Stallion Feature: Discreet Cat

Merely two years of age, nine Thoroughbreds loaded into the gate on the side of the track opposite the famed grandstand on Travers Day, 2005. Like any maiden special weight for juvenile racehorses at Saratoga Racecourse, hopes were high that a future superstar was lurking in the shadows of this six-furlong contest. Lucky for those attending the races that day at the esteemed New York track, they would watch a future superstar capture the race, defeating other eventual stars along the way.

Discreet Cat, a stunning bay colt carrying the maroon and gold silks of E. Paul Robsham, set a brisk pace to capture the race by 3 ½ lengths, completing the three-quarters of a mile in 1:09.76 minutes. Finishing behind him were the future grade one victors Political Force and Thorn Song, the eventual stakes-winning and graded stakes-placed Superfly, and the future stakes winner Last Best Place.

The winner would prove to be the richest of the horses that contested in this race. Later purchased privately by Godolphin Racing, Discreet Cat was sent to Dubai, where he made his second start the following March. Preparing for the UAE Derby (GII), Discreet Cat effortlessly won the one-mile Areej Trophy at Nad Al Sheba by 4 lengths. With the same ease with which he seized his sophomore debut, Discreet Cat soared to a 6-length UAE Derby triumph, finding himself as one of the top contenders for the Kentucky Derby (GI).

Discreet Cat
Photo by Madison Scott

But Godolphin chose to keep their talented colt out of the Run for the Roses, instead aiming for important U.S. races in the latter part of 2006. In his return to American soil, Discreet Cat trounced allowance optional claiming foes by 11 lengths at Saratoga nearly a year to the day after his maiden victory. Displaying his trademark scintillating speed, Discreet Cat crossed the wire in a sublime final time of 1:21.53 for seven furlongs.

Discreet Cat had now won four consecutive races in just as many starts. Making his U.S. graded stakes debut in his following start, the Jerome Breeders’ Cup Handicap (GII) at Belmont Park, the bay colt broke sharply, eager to take the lead. Tugging at Garrett Gomez’s hold, Discreet Cat set brisk fractions, his governance never in doubt. With no amount of difficulty, Discreet Cat abandoned his rivals as he coasted to a 10 ¼-length victory under wraps.

The greatest triumph of Discreet Cat’s racing career took place nearly two months later at Aqueduct in the Cigar Mile Handicap (GI). Carrying 124 pounds as the highweight, Discreet Cat initially allowed Sharp Humor – a graded stakes winner that had come within a half-length of Kentucky Derby (GI) winner Barbaro in that year’s Florida Derby (GI) – to open up on the field down the backstretch, but the small group behind the pacesetter gained ground on the leader, allowing Discreet Cat to surpass Sharp Humor alongside Silver Train. Godolphin’s brilliant colt pressured the pace as Garrett Gomez sat stationary, asking him only in the final stages of the race as Discreet Cat dashed to a 3 ¼-length demolition. The final time for the one-mile was an astounding 1:32.46, just .06 seconds off Hall of Famer Easy Goer’s track mark.

Discreet Cat’s 2006 campaign earned him a rating of 128 by the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings, thus allowing him to tie with champion Bernardini as top-rated three-year-old. Pointed towards a start in the 2007 Dubai World Cup (GI), Discreet Cat was kept out of a race at Nad Al Sheba that was meant to serve as his prep for the esteemed race due to a fever, instead going straight to the World Cup. But Discreet Cat’s perfect record was tarnished by a last-place finish, though the colt was quickly discovered to have a respiratory tract infection and an obstruction to air flow of his throat.

The bay colt never won again, turning in a pair of third-place finishes in the Vosburgh Stakes (GI) and the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Retired to Darley, Discreet Cat began his stud career in 2008, with his first crop hitting the track in 2011. Among his best runners to date in his young breeding career are the graded stakes winners Mamma Kimbo and Out of Bounds, the black-type winners Discreet Marq and Incredicat, and the speedy, graded stakes-placed Discreet Dancer.

If Discreet Cat’s ancestry is any indication, the stallion has a promising future as a sire, as both of his parents have been very successful producers themselves. His sire, Forestry, has sired such grade one winners as Diplomat Lady, Forest Danger, and Shackleford. His dam, the grade one-winning Pretty Discreet, is a Reine de Course mare, having produced the additional grade one winner Discreetly Mine, as well as the stakes winner Pretty Gold and the dams of the grade one winner Awesome Maria and the stakes winners Chary and Concorde’s Edge.

Discreet Cat's pedigree
From pedigreequery.com

 Notably, Forestry’s sire – Discreet Cat’s grandsire – is Storm Cat, one of the greatest sires to ever live. The very successful stallion was also very effective as a sire of sires, producing such sires as Bluegrass Cat, Giant’s Causeway, and Hennessy. This certainly augurs well for Discreet Cat, as Storm Cat is the grandsire of such productive stallions as Johannesburg and Shamardal.

The Northern Dancer sire line from which Discreet Cat descends is certainly among the most influential ones of the breed. In the 1970s, the Canadian-bred champion was the leading sire once in North America and four times in the United Kingdom, as well as the twentieth century’s most successful sire. Northern Dancer’s stud record was astounding, as the son of Canadian Hall of Famer Nearctic was an incredible producer of successful racehorses, sires, sires of sires, and broodmares. Among his best sons were the champions Nijinsky and Sadler’s Wells, both of which became leading sires, the latter of which was the leading sire in the United Kingdom for an astonishing thirteen consecutive years and for a total of fourteen years.

As aforementioned, Discreet Cat’s dam, Pretty Discreet, was an outstanding broodmare, earning her the title of a blue hen. The mare descends from a potent dam line, her third dam being the black-type-placed Reine de Course mare Christmas Wishes, who was a daughter of another Reine de Course mare in Acorn Stakes (GI) victress Happy Mood, who yielded several stakes winners that were successful producers themselves, including the dam of a Canadian Broodmare of the Year. Happy Mood herself was also a daughter of a Reine de Course mare, La Reigh – a multiple stakes-winning mare who foaled several black-type horses.

