The Most Dominant Horse in the 2023 Belmont
There is an unsung hero in this year’s Belmont Stakes and the race hasn’t even been run. But one horse will have a profound effect on the race regardless of who wins. If you are totally confused by this cryptic intro then just read on and be prepared for a barrage of bloodlines. We are posting this column early because it is dependent on the potential field staying where it is now. Instead of a separate handicapping column being posted on Thursday it will be added to this column following the post position draw. ~ Steve Haskin
The Most Dominant Horse in the 2023 Belmont
By Steve Haskin
Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire
Yes, there is a dominant horse in this year’s seemingly wide-open Belmont Stakes. But who can it be? Could it be Forte or Tapit Trice or Angel of Empire or National Treasure? I don’t think anyone would call them dominant. OK, so I admit this is a trick question. The dominant horse actually is an Argentine-bred filly named Papila who was foaled in 1943. As a 3-year-old she placed in a stakes in Chile in her career debut and then the following year was imported to the United States, where she won only three of her 17 starts for earnings of $7,200.
If there was only one thing about Papila as a broodmare that would make her noteworthy it would be that in 1952 she produced a filly named Blue Canary by the Col. E.R Bradley-bred stallion Buy and Sell. Blue Canary won only 13 of 133 starts, but would become the fifth dam of Hall of Famer and Horse of the Year Tiznow, the only horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic twice.
If Papila’s only claim to fame was being the sixth dam of Tiznow, that would secure her place in Thoroughbred ancestry. But her direct line did not end there. In 1960 she produced a filly named Sister Satan, who in turn produced Red Jasmine, who would become the fifth dam of Arkansas Derby winner and Belmont Stakes contender Angel of Empire. To have direct descendants through your daughters as successful as Tiznow and Angel of Empire is impressive enough, but that’s only the beginning.
A deeper look into Papila’s descendants revealed something pretty astounding. Of the 10 prospective Belmont Stakes starters, Papila’s name can be found in the pedigree of nine of them. This is not a sire like Secretariat, Northern Dancer, or Mr. Prospector whose progeny are found in so many pedigrees. We’re talking about one broodmare’s dominance of one classic race.
In addition to having Tiznow and prospective Belmont starter Angel of Empire as direct descendants through their female family, Papila also produced a 1959 colt by Spy Song named Crimson Satan, who won 11 major stakes at eight different tracks across the country from New York to California, while placing in the Belmont Stakes, Santa Anita Handicap, and Woodward Stakes. He also was named co-champion 2-year-old colt.
At stud, Crimson Satan is the broodmare sire of Terlingua, who produced Storm Cat, whose descendants include prospective Belmont starters Forte, Arcangelo, Red Route One, Raise Cain, and Il Miracolo. He also is in the pedigree of Prove Worthy, who had been considered a possible Belmont starter until recently.
To break the Storm Cat connection down further, his daughter Storming Beauty is the granddam of Forte’s and Raise Cain’s sire Violence. Forte has a double dose of Storm Cat, whose son Forestry is the broodmare sire of Forte’s dam Queen Caroline. Storm Cat also is the broodmare sire of Arcangelo’s dam Modeling. Finally, Storm Cat’s son Giant’s Causeway is the broodmare sire of Red Route One’s and Il Miracolo’s sire Gun Runner.
Crimson Satan also is the broodmare sire of Mt. Livermore, whose descendants include prospective Belmont starters Tapit Trice, National Treasure, and once again, Il Miracolo, who has Storm Cat on the sire side and Mt. Livermore on the dam side.
Again breaking it down, Mt. Livermore’s son Orientate is the broodmare sire of Tapit Trice’s dam Danzatrice. Mt. Livermore also is the broodmare sire of National Treasure’s dam Treasure. And Mt. Livermore’s son Peaks and Valleys is the broodmare sire of Il Miracolo’s dam Tapit’s World.
Finally, Crimson Satan is the broodmare sire of Gold Meridian, whose daughter Trithenia is the fourth dam of prospective Belmont starter Tapit Shoes.
So, to summarize, every prospective starter in this year’s Belmont Stakes, with the exception of Hit Show, traces back to the Argentine-bred mare Papila.
