Backtalk Should Relish Running Farther

Sent off as the 3-2 favorite in a field of nine two-year-old thoroughbreds, Backtalk remained undefeated yesterday winning the 95th running of the $150,000 Sanford Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Tom Amoss, Backtalk came from sixth-place at the top of the stretch to claim a hard-fought win by a neck over second-place finisher Enumerate. Louisvilleluminary finished third another neck behind Enumerate. Backtalk covered the six furlongs in 1:10.07.

Here’s the chart call:

BACKTALK was reserved for a half, worked his way forward three wide on the turn, swung six wide for clear sailing entering the stretch, made a steady run to challenge inside the furlong marker, dug in when threatened in deep stretch and prevailed after a hard drive.

Backtalk now has three wins in three starts. In his last race, the six-furlong $100,000 Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs, Backtalk stumbled at the start and had to work his way through horses in the stretch to score a one-length victory with a final time of 1:11

Here’s that chart call:

BACKTALK stumbled at the start, recovered to race behind the leaders while in the two path, angled out for a clear path in midstretch and finished well to be up in time.

Backtalk (Smarty Jones-Apasionata Sonata by Affirmed) is from the second crop of Smarty Jones and he is a half-brother to Bsharpsonata – winner of the Davona Dale Stakes (G2) and Forward Gal Stakes (G2). His win in the Sanford makes him the top money-earner for Smarty Jones with $180,095 in earnings.

Backtalk is a descendent of the sire line of Mr. Prospector which has been one of the most influential sire lines of the 20th Century. The Mr. Prospector line has dominated the American Classics producing nine Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners and 11 Belmont winners in the past 15 years. Backtalk should relish running farther and it will be fun to watch him for the remainder of the two-year-old season.

Backtalk’s grandsire Elusive Quality is known mostly as a speed influence but he also passes on stamina.

Elusive Quality is the sire of the Classic Champion Thoroughbred Smarty Jones – winner of the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness. In addition, Elusive Quality is the sire of the talented Raven’s Pass – winner of the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic; Maryfield – winner of the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and Quality Road – winner of the 2009 Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby.

Backtalk’s great grandsire, Gone West, passes on speed and stamina and his line has produced numerous Classic Champions as well as Graded Stakes winners.

Gone West is the sire of Zafonic – winner of the 1993 2,000 Guineas; Da Hoss – winner of the 1996 and 1998 Breeders’ Cup Mile; Commendable – winner of the 2000 Belmont; Came Home – winner of the 2002 10-furlong Pacific Classic Stakes and Santa Anita Derby; Johar – winner of the 2003 Breeders’ Cup Turf; Speightstown – winner of the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Sprint; Marsh Side – winner of the 14-furlong Valedictory Stakes and the 12-furlong Canadian International Stakes.

Gone West is the grandsire of the Classic Champion Thoroughbred Zarkava – winner of the 2008 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Prix de Diane and French 1,000 Guineas. In addition, Gone West is the grandsire of Cajun Beat – winner of the 2003 Breeders’ Cup Sprint; Finsceal Beo – winner of the 2007 English 1,000 Guineas and Irish 1,000 Guineas.

Backtalk’s damsire is the Classic Champion Thoroughbred Affirmed – winner of the 1978 Triple Crown.

Affirmed was the sire of The Tin Man – multiple G1 winner from 8- to 12-furlongs; Flawlessly – 1992 and 1993 Champion Turf Mare and winner of the Beverly D. Stakes (G1), Matriarch Stakes (G1), Beverly Hills Handicap (G1) and Ramona Handicap (G1); Quiet Resolve - 2000 Canadian Horse Of The Year and Canadian Champion Male Turf Horse; Affirmed Success – winner of the 2000 and 2001 8-furlong poker stakes and the 2000 7-furlong General George Handicap; Affluent – winner of the 9-furlong Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup and the Hollywood Oaks; Peteski – 1993 Canadian Triple Crown Champion, Canadian Horse Of The Year and Champion 3YO Colt; Zoman – winner of the 1990 Ireland International Stakes (G2), Cigar Prix du Rond-Point (G3); 1991 Tattersalls Gold Cup (G2) and Scottish Derby (G3); 1992 12-furlong Washington D.C. International Stakes (G1) and the Prix d'Ispahan (G1).

So, as you can see, there is a lot of speed and stamina influence in the pedigree of Backtalk. However, Backtalk’s running style is nothing like his sire Smarty Jones and his damsire Affirmed who both liked to go to the early lead.

So far, Backtalk has been very impressive. Time will tell just how far he wants to run.

Saratoga Sanford Stakes Picks

The Sanford Stakes at Saratoga race track is one of the oldest races for two-year-olds in the country. Originally ran in 1913, the Sanford Stakes has been host to several outstanding thoroughbreds. Regret won the Sanford in 1914 and Tom Fool won in 1951. The Triple Crown winners Secretariat (1972) and Affirmed (1977) also won the Sanford. Forty Niner won in 1987, Maria’s Mon won in 1995 and Afleet Alex won in 2004.

A deep field of nine horses will enter the starting gate Thursday for the six-furlong $150,000 Sanford Stakes (G2).

Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) winner Backtalk (4) is the morning-line 2-1 favorite. Undefeated in two starts and trained by Tom Amoss, Backtalk (Smarty Jones-Apasionata Sonata by Affirmed) is a half-brother to Bsharpsonata – winner of the Davona Dale Stakes (G2) and Forward Gal Stakes (G2). In his last race, the six-furlong Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs, Backtalk stumbled at the start and had to work his way through horses in the stretch to score a one-length victory with a final time of 1:11.

Enumerate (2), trained by Steve Asmussen, is the 3-1 second choice and the Richard Violette-trained Bulls And Bears (7) is the 7-2 third choice. Both horses are coming into the Sanford with impressive maiden wins.

D. Wayne Lukas has won the Sanford Stakes five times and he has the coupled entry of Soundman (1) and Activity Report (9) at 8-1 morning line odds. In his last outing, Soundman was a fifth-place finisher in the Bashford Manor Stakes – beaten by four and one half lengths. Activity Report comes into the race with an impressive eight-length romp in a maiden-claiming race at Churchill Downs on June 27.

Todd Pletcher has won the Sanford four times and he has entered the maiden winner Interactif (8) at 15-1 morning line odds.

Nacho Friend (5), trained by Kelly Breen, was very impressive in winning his debut by six lengths on a sloppy track at Monmouth Park. At 10-1 morning line odds, he’s an intriguing long shot and could be worth a small win/place bet.

This is a tough race and, in my opinion, several could win in this spot. Enumerate, Soundman, Interactif, and Activity report could vie for the early lead with Backtalk, Bulls And Bears and Nacho Friend sitting behind the early leaders.

Backtalk is the deserved morning line favorite. But at 2-1, I will use him in the exotics.

My selections:

Win/place = 5 & 9
Exactas and Trifectas = 4-5-7-9

Del Mar Graduation Picks

Del Mar’s Graduation Stakes for California-bred or -sired thoroughbreds is not on everyone’s list of important prep races for two-year-olds on the Triple Crown trail but it has produced a few good runners.

Georgie Boy won the 2008 edition of the Graduation stakes and he would finish the Del Mar meet with a second-place in the Best Pal Stakes (G2) and a win in the Del Mar Futurity (G1).

Officer won in 2001 and he would go on to finish his two-year-old season with a win in the Champagne Stakes (G1), the Graduation Stakes and Del Mar Futurity, a second in the California Cup Juvenile Stakes and a third in the Hollywood Futurity (G1).

A field of 10 horses will enter the starting gate in the $100,000 5 ½ furlong Graduation Stakes this Wednesday.

I believe that there are several horses that are entered in the Graduation Stakes who could win. But, of the ten that are entered, Bertran Hill (3), Daylight Storm (9) and Roman Counsel (10) look the most promising.

Of those three, I’d give the edge to Daylight Storm. He was impressive in his last outing winning gate-to-wire with open lengths. His sire, Stormy Jack, is also the sire of the speedy Bob Black Jack who set a new 6-furlong world record of 1:06.53 in the Sunshine Millions Dash at Santa Anita. He also set a new Santa Anita 7-furlong track record of 1:20.37.