The sire of Pretty Discreet, Private Account, is best-known for siring the great champion Personal Ensign. The son of Damascus has served as a terrific broodmare sire, producing the dams of the likes of grade/group one winners Aldebaran, Good Journey, Menhoubah, Miner’s Mark, My Flag, Panty Raid, Pompeii, and Traditionally. Sons of Private Account mares have proven themselves as sires, as evident in the stallions Miner’s Mark and Our Emblem.

The Northern Dancer/Damascus sire line cross on which Discreet Cat is bred has yielded the likes of the leading sires Johannesburg and Medaglia d’Oro. Discreet Cat has had success with mares from a wide variety of sire lines, but seems to cross with mares from the Mr. Prospector sire line best. His offspring Out of Bounds, Discreet Marq, and Discreet Dancer all are out of mares from the Mr. Prospector line. This is no surprise, as Forestry has crossed well with mares from the Mr. Prospector line, as Shackleford is out of a dam from this line and Diplomat Lady is out of a mare from the Raise a Native – the sire of Mr. Prospector – line. 

Stallion Feature: Commands

Often, a large portion of a horse’s success can be traced back to an ancestor within its dam line. Stallions typically receive the spotlight in the breeding industry, but the mares are very much deserving of respect and recognition, as noted in my article dated July 3, 2012, “Recent Remarkable Broodmares.”

The presence of such a mare – especially one denoted as a Reine de Course mare, or a superior female that has left an undeniable effect on the Thoroughbred – in a horse’s pedigree is certainly an advantage. Commands, Australia’s leading sire, is a grandson of one of the most legendary mares of all time, Eight Carat – a feature in his pedigree that has surely led him to his success in the breeding shed.

Eight Carat, a mare bred in Great Britain, has had an unbelievable effect on the bloodlines of the Thoroughbred racehorse. Born in 1975, the black mare produced an outstanding five group one winners: two-time Australian Horse of the Year Octagonal and the additional group one winners Diamond Lover, Kaapstad, (Our) Marquise, and Mouawad. As if her progeny record of racehorses was not magnificent enough, her offspring also proved to be top producers. She is the granddam of many group one victors, including Danewin, Don Eduardo, Shower of Roses, and Tristalove. The four aforementioned Thoroughbreds are just offspring of Eight Carat’s daughters. Her sons produced the likes of the group one winners Golden Sword, Niello, and Lonhro.

Commands is a son of an unraced daughter of Eight Carat, Cothele House. Bred in Great Britain and exported to Australia, Cothele House yielded not only Commands, but the multiple group one-winning champion Danewin and the stakes winners Jetso (In House) and Prospect Tower.

As a son of the great sire Danehill, Commands is a full brother to his champion brother, Danewin. Danehill, though successful as a racehorse, found his true calling as a sire. The son of Danzig was the leading sire in multiple countries, including France, Ireland, Great Britain, and Australia, the latter in which he was the leading sire for an astounding nine consecutive years. The initial prominent shuttling sire, Danehill produced an astronomical amount of grade/group one winners, including many champions, such as Duke of Marmalade, Dylan Thomas, Peeping Fawn, and Rock of Gibraltar. He has also proven to be an outstanding sire of sires, yielding the likes of the exceptional stallions Flying Spur and Redoute’s Choice, as well as the rather successful sires Desert King and North Light.

Danehill possesses a Rasmussen Factor, being inbred to the Reine de Course mare Natalma 3 X 3, as the daughter of Native Dancer is not only his third dam, but the dam of his grandsire, Northern Dancer. Commands thus descends from the Northern Dancer sire line, which is certainly among the most influential ones of the breed. In the 1970s, the Canadian-bred champion was the leading sire once in North America and four times in the United Kingdom, as well as the twentieth century’s most successful sire. Northern Dancer’s stud record was astounding, as the son of Canadian Hall of Famer Nearctic was an incredible producer of successful racehorses, sires, sires of sires, and broodmares. Among his best sons were the champions Nijinsky and Sadler’s Wells, both of which became leading sires, the latter of which was the leading sire in the United Kingdom for an astonishing thirteen consecutive years and for a total of fourteen years.

Command's pedigree
From pedigreequery.com

Commands’ royal breeding was surely a helping factor in his successful racing career. Victorious in four of his fifteen outings, Commands achieved earnings of $417,231 in Australian dollars. Losing just one start as a juvenile, Commands attained his greatest triumph as a two-year-old, capturing the Missile Stakes (GIII), a race that has been won by many a talented racehorse, including Dance Hero and Lonhro.

As a three-year-old, the dark bay made eleven starts, winning the Concept Sports Stakes at Flemington Racecourse, which served as the longest stakes-winning distance of his career at 1417 meters, or a mere shade over seven furlongs. In a remarkable effort, Commands finished second – beaten a nose in The Galaxy (GI) at Caulfield, which was one of two in-the-money finishes in group one company. Commands also finished third in the Caulfield Guineas (GI), beaten by the outstanding Redoute’s Choice.

Commands now stands stud at Darley Australia’s Kelvinside division. For the past three seasons, he has been the leading sire of winners in Australia and in 2011, the son of Danehill eclipsed Encosta De Lago’s record for number of winners in a single season, setting the record on July 22, 2011 with his 148^th winner of the season. The stallion has sired nine group one winners, excelling primarily with sprinters and milers like himself, though his daughter Purple was a group one winner at 2000 meters (approximately 10 furlongs) and 2400 meters (nearly 12 furlongs) and his son Erewhon was a group one winner at 2000 meters.

Commands has chiefly found success with mares that, like him, descend from the Nearco sire line, especially flourishing with mares who have the presence of Northern Dancer in their sire lines, thus producing a line-bred foal. Seven of Commands’ nine group one winners have descended from the Nearco sire line, three of them being from the Northern Dancer sire line. Commands has also crossed well with mares from the Star Kingdom (a grandson of Hyperion) sire line, producing the group one victors Paratroopers and Undue.

Breeding to Commands provides a foal with the luxury of tracing back to one of the most prodigious international dam lines of all-time. A proven, exceptional sire, Commands will surely only continue to find success, serving as a stallion breeders should strive to breed their mares to. 