We’re actually not even finished with Papila’s influence. We mentioned her daughter Sister Satan producing Red Jasmine, the fifth dam of Angel of Empire. Well, Red Jasmine produced White Jasmine, the fourth dam of Angel of Empire, and White Jasmine is by Whitesburg, a son of Crimson Satan, which means Angel of Empire’s dam, Armony’s Angel, not only has Papila in her female family, she has her twice through her full siblings Sister Satan and Crimson Satan.
So, no matter who wins the Belmont, congratulations to Papila for an unprecedented dominance as a broodmare on her 80th birthday.
Hit Show Enticing Longshot
This year’s Belmont Stakes is divided into three groups. You have the four favorites (Forte, Tapit Trice, Angel of Empire, and National Treasure), two moderately priced upsetters (Hit Show and Arcangelo), and thre big longshots (Red Route One, Tapit Shoes, and Il Miracolo).
I’m not here to give you any of the four favorites, but one each from the other two groups, trying for a big payoff. I will get to Hit Show a little later. But first for the purpose of a solid horse to key in the exotics, no horse fits the mile and a half Belmont Stakes from a mechanics standpoint more than Tapit Trice, who it seems has been called a Belmont horse since the day he stepped off the van from the farm. All he needs is a decent break and clear sailing on the outside. That will allow him to use that huge stride and grinding style that will put him in position to outclose, outgame, and outmuscle any horse.
In the Derby he got swallowed up by the big field and wanted so desperately to get in the clear he eventually wound up way out in the middle of the track all by himself. Finishing seventh was about all you could hope for that would give you confidence in the Belmont. Unfortunately he drew post 2, so if you’re looking for a reason not to bet him that would be it. But it must be noted that the two horses directly outside him, Arcangelo and National Treasure, both will outrun him, giving him a potential path to the outside.
Tapit Trice reminds me in a way of Lemon Drop Kid, a long-bodied, long-striding grinder type who dropped back to 18th in the Derby, then had to go 10-wide turning for home and finished in the middle of the pack. The Belmont was right up his alley and he bounced back with a gutsy neck victory.
Of the other favorites, Forte has had everything go against him, missing the Derby and Preakness, and now has to go a mile and a half off a 10-week layoff. Angel of Empire should be sitting on a big race, but will need to be closer up than he was in the Derby and still put in that same closing kick. And National Treasure will have to follow the same kind of script he had in the Derby, but just may be getting good right now. And once again there does not appear to be any other speed in the race. But he should get more pressure this time, especially if he tries to lull everyone to sleep again.
So can anyone possibly upset the top four? I am going with Hit Show as my price win bet and to use in all exotics. If you thought Two Phil’s might have been the best horse in the Derby, pressing that brutal pace and still running his heart out to the wire, then you have to give some credit to Hit Show, who was only 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 lengths behind Two Phil’s after a torrid half in :45 3/5, then made a big move around horses on the far turn to pull up to the leaders at the top of the stretch, looking like a potential winner. Although he was unable to sustain his run, he never stopped trying and was still striding out well at the end to finish a respectable fifth. He is another grinder type who should love those big turns, but he does have a turn of foot if he needs to use it.
Looking at his Thoro-Graph pattern, he ran a strong “4 3/4″ in his final start at 2 before turning in a career-best “2” in the Withers Stakes going 1 1/8 miles in his 3-year-old debut. He predictably regressed to a “4 1/2” in that disastrous Wood Memorial, but despite finishing fifth in the Derby he still moved forward to a “3 1/2.” He certainly looks ready for another forward move, and even if he returns to his “2” that could be good enough to win the Belmont or at least be right there.
So as of now I will make a win bet on Hit Show trying to possibly make a few bucks. I will likely box Hit Show and Tapit Trice in the exacta and I’ll play Forte, Angel of Empire, National Treasure, and Arcangelo over Hit Show. I will hold off on any trifectas until later in the week, but obviously Hit Show will be keyed first or second.
Racing historian, author, and award-winning retired journalist for the Daily Racing Form and The Blood-Horse, Steve Haskin was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame’s Media Roll of Honor in 2016. Known for his racing knowledge and insightful prose, he has been an exclusive contributor to Secretariat.com since 2020.
I see T Pletcher got another 14 day suspension besides the 10 days previously issued.
Nice article and thanks for mentioning the female influences. I’ve always believed that stamina comes from the girls.