Daylight Storm’s grandsire, Bertrando, and his damsire, Cat Thief, are multiple graded stakes winners – each with over $3 million in earnings.

Bertran Hill and Roman Counsel should also be tough in this race. Bertran Hill’s sire, Bertrando, is also the sire of Officer who won the 2001 Graduation Stakes. Roman Counsel’s sire, Roman Ruler was a multiple graded stakes winner and his grandsire, Fusaichi Pegasus, was the winner of the 2000 Kentucky Derby.

My selections:

Win/Place = 9
Exactas/Trifectas = 3-9-10

Tracking Cherokee Run Sire Line Colts

In my July 3rd blog I noted that it is important to keep abreast of new emerging trends and sire lines and that this year I was going to keep a watchful eye on the two-year-old colts from the sire line of Cherokee Run and his sons Kafwain and Yonaguska.

Here’s the link to that blog:

http://classicchampionthoroughbreds.blogspot.com/2009/07/when-it-comes-to-following-2yo-colts-on.html

Most of their offspring have done well in sprint competition but in the past few years, all three, especially Cherokee Run, have produced some very good middle-distance stakes winners. In the past seven years, there have been a total of nine thoroughbreds descended from the Cherokee Run sire line that have proved themselves to be good middle-distance stakes winners.

In 2008, Illinois Derby winner Recapturetheglory finished a respectable 5th in the Kentucky Derby and I can not help but think that if War Pass had ran in the Derby, Cherokee Run would have had two sons to finish in the top five.

Not bad for sire known mostly as a sire of sprinters.

It’s still early, but so far I have not seen any outstanding two-year-old runners from the Cherokee Run sire line. Here’s a look at some recent workouts:

Saratoga – July 23, Track Fast

Horse: Mufaajy (Cherokee Run-Minister’s Music by Deputy Minister)
Surface: Dirt training
Distance: 3 furlongs, breezing
Time: 0:39.04, 11/13

Horse: Brother Bird (Yonaguska-Mining My Own by Smart Strike). Brother Bird is a half-brother to Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.
Surface: Dirt (Gate)
Distance: 5 furlongs, breezing
Time: 1:00.55, 7/12

Presque Isle Downs – July 23, Track Fast

Horse: Chiricahua (Cherokee Run-Shouldn’t We All by Woodman)
Surface: All Weather
Distance: 3 furlongs, breezing
Time: 0:40.00, 4/6

This Sunday, Kelly Breen sends out the Yonaguska colt Goombada Guska in his second start at Monmouth Park. Goombada Guska finished fifth in a 12-horse field in his debut on July 5.

Only time will tell if the Cherokee Run sire line produces any good runners on the 2010 Triple Crown trail. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping a watchful eye open for any of their precocious runners.

Study Shows Pastured Horses Are More Fit

An article in the HealthWatch section of the Blood-Horse magazine recently caught my attention. A Virginia Intermont College study conducted by Dr. Patty Graham-Thiers showed that horses let out to pasture were more fit than horses that were kept in stalls. (HealthWatch is a compilation of articles from www.TheHorse.com)

The study worked with three groups of horses. Group one was turned out full-time on a hilly 100-acre pasture. Group two was stalled during the day and was lightly exercised five times a week. The horses spent the night in half-acre paddocks. Group three was stalled during the day but the horses were not exercised. Those horses also spent the night in half-acre paddocks.

After 14 weeks the study showed that group one and two horses were more fit than the horses in group three. The pastured and exercised group of horses had faster recovery times, lower rectal temperatures, lower heart rates and blood lactate levels, and lower peak carbon dioxide blood concentrations after being exercised. Perhaps, most important of all, the study showed that the pastured horses had an increase in bone density which is vitally important for the health of the horse.

After reading the article, I could not help but think of Kerry Thomas who is the founder of the Thomas Herding Technique. Thomas is an expert in understanding the fundamentals of a horse’s well-being and he works with horse owners to provide better care for their horses.

I recently interviewed Thomas about his work with horses and horse owners and the interview is soon to be published in The Arabian Magazine. The interview can also be viewed at Thomas’ website:

http://www.thomasherdingtechnique.com/about/provide-better-quality-equine-care.php

In the interview Thomas said: the environment is the foundation from which all else stems and it is very often the keeper of unseen stress and behavior issues we only observe much later. Their movement, where they feed and how they get water, is vitally important.

He added: the responsible caregiver has the burden to fully understand the environment the animal was taken from and re-create it. A better fit into the domesticated artificial environment makes a healthier, happier horse, and an understanding of the true herding dynamics helps the horseman, or horsewomen, become better hosts of an animal that was not born to know fences or stalls.

Burchard Von Oettingen and the great breeder and trainer Federico Tesio also knew about the importance of pasturing horses.

Oettingen was the Director of the Royal Stud of Trakehnen Germany and a world renowned expert on horses. In his book, Horse Breeding in Theory And Practice, published in 1909 by Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Oettingen outlined the benefits of pasturing horses:

Even the best soil requires, in order to derive any benefit from its advantages for breeding good, capable and sound horses, two very important factors, i.e., paddocks and permanent pastures. …But the method of rearing in the stable without paddocks and permanent pastures, which is still so widespread in Germany for all kinds of breeds, threatens to ruin many breedings. … Paddocks and permanent pastures serve, therefore, as a contrast to the method of rearing in the stable, to keep the breeding material as long as possible outside the stable and in conformity with nature, to nourish same. The following advantages thus arise: -

1. The influence of Light. The recently well recognized beneficial influences of light consist principally in destroying many very dangerous microbes, especially tuberculosis bacilli, and in increasing the energy of life by multiplying the red corpusculli and the haemoglobis. …

2. The influence of good air. The air rich in oxygen in the open is a primary condition of every healthy development. The continuous remaining out in the open increases the need of oxygen, and in order to satisfy their needs, horses must, by deep breathing, make a greater use of the lungs. Accordingly, the lungs will be extended and strengthened, and also the energy of life increased.

3. The influence of wind and weather. The constant skin massage by wind and weather strengthens the whole nervous system. As a matter of fact, wind and weather preserves the whole animal organism in a continuous and beneficial training through frequent and sudden changes, and forces it to get accustomed to outside circumstances for the sake of self-preservation. In conjunction with the beneficial influence of light and air, wind and weather, owing to a normal and strengthening development of the nervous system, favour the health in such a good and energetic way altogether impossible in the horses are brought up in the stable.

4. The influence of exercise. A voluntary, continuous and mostly slow excerise on the meadows is necessary when seeking their food. By this means the sinews, muscles and bones are under the influence of a favourable slow, continuous and effective training quite impossible outside of the meadows. The longer grazing is possible. …and especially night grazing, the more distinctly is to be observed a favourable development of the formation of the body, especially of the shape of the limbs, as well as that so important to correct walk. …

5. Food grazing. The advantages of grazing on the meadow, as against green food in the stable, lie, firstly, in the fact that the horses never get as much in their mouth in the meadow as in the stable, and that, therefore, sudden overloading of the stomach is avoided; secondly, many and just the best and youngest grasses lose their taste between the time of being mowed and eaten; thirdly, the useful combination of amids are, for the most part, in the younger plants, and these are the most difficult to mow, but the horses whilst on the meadow get them easily.

The great breeder and trainer Federico Tesio studied Oettingen and he relied on much of his writing when he established his Thoroughbred farm Dormello on the banks of Lake Miaggiore in Northern Italy.

Dormello had the appearance of an Italian Villa and it was actually divided into several mini farms complete with their own paddocks and pastures nestled among the hills overlooking the lake. Tesio knew the importance of making his farm as natural and nurturing as possible for his horses and he went to great lengths to make his Dormello the best place possible to breed and raise thoroughbreds.

It must have worked because from Dormello came 21 Derby Italiano winners and the great Donatello, Nearco and Ribot.

American Jockeys Revolutionized British Racing

In the late 1800’s American jockeys traveled to England to race and their riding style created a revolution in British racing.