Stallion Feature: After Market and Courageous Cat

When Martin and Pam Wygod purchased Tranquility Lake for $250,000 at the 1996 Keeneland July Yearling Sale, they were not only investing in a Thoroughbred that would become a multiple grade one winner, but a mare that would prove to be an outstanding broodmare, producing two grade one winners and a group two victor. But the mare’s success does not come to a halt there: her offspring have proven to be top producers, thus allowing Tranquility Lake to have a lasting impact on the breed.

A mare whose best breeding results were with Storm Cat, two of her Storm Cat sons – her pair of grade one winners – stand at stud in North America, whereas her group two winner that sold for $9.7 million as a yearling – also by Storm Cat – is a stallion in China. Those two grade one winners, who the Wygods also campaigned, serve as a chance to influence the breed with Tranquility Lake and her spectacular tail female family, as well as the incomparable Storm Cat.

After Market

The first foal out of Tranquility Lake, After Market began his career in November of his two-year-old campaign, winning a turf maiden special weight at Aqueduct. He did not race again until June of the next year, winning an allowance prior to capturing both the Lexington Stakes (GIII) and the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Breeders’ Cup Stakes (GII) on New York turf.

After Market
Photo by Kurt

But then things began to go downhill for the son of Storm Cat. Following a pair of last-place finishes, After Market left Bill Mott’s barn on the East Coast for the barn of John Shirreffs on the West Coast. But after two off-the-board finishes on the turf in California, After Market’s career continued to seem as though it had met its peak.

But suddenly, everything clicked. After Market cruised to an impressive victory in the Inglewood Handicap (GII) prior to capturing a pair of consecutive grade one races, one in which he defeated the multiple grade one-winning California champion Lava Man going ten furlongs over the turf course at Hollywood Park.

Following a win in the mile and three-quarters Del Mar Handicap (GII), After Market returned to the East Coast to culminate his career with a game runner-up finish in the Kelso Handicap (GII) at Belmont Park. After Market had been slated to run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (GI) at Monmouth Park, but was scratched the morning of the race due to the rain that had fallen in New Jersey, leaving the turf course much softer than After Market preferred.

Shortly after scratching out of the Breeders’ Cup, After Market arrived at Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky for the new chapter of his life. Since his first breeding season in 2008, the beautifully-conformed stallion has produced three graded stakes winners, including the graded stakes-winning Lady of Fifty, a filly that has been brilliant in California.

Courageous Cat

Unlike his full brother After Market, Courageous Cat did not immediately form a string of victories once his racing career began. Following three losses, the blaze-faced Thoroughbred captured a seven-furlong turf maiden special weight at Belmont and after winning an ungraded stakes at Belmont, Courageous Cat took the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (GII) – a race his brother had won three years earlier – in a final time that was just 0.57 seconds off the course record.

Courageous Cat
Photo by Terri Cage

After running third in the Jamaica Handicap (GI), Courageous Cat shipped to the West Coast for the Breeders’ Cup, coming within a half-length of the great Goldikova when finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (GI). He began his four-year-old campaign with a game, narrow victory in the Canadian Turf Stakes (GIII), but when shipped to Dubai for the Dubai Duty Free (GI), Courageous Cat finished ninth in a field of sixteen.

Upon coming back to North America, Courageous Cat finished third behind Gio Ponti in the Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (GI). He was then given an eight-month layoff, returning with an easy win in the Poker Stakes (GIII) at Belmont prior to shipping to California to take the Shoemaker Mile Stakes (GI) in resolute fashion.

The Shoemaker Mile would be the final victory of Courageous Cat’s career. Following a close runner-up effort in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile Stakes (GI), Courageous Cat suffered a horrendous trip in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (GI) at Churchill Downs, finishing last. Nonetheless, the Bill Mott trainee had formed a remarkable career, becoming Tranquility Lake’s only millionaire.

Like After Market, Courageous Cat entered stud at Lane’s End, but after his initial season, the stallion was moved to Questroyal North in New York.

Their Ancestry

The Storm Cat/Rahy cross on which After Market and Courageous Cat are bred is the same one that produced the outstanding Giant’s Causeway, a champion racehorse and perennial leading sire. This cross also yielded the group one-winning daughter of Serena's Song, Sophisticat, as well as multiple other grade/group stakes winners. The Nearctic/Nasrullah sire line cross on which these two stallions are bred not only makes them linebred to the influential Nearco, but puts them on the same sire line cross as successful stallions Giant's Causeway and High Chaparral, as well as the great racemares Goldikova and Makybe Diva.

Storm Cat, the sire of both After Market and Courageous Cat, is one of the best stallions in Thoroughbred history. A recurring leading sire, Storm Cat produced more than thirty grade one winners, including the champions Giant’s Causeway, Seeking the Dia, Storm Flag Flying, and Sweet Catomine. As a sire of sires, Storm Cat has been exceptional, producing the likes of not only Giant’s Causeway, but also Bluegrass Cat, Forestry, Forest Wildcat, Hennessy, Stormin Fever, and Tale of the Cat.

The Northern Dancer sire line from which both After Market and Courageous Cat descend is certainly among the most influential ones of the breed. In the 1970s, the Canadian-bred champion was the leading sire once in North America and four times in the United Kingdom, as well as the twentieth century’s most successful sire. Northern Dancer’s stud record was astounding, as the son of Canadian Hall of Famer Nearctic was an incredible producer of successful racehorses, sires, sires of sires, and broodmares. Among his best sons were the champions Nijinsky and Sadler’s Wells, both of which became leading sires, the latter of which was the leading sire in the United Kingdom for an astonishing thirteen consecutive years and for a total of fourteen years.

As aforementioned, Tranquility Lake has proven to be a top producer. This is no surprise, as she is a daughter of one of the finest broodmare sires in Rahy. The son of Blushing Groom has produced the dams of an abundance of grade/group one winners, including Furthest Land, Giant’s Causeway, Life At Ten, Megahertz, Rahy’s Attorney, and Sophisticat.