Speaking of pedigrees, the top three all had my favorite of all time Seattle Slew in their blood. Tapit once again made his mark in this race. This time as a dam sire. What blew my mind away during the telecast was no mention of Arcangelo’s female family. His maternal grandmother is a half sister to TWO recent Belmont winners;Jazil and Rags to Riches.
After the race, I could only find two articles that mentioned that connection. This shocked me.
It was the reason I used him on top in my exacta. I came close but Forte nosed out my 2nd choice Tapit Trice
Nice find on Jazil, I looked up that horse a bit before the race to try and find any connections.
Andrea: I’m with you. Broodmares rock!
Andrea, if you are interested in knowing more about the Best In Show family, the family of Rags to Riches, Jazil, Arcangelo etc and her influence the world over – The Owner Breeder website and American Classic Pedigree website have articles on this blue hen broodmare.
Thanks for the suggestion Davids, but I am very well aware of the Best In Show family. I have a huge pedigree book collection and many focus on the families. It’s a fascinating study. Heck, I have written articles about family connections and often had conversations with Les Brinsfield(RIP)about just that. He was a wealth of knowledge about all things familial(especially Domino and La Troinne). He was kinda my mentor in many ways.
All good, Andrea. As you say, it is a fascinating study. Tracing through the families of various broodmare bands at major studs and determining why certain sires were chosen above others with this or that mare. Some families may be dormant over many generations then out of the blue lightning strikes. The Aga Khan’s breeding program has been of keen interest since childhood. You are always learning, and the best part of racing for some.
Now it’s time to cross the Atlantic and on to the Royal Ascot races next week which will be from 20 – 24 June. Here are the major races on each day.
Tuesday: The Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1); Coventry Stakes (Group 2); King’s Stand Stakes (Group 1); St James’s Palace Stakes (Group 1)
Wednesday: The Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2); Queen’s Vase (Group 2); Duke of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2);Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Group 1)
Thursday: The Norfolk Stakes (Group 2); Hampton Court Stakes (Group 3); Ribblesdale Stakes; Gold Cup (Group 1)
Friday: The Albany Stakes (Group 3); King Edward VII Stakes (Group 2); Commonwealth Cup (Group 1); Coronation Stakes (Group 1)
Saturday: The Jersey Stakes (Group 3); Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2); Diamond Jubilee Stakes (Group 1)
Spectacular racing at its best. Enjoy the fun.
Can’t wait.
Yes Steve, wish we were there. Some rain is expected at this stage but you never know.
Davids there’s a contest every year on another site, and I need help….got any you like this year?..
Matthew, watch the weather first up. Rain is expected next week all through the carnival, how much or how little will impact on the runners. How many races do you have to predict in the competition? At this stage, Grade 1 races only, and the may not start so check Racing Post daily.
Tuesday: Queen Anne Stakes – Inspiral; King’s Stand – Cannonball; St James’s Palace – Paddington
Wednesday: Prince of Wales’s – Bay Bridge
Thursday: Gold Cup – Emily Dickinson
Friday: Commonwealth Cup – Little Big Bear; Coronation Stakes – Tahiyra
Saturday: Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes – Kinross
Matthew, definitely check as late as possible through Racing Post or Timeform (UK) to ensure that your selections are going to run. Best of luck.
Thank you, contest is on BH, scored $2 win/place imaginary bets, I finished 2nd last year, would have won but for writing the wrong horse in one race—my pick won but I wrote down the wrong horse…they use four or five races daily….punters from all over the world, around 33 play…
Better luck next time but that’s an amazing effort especially as there were no doubt UK contestants. Did you notice that Baffert has an Into Mischief colt in the Fasig-Tipton Futurity named Mirahmadi. Some of his pals have a sense of humor.
The call should be fun.
Congratulations to Disarm and the Asmussen team for the horse’s win in the Matt Winn. He’s now a grade 1 winner, justifying the faith Steve Haskin put in him on the triple crown trail. Steve, you sure have an eye for a classy horse.
And speaking of the triple crown trail, against my better judgment I just started a list for break-out 2YOs of 2023. Gold Sweep, also trained by Asmussen, was very impressive winning the Tremont Stakes today by NINE lengths. Sure it was only 5 ½ furlongs and he is a son of Speightstown, but his dam is by Giant’s Causeway. He’s likely to earn a pretty good Beyer figure in what was only his second start.