Using modern technology, veterinarians in the Structure and Motion lab at the University of London's Royal Veterinary College studied the riding style of the American jockeys and they have recently determined why American riders were so successful. In a nutshell, the crouched riding style of the jockeys caused the horse to use less energy when transporting them. Here are a couple of articles about the study:

http://www.rvc.ac.uk/SML/Research/Stories/ModernRidingStyle.cfm

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/716/1

Burchard Von Oettingen was a world-renowned expert on Thorougbreds and breeding and Director of the Royal Stud of Trakehnen Germany. He was in important figure at the beginning of the 20th Century in the development of the Thoroughbred. In 1893, Oettingen traveled to America to study the different breeding, training and riding methods that were employed at that time and here is what he wrote about those methods.

“The distinct successes of the Americans in training and riding during the course of the last ten years have caused Englishmen to think and reform where necessary. In both training and riding, Americans, who are not bound down by tradition, and who are not spoiled by the English pastures and galloping grounds, obtained great successes through their practical ideas and inconsiderate leaning to what is natural. Moreover, the Americans have reason to be proud of the fact that Old England, with its long history of classical races, has had to learn such a rough lesson from them!” – page 400.

The previous paragraph is just one of the many interesting insights and observations that Oettingen wrote about in his book Horse Breeding in Theory And Practice, published in 1909 by Sampson Low, Marston & Co. His book was the standard in its day and it is still highly regarded to this day.

The great breeder and trainer Federico used many of Oettingen’s insights when he created his stud farm Dormello. The most important insight used by Tesio was to raise his Thoroughbreds in a natural setting with their own paddocks and pastures instead of raising them in stalls.

Oettingen’s book is out of print and copies that are available for sale are usually expensive. But, in my opinion, it would be a good addition to your library.

27 Horses Nominated For Sanford Stakes

A total of 27 two-year-old Thoroughbreds have been nominated for the 95th running of the six-furlong $150,000 Sanford Stakes (G2) at Saratoga race track on July 30th.

The nominations for the Sanford were closed Saturday. Trainers Todd Pletcher, Steve Asmussen, D. Wayne Lukas and Wesley Ward lead all nominations with three horses each.

Here are the past performances:

http://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=SNPP-SAR-20090730-486879

Nine of the 27 nominations have stakes race experience.

Wesley Ward’s Strike the Tiger, impressive winner of the Royal Ascot Windsor Castle Stakes, and Yogaroo, 9th place finisher in the Royal Ascot Norfolk Stakes (G2), are among the nominations.

Ward is also the owner and breeder of Strike the Tiger (Tiger Ridge-R Lucky Strike by In Excess) who made history when he became the first American-trained horse to win at the Royal Ascot meet defeating Fratellino by a neck.

Goldmark Farms’ Florida-bred Backtalk is also nominated. Trained by Tom Amoss, Backtalk (Smarty Jones-Apasionata Sonata by Affirmed) is a half-brother to Bsharpsonata and the impressive one-length winner of the Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs on July 3rd.

Owner and trainer Merrill R. Scherer has Kentucky-bred Flatter Than Me nominated for the Sanford. Flatter Than Me (Flatter-Hannah’s Doll by Boston Harbor) finished second to Backtalk in the Bashford Manor.

Westrock Stables’ Kentucky-bred Soundman and Florida-bred Westrock Gold are also nominated for the Sanford. Soundman (Songandaprayer-Class Choice by Peaks and Valleys) finished fifth in the Bashford Manor and Westrock Gold (Touch Gold-Gray Touch by Entropy) finished sixth in the Bashford Manor. Both horses are trained by D. Wayne Lukas.

Owner and trainer Bernie Flint has Kentucky-bred Vito Filitto nominated for the Sanford. Vito Filitto (Mutakddim-Braggin Rights by Iroquois Park) won the seven-furlong $50,000 Minstrel Stakes on the turf at Louisiana Downs on Saturday and finished in seventh place in the Bashford Manor Stakes.

Dogwood Stables’ Kentucky-bred Bricklayer is nominated. Trained by Frank Alexander, Bricklayer (El Corredor-Miss Brickyard by A.P. Indy) finished fifth in the Victoria Stakes behind second-place finisher Fearless Cowboy who won the $150,000 six-furlong Colin Stakes Saturday at Woodbine.

Flying Zee Stables’ New York-bred Zip Quick rounds out the nominations with stakes-race experience. Zip Quick (City Zip-Senita Lane by Ascot Knight) finished third in the Willard Proctor Memorial Stakes at Hollywood Park and he finished second, beaten three lengths by the speedy filly Necessary Evil, in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes.

Nellie Cox first-time starter Mighty Fine Day (Five Star Day-Miss Alethia by T.V. Commercial) and Trade Winds Farm Ryvit (Tapit-Ryvnine by Broad Brush) are also nominated. Both horses are Kentucky-bred and trained William Phipps.

Woodbine Colin Stakes picks

A field of eight thoroughbreds will enter the starting gate today for the 54th running of the six-furlong $150,000 Colin Stakes at Woodbine.

Trained by Fairlie Scott, Who’s Big Daddy (#8) is the morning line 5-2 favorite. Fearless Cowboy (#7), trained by Sandra Dominquez, is the 7-2 second choice and Always Wildcatin’ (#3), trained by Steve Asmussen, is the 4-1 third choice.

Who’s Big Daddy is coming into the race with a win in the $150,000 Clarendon Stakes on July 4th at Woodbine and Fearless Cowboy won the $150,000 Victoria Stakes in his last outing on June 14th – also at Woodbine.

It appears that the Colin Stakes is shaping up into what could be a speed duel and I believe there are several in the field who could win. None of the horses have gone six furlongs and seven of the eight like to go for the early lead. So, it could be a big battle on the front end and it will be interesting to see who holds on for the finish.

In my opinion, this was a tough race to handicap but I finally settled on Grittani (#2), Always Wildcatin’ (#3) and Solve The Code (#4). All three of those horses have good speed and in their last race they won by open lengths – pulling away.

At 10-1 morning line, Solve The Code is an intriguing long shot and could be worth a small win/place bet. He’s been working good and he shares a top Brisnet Class Rating of 115.2 with Always Wildcatin’. Although his sire Omega Code has not produced any outstanding winners yet, in two crops of runners, I like the influence that his grandsire, Elusive Quality, and great-grandsire, Gone West, bring to the pedigree. I also like the damsire line with Dixie Brass, Dixieland Band and Northern Dancer. His dam, Raise A Goddess, has four two-year-old winners in five starters.

Although the Colin is not a major prep race on the American Triple Crown trail, Sunny’s Halo won in 1982 and he would go on to win the 1983 Kentucky Derby.

Selections:

Win/Place = #4

Exactor box = 2-3-4
Triactor box = 2-3-4

Note: I see that the #2 Grittani was scratched so I will replace him with the #7 Fearless Cowboy.

Tesio was the "Wizard of Dormello"

As a pedigree researcher, not only do I love to study the pedigrees of Thoroughbreds but I also enjoy learning as much as I can about great breeders from the past and their breeding methods. One of the all-time great breeders and my personal favorite was Federico Tesio who not only bred his horses but he trained them as well.

Known as the “Wizard of Dormello”, Tesio was not a wealthy man but during the span of over 50 years he bred at his Dormello Stud in Northern Italy 22 Derby Italiano winners including the great Donatello and Nearco. From modest beginnings, Tesio achieved International fame and his Thoroughbreds continue today to have a genetic impact on the breed world-wide.

For the serious student of pedigree studies, Tesio In His Own Words (288 pages) is a very good book that illustrates many of Tesio’s personal insights and observations of the Thoroughbred. Published by The Russell Meerdink Company, LTD., the book is a faithful translation of the author’s original book published in 1947: Puro-Sangue – Animale Da Esperimento (The Pure Blood – An Animal of Experimentation).

The brief notation in the forward by John Hilsop, noted author and breeder of the great Brigadier Gerard, sums up the accomplishments of Tesio:

When those of my generation come to be asked by their grandchildren “Who was the greatest breeder, the outstanding sire, the best racehorse of your time?” – the answer will probably be Tesio, Nearco and Ribot. ..for it is unlikely that any modern breeder will achieve comparable success of Senator Tesio.

In His Own Words Tesio has many interesting insights and observations on genetics and what he looks for in a Champion Thoroughbred.

On the subject of speed and endurance, Tesio noted: For 50 years I have carefully studied the pedigrees of over a thousand horses that have won the great races, examining these pedigrees to the 7th and occasionally to the 12th generation. I learned that to maintain the characteristic of winning endurance it is necessary to occasionally introduce the blood of sprinters over 1400 and 1600 meters. (page 166).