Tranquility Lake’s immediate female family is remarkable, as both her dam and granddam are Reine de Course mares, or highly influential dams. Her dam, Winters’ Love, was a multiple graded stakes-placed runner on the track who produced not only Tranquility Lake, but also the multiple graded stakes-winning and leading California sire Benchmark, the graded stakes-placed King Crimson, and the black-type-placed Hope for Gold. Tranquility Lake’s granddam, Cold Hearted, was not only a graded stakes-placed runner, but a stakes winner on the track that went on to become an incredible broodmare. Her twelve foals that raced accumulated a total of more than $1.5 million. Among those offspring were the Belmont Stakes (GI) winner Caveat, one graded stakes winner, a black-type winner, two graded stakes-placed runners, and a stakes-placed runner.

As young stallions, the influence After Market and Courageous Cat will have as sires of producers will not become incredibly apparent for at least a handful of years. However, as sons of an incredible producer, their chances at becoming successful broodmare sires are rather positive, as remarkable mares such as Baby Zip, Con Game, Razyana, Terlingua, and Weekend Suprise yielded offspring that were not only successful racehorses and sires, but also damsires. Their sire, Storm Cat, was North America's leading broodmare sire in 2012, whereas their own broodmare sire, Rahy, has proven to be perhaps one of the best damsires in the history of the breed. Traces of the likes of Mahmoud, Native Dancer, and Princequillo, all top-notch broodmare sires, also insinuate that After Market and Courageous Cat could become efficient in siring top producers.

These full brothers provide breeders with an opportunity to breed their mares to stallions that have royal blood flowing through their veins. Each of them being young, long stud careers hopefully loom ahead for After Market and Courageous Cat, leaving them time to make their mark on the majestic creature that is the Thoroughbred racehorse.

Stallion Feature: Shackleford

Some paragraphs drawn from "Shackleford: A Charismatic Superstar" and "Recent Remarkable Broodmares"

Shackleford
Photo by Terri Cage

Taking a chance on a new stallion is, in the words of Forrest Gump, “…like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Like a beautiful piece of chocolate that makes your mouth water just by the sight of it but then causes you to gag due to its horrid taste, a horse can enter his new life as a stallion with high hopes pinned upon him, but become a failure in the breeding shed. On the other hand, a young stallion can waltz into a stud career and take the Thoroughbred breeding industry by storm like that phenomenal piece of chocolate that leaves you wishing there were duplicates in the box.

So will Shackleford become a piece of chocolate that you regret tasting, or will he be one of the delicious treats that makes you realize why you bought the box in the first place? If his racing endeavors and stunning pedigree are any indication, Shackleford’s upcoming stud career looks to be a delectable one worth taking a chance on.

Following a ninth-place debut at Keeneland, Shackleford never raced over a synthetic surface again, redeeming himself in his second race by gamely capturing a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs, in which he defeated eventual 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) victor Fort Larned to culminate his brief juvenile campaign.

Shackleford commenced his sophomore season with a 2 ¼-length victory in an allowance event at Gulfstream Park, defeating Fort Larned yet again, as well as the stakes-placed and eventual graded stakes-placed Casper’s Touch and the stakes-winning Strike Oil. After finishing fifth in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (GII), Shackleford yet again made amends, battling Dialed In down the stretch of the Florida Derby (GI) to miss by a scant head at odds of nearly 69-1.

It was on to the Kentucky Derby (GI) for the blazed-faced Dale Romans trainee, in which Shackleford set the pace of the prestigious ten-furlong race, holding the advantage on the field as the horses turned for home. For a moment, Shackleford appeared to be the next victor of the Run for the Roses, but was run down in the stretch by eventual Champion Three-Year-Old Male, Animal Kingdom, finishing a game fourth.

But it was Shackleford’s next race that served as one of the defining moments of the horse’s career. Rather than setting the pace, Shackleford raced just off the quick, front-running Flashpoint, striking to the lead at the beginning of the far turn. He continued to hold the lead as the Thoroughbreds entered the homestretch, jockey Jesus Castanon urging him to maintain his advantage on his rivals. The Derby winner closed on the outside as Shackleford changed leads in late stretch, gaining ground on Shackleford as the wire grew closer. But Shackleford dug deep, exhibiting tremendous grit and determination as he held off Animal Kingdom to win the classic mile and three-sixteenths race by a half-length.

Shackleford at the 2011 Breeders' Cup
Photo by Terri Cage

Following a fifth-place performance over a sloppy track in the grueling Belmont Stakes (GI), Shackleford again showed his willingness to fight for victory in the Haskell Invitational Stakes (GI), finishing just a neck behind Coil. Less than a month later, Mike Lauffer and Bill Cubbedge’s homebred crossed the wire a lackluster eighth in the ten-furlong Travers Stakes (GI).

Shackleford then shortened up in distance, contesting in the Indiana Derby (GII), which would be his first time to race under nine furlongs since his maiden. The horse finished second behind Wilburn in that contest prior to starting in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (GI) at Churchill Downs, in which he again ran second, this time to the brilliant Caleb’s Posse. Despite not visiting the winner’s circle afterwards, Shackleford ran a terrific race in the 2011 Dirt Mile, pressing the pace and holding the lead until being overtaken by Caleb’s Posse.

After a very tough sophomore campaign spent in the company of the best of his crop, Shackleford returned in February 2012 as a four-year-old, finishing a dull seventh in the nine-furlong Donn Handicap (GI). Following two months away from the races, Shackleford again shortened up in distance, competing in the Carter Handicap (GI) at Aqueduct, in which the classic winner finished behind the grade one winners Jackson Bend and Caleb’s Posse.

In his following start, Shackleford returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since his triumph in the Preakness after battling 2011 Champion Sprinter Amazombie down the stretch of the Churchill Downs Stakes (GII), prevailing by a determined length in a final time that was just .22 seconds off the track record set by the brilliant Groupie Doll two races later. The blaze-faced fan favorite made it back-to-back victories by taking the renowned Metropolitan Handicap (GI), also known as the Met Mile, in his subsequent start.