Ms B, go to Zedan Racing webpage.
There are several new additions that are most likely with BB.
A couple have started workouts.
Don’t tempt me, Lynda! I’ll wait until they start. Late July is soon enough to think about next year’s triple crown. I should always remember to consider the one horse I’m overlooking when the fever is upon me.
Matt Winn a gr1? ( I like the name!)…
This group of 3 year olds is very interesting but not very fast. Forte looked like a monster in the FOY, but now gets outmoved at the crucial moment. Tapit Trice looked perfectly suited for the Belmont, but is apparently a grinder who can go no faster. Mage was impressive in the derby, not so in the preakness, and the derby form has not been flattered in the preakness or belmont. Two Phils has maybe run the best triple crown race, and could be very talented, and Arabian Lion is an up and comer if not distance limited. Certainly my favorite TC moment was watching Jena Antonnucci ride Arcangelo from the Belmont grandstand. I like Arcangelo’s story and connections, and i hope he continues to beat the big boys.
Is anyone familiar with the journalist Tom Canavan? My hometown paper carried his Associated Press stories for the races Saturday and Sunday. Both stories had factual errors. Saturday: he said that the Triple Crown races covered a six-week period. Sunday: he reported that Hit Show finished fourth and Angel of Empire fifth. On Saturday he also included two long paragraphs from a printed report by one of the anti-racing groups. Our paper also included a long anti-racing piece by Jimmy Golen which included no news except that one horse at Belmont was euthanized, a fact reported in the Canavan article.
Bad marks to Fox Sports for not adjusting the sound setup when Tom Durkin was having difficulty being heard when calling some of the earlier races. By Belmont time this should have been corrected. Durkin was nearly inaudible; if I hadn’t keep track of the numbers, I could scarcely have followed the race. Then Donna Brothers’ horseback interview with Javier Castellano was completely inaudible. Perhaps the pitch problems of the guy who sang “New York, New York” were related to how well he could hear the track he was singing to; this makes a big difference for singers.
Never improves.
Disarm has just won the 1 1/8 mile Matt Winn in a respectable 1:49 2/5 on a muddy track. The son of Gun Runner did not look that comfortable getting hold of the track but still was able to pass a very valiant Verifying in the last 50 meters.
It was horse racing time finishing the last 1/8 in 12 seconds…
Disarm validated his 4th in the Derby and somehow he is also living up to Steve’s and the Asmussen camp’s expectations … he will be one of the favorites in the Haskell…
The Championship race for the 3-year-old division is getting pretty interesting…!
Nelson, Gun Runner did not come into true form until he was 4.
I may be wrong but I think Disarm will continue to improve and be very competitive.
The Winchells do race their horses beyond 3 and sometimes past 4 which of course is good for the sport.
I am sure a lot of people are approaching the owner of Archangelo wanting a piece of the action.. In addition to his pedigree and winning the Belmont, he is a very handsome colt, has a beautiful head and great bone. Also seems to have a lovely disposition.
Looking forward to what he can grow into becoming.
You are right about Disarm’s upside. His speed figures have consistently been improving over all his 7 races and I was really impressed about how close he stalked the early pace today.. this is a sign of maturity.
BTW Disarm also got Papila in his maternal side through the sire of his third dam (Whitesburg by Crimson Satan) …
Right now I still see Forte as the best of the crop after his monumental run in the Belmont Stakes. The son of Violence stands above Mage, Arcangelo, Angel of Empire, Hit Show, Tapit Trice and National Treasure.
But the panorama may change as there are some very good horses “on-deck” like Arabian Lion, Arabian Knight and Extra Anejo ready to step up against the leading line up.
On top of that the championship becomes even more fascinating if Practical Move, Skinner and First Mission fully recover their form for the fall …
Javier Castellano will have a hard time deciding between Mage and Arcangelo if they were to face each other in the future.
Nelson, thanks for in for info on Papila. Will certainly be checking for her in pedigrees going forward.
I think Forte showed a lot in the Belmont. He is all heart!
Lots of potential still out there to be tapped for upcoming races.
3 year old Eclipse is wide open at this point.
So would not want to have to chose between Mage and Arcangelo. Just thrilled for Javier. He has always been one if my favorite jockeys.
