Derby Hopeful: El Padrino

Several “wise guy” horses emerge along the Kentucky Derby trail each year. One of the first ones to arise on the 2012 trail to the Run for the Roses is El Padrino. He has certainly appeared to be a top Derby contender and currently ranks sixth on my top ten list.

El Padrino debuted on August 20, 2011 at Saratoga over a fast track in a seven-furlong maiden special weight, in which the chestnut colt closed gamely to finish second by three-quarters of a length. He found the winner’s circle about two months later at Belmont Park after remarkably winning a one-mile maiden special weight over a sloppy track. In that race, he settled off the pace before striking to the lead and galloping to a 12 ¾-length victory.

Trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Let’s Go Stable then ran the colt in the Remsen Stakes (GII) at Aqueduct, in which the colt found a position off the frontrunners before being asked for run by John Velazquez around the far turn. Down the stretch, it didn’t appear as if El Padrino would gain any ground on the leaders, but once he was angled out in deep stretch, he seemed to find a gear and rallied to finish third before galloping out ahead of the others.

He made his sophomore debut on January 29, 2012, coming from off the pace to score by 2 lengths over a sealed track labeled ‘good.’ Impressively, he strode past the talented, graded stakes-placed Take Charge Indy to finish the mile and one-sixteenth allowance optional claiming in a final time of 1:42.68. The mile split (1:36.28) was just .11 seconds slower than stablemate Algorithms’ final time in the one-mile Holy Bull Stakes (GIII).

El Padrino is expected to make his next start in the Risen Star Stakes (GII) at Fair Grounds Race Course on February 25, in which he could face Mr. Bowling, winner of the Lecomte Stakes (GIII).

El Padrino’s pedigree hints that he will certainly be able to handle the ten-furlong Derby distance, as he is by A.P. Indy’s outstanding son, Pulpit, and out of a Giant’s Causeway mare. Both his sire and dam side should allow El Padrino to attain the distances of the Triple Crown races.

A.P. Indy, of course, won the 1992 Belmont Stakes (GI, 12F) and Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI, 10F) and was by the Triple Crown-winning Seattle Slew. Pulpit, El Padrino’s sire, produced Essence of Dubai, who won the U.A.E Derby (GII) when it was competed at the distance of 2,000 meters (about ten furlongs) and the Super Derby (GII, 9F). Pulpit is also the sire of Rutherienne, winner of the Del Mar Oaks (GI, 9F), and Ice Box, winner of the Florida Derby (GI, 9F) and runner-up in the Kentucky Derby.

The dam of El Padrino, Enchanted Rock, is by the 2000 European Horse of the Year in Giant’s Causeway, who won at the distance of ten furlongs several times and has produced horses capable of winning distance races. For example, he has produced Giant Oak: winner of the Clark Handicap (GI, 9F) and Donn Handicap (GI, 9F), runner-up in the Washington Park Handicap (GIII, 9.5F) and Hawthorne Gold Cup (GII, 10F), and third-place finisher in the Breeders' Cup Marathon (GII, 14F). Other horses Giant’s Causeway has sired include Delaware Handicap (GII, 10F) winner, Swift Temper, and winner of the Santa Anita Handicap (GI, 10F), Heatseeker.

El Padrino’s fourth dam, Remedia, is a Reine De Course mare who produced the grade one-winning dam of Chic Shirine – winner of the Ashland Stakes (GI, 8.5F) – and the three-time grade one-winning 1991 Champion Older Female, Queena. Queena in turn produced Brahms – victor of the River City Handicap (GIII, 9F) and the Early Times Hollywood Derby (GI, 9F), La Reina – winner of the Tempted Stakes (GIII, 8F), and Olympic, winner of the ten-furlong Mataji Stakes. Chic Shirine was the dam of Tara Roma, winner of the Ladies Handicap (GII, 10F).

El Padrino hails from female family thirteen, the same family from which Sinndar – winner of the Epsom Derby (GI, 2423 meters), the Irish Derby Stakes (GI, 2414 meters), and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (GI, 2400 meters) – descends from. Another remarkable descendant of this family is the 1977 Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew.

El Padrino also possesses the conformation of a top racehorse, having a long and slender neck that ties in extremely well to his shoulder, which is quite powerful. Though his shoulder could have a more sloping angle to it, it is still angled well enough to allow him to be very evenly balanced. He is very strong through the loin, having a short, sturdy topline. His croup is rounded and long, tying smoothly into his defined gaskins. This allows him to move with drive and impulsion, therefore having a long stride. He is also quite structurally correct, possessing short, strong cannon bones and angular pasterns.

This colt has every aspect of a top Derby contender with his impressive conformation and pedigree, and his performances on the track enforce this. Should he continue his classy performances, El Padrino could very well be on the way to stardom.


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Derby Hopeful: Algorithms

In 2011, I posted “Juvenile Spotlights” about two-year-olds I had followed since early on in their careers. Now that it’s 2012, everyone’s focus is on the Kentucky Derby. Some horses from past Juvenile Spotlights will be featured, as well as additional horses on the Derby trail.

Algorithms is ranked highly on several Kentucky Derby (GI) lists, including mine, on which he is currently ranked third behind Union Rags and his stablemate, Discreet Dancer. After all, he is undefeated in three starts and in his most recent start, the Holy Bull Stakes (GIII), he defeated the 2011 Champion Two-Year-Old, Hansen.

Algorithms made his debut at Belmont Park on June 3, 2011, sitting just off the leader before taking the lead around the far turn. Under Javier Castellano, the Todd Pletcher trainee handily put away a field of four other horses by 5 ¼ lengths in an impressive final time of 57.55 for five furlongs.

He did not return to the races until six months later, when he made his final juvenile start in an allowance optional claiming event at Gulfstream Park going six and one-half furlongs. He settled well under Castellano, running in third before digging deep in the stretch to defeat the highly regarded Consortium by one length in 1:15.51.

Algorithms ran against graded stakes company for the first time on January 29 in the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream, taking on the undefeated champion Hansen, who stumbled out of the gate before setting blazing fractions. Over a sloppy track, Algorithms found himself in third for much of the backstretch. He quickly gained ground around the far turn, effortlessly taking the lead at the top of the stretch. He continued on from there, crossing the wire 5 lengths ahead of the others in 1:36.17 according to the Teleview Racing Patrol timer at Gulfstream Park and in 1:35.09 according to Trakus.

His pedigree definitely suggests that distance will not be a problem. His sire is the 2006 Champion Three-Year-Old Male, Bernardini, a son of the Belmont Stakes (GI, 12F)- and Breeders' Cup Classic (GI, 10F)-winning A.P. Indy. After winning a one-mile maiden special weight, the Withers Stakes (GIII, 8F), the Preakness Stakes (GI, 9.5F), the Jim Dandy Stakes (GII, 9F), the Travers Stakes (GI, 10F), and the Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI, 10F) by a combined 40 lengths, Berardini finished a good second in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. In his first crop, Bernardini has sired six group or graded stakes winners, including Stay Thirsty - winner of the Jim Dandy and Travers - and To Honor and Serve - winner of the Cigar Mile (GI). Bernardini is currently the leading North American sire by earnings for 2012 and not only did he land twenty-fourth on the leading sires list for 2011, but he also was the leading second-crop sire of 2011.

Algorithms' dam, Ava Knowsthecode, finished third in the Senorita Stakes (GIII, 8FT) as a three-year-old. She has also produced the winner of the Woody Stephen Stakes (GII, 7F) in Justin Phillip, the winner of the Hutcheson Stakes (GII, 7.5F) and the Deputy Minister Handicap (GIII, 6.5F) in Keyed Entry, and the winner of the I Take All Stakes (8.5F), Miami Mile Handicap (GIII, 8F), and the Elkwood Stakes (8F) in Successful Mission. Though the mare has not yet produced a horse that has won a stakes at a distance longer than a mile and one-sixteenth, the fact that her sire is Cryptoclearance - sire of the Belmont Stakes-winning Victory Gallop, the Prince of Wales (9.5F)-winning Cryptocloser, and the Breeders' Cup Classic-winning Volponi - and her dam is a black-type-winning and producing mare by the winner of the Santa Anita Derby (GI, 9F), the Belmont Stakes, and the San Luis Rey Stakes (GI, 12F) in Avatar, Algorithms has plenty of potential for routing from his dam side.

In addition, Algorithms is a direct descendant of the Reine De Course mare Qurrat-Al-Ain, who produced a Reine De Course mare in Queen of Shiraz. Qurrat-Al-Ain is the second dam of Gallant Man, a Hall of Fame inductee who won the Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes.

Not only does Algorithms come with impressive performances on the track and a solid pedigree, but he has very correct conformation as well. He has a very sleek build, possessing a long, thick neck that ties in well to his powerful, sloping shoulder. The angle of his shoulder allows him to be easily divided into thirds, therefore making him very well-balanced. His strong croup is long and round, which aids in the propulsion of his hind legs. He is also quite structurally correct, having short, strong cannon bones and angular pasterns.

Algorithms has everything you could want in a Kentucky Derby contender. With his obvious talent on the racetrack, auspicious pedigree, and commendable conformation, there is no doubt that he is a top contender for the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby.

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"That's a Good-Looking Horse"

The words above seem to be the kiss of victory. It seems as if almost every time I say or think those words, the “good-looking horse” ends up winning or performing well in its race. Of course, this does not always work, but the build of an athlete is necessary for a horse to be an athlete. And often, the more athletically built a horse is, the more athletic ability the horse has.

The turquoise lines divide this filly
into theappropriate thirds. The purple
linesindicate her shoulder angle and
the pink lines show the comparison
of the length of her topline and
underline.

Balance

It all starts with balance. Balance is a necessity. It is usually judged by how proportional a horse is. It is best for a horse to be easily divided in three parts. The best way to judge this is to picture a vertical line at the heart girth and the flank. The shoulder angle allows a horse to be more evenly balanced if it has an angle of about 45 to 55 degrees. This gives a horse a shorter topline in comparison to a longer underline, providing the horse with a longer stride.

A racehorse must have a strong loin. A strong topline protects the entire horse’s body and makes it sturdier. A strong loin allows the back to be nearly completely straight, but with a slight curve to it. The gray filly pictured could be a little stronger in the loin, but is overall fairly sturdy through her topline.

Structural Correctness 

The yellow lines show the
comparison of the angles
of the pasterns and shoulder.
Though it is a bit difficult to
tell in this picture, this colt
has straight, structurally
correct legs.

Of course, structural correctness is essential in a racehorse. A racehorse must have good, strong legs. Their legs should be straight through the front and nearly straight in the rear, though the hocks naturally curve in slightly. However, the hocks should not curve in excessively (cow-hocked). Short cannon bones are preferred, as they’re sturdier. After all, horses do not have muscle below their knees or hocks. Pasterns should be fairly short and about the same angle as the shoulder, though certain shoeing can hinder this.

This colt has quality
muscling (circled in purple)
 and is a great example for a horse with
a high quality neck. The ratio of 2:1
for the neck is indicated by the
turquoise lines.

Muscling

A Thoroughbred racehorse should not have the quantity muscling of a Quarter Horse racehorse or halter horse, but they should still have quality muscling. This does not mean large amounts of muscling in the forearms and gaskins, but rather muscling that is neither inadequate nor exaggerated.

Quality

An important feature of a racehorse is the quality of its neck. It is preferred for a racehorse to have a long, thin neck that ties in at the point of the shoulder. A clean throat latch is necessary, as it makes it easier for a horse to breathe. The ratio for the top of the neck (the crest) to the bottom of neck should be about 2:1, meaning the top of the neck should be nearly twice as long as the bottom of the neck. Besides, in a photo finish, wouldn’t you want your horse to be able to stretch out their long neck?

Though it is not as important for a racehorse to have a refined head as it is for a halter horse, a racehorse still needs to have wide-set eyes, which allows a horse to have better vision. Another characteristic of their head that a racehorse needs is large nostrils, which makes it easier for them to breathe and often indicates a large set of lungs.

Heart Girth

This colt's deep heart girth is
specified by a
turquoise line.

One characteristic that comes in handy is a deep heart girth. The deeper and larger a heart girth, the more lung capacity a horse has.

Of course there have been many successful racehorses that did not have the greatest physical appearance, but it most definitely helps to have good conformation. After all, the horses that blow you away with their build often blow the others away in the stretch.

All photo credit to Terri Cage.

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