Shackleford
Photo by Terri Cage

In the Met Mile, Shackleford contested against three other grade one winners, including his rival Caleb’s Posse. He broke very sharply, going straight to the lead down Belmont’s backstretch to set a brisk first quarter of 22.77. Extending his advantage on the others to 1 ½ lengths as the field began their journey into the wide, sweeping turn at Belmont, Shackleford completed the initial half-mile in a blistering 44.73; he had completed the second quarter-mile .81 seconds faster than the first one. With John Velazquez aboard for the first time due to an injury suffered by regular rider Jesus Castanon ten days earlier, Shackleford proceeded to hold the lead as the field turned for home. His white blaze led the charge of six talented Thoroughbreds into the long Belmont homestretch as Shackleford began to open up on the others. Though Caleb’s Posse was charging on the outside, growing closer to Shackleford with each and every stride, Shackleford dug in to hold off Caleb’s Posse, who appeared to have hung just slightly, to win by a nose before galloping out well ahead of the others. The final time for eight furlongs was a spectacular 1:33.30, just over a second off the track record.

Contesting over a muddy track in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (GI) next out at Saratoga, Shackleford finished last, adding to his lack of victories over a wet track, a surface he never won upon. Despite his uninspiring performance, Shackleford was entered in the seven-furlong Forego Handicap (GI) a month later, but was scratched due to a cough. The chestnut returned at the end of September, going to post in the one-mile Kelso Handicap (GII) at Belmont, in which Shackleford set a brisk pace prior to being overtaken by Jersey Town, crossing the wire as the runner-up.

Shackleford then shipped to Southern California for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (GI), which had been his goal for several months in the making. But to the fan favorite’s misfortune, Shackleford stumbled at the start and never gathered enough momentum throughout the race to gallop along better than third, finishing seventh. But the Dale Romans trainee was not to end his career on a sour note.

“Shack” – as his connections and an abundance of fans have lovingly nicknamed him – made his final start at a track over which he enjoyed running, Churchill Downs, in the Clark Handicap (GI). Going nine furlongs for the first time since the Donn and being ridden by Jesus Castanon, who had been his regular jockey prior to being injured just before the Met Mile, for the first occurrence since the Churchill Downs Stakes, Shackleford emerged from the gate cleanly, quickly advancing to the lead. The classic victor held an approximate one-length lead over 2012 Florida Derby (GI) winner Take Charge Indy as the field raced past the stands for the initial time, galloping along easily as the Thoroughbreds rounded the clubhouse turn. Through a steady first quarter of 24.31, Shackleford led his rivals by 1 ½ lengths down the backstretch under Castanon’s firm hold. Appearing very comfortable along the far straightaway, Shackleford posted an initial half-mile split of 48.65, maintaining his easy lead. His opponents loomed large around the final curve, but it was clear that Castanon still had “plenty of horse” beneath him as the field turned for home. Displaying the tremendous heart and perseverance that has become a Shackleford trademark, the four-year-old held off the charges of his challengers down the stretch, easily repelling them as he coasted to a one-length victory to culminate his career.

Shackleford preparing for the 2012 Breeders' Cup
Photo by Terri Cage

Shackleford’s career was one marked by durability and versatility. A horse that remained sound throughout his racing years, Shackleford competed ten times as a three-year-old – more than any male sophomore champion in their three-year-old campaigns since War Emblem in 2002 – and eight times as a four-year-old. His total of twenty career starts exceeds the number of lifetime starts made by four of the last five different horses to be crowned Horse of the Year. In addition, in 2011, Shackleford was one of just three horses to compete in each race of the taxing Triple Crown. Notably, Shackleford won at four different distances, from a range of seven furlongs to a mile and three-sixteenths.

Not only does a victory in the “stallion-making” Met Mile bode well for Shackleford’s chances at becoming a lucrative sire when he enters stud in 2013 at Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, but his parentage does as well. Both of his parents have been very successful producers themselves. His sire, Forestry, has sired such grade one winners as Diplomat Lady, Discreet Cat, and Forest Danger. His dam, Oatsee, was voted 2011 Broodmare of the Year and, aside from Shackleford, has produced the graded stakes winners Afleeting Lady, Baghdaria, and Lady Joanne. 

Notably, Forestry’s sire – Shackleford’s grandsire – is Storm Cat, one of the greatest sires to ever live. The very successful stallion was also very effective as a sire of sires, producing such sires as Bluegrass Cat, Giant’s Causeway, and Hennessy. This certainly augurs well for Shackleford, as Storm Cat is the grandsire of such productive stallions as Johannesburg and Shamardal.

Shackleford at Santa Anita
Photo by Terri Cage

The Northern Dancer sire line from which Shackleford descends is certainly among the most influential ones of the breed. In the 1970s, the Canadian-bred champion was the leading sire once in North America and four times in the United Kingdom, as well as the twentieth century’s most successful sire. Northern Dancer’s stud record was astounding, as the son of Canadian Hall of Famer Nearctic was an incredible producer of successful racehorses, sires, sires of sires, and broodmares. Among his best sons were the champions Nijinsky and Sadler’s Wells, both of which became leading sires, the latter of which was the leading sire in the United Kingdom for an astonishing thirteen consecutive years and for a total of fourteen years.

Shackleford’s dam, Oatsee, raced twenty-one times, retiring with earnings of $106,945. Her first foal was Grand Portege, an earner of over $100,000 who contested in two black-type races. Her first “big horse” was Baghdaria, who won a trifecta of grade threes. Then came Lady Joanne, who was a graded stakes winner as a juvenile that went on to win a pair of graded stakes as a sophomore, including the ten-furlong Alabama Stakes (GI). Oatsee continued her success with Afleeting Lady, a graded stakes-winning daughter of Afleet Alex. Shackleford is, of course, Oatsee’s best offspring yet, having earned $3,090,101 during a career that saw him capture three grade ones. Oatsee is also the dam of the stakes-placed Stephanoatsee.

The sire of Oatsee, Unbridled, was not only a terrific sire and sire of sires, but he is also proven as a broodmare sire, being the damsire of the grade one winners Dream Rush and Tapit, as well as the graded stakes-winning runners Apart, Denis of Cork, and No Inflation. Oatsee is inbred 4 X 4 to In Reality, who yielded a spectacular one hundred fifty stakes winners as a broodmare sire. She also has two crosses of the great mare Aspidistra in her pedigree. Aspidistra, a Reine De Course dam, was the dam of the Hall of Famers Dr. Fager and Ta Wee, the graded stakes-winning Chinatowner, the stakes-winning A. Deck, and the graded stakes-placed Highbinder. From her fourth through eighth dams, Oatsee traces back to five Reine De Course mares. Most notable is Tamerett, who produced the champion Known Fact, the multiple grade one-winning Tentam, the grade two-winning Terete, the stakes-winning Tamtent, and the dams of the grade one winners Gone West and Tappiano.