Congratulations to Disarm, Joel, Steve and Winchell Thoroughbreds.
The colt by Gun Runner wins the Matt Winn.
After such an upbeat two days including the birth of Zenyatta’s foal, two horses were euthanized at Belmont Park.
One on Saturday in race 13 and one today.
The highs and lows, the tears of joy and the tears of sadness are an emotional roller coaster ride for those of us who love this sport and these horses.
We celebrate and we grieve at the same time, but then such is life.
As i watched the last race yesterday, i was thinking if we could just get through that race clean, it was a perfect day of racing. Then it happened, and a black cloud was thrown over all of it. Then again today; i just turned it off. Both on grass, and, i believe, both Mark Hennig. Who knows? The course? Unsound horses?
Todd, there are so many factors who can say.
I was reading about the sesamoiditis that Archangelo had.
Evidently these young horses can develope the condition even before they go into training and is just not Thoroughbreds, all sport horse breeds are known to have this condition.
Inflammation of the sesamoids is best handled by prescribing anti-inflammatory meds, stall rest and putting a special bandage on the leg that protects the sesamoids and the deep flexor tendon.
If the flexor tendon is inflamed it can tear and result in the sesamoids fracturing.
From what I have read, fractures of the sesamoid are thd most common reason for a race horse to be euthanized.
Sometimes the condition will only show on x-ray.
The owner of Archangelo made the right decision to not start thd colt in training until had healed.
Not saying by any means that more attention to x-rays and scans would have saved these two horses or even that their fractures were of the sedamoids,
They both fractured the left foreleg..
There is a think, much more that can be done to prevent fractures including more diagnostics.
That maybe something that HISA can implement of necropsies show a pattern.
Lynda, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of sesamoiditis, but now that I have your excellent description, I’m not surprised it can lead to potentially catastrophic injuries. Back in the 1960s, horses would “crack a sesamoid” and have to be retired (I think that’s what happened to 1966 Derby winner Kauai King) I’m not surprised sesamoid damage is one of the leading causes of breakdowns leading to euthanasia. Thoroughbreds are much more fragile now.
Never improves.
Thoughts a day later…
Congrats to Jena Antonucci for being the first woman trainer to win a Triple Crown race. As a father of 3 daughters I say it’s about time!
Cody’s Wish is probably the best horse in America right now (112 Beyer). I know it wasn’t possible but people wanted to see the look on Cody Dorman as this horse won. Congrats to both.
Clairiere now holds a 3-1 head to head record aqainst both Secret Oak and Search Results and it might be her year to be champion.
Returning sprinting champion looked good beating Anarchist (who has a case of seconditis) and will have probably face both Spirit of Medina and Brickyard Ride in the BC Sprint at Santa Anita. Anarchist is the common denominator since A has finished second to all three sprinters.
Bob Baffert…does this guy ever age? He looks the same year after year. His Arabian Lion is a rising star.
All in all a good day of racing that horseracing desperately needed.
Forgot to mention….Arabian Lion received a 109 Beyer yesterday.
He won’t have a problem beating those two, in the Breeders Cup—I doubt Brickyard Ride even goes…the Cali horse that won at Pimlico is another story, he could be the best west coast sprinter…
John u need glasses. He’s an old man…….. and he looks 70.
It was a phenomenal day on Saturday!
PS agree, Arabian Lion is his rising star.
Cod’s Wish would leave him behind.
Congrats to Arcangelo and his connections in the Belmont. Glad to hit the SF 3-6-2-8. Was hoping AOE could get up for 2nd because I would have also hit the EX and the TRI. Arcangelo was the clear winner in the Belmont with a masterful rail ride in the stretch by J.Castellano. After Arcangelo, it pretty much was a blanket finish between Forte,TT,AOE, and Hit Show. I was hoping AOE would burst clear to get 2nd, but was glad to see Arcangelo win the race.
Every horse that won the graded stakes races today at Belmont today goes back to Secretariat through his daughters.
Much has always been made that Secretariat was a failure as a sire because he never duplicated himself and that he never sired a colt that could carry on his sire line.
I hope that that today brings fans of this sport to a better understanding and appreciation for the broodmare sires and the dams.
BLESSED ARE THE BROODMARES
Blessed are the broodