who won the Blue Grass Saturday and sits second on the Derby-points list with 114 behind Epicenter. Upstart is also the sire of Winngate's Kathleen O., a $275,000 OBS April 2-year-old who is undefeated in four starts and won the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks earlier this month.

Like Upstart, Darley's Nyquist (Uncle Mo) has contenders for both the Derby and Oaks with second-crop 3-year-olds. The Derby-winning stallion's son Slow Down Andy, a homebred for Reddam Racing, won the GIII Sunland Park Derby at the end of March and has 60 Derby points. Nyquist's filly Turnerloose likewise has 60 points for the Oaks. Owned by Ike and Dawn Thrash, Turnerloose won the GII Rachel Alexandra S. in February and most recently was fourth in the Fair Grounds Oaks behind Echo Zulu and Hidden Connection. The Thrashes purchased Turnerloose for $50,000 at Keeneland September.

Claiborne's resurgent Runhappy (Super Saver) is the sire of Smile Happy, with 70 points. A $185,000 purchase from the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase, Smile Happy races in the colors of Lucky Seven Stable and was a Grade II winner last year. In two starts this season, Smile Happy was second in both the Blue Grass and the GII Risen Star S.

Hit It a Bomb (War Front), who stands at Spendthrift, is the sire of Magdalena Racing's Tiz the Bomb, winner of the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks S. He sold for $330,000 at the same Fasig-Tipton select sale as Smile Happy and Cyberknife and has 110 points.

The late Laoban (Uncle Mo), who started his stud career at Sequel in New York and was later transferred to WinStar in Kentucky, is the sire of Cypress Creek Equine's and Whispering Oaks Farm's Un Ojo, winner of the GII Rebel S. Un Ojo, a one-eyed gelding, was most recently off the board in the Arkansas Derby but has 54 points for the Derby.

Among the filles, Crestwood's Firing Line (Line of David) is represented by Venti Valentine, owned by NY Final Furlong Racing and Parkland Thoroughbreds. Bred by NY Final Furlong and Maspeth Stable, the homebred won the GII Demoiselle S. last year and was second Saturday in the GIII Gazelle S. Venti Valentine has 94 points for the Oaks.

The 11 colts by these sires are Taiba, Cyberknife, Early Voting, Morello, Epicenter, Simplification, Smile Happy, Slow Down Andy, Zandon, Tiz the Bomb, and Un Ojo. If you subtract the Japanese entrant–Crown Pride–that's 11 of 19, and if you add in four third-crop 3-year-olds with points in the top 20, then 15 of 19, or an astonishing 79% of the top domestic points earners for the Kentucky Derby this year, were conceived by stallions which had no runners at the time of conception.

Who are the sires of the third-crop 3-year-olds? Exported former Spendthrift stallion Race Day (Tapit) is the sire of White Abarrio, winner of the Florida Derby with 112 points, and Barber Road, second in the Arkansas Derby, with 58 points. Coolmore America's Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) is represented by Forbidden Kingdom, who, until a last-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby, was one of the leading hopes in California with 50 points. And Airdrie's Summer Front (War Front) is the sire of Summer Is Tomorrow, the second-place finisher in the G2 UAE Derby, with 40 points.

That's quite an endorsement for those that patronize or buy weanlings, yearlings, or 2-year-olds by unproven horses. And this isn't necessarily a fluke, either. A year ago, I wrote this piece, “First-Crop Success in Classics,” that examined the sires of U.S. Classic winners from 2001 to 2020 and noted that close to 50% of them were from either the first or second crops of their respective sires.
The four North American-breds by proven sires with Derby points are Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), with 112; Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway), with 66; Messier (Empire Maker), with 40; and Zozos (Munnings), with 40.

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

The post Taking Stock: Young Stallions Dominate Derby Points Leaders appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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