Derby Hopeful: Will Take Charge

Derby Hopefuls feature the horses I view as the best contenders leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Each horse spotlighted in a Derby Hopeful will join the 2013 PTG Derby Hopeful roster, found on the right side of the blog. Horses will be listed in an order that corresponds to how highly I think of them, with the horse I think most highly of ranking at the top. A horse featured in a Derby Hopeful may be taken off the roster if its performances after its article are published are not up to par or if that horse is taken off the Triple Crown trail, though those articles will remain on my blog.

Will Take Charge is as royally bred as they come, being not only sired by a champion and top sire, but also being out of a grade one-winning dam of a grade one victor. But even bloodlines so rich do not guarantee they will produce a talented racehorse. However, it has worked for Will Take Charge.

A $425,000 yearling purchase, Will Take Charge is not only beautifully bred, but he is also an absolutely stunning individual. Displaying impressive muscularity, the colt is a breathtaking blaze-faced chestnut with three stockings. But despite his remarkable pedigree and good looks, the colt’s career got off to a rough start – literally. Breaking hesitantly from the gate in his debut at Saratoga, the powerfully-built colt went on to finish fifth.

But a trip to Keeneland in the fall of 2012 saw Will Take Charge capture his first victory as he closed to win by a length in a seven-furlong maiden special weight over the Polytrack. His losing ways returned, however, when he finished last of thirteen in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (GII) at Churchill Downs. In spite of an enviable, rail-skimming trip, the colt was simply outrun.

Shipping to Remington Park for the Springboard Mile Stakes, the D. Wayne Lukas trainee contested the pace before finishing second to a 128-1 longshot, Texas Bling, to close out his juvenile campaign. But Will Take Charge avenged this loss in his sophomore debut approximately six weeks later, defeating Texas Bling by a neck in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park after tracking the pace.

Still, Will Take Charge had not said goodbye to sound losses. In his following start, the Southwest Stakes (GIII), the colt was defeated by 18 lengths. However, it must be pointed out that this race was contested over a sloppy track he did not take to and the winner – a horse that relished the mud – won the race by 11 ¼ lengths.

Given a chance to redeem himself next out in the Rebel Stakes (GII), Will Take Charge was a bit green leaving the gate but settled in well mid-pack. Using his powerful strides to catch up to the leaders around the far turn, Will Take Charge swung wide as the field turned for home to maneuver traffic. It initially appeared as if the colt would merely hang on the outside, but he kicked into gear just outside the final furlong, gaining ground on his stablemate, Oxbow, and surpassing him to win by a head. Although the time for the race was very slow, the colt’s determined rally was certainly noteworthy.

Rather than using one more prep race for the Kentucky Derby, Lukas chose to train this horse up to the Derby. This certainly raised an abundance of questions, but you cannot overly criticize a Hall of Fame trainer that has won four Derbies. Furthermore, Will Take Charge has trained powerfully over Churchill Downs surface and seems to take to it better than he did as a two-year-old.

Will Take Charge's pedigree
From pedigreequery.com

A son of popular stallion Unbridled's Song, Will Take Charge's sire was fifth in the 1996 Kentucky Derby, bested by about four lengths, and never won beyond nine furlongs. Although his offspring have principally been successful at nine furlongs or less, he has produced a handful of horses that have won at ten furlongs or more, such as Octave - who won the Coaching Club American Oaks (GI, 10F); Grey Song - who won the VRC St. Leger Stakes (GIII, 14F); and Political Force - winner of the Suburban Handicap (GI, 10F). The very prosperous sire has also yielded the ill-fated Derby runner-up Eight Belles and Belmont Stakes (GI, 12F) second-place finisher Dunkirk.

Unbridled's Song is a son of Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic (GI, 10F) champion Unbridled, who produced numerous distance horses, including Banshee Breeze, Empire Maker, Grindstone, Niigon, Smuggler, and Unshaded. Unbridled's Song's broodmare sire is Caro, a leading sire who won several long-distance races, including the mile and three-quarter Prix Dollar (GII), and sired a wealth of successful routers.

Will Take Charge's dam is the multiple grade one-winning Take Charge Lady, who won up to nine furlongs. Another son of this mare left his mark on the Derby trail last year: Take Charge Indy won the nine-furlong Florida Derby (GI) but finished a disappointing nineteenth in the Run for the Roses, but was discovered to have endured an injury that required surgery.

The sire of Take Charge Lady is Dehere – a son of Deputy Minister, a strong stamina influence. A Canadian Hall of Famer, Deputy Minister has appeared within the first three generations of numerous distance horses, including Curlin, Paynter, and Rags to Riches. He was a tremendous broodmare sire, producing the dams of many talented distance horses, including the multiple group one-winning Kane Hekili and Sarava, winner of the 2002 Belmont.

The sire of Will Take Charge's granddam is Rubiano, who – although he was a champion sprinter – is a son of Fappiano, the sire of not only Unbridled, but the additional distance horses Cryptoclearance and Defensive Play, as well as the sire of near-Triple Crown winner Real Quiet, Quiet American.

Notably, Will Take Charge's third dam is a daughter of Blushing Groom. A winner of several championship honors as both racehorse and sire, Blushing Groom excelled as a miler but produced many distance horses, including Nashwan, Rainbow Quest, and Runaway Groom - all of which were grade/group one winners at ten furlongs or more. But perhaps Blushing Groom's greatest success came as a broodmare sire, as he is the sire of the dams of a wealth of grade/group one winners, including those that have been victorious at ten furlongs or beyond: Awesome Again, Flute, Haafhd, and Mezzo Soprano.

It is also worth noting that brilliant distance horse and Derby victor Swaps is the sire of Will Take Charge's fourth dam. Swaps produced Derby and Belmont winner Chateaugay, as well as the additional distance horses Primonetta and Tradesman.

Will Take Charge’s pedigree is somewhat on the fence regarding the stamina, but should be sufficient in carrying him over classic distances. Perhaps more worrisome is his inconsistency, his poor finish in his only start at Churchill Downs, and the fact that he is merely training up to the Derby. However, he is trained by one of the most successful trainers in the history of racing and has trained very well beneath the twin spires in the time he has spent there preparing for the Run for the Roses. Will Take Charge will need to give the best effort of his life to be victorious in the Kentucky Derby, but he should not be forgotten or ignored, especially due to his versatility and power.

Super Ninety Nine: Something to Look Forward To

He tossed his head, flashing his radiant white blaze as his red mane flowed, his neck arched as his rich chestnut coat gleamed in the morning sun. My eyes focused upon the Bob Baffert trainee's Breeders' Cup saddle towel, reading his name: Super Ninety Nine. Prior to seeing him in person, I had not been incredibly impressed by the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint contender. However, as soon as the colt graced my vision, he became my top selection.

Super Ninety Nine
Photo by Terri Cage

Super Ninety Nine displayed great muscularity for his age, possessing the powerful build of a Quarter Horse. It was impossible to deny that the colt reminded me of a former grade one-winning Baffert trainee, Euroears. Sharing the same chestnut coloring and similar markings, Super Ninety Nine was also powerfully built just as Euroears had been and also galloped in the same robust manner.

Unfortunately, after being cast in his stall, Super Ninety Nine was withdrawn from the Juvenile Sprint and thus was unable to reveal what he was capable of on Breeders' Cup weekend. But Super Ninety Nine had impressed me enough in the mornings to land a position on my radar.

The colt's debut was clearly exciting enough for his connections to enter him in the Breeders' Cup. His first start came in a seven-furlong maiden special weight over Santa Anita's main track, in which the chestnut was sent off as the third choice in a field of twelve. Super Ninety Nine did not briskly leave the starting gate, but with slight urging from jockey Martin Garcia, the chestnut colt rocketed to the lead as the field commenced its run down the backstretch.

However, the Tanma Corporation-owned colt was soon overtaken by the favorite, Quietasacat, off of whom Super Ninety Nine raced just to the outside. Just a half-length separated the two as an initial quarter-mile split of 23.05 was set, but Super Ninety Nine gradually began to decrease Quietasacat's lead as the pair led the field into the turn.

Super Ninety Nine matched strides with his nemesis midway through the curve, gaining a slight advantage as they reached the quarter pole. With asking from Garcia, Super Ninety Nine began to kick clear, lengthening his lead at the top of the stretch, holding off the charges of his rivals. In the final yards, the colt seemed to find his best stride despite changing leads, crossing the wire 1 1/4 lengths in front.

Super Ninety Nine
Photo by Terri Cage

Bred by Northwest Farms LLC, this rising star brings to life bloodlines that are like a web of speed and stamina. Bred on a cross of two of the most powerful sire lines of the breed, Super Ninety Nine possesses a pedigree that is not lacking in strength on either side.

Sired by Pulpit, Super Ninety Nine shares the same sire as such grade one winners as Corinthian, Ice Box, Purge, Pyro, Rutherienne, Sky Mesa, Stroll, and Tapit. Pulpit is of course a son of the great A.P. Indy, the sire of nearly thirty grade one winners, including Bernardini, Flashing, Mineshaft, Little Belle, Music Note, and Rags to Riches. The A.P. Indy sire line from which Super Ninety Nine descends has been highly successful, as A.P. Indy is also the sire of such productive studs as Bernardini, Congrats, Malibu Moon, Mineshaft, and Stephen Got Even. 

Super Ninety Nine's dam, Exogenetic, is a three-quarters sister to Exogenous, an ill-fated multiple grade one winner, and is also the dam of the multiple black-type-winning Elusive Horizon. A daughter of Unbridled's Song, Exogenetic provides Super Ninety Nine with the same broodmare sire as the group one winner Better Than Ever, as well as the graded stakes winners Etched, Hold Me Back, and Out of Bounds.

War Exchange, Super Ninety Nine's fourth dam, was a stakes-winning mare who produced two graded stakes winners, one of which was Barbarika, two-time Horse of the Year Curlin's granddam, thus making War Exchange the multiple classic winner's third dam. War Exchange is also the third dam of the grade one-winning champion Countess Diana.

Misfortune kept Super Ninety Nine out of the Breeders' Cup, but I will not soon forget this striking colt, who I will be keeping a close eye on. Bringing to the table eye-catching conformation and movement, as well as a beautiful pedigree, Super Ninety appears to have bright future ahead of him. Perhaps many are thinking of what could have been had he been able to compete in the Breeders' Cup. However, I am simply looking forward to what this colt's future holds.

Super Ninety Nine
Photo by Terri Cage

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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