As aforementioned, Shackleford’s damsire, Unbridled, sired the dam of Tapit, who was the third-leading North American sire of 2011. Unbridled himself was a very effective sire of sires, producing the successful sires Broken Vow, Empire Maker, and Unbridled’s Song.

Shackleford, a fan favorite at the racetrack, is a horse that will not soon be forgotten, as we have not yet heard the last from him. Racing fans have eagerly followed him throughout his career, moved by his tenacious victories and entertaining antics. And now that the popular chestnut has retired to the breeding shed, fans will await his foals, which will grace racetracks as spectators flock to see them, ready to see them carry on Shackleford’s charisma and brilliance. Shackleford’s career wasn’t perfect, but his journey, which exuded class, personality, and durability, ended on a textbook note, serving as the perfect ending to set him up for his next career.

Farewell, Shackleford!
Photo by Terri Cage

Stallion Feature: Americain and Bullet Train

It is often said that American breeders should try to blend more foreign blood with our horses by introducing horses from other nations to our breeding operations. With the loss of many of our top racehorses – including but not limited to I’ll Have Another, Summer Bird, Musical Romance, and Zazu – to foreign breeding programs this year alone, the blood of our own top racehorses has been ostracized from the heritage of most future American racehorses. But in the past month, things have shifted. Headed to Kentucky for the 2013 breeding season are two stallions that could have a tremendous effect on American Thoroughbred bloodlines: Americain and the great Frankel’s sibling and rabbit, Bullet Train.

Americain

Though bred in the United States, Americain only made four of his thirty-four starts in the United States. Americain began his career in France, contesting his initial ten starts there prior to his four-race expedition to America. This fourteen-race period saw Americain win four races, including two group stakes.

Americain never finished better than third upon his journey to the United States, but after a fifth-place finish in the Prix La Moskowa at Chantilly, Americain formed a five-race winning streak, which included a victory in not only two group stakes, but in one of the most prestigious races in the world, the Melbourne Cup (GI). Contested since 1861, the Melbourne Cup covers 3,200 meters – nearly 2 miles. Throughout its enriched history, the Melbourne Cup has seen many great Thoroughbreds gallop to victory, including Makybe Diva, Peter Pan, and Phar Lap.

Americain continued racing for an additional two years, winning three more starts, including two group stakes. It was announced in late November 2012 that the horse would stand stud in Kentucky and just days after this exciting announcement came the statement that Americain would stand at one of the most revered farms on American soil – Calumet Farm.

A farm that, in its heyday, won the Kentucky Derby (GI) a record eight times and produced two of the eleven horses to win the Triple Crown, Calumet was sold for approximately $36 million earlier this year. Prior to 2012, when Cactus Ridge and Ice Box stood there, a stallion had not stood at stud at Calumet for almost a decade. Americain could be just the catalyst for a revival the esteemed farm needs.

Americain is a son of the late, grand Dynaformer, who proved to be a top international sire. Perhaps most famous for siring the ill-fated Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, Dynaformer also produced such additional grade/group one winners as Karlovy Vary, McDynamo, Perfect Drift, and Point of Entry. Dynaformer is a grandson of Hail to Reason, the sire of successful stallions like Halo, Roberto, and Stop the Music.

The dam of Americain is the Irish-bred mare America, who was a multiple group stakes winner in France. In addition to producing Americain, America has also foaled the group stakes-placed Spycrawler and the stakes-placed Amarak. America is a daughter of Arazi, the champion famous for his breathtaking Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) victory at Churchill Downs in 1991. Though relatively successful as a sire, producing the grade/group one winners Behrajan and Congaree, Arazi has found perhaps his greatest success as a broodmare sire, producing the dams of such horses as the multiple grade/group one winners Electrocutionist and Lahudood, as well as, of course, Americain.

Americain’s third dam, Round the Rosie, produced two group stakes winners and four stakes-placed runners. This makes Americain a direct descendant of the great Chelandry, the foundation mare of Family 1-n. Other direct descendants of Chelandry include not only the grade one-winning Bodemeister, but the star-crossed champion Swale.

Though bred in the United States, Americain is a foreign asset to American breeding programs. Not only did he make the majority of his starts abroad, but his parentage presents a foreign flair. His dam is Irish-bred and though his sire may be American-bred, Dynaformer has truly proven to be an international force.

Bullet Train

A year younger than his famous brother, Frankel, Bullet Train was the first foal out of Kind. A Juddmonte hombebred, Bullet Train won his debut, the European Breeders’ Fund Maiden Stakes. Following a runner-up finish in a stakes at Newbury, Bullet Train captured the biggest victory of his life in the Derby Trial Stakes (GIII).

Bullet Train never won again, but was given many less chances to do so by serving as Frankel’s rabbit, or pacemaker. The horse lost his final eleven races, never defeating more than five horses and never finishing better than fourth. Though his brilliance is far from that of Frankel’s, it will be a grand opportunity for American breeders to get the bloodline of one of the greatest horses the world has ever seen flowing in the American Thoroughbred gene pool.

Unlike Frankel, Bullet Train is sired by the great Sadler’s Wells, who is Frankel’s grandsire through the legendary horse’s sire, Galileo. The multiple group one-winning son of Northern Dancer was the leading sire by earnings in the United Kingdom for ten years straight and for twelve years total. Among his best offspring are the champions Barathea, High Chaparral, Montjeu, Northern Spur, Old Vic, Perfect Soul, and Yeats. Sadler's Wells has also proven to be an incredible sire of sires, producing not only Galileo, but the outstanding Montjeu, as well as Barathea, El Prado, High Chaparral, In the Wings, and King’s Theatre.

Bullet Train also receives an outstanding influence from his dam, Kind. The bay mare was a successful racehorse herself, capturing two stakes races. In addition to producing Bullet Train and Frankel, Kind has also foaled the group stakes-winning Noble Mission.