Another very good book written by Tesio is Breeding The Racehorse (130 pages) published by J. A. Allen & Company Limited. There is some repetition of the material found in Tesio In His Own Words but, in my opinion, the book is a must read for the Tesio fan.

Tesio Master of Matings (164 pages) is in my opinion the definitive work on Tesio. Noted author and bloodstock agent Ken McLean spent 15 years researching material for the book and he gives the reader an in-depth look at the breeding methods of Tesio and how he achieved International recognition.

The book is out of print and any copies that are available for sale are usually very pricey. But if you are a Tesio fan and can find a copy, I believe it is worth the high price tag.

Every Now And Then I have a "Wow" moment

I love to study Thoroughbred pedigrees. I could read about and talk about Thoroughbreds and pedigrees all day long. Every now and then when I’m studying pedigrees I have a “Wow” moment. In 2009 my “Wow” moment occurred in March while studying the pedigree of Summer Bird.

I was so impressed with the pedigree of Summer Bird that I thought he had the potential to become a Classic Champion Thoroughbred and here’s what I posted on the DRF FormBlog hosted by Dan Illman shortly before he ran in the Kentucky Derby:

At first glance, with only three life-time starts and $100,000 in Graded Stakes earnings, Summer Bird would not appear to be a likely Kentucky Derby winner. His Dosage Profile – a numbering system created by Dr. Steven A. Romans to measure the number of Chef-de-Race stallions in the first four generations of a horse’s pedigree – is a modest 16. Summer Bird’s great grandsire, Unbridled, is the only Chef-de-Race to be found in the first three generations. Dear Birdie and Weekend Surprise are the only Reines-de-Course (Queens of the Turf) mares found in the first three generations.

So, there is not a lot of Blue Blood up close in the pedigree of Summer Bird. But, appearances can be deceiving and upon further inspection, the pedigree of Summer Bird appears to be a who’s who of Classic Champions and important sires.

In the first generation of Summer Bird’s pedigree is his sire Birdstone – the Classic Champion Belmont winner who upset Smarty Jones’ bid to be the second undefeated thoroughbred to win the Triple Crown.

In the second generation are the Classic Champions Grindstone and Summer Squall. Grindstone was a strong closer and in the 1996 Kentucky Derby he rallied for the win – trailing by 15 lengths at the half-mile mark – to edge Cavonnier by a nose in the final stride. Summer Squall finished second in the 1990 Kentucky Derby losing by three and one-half lengths to his rival Unbridled. However, in the Preakness Summer Squall turned the tables on Unbridled beating him by two and one-quarter lengths in a near-record time of 1:53 3/5. Summer Squall did not race in the Belmont because of bleeding issues and Unbridled finished third. Also in the second generation is the Reine-de-Course mare Dear Birdie – the dam of Birdstone and 2006 broodmare of the year.

In the third generation are the Classic Champions Unbridled and Alysheba; two strains of the important sire Storm Bird and the Reine-de-Course mare Weekend Surprise. In addition to being the sire of Summer Squall, Storm Bird was also the sire of the influential sire Storm Cat; the grandsire of the 1994 Preakness and Belmont winner Tabasco Cat and the damsire of the 1995 Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner Thunder Gulch. Dubbed “America’s Horse” by racing fans, Alysheba won the 1987 Kentucky Derby and Preakness en-route to an 11-8-2 career record in 26 starts and $6,679,242 in earnings. The outstanding broodmare Weekend Surprise was the dam of Summer Squall and 1992 Belmont winner and sire of sires A.P. Indy.

In the fourth generation is one of the most outstanding sons of Mr. Prospector and important sire Fappiano; the important sire Drone – damsire of the 1996 Kentucky Derby winner Grindstone and 1999 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Charismatic; two strains of the sire of sires and Classic Champion Northern Dancer – winner of the 1964 Kentucky Derby and Preakness; the Classic Champion Secretariat – winner of the 1973 American Triple Crown and the Classic Champion Nijinsky – undefeated winner of the 1970 English Triple Crown. In addition to being a Classic Champion, Nijinsky was an outstanding stallion who sired the 1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand; Epsom Derby winners Golden Fleece (1982), Shahrastani (1986) and Lammtarra (1995); Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Lammtarra (1995) and Prix du Jockey Club winner Caerleon (1983). Nijinksy was also the grandsire of the Epsom Derby winners Kahyasi (1988) and Generous (1991); Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Marienbard (2002) and Belmont winner Bet Twice (1987).

Also in the fourth generation is the legendary Alydar and if Affirmed had not been his rival, Alydar would have been the 1978 Triple Crown winner. Alydar was also an important stallion who sired the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Alysheba (1987); Kentucky Derby winner Strike The Gold (1991) and the Belmont winner Easy Goer (1989).

Posted by: Calvin Carter on April 25, 2009 at 10:53 PM

Summer Bird did not finish in the money in the Kentucky Derby but he did finish a respectable 6th place in just his 4th start. However, Summer Bird did come back later to win the Belmont.

In 2008 my “Wow” moment occurred when studying the distaff side of the pedigree of War Pass and here’s what I posted on the DRF FormBlog.

johnnyz,

Remember in a recent post I commented that every now and then I get a “Wow” moment when studying pedigrees. Well I had another “Wow” moment recently that I think you’ll appreciate it.

Fifth generation – Polynesian: won the 1945 Preakness; 1947 champion sprinter; sired the great Native Dancer. Nasrullah: champion 2-year-old colt in England; imported to U.S. in 1950; important source of stamina; sire of Bold Ruler. Count Fleet: won the Champagne stakes and was the 1943 Triple Crown winner; Horse of The Year; Champion 3-year-old colt; 1961 Hall of Fame Inductee; rated by Blood-Horse magazine as the 5th best racehorse of the 20th Century. Ribot: champion of champions; undefeated in 16 starts; two-time winner of the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe; rated by Timeform as the 3rd best runner of the 20th Century; another important source of stamina. War Admiral: sired by the great Man o’ War; 1937 Triple Crown winner; Horse of The Year; Champion 3-year-old; 1958 Hall of Fame Inductee; rated by Blood-Horse magazine as the 13th best racehorse of the 20th Century. Hill Prince: 1949 Champion 2-year-old colt; 1950 Champion 3-year-old colt; Horse of The Year; won the Preakness; finished 2nd in the Kentucky Derby; sired by Princequillo (another important source of stamina); 1991 Hall of Fame Inductee.

Fourth generation – Native Dancer: one of the most influential sires of the 20th Century; another important source of stamina; won the Preakness and Belmont; probably would have won the Kentucky Derby but was seriously roughed going into the first turn and finished 2nd – beaten by a head; 1963 Hall of Fame Inductee; rated by Blood-Horse magazine as the 6th best racehorse of the 20th Century. Nashua: won the Florida Derby, Wood Memorial; finished second in the 1955 Kentucky Derby; set new track record of 1:54.60 in winning the Preakness; won the Belmont; set a new North American record for 16 furlongs of 3:20.2 in the 1956 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont; 1954 Champion 2-year-old colt; 1955 Champion 3-year-old colt and Horse of The Year; 1965 Hall of Fame Inductee; rated by Blood-Horse magazine as the 24th best racehorse of the 20th Century. Tom Rolfe: 1965 Champion 3-year-old colt; won the 1965 Preakness; finished 2nd in the Belmont; finished 3rd in the Kentucky Derby; set new track record for 10 furlongs in 2:00.3 in the 1965 American Derby at Arlington; equaled the 7 furlong record of 1:21.0 at Arlington in 1966. Bold Ruler: won the 1957 Preakness; finished 3rd in the Belmont; won with a high-weight of 134 pounds the Monmouth Handicap and Suburban Handicap both at 10 furlongs; won the Trenton Handicap at 10 furlongs; 1957 Champion 3-year-old colt and Horse of The Year; 1958 Champion Sprinter; sire of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat; a very important source of stamina the Bold Ruler line produced 7 Kentucky Derby winners during the decade of the 1970’s; 1973 Hall of Fame Inductee; rated by Blood-Horse magazine as the 19th best racehorse of the 20th Century.

Third generation – Raise A Native: 1963 Champion 2-year-old; set new track record for 5.5 furlongs of 1:02.3 at Aqueduct and equaled track record for 5 furlongs of 57.4; undefeated in four starts; retired with a bowed tendon; sired the 1969 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Majestic Prince; a very important source of stamina the Raise A Native line produced the 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed and the Kentucky Derby winners Genuine Risk (1980), Alysheba (1987) and Strike The Gold (1991). Hoist The Flag: 5-0-0 in 6 starts; 1970 Champion 2-year-old Colt; sired two-time Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe winner Alleged.

Second generation – Mr. Prospector: set new track record for 6 furlongs of 1:07 4/5 at Gulfstream and set new track record for 6 furlongs of 1:08 3/5 at Garden State; a sire of sires; a very important source of stamina, as well as speed, the Mr. Prospector line has carried on the influence of Native Dancer. The sire line of Mr. Prospector has produced 8 of the past 13 Kentucky Derby winners; 8 of the past 10 Preakness winners and 10 of the past 12 Belmont winners.

All of the above thoroughbreds are ancestors of Vue who is the dam of War Pass. As you can see, there is tons of stamina in the pedigree of War Pass – and that’s just on the side of the dam. He also has stamina on the sire line.

One item to note, Mr. Prospector as a broodmare sire has never produced a winner of any of the Triple Crown races, however his line did produce the 2006 Kentucky winner Barbaro via La Ville Rouge by Carson City and the 2006 Preakness winner Bernardini via Cara Rafaela by Quiet American. The broodmare sire line of Native Dancer has produced the 1993 Preakness winner Prairie Bayou and 2001 Preakness and Belmont winner Point Given.

Another thing that intrigued me about the pedigree of War Pass was that like Cherokee Run who is best known as a sprinter, there were several other ancestors who were champion sprinters that sired important horses. 1947 Champion Sprinter Polynesian sired Native Dancer who almost swept the Triple Crown and 1958 Champion Sprinter Bold Ruler sired Triple Crown winner Secretariat.

So, it will definitely be interesting to see I War Pass can live up to the greatness of some of his ancestors.

So far, he’s off to a great start.

Posted by: Calvin Carter on February 26, 2008 at 03:25 PM

Unfortunately, War Pass did not return to the form he showed in his two-year-old season and he did not compete in the Kentucky Derby.

So far, I have not had any “Wow” moments when studying the pedigrees of 2YO’s headed for the 2010 Triple Crown trail.

It’s still early, though.

Necessary Evil Should Relish Running Farther

Stepping up into graded stakes competition in just her second start and racing against colts, the Harlan’s Holiday filly Necessary Evil was very impressive Sunday as she cruised to an easy victory in the $100,000 Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes (G3) at Hollywood Park.

Here’s the chart call:

“NECESSARY EVIL broke in a bit, went up inside to the early lead, set the pace along the rail, came out a bit into the stretch, drifted back in a little and won clear under a couple left handed cracks of the whip and a strong hand ride.”

Necessary Evil traveled the six furlongs in 1:09.98 setting fractions of :22.36, :45.73 and :57.58 en route to a three-length victory over second-place finisher Zip Quick. Classical Slew finished another one and one-quarter lengths back in third place.

Necessary Evil is a fast filly but I think that she will relish running farther and it will be fun to watch her for the remainder of the two-year-old season.

Harlan’s Holiday, her sire, was a formidable grade one stakes winning colt winning the 9 furlong Florida Derby by three and one-half lengths and the Toyota Bluegrass Stakes by four and one-half lengths.

In just his first crop, Harlan’s Holiday sired the impressive Denis Of Cork who thrilled racing fans with his performances on the 2008 Triple Crown trail finishing 3rd in the Kentucky Derby and 2nd in the Belmont Stakes; and, he also sired Into Mischief – winner of the 8.5 furlong CashCall Futurity (G1).

Harlan’s Holiday has yet to sire a Classic Champion Thoroughbred but with just three crops of runners he’s off to a good start.

Necessary Evil’s damsire, Unbridled’s Song, was also a formidable middle-distance graded stakes winner who won the 8.5 furlong Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He also won the 9 furlong Florida Derby (G1) and the Wood Memorial Stakes – a G2 race when Unbridled’s Song won in 1996 but upgraded to G1 in 2002.

In ten crops of runners, Unbridled’s Song has yet to sire a Classic Champion Thoroughbred but he has sired six $1 million stakes winners:

Unbridled Elaine – winner of the 9 furlong 2001 Breeders’ Cup Distaff; Agnes Sonic – champion thoroughbred in Japan; Octave – winner of the 9 furlong 2007 Mother Goose Stakes and the 10 furlong Coaching Club American Oaks; Midshipman – winner of the 8.5 furlong 2008 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile; Grey Song (AUS) – winner of the 14 furlong 2002 VCR St. Leger Stakes; Thorn Song – winner of 8 furlong 2008 Firecracker Breeders’ Cup Handicap and the Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes.

In addition, Unbridled’s Song has sired some very good graded stakes runners:

Even The Score – winner of the 9 furlong 2004 Californian Stakes, the 8.5 furlong Mervyn LeRoy Handicap and the 2003 Mardi Gras Handicap; Splendid Blended – winner of the 8.5 furlong 2004 Hollywood Starlet Stakes and the 9 furlong 2005 Vanity Invitational Handicap; Eight Belles – winner of the 2008 Honeybee Stakes, Martha Washington Stakes, 8.5 furlong Fantasy Stakes and ill-fated 2nd place finisher in the Kentucky Derby; Domestic Dispute – winner of 8.5 furlong 2003 Santa Catalina Stakes; Eurosilver – winner of the 8.5 furlong Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity Stakes and the 9.5 furlong 2005 Skip Away Handicap; Political Force – winner of the 10 furlong 2007 Suburban Handicap; Old Fashioned – winner of the 9 furlong Remsen Stakes, 2nd place finisher in the 8.5 furlong Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby; First Defence – winner of the 8.5 furlong 2007 Long Branch Cup Stakes; Buddha – winner of the 9 furlong 2002 Wood Memorial Stakes; Rockport Harbor – winner of the 9 furlong 2004 Remsen Stakes and the 8 furlong Nashua Stakes; Honest Man – winner of the 9 furlong 2008 Philip H. Iselin Handicap; Dunkirk – 2nd place finisher in the 9 furlong 2009 Florida Derby and 12 furlong Belmont.

So, as you can see, Harlan’s Holiday and Unbridled’s Song impart stamina to Necessary Evil - only time will tell how far she wants to run.

A field of five lightly-raced thoroughbreds will enter the starting gate today for the G3 Hollywood Juvenile Championship at Hollywood Park. The filly Necessary Evil (#1) is the 8-5 morning line favorite and the 9-5 second-choice is Classical Slew (#2). Both horses are trained by Doug O’Neill who’s making a jockey switch on Classical Slew to Garrett Gomez.

Necessary Evil (Harlan’s Holiday-Song And Danz by Unbridled’s Song) was pretty impressive in winning her debut and was designated as a Thoroughbred Daily News Rising Star. Classical Slew (Bernstein-Seattle Qui by Seattle Slew) has two wins to his credit including the Hollywood Park Willard L. Proctor Memorial Stakes.

It’s hard to separate the two favorites. Both horses are descendents of the Storm Cat sire line which has produced the winner of the past three editions of the Hollywood Juvenile and their sires have sired some good stakes runners.

Of the two, I would give a slight edge to the filly Necessary Evil. She was pretty impressive winning her debut and her sire Harlan’s Holiday, in just his first two crops, has produced some good runners such as Denis of Cork who finished 3rd in the Kentucky Derby and 2nd in the Belmont; and into Mischief who at the age of two won the CashCall Futurity and finished second in the Hollywood Prevue Stakes. Only time will tell, but in the long run, I believe that Harlan’s Holiday could outshine Bernstein as a sire.

Coo Cachoo (#5) is out of the first crop of his sire Mingun and looks like an intriguing long shot. Mingun is descended from the Bold Ruler line and that line has produced several Hollywood Juvenile winners. Coo Cachoo also gets some good speed influence from his Paternal granddam Miesque and damsire Petionville who is the sire of the speedy Two Step Salsa. Petionville also has 37% winners as a damsire.