Kind’s sire is a horse who was the leading sire in four different countries, the incredible Danehill, who has sired over three hundred stakes winners. He has been a highly successful broodmare sire, siring the dams of such horses as the group one winners Art Connoisseur, Cima de Triomphe, Danedream, Teofilo, and Vengeance of Rain.

The dam of Kind is the group stakes-winning Rainbow Lake, who also produced the multiple group one-winning Powerscourt and the group one-placed Last Train. Rainbow Lake is a daughter of Rainbow Quest, a son of Blushing Groom who has been a top broodmare sire. The champion is the damsire of such group one winners as Look Here, Samitar, and Spanish Moon.

Bullet Train is a descendant of the prolific female family one, the same female family responsible for many of the greatest racehorses to grace the racetracks of the world and many of the top sires the breed has seen. Such top stallions that descend from this female family include Bold Reasoning, Buckpasser, and Forty Niner.

American breeders would need to ship their mares overseas in order to breed them to the great Frankel, but with Bullet Train slated stand in Kentucky, breeders will have the opportunity to breed to a stallion with nearly identical parentage to the great champion. Bullet Train certainly wasn’t as talented as Frankel, but a horse’s performances on the track do not promise anything regarding a horse’s success in the breeding shed.

Stallion Feature: Yes It's True

His golden frame stepped into my view, gracing my vision as he stood in the middle of the main stallion barn at Three Chimneys Farm just moments before a breeding session. I was just eleven years old at the time, as was Yes It’s True, but the beauty of Yes It’s True impressed me greatly and ever since, I have been a keen fan of the stunning stallion.

Yes It’s True is now sixteen and in the past five years, the son of Is It True has produced progeny that have earned a total of $5,000,000 annually. He is among a group of undistinguished sires in the breeding industry, but is one that is quite underrated.

Yes It's True
Photo by Terri Cage

Foaled on the final day of March 1996 in Kentucky, Yes It’s True was the initial foal out of Clever Monique to be sired by 1988 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) victor Is It True. As a yearling, the bay colt was entered in the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, in which he was bought by a pinhooker prior to eventually landing in the hands of Padua Stables and trainer D. Wayne Lukas for the price of $800,000.

Yes It’s True commenced his racing career in style, effortlessly winning his debut by five lengths at Keeneland as a juvenile. Following two stakes victories at Churchill Downs, Yes It’s True went to post in the Bashford Manor Stakes (GIII) beneath the Twin Spires, in which stablemate Time Bandit outdueled him to hand Yes It’s True his first defeat.

The bay colt left the confines of the Bluegrass State, arriving in Southern California for the Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes (GIII), in which Yes It’s True led every step of the way, galloping to a six-length triumph before returning to the East Coast to wrap up his juvenile campaign. He only won once more as a two-year-old, taking the Sapling Stakes (GIII) at Monmouth Park with ease before finishing in the money in the Futurity Stakes (GI) and the Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity (GII). Yes It’s True’s attempt at victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile was incredibly disappointing, as the colt finished eleventh of thirteen at Churchill Downs.

Yes It’s True returned to his brilliance early on in his three-year-old career, capturing two grade threes after losing his first start as a sophomore. Following a loss in the Derby Trial Stakes (GIII), Yes It’s True formed a string of four consecutive graded stakes victories, capping off the winning streak with a win in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (GI), in which he ran the clock to a final time that was just 0.72 seconds off the track record.

Yes It’s True never won again and retired to stud duty at the age of five with earnings of $1,080,700, beginning his stud career at Padua’s new stallion operation in Florida, standing for just $7,500 initially. He covered 105 mares in his first stud season and his stud fee was thus increased to $10,000. When his first crop reached the races, Yes It’s True immediately proved that he was a force to be reckoned with in the breeding shed. His initial winner, Chantrue, became a talented stakes winner, capturing all of his races as a juvenile, including the Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes (GIII).

In September of 2004, Three Chimneys Farm purchased a minor interest in Yes It’s True, moving the stallion to the Midway, Kentucky farm to stand stud alongside many top stallions. In early October of 2004, Yes It’s True’s son, Proud Accolade, won the Champagne Stakes (GI) – defeating Afleet Alex – before Yes It’s True’s weanlings impressed at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company Fall Mixed Sale. It was shortly after these incidences that the owner of Three Chimneys, Robert Clay, increased Yes It’s True’s stud fee to $25,000.

Yes It’s True has remained a top commercial sire throughout his stud career, in addition to yielding talented runners. His leading North American earner is Aikenite, a horse who captured two graded stakes races and placed in three grade one events. Yes It’s True is also the sire of such graded stakes winners as Actin Good, Off Duty, Nordic Truce, Yesbyjimminy, and Yes He’s the Man.

The pedigree of Yes It’s True is rather understated, but also lined with indicators that he would become a successful sire. His sire, Is It True, only produced a pair of grade one winners – including Yes It’s True himself – but is by Raja Baba, the leading North American sire of 1980. Raja Baba was a fairly productive sire of sires, producing not only Is It True, but Royal Ski and Well Decorated.

The dam of Yes It’s True, Clever Monique, was a profitable producer, also yielding the multiple stakes-winning Honest Deceiver. Intriguingly, Yes It’s True’s seventh dam is Dancing Date, the dam of Terrang, who captured a record ten stakes events at Santa Anita. Yes It’s True is a descendant of American family one, the same female family that has yielded the grade one victors Gato Del Sol, Germany, and Tizway.

Yes It’s True’s broodmare sire is Clever Trick, who was also the damsire of such grade one winners as Came Home, Elegant Fashion, Nothingtolose, and Victors Cry. Clever Trick’s sire is Icecapade, a half-brother to the great Ruffian. Interestingly, Yes It’s True only has one trace of Native Dancer in his pedigree, which comes through Shenanigans – the dam of Icecapade and Ruffian.

Though he has an inconspicuous pedigree, Yes It’s True possesses a build that is symbolic of a Thoroughbred bred for racing. A very well-balanced individual, Yes It’s True has a long, sloping shoulder that produces, a short, sturdy topline. He is very structurally correct, being straight about his legs, and is also attractive about the head and neck, the latter of which is lengthy, tying into his impressive shoulder rather appropriately.

Photo by Mary Cage

Despite his understated pedigree, Yes It’s True has been a consistent sire and has maintained his success as a commercial stallion, as well as producing hardy, productive runners. Since 2005, Yes It’s True has been among the top one hundred North America sires each year, peaking as the twentieth leading sire on the continent. Yes It’s True is by no means just good looks. Standing for just $15,000, Yes It’s True poses as a practical opportunity for breeders.

*Yes It's True is the sire of True Swither, who will be Hip #1 in the inaugural Del Mar Paddock Sale. All proceeds from this retired racehorse's sale will go to the charities CARMA and Remember Me Rescue. Yes It's True is sure to produce talented horses off the track as well, as his brother is an A Circuit jumper in California. The possibilities for Yes It's True's offspring are endless!

True Swither after winning at Lone Star Park
Photo by Mary Cage

True Swither
Photo by Mary Cage

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Stallion Feature: Unbridled's Heart

Unbridled’s Heart: New for 2012 at Keen Farms in Texas

John Ferguson, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rasheed al Maktoum’s bloodstock manager, is possibly the most famous bloodstock agent in the industry. You can find his name next to many of the highest-priced racing prospects sold at the most prestigious sales in the world, such as the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. After all, he is employed by one of the most well-known owners in all of horse racing.

At the 2006 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, you could find Ferguson’s name next to ten of the twenty-three highest-priced colts in the sale. Six colts sold for exactly one million dollars and of those colts, Ferguson was listed as the buyer for four of them. Among those colts was a son of Unbridled’s Song consigned by Taylor Made.

It was obvious why the colt had sold for seven figures. His sire had landed sixteenth on the leading sires list in 2005, which had been his fifth appearance in the top one hundred sires since 2001. The winner of the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) and the 1996 Florida Derby (GI) had sired the 2001 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (GI) winner in Unbridled Elaine, the 2001 Wood Memorial Stakes (GI) victor in Buddha, and the 2001 Fountain of Youth Stakes (GI) champion in Songandaprayer. Furthermore, the gray colt’s dam, Wild Heart Dancing, was a four-time graded stakes winner who was a half-sister to the grade one-winning Man from Wicklow.

Unbridled's Heart
Photo: Terri Cage

The colt, who was eventually named Unbridled’s Heart, made his debut on May 10, 2008 at Belmont Park. Sent off at odds of nearly 14-1, the colt led from start to finish under Darley’s silks to take the mile and one-sixteenth maiden special weight by ten lengths in a final time of 1:42.12 over a track labeled ‘good.’ With that victory, the gray colt earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

Next out, he finished third after an awkward start in the Postponed Stakes at Belmont. Crossing the wire ahead of him was Mint Lane, eventual winner of the Dwyer Stakes (GII), and finishing behind him was the graded stakes-placed Trust N Dustan and the future multiple graded stakes-placed Spurrier.

Unbridled’s Heart made six more starts at four of the nation’s most prestigious tracks on the east coast – Belmont, Saratoga, Gulfstream, and Aqueduct – before making his first start for trainer Dallas Keen and owners Brent Gasaway and Ian Yarnot at the premier racing venue in the south, Fair Grounds Race Course.

He raced at the New Orleans track four times and at Keeneland once before running in the Dallas Turf Cup Stakes at Lone Star Park, in which he ran third behind the graded stakes-winning and multiple grade one-placed horses Dean’s Kitten and Expansion. Finding the finish line after Unbridled’s Heart was the stakes-placed Alwayswithapproval, the graded stakes-winning Schramsberg, the eventual stakes-winning McKenna’s Justice, and the stakes-winning J J’s Indy.

Unbridled’s Heart’s final career victory came in a mile and one-sixteenth turf allowance optional claiming at Lone Star Park, in which he finished ahead of six others in 1:40.98 – just . 93 seconds off the course record. Together, the six horses that finished behind him earned $628,000. One of the horses that Unbridled’s Heart defeated in that race was Backstabber, a half-brother to the 2011 Florida Derby (GI) winner Dialed In.

Unbridled’s Heart was a very versatile racehorse, winning on a good dirt track at Belmont and a firm turf course at Lone Star Park. He won at a range from seven and one-half furlongs to a mile and one-sixteenth and was stakes-placed on both dirt and turf. He exited his racing career with $151,893 in earnings from three wins, five seconds, and four thirds in twenty starts.

In just his first six generations, Unbridled’s Heart traces back to five Kentucky Derby (GI) winners: Unbridled, Foolish Pleasure, Seattle Slew, Swaps, and Native Dancer. He hails from female family number five, the same family from which some of the greatest sires to ever live descended from: Hoist the Flag, Native Dancer, Nureyev, Pleasant Colony (who also won the Kentucky Derby), and Sadler’s Wells. Other descendants from female family five include the 1938 Horse of the Year Seabiscuit, the 2004 Epsom Derby (GI) victor North Light, and the 2008 Kentucky Derby (GI) winner Big Brown.

Not only does Unbridled’s Heart possess a magnificent pedigree and a racing career marked by versatility, but he also has very correct conformation. It is difficult to take your eyes off his handsome face and dark, thick forelock, but once you do, you will see that he has a beautifully built seventeen-hand frame. He has a slender neck that ties in well to his sloping shoulder. The angle of his shoulder allows him to be very evenly balanced, having a short topline in comparison to a long underline. As a result of this proportionality, the gray stallion can easily be divided into thirds. He is also very structurally correct, possessing short, sturdy cannon bones and angular pasterns. His hip is long and rounded, allowing him to drive more from the hindquarters and propel himself forward. Unbridled’s Heart is also very adequately muscled, displaying delineation in his forearms and gaskins. His conformation only adds to his validity.

Unbridled’s Heart has all the makings of a sire: value, pedigree, racing talent, and correct conformation. He will stand at Keen Farms in Burleson, Texas for an introductory stud fee of $1,500. The Keens are offering an incentive of a $10,000 bonus to the breeder of the first foal to win an allowance race. With all the qualities that Unbridled’s Heart brings to the table, I would not be astounded in the least if he became one of the leading sires in Texas.

Unbridled's Heart
Photo: Donna Keen

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