Coo Cachoo broke his maiden in a 2f maiden race in April and has not raced in three months. But his recent bullet 4 furlong work of :46 3/5 could indicate that he is ready to stretch out further. It is definitely a step up for Coo Cachoo but at 12-1 morning line odds he may be worth a small win/place bet.

Selections:

W/P - 5
Exacta - 5/1-2 and 1-2/5

****

The connections of Eye Of The Leopard are looking forward to taking the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown in the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie.

In the field of six horses, Eye Of The Leopard (#5) is the morning line favorite at 9-5. Queen’s Plate second-place finisher Mr. Foricos Two U (#4) is 2-1 and third-place finisher Milwaukee Appeal (#2) is 5-2. Those three appear to be class of the field and most likely will again finish in the top three spots.

However, with the cut back in distance to 1 3/16 miles, I would not be surprised to see Mr. Foricos Two U or Milwaukee Appeal turn the tables on Eye Of The Leopard. In the Queen’s Plate, Mr. Foricos Two U led for much of the race. Milwaukee Appeal, who always has a nice stretch run, was blocked at the top of the stretch and despite that she closed the gap and finished third only one-half length back.

Selections:

Triactor - 2-4/2-4-5/2-4-5

I am pleased to announce that the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance has picked up my blog and it will be regular blog link on their newly remodeled website under the heading Breeding. Here's their website:

http://tbablogs.com/

Thank you TBA.

The horse racing news service Equidaily picked up my blog about Cherokee Run and sons and it's on their webpage:

"Pedigree blogger: 2YO's to watch for 2010 Triple Crown"

Here's the link: http://equidaily.com/

Here's a post I made earlier today on the DRF FormBlog hosted by Dan Illman:

Turnbackthealarm,

I’m pretty sure that I read in Horsebreeding In Theory And Practice, which was written by Burchard Von Oettingen and published in 1909, that if a horse bleeds it is a sign that the horse is not fit. The horse’s lungs have not been properly developed through training and when the horse is called upon to perform in an extreme circumstance such as a race the capillaries will burst causing bleeding.

But I can not remember where I read that in the book. If I find it, I will give you the quote.

Oettingen was a world-renowned expert on horses and especially Thorougbreds. He was the Director of the Royal Stud of Trakehnen Germany and here’s some more tips he had about the fitness of a horse that I thought you would appreciate:

Besides a horse’s galloping performances, there are several other very remarkable signs to show how far its condition has improved. To commence with, notice must be taken how long it takes the horse to snort (clear the wind) after it has been pulled up. The sooner this happens the more forward is its condition, especially the breathing. If the horse, for example, requires a minute or two to snort, it is a sure sign that the horse has been asked to do too much in the gallop in question, i.e., a mistake has been made. If the horse is very fit and the gallop has been too short, i.e., it has been easy work for it, it takes a long time to snort, or it does not snort at all. The length and pace of the gallop must fit the condition, so that if it clears the wind by snorting 10 to 30 seconds after being pulled up, it is a sure sign that everything is all right.

In the case of a horse which is fit the skin becomes thinner, the hair more shiny, and the flesh firmer. The latter, as well as the disappearance of useless fat, can best be noticed at the mane and on the ribs. A little easy sweating is by no means a sign of bad condition, on the contrary, a fit horse certainly sweats less but more readily, as its sweat is more liquid and its skin thinner and more readily penetrated. The sweat of a fit horse looks like clear water; on the other hand, that of an unfit one like lather, which can be most distinctly seen between the hind legs, and dries up less quickly.

Finally, I must add that before the race, and in order to get a perfect condition, in most cases several gallops at full speed, over not more than 2,000 metres, are required, and that the last gallop – which often works wonders – must be undertaken two or three days before race day. …On the day of the race itself, early in the morning, give the horse 1 to 1 ½ hours’ walking excersie, a short canter of 800 metres, and a so-called sprint for the same distance. If desired, you can do as the Americans like to – let the sprint follow the canter without any interval. – page 404

Many of my friends and readers raise horses. I thought that you would appreciate what Burchard Von Oettingen had to say about raising and caring for horses.

Oettingen was a world-renowned expert on Thorougbreds and breeding and Director of the Royal Stud of Trakehnen Germany. Here’s what Oettingen had to say in his chapter Establishment Of Studs taken from his book Horse Breeding in Theory And Practice published in 1909 by Sampson Low, Marston & Co.:

Medicago sativa, or common Lucerne [Alfalfa]…is the most nourishing and healthiest food for horses, and most suitable to produce strong and hard bones.

The thriving of Lucerne is one of the surest indications that the soil is good for horse breeding. …Where Lucerne thrives well, it can be taken for granted that there will be found good pasture and meadow land, or that they can be laid out. Good meadows and grazing are amongst the most important conditions for the thriving of horse breeding. Although horses have a great power of resistance against heat and cold, wind and weather, yet there is no doubt that they prosper better in dry and high-lying districts than in damp and low-lying ones, because the food which grows on the former is more nutritive. Moreover, on high-lying plains the lungs of the horses develop better on account of the thinner air, which causes the horse to breathe more often and deep. …

The best site for a breeding establishment is undulating ground, on a light soil, over limestone, then over chalk, gravel, sand and loam, well drained: and the worst situation is a rich, wet pasture on stiff clay, which is only fit for cattle and cart horses. …

When choosing a ground suitable for a stud for horses, one must further take into consideration that the hay of higher lying meadows (especially mountainous and Alp meadows) is superior as far as taste and nutritive value are concerned. …

Of all domestic animals, the horse is the most sensitive to bad drinking water. Unclean, surface or stagnant water is the most injurious. Even the vapours arising from stagnant waters are very unhealthy for horses, especially young foals, since they cause an increase of troublesome flies. Continually running water containing lime, which is colourless and without smell, is best for horses. …

Even the best soil requires, in order to derive any benefit from its advantages for breeding good, capable and sound horses, two very important factors, i.e., paddocks and permanent pastures. …But the method of rearing in the stable without paddocks and permanent pastures, which is still so widespread in Germany for all kinds of breeds, threatens to ruin many breedings. … Paddocks and permanent pastures serve, therefore, as a contrast to the method of rearing in the stable, to keep the breeding material as long as possible outside the stable and in conformity with nature, to nourish same. The following advantages thus arise: -

1. The influence of Light. The recently well recognized beneficial influences of light consist principally in destroying many very dangerous microbes, especially tuberculosis bacilli, and in increasing the energy of life by multiplying the red corpusculli and the haemoglobis. …

2. The influence of good air. The air rich in oxygen in the open is a primary condition of every healthy development. The continuous remaining out in the open increases the need of oxygen, and in order to satisfy their needs, horses must, by deep breathing, make a greater use of the lungs. Accordingly, the lungs will be extended and strengthened, and also the energy of life increased.

3. The influence of wind and weather. The constant skin massage by wind and weather strengthens the whole nervous system. As a matter of fact, wind and weather preserves the whole animal organism in a continuous and beneficial training through frequent and sudden changes, and forces it to get accustomed to outside circumstances for the sake of self-preservation. In conjunction with the beneficial influence of light and air, wind and weather, owing to a normal and strengthening development of the nervous system, favour the health in such a good and energetic way altogether impossible in the horses are brought up in the stable.

4. The influence of exercise. A voluntary, continuous and mostly slow excerise on the meadows is necessary when seeking their food. By this means the sinews, muscles and bones are under the influence of a favourable slow, continuous and effective training quite impossible outside of the meadows. The longer grazing is possible. …and especially night grazing, the more distinctly is to be observed a favourable development of the formation of the body, especially of the shape of the limbs, as well as that so important to correct walk. …

5. Food grazing. The advantages of grazing on the meadow, as against green food in the stable, lie, firstly, in the fact that the horses never get as much in their mouth in the meadow as in the stable, and that, therefore, sudden overloading of the stomach is avoided; secondly, many and just the best and youngest grasses lose their taste between the time of being mowed and eaten; thirdly, the useful combination of amids are, for the most part, in the younger plants, and these are the most difficult to mow, but the horses whilst on the meadow get them easily.
For the good preservation of pastures it is very important that they should be grazed alternately, as far as possible, by horses, cows or oxen (but not by sheep). Grazing by horses only, continued through many years, seems to produce some peculiarities on the respective pastures which are doubtlessly injurious, but up to the present not yet investigated scientifically.

The great breeder and trainer Federico Tesio studied Oettingen and he relied on much of his writing when he established his Thoroughbred farm Dormello on the banks of Lake Miaggiore in Northern Italy.

Dormello had the appearance of an Italian Villa and it was actually divided into several mini farms complete with their own paddocks and pastures nestled among the hills overlooking the lake. Tesio specifically established Dormello with several farms so that in the event of a disease outbreak he would be able to contain the disease before the whole was infected.

Tesio knew the importance of making his farm as natural and nurturing as possible for his horses and he went to great lengths to make his Dormello the best placed possible to breed and raise thoroughbreds.

It must have worked because from Dormello came 21 Derby Italiano winners and the great Donatello, Nearco and Ribot.

A good understanding of pedigrees and knowledge of the history of the Triple Crown is vitally important when it comes to following 2YO and 3YO’s on the Triple Crown Trail. For several years now, I have studied pedigrees and documented the sire line and damsire line of the juveniles on the Triple Crown Trail. That knowledge helped me last March to recognize that Summer Bird, with only two races to his credit, had the potential to become a Classic Champion Thoroughbred.

In fact, I was so impressed with pedigree of Summer Bird I interviewed the breeder and owner of Summer Bird Dr. K.K. Jayarman shortly before the Kentucky Derby and posted the interview on the DRF FormBlog hosted by Dan Illman. (See my blog post on June 22 Blog Archive.)

Summer Bird finished a respectable 6th in the Kentucky Derby but my evaluation of his potential paid off in the Belmont as I had Summer Bird to win and place. I also hit the exacta, trifecta and the superfecta.

It’s that kind of knowledge that I hope I am able to pass on to you as you follow the juveniles on the Triple Crown Trail.

Let’s take a look at some history of the Thoroughbred.

All Thoroughbreds racing today are descended from three sires: Darley Arabian, Godolphin Arabian and Byerley Turk and well over 90 percent of those are descendents of the Darley Arabian.

Since the beginning of the Triple Crown, there have been several sire lines that have been dominate on the trail. But no Thoroughbred has had as much influence as the magnificent Phalaris. A champion sprinter in 1917 and 1918, Phalaris had a career record 16-2-1 in 24 starts. However, Phalaris' greatest contribution to horse racing was as a sire and he was selected by Timeform as the sire of the 20th Century.

Most of the great modern-day thoroughbred champions are descendents of Phalaris and his three sons - Sickle, Pharos and Pharamond. The greatest impact on horse racing has been by Phalaris' great-great grandson Native Dancer and grandson Nearco.

Native Dancer, an outstanding champion 21-1-0 in 22 starts, was sired by Polynesian out of the line of Sickle and that line also produced Mr. Prospector which is one of the leading sire lines racing today.

Nearco, a champion racehorse undefeated in 14 starts, was sired by Pharos and the line of Nearco has given us most of our modern-day thoroughbred champions. Nearco's greatest contribution comes from his two grandsons - Bold Ruler and Northern Dancer. However, the line of his two sons - Nasrullah and Royal Charger has also produced numerous thoroughbred champions.

There are basically five sire lines descended from Phalaris that have an impact on racing today and four of those lines (Bold Ruler, Nasrullah, Royal Charger and Northern Dancer) are descended from Phalaris’ grandson Nearco.

Mr. Prospector is the other sire line and it has dominated the Triple Crown Trail since Unbridled won the 1990 Kentucky Derby. In the past 15 years, the Mr. Prospector line has produced 9 (60%) Kentucky Derby winners and three of those: Grindstone (1996), Real Quiet (1998) and Mine That Bird (2009) are descended from the Fappiano line. Unbridled is also descended from the Fappiano line.

The Mr. Prospector line has produced a total of 11 Preakness winners and in the past 15 years 9 (60%) Preakness winners are descended from Mr. Prospector. Two of those winners: Real Quiet (1998) and Red Bullet (2000) are descended from Fappiano.

The Mr. Prospecor line has produced a total of 13 Belmont winners and in the past 15 years 11 (73%) winners are descended from Mr. Prospector. Four of those: Victory Gallop (1998), Empire Maker (2003), Birdstone (2004), the sire of Mine That Bird and Summer Bird, and Summer Bird (2009) are descended from the Fappiano line.

So, as you can see, a good knowledge of pedigrees and the history of the Triple Crown are important and that can take you a long way to picking that Classic Champion Thoroughbred.

Great breeders from the past looked to breed quality stallions and mares from proven thoroughbred lines and it did not matter if the ancestor of that line was five, six, seven generations or more removed from the foal as long as the foal’s parents were quality thoroughbreds.

Hence, that is how Lt. Colonel Jean-Joseph Vuillier developed the dosage system in the 1920’s. He studied the pedigrees of hundreds of the best thoroughbreds at that time going back to the 12th generation and found that 15 proven stallions and one mare were prominent in the pedigrees of the horses he studied. Pocahontas was the only mare in his list. The fifteen stallions included: Pantaloon, Touchstone, Birdcatcher, Newminster, Hermit, Galopin, Bend Or, Voltaire, Gladiator, Bay Middleton, Melbourne, Stockwell, Hampton, Isonomy and, last but not least, the great St. Simon.

Vuillier then assigned a numerical figure for each of those key thoroughbreds and formulated a system to calculate dosage based upon the number of strains of those key thoroughbreds found in a foals pedigree going back 12 generations.

Italian Dr. Franco Varola later revised Vuillier’s dosage system adding 120 sires to the list and designating them “Chefs-de-race”.

Two of the most sought after bloodlines by many of the great breeders, especially Federico Tesio, were the lines of St. Simon and Stockwell. One of my all-time favorites, and perhaps the greatest thoroughbred ever, Ribot, was the product of that mating. Ribot’s sire Tenerani and his dam Romanella were champion thoroughbreds in Italy. Many of Ribot’s ancestors in the first five generations were also champions but the most important aspect for Tesio was that many of those thorougbreds were descendents of the proven sire line of St. Simon and Stockwell. Over half of the 32 ancestors in Ribot’s 5th generation are descendents of the sire line of Stockwell (11 strains) and St. Simon (7 strains).

Stockwell’s dam was the very influential Pocahontas. Pocahontas also produced the influential sires Rataplan who was a full brother to Stockwell and their half brother King Tom. If you study the pedigrees of Tesio’s champions you will often find a good mix of thoroughbreds who are descendants of St. Simon, Stockwell, Rataplan, King Tom and Pocahontas.

If you study the Classics as I have you will find that throughout the years there have been several sire lines that have had a major impact on the Classic races and usually that impact only lasts for about 10 or 12 years. Right now Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector are the two dominant lines. How long will they continue to dominate? No one knows but as pedigree enthusiast, I’d love to find the next emerging line to dominate the Classics.

Well the Smarty Jones colt Backtalk was very impressive in the 108th running of the Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs yesterday. Here's the chart call:

"Backtalk stumbled at the start, recovered to race behind the leaders while in the two path, angled out for a clear path in midstretch and finished well to be up in time."

Here's the video:

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/51501/backtalk-speaks-loudly-in-bashford-manor

The Bashford Manor was a 5 furlong race and I believe that Backtalk will be able to stretch out to longer races. If he remains healthy, and that's my hope for all the 2YO's, he should be fun to watch on the 2010 Triple Crown Trail.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July everyone!

When it comes to following 2YO colts on the Triple Crown Trail it is always important to try and keep abreast of new emerging trends and sire lines. This year I am going to keep a watchful eye on the colts from the sire line of Cherokee Run and his sons Kafwain and Yonaguska.

All three were known primarily as sprinters but Cherokee Run finished 2nd in the G1 Preakness Stakes and Kafwain won the G2 Norfolk Stakes at (8.5 furlongs). Yonaguska’s best win in stakes competition was the 7 furlong G1 Hopeful Stakes at the age of two and the 7 furlong G2 Hutcheson Stakes at the age of three.

Most of their offspring have done well in sprint competition but in the past few of years, all three, especially Cherokee Run, have produced some very good middle-distance stakes winners.

I’m not saying that the 2010 Kentucky Derby winner will come from the sire line of Cherokee Run. But, when it comes to handicapping precocious colts descended from sires known as sprinters who on occasion also get good middle-distance runners – that is the kind of edge that I look for.

I think it is safe to say that Cherokee Run gets more than an occasional good middle distance runner. His first middle-distance stakes winner was Kafwain who won the 2002 Norfolk Stakes at (8.5 furlongs). Next was Sir Cherokee who won the 2003 Arkansas Derby at (9 furlongs). Later that year, During won the Swaps stakes at (9 furlongs) defeating Ten Most Wanted who a little over a month earlier was runner up to Empire Maker in the Belmont Stakes.
There’s a gap of a few years and then Cherokee Run really begins to blossom as a sire of good middle-distance stakes winners.

In 2007, Chelokee and Zanjero continue to add stakes wins to the resume of Cherokee Run. Chelokee won the Northern Dancer Breeders’ Cup Stakes and the Barbaro Stakes – both at 8.5 furlong. Zanjero won the Indiana Derby (8.5 furlongs) and the West Virginia Derby (9 furlongs) at the age of three. At the age of four, Zanjero won the Kentucky Cup Classic (9 furlongs) and the West Virginia Governor’s Stakes (8.5 furlongs) and would go on to be Cherokee Run’s all-time leading money earner with $1,620,786.

In 2008, the brilliant War Pass came on the scene but he failed to live up to his previous 2YO form he demonstrated in winning the Champagne Stakes (8 furlongs) and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (8.5 furlongs). War Pass did not run in the Kentucky Derby but he did end up as Cherokee Run’s 2nd highest money earner with $1,583.400 in earnings.

However, Illinois Derby winner Recapturetheglory did run in the Kentucky Derby and he finished a respectable 5th. I can not help but think that if War Pass had ran in the Derby, Cherokee Run would have two sons to finish in the top five finishers which would have been very impressive for a sire known mostly as a sire of sprinters.

All in all, in the span of six years, Cherokee Run has had a total of seven colts that proved themselves as good middle-distance stakes winners.

In 2009, Cherokee Run did not have any runners of note on the Triple Crown Trail but his sons Yonaguska and Kafwain produced from their second crop of foals some very good stakes winning thoroughbreds.

Yonaguska produced the outstanding Musket Man who won the Illinois Derby (9 furlongs) and Tampa Bay Derby (8.5 furlongs). He also finished 3rd in Sam F. Davis Stakes (8.5 furlongs), Kentucky Derby (10 furlongs) and Preakness Stakes (9.5 furlongs). Musket Man currently has a 5-0-3 record in 8 starts and is Yonaguska’s top money earner with $893,600 in earnings.

Kafwain produced The Pamplemousse who showed brilliance in winning the San Rafael Stakes (8 furlongs) and Sham Stakes (9 furlongs). The Pamplemousse was one of the favorites leading up to the Santa Anita Derby but he did not run because he was sidelined with an injury.

So, in the span of seven years, there have been a total of nine thoroughbreds descended from the Cherokee Run sire line that have proved themselves to be good middle-distance stakes winners.

Will the sire line of Cherokee Run produce any good middle-distance stakes winners on the 2010 Triple Crown Trail?

Only time will tell.

This Sunday, Kelly Breen sends out the 2YO Yonaguska colt Goombada Guska in a 5 furlong $47K Maiden Special Weight in the 4th race at Monmouth Park. If he shows any brilliance in his debut, you can bet that I will be watching him when he stretches out to a route race.

A field of 9 horses will enter the starting gate Friday for the 108th running of the Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Backtalk #5 (Smarty Jones-Apassionata Sonata by Affirmed) is the 3-1 morning line favorite and to me he looks like the most likely winner. Trained by Tom Amoss, Backtalk impressively won his debut at Churchill on June 11 winning a 5 furlong sprint in 57 4/5. Backtalk, a half-brother to Bsharpsonata, won easily by 2 ¾ lengths and posted a 103 Brisnet Speed Figure.

Flatter Than Me #9, Grand Slam Andre #1 and Brassy Boy #3 are the other horses that I like to round out the exotic bets. The Todd Pletcher trained Mission Impazible who finished 3rd in the Kentucky Juvenile is also entered but the website of Twin Creek Racing Stables LLC has him listed as scratched - so we won’t know for sure until the program changes are posted on Friday. If Mission Impazible does run, I would use him in the exotics instead of Brassy Boy.

Flatter Than Me (Flatter-Hannah’s Doll by Boston Harbor) also looks to be tough in the Bashford Manor. He has been working good and he has the pedigree to win. He is a descendent of the Bold Ruler sire line which has produced several Bashford Manor winners. His grandsire, A.P. Indy, is also the grandsire of 2008 Bashford Manor winner Screen Your Friend. His damsire, Boston Harbor, won the Bashford Manor in 2008.

Grand Slam Andre looks like a good long shot and if his morning line stays at 5-1 or goes higher, he might be worth a small win/place bet on him. His sire, Grand Slam, produced the 2003 Bashford Manor winner Limehouse.

Here’s a link for the past winners of the Bashford Manor Stakes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bashford_Manor_Stakes

Bashford Manor Stakes:

W/P – Grand Slam Andre #1

Exacta and Trifecta box – Grand Slam Andre #1, Backtalk #5, Flatter Than Me #9

Superfecta – single Brassy Boy in the 4th spot with Grand Slam Andre, Backtalk and Flatter Than Me in the top three spots.

The prep races for the 2010 Triple Crown Trail will debut this Friday with the running of the 6 furlong Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Here are the entries for the Bashford Manor Stakes:

http://www.brisnet.com/bris_link/pdfs/toddpletcher_154264.pdf

Here is the schedule for the 2009 prep races:

July

Date, Race, Grade, Distance, Track, Network, Time
7/3 – Bashford Manor Stakes, G3, 6 furlongs, Churchill Downs, HRTV, 7:24 p.m.
7/12 – Hollywood Juvenile Championship, G3, 6 furlongs, Hollywood Park, TVG, 7:00 p.m.
7/30 – Sanford Stakes, G2, 6 furlongs, Saratoga, HRTV, 4 p.m.

August

8/9 – Best Pal Stakes, G2, 6.5 furlongs, Del Mar, 7:00 p.m.
8/20 – Saratoga Special Stakes, G2, 6.5 furlongs, Saratoga, HRTV, 4:00 p.m

September

9/4 – With Anticipation Stakes, G3, 1 mile (T), Saratoga, HRTV, 4:00 p.m.
9/5 – Sapling Stakes, G3, 6 furlongs, Monmouth Park, TVG, 4:00 p.m.
9/5 – Arlington-Washington Futurity, G3, 1 mile, Arlington Park, HRTV, 5:00 p.m.
9/7 – Hopeful Stakes, G1, 7 furlongs, Saratoga, HRTV, 4:00 p.m.
9/7 – Del Mar Futurity, G1 7 furlongs, Del Mar, 7:00 p.m.
9/19 – Summer Stakes, G3, 1 mile (T), Woodbine, TVG, 4:00 p.m.
9/19 – Futurity Stakes, G2, 7 furlongs, Belmont Park, HRTV, 4:00 p.m.

October

10/4 – Pilgrim Stakes, G3, 8.5 furlongs (T), Belmont Park, HRTV, 4:00 p.m.
10/4 – Norfolk Stakes, G1, 8.5 furlongs, Oak Tree, HRTV, 7:00 p.m.
10/10 – Champagne Stakes, G1, 1 mile, Belmont Park, HRTV, 4:00 p.m.
10/10 – Breeders’ Futurity, G1, 8.5 furlongs, Keeneland, TVG, 5:00 p.m.
10/11 – Grey Stakes, G3, 8.5 furlongs, Woodbine, TVG, 4:00 p.m.
10/11 – Bourbon Stakes, G3, 8.5 furlongs (T), Keeneland, TVG, 5 p.m.

November

11/7 – Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, G2, 1 mile (T), Santa Anita, 2:00 p.m.
11/7 – Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, G1, 8.5 furlongs, Santa Anita, 3:00 p.m.
11/7 – Nashua Stakes, G2, 1 mile, Aqueduct, HRTV, 4:00 p.m.
11/28 – Remsen Stakes, G2, 9 furlongs, Aqueduct, HRTV, 3:30 p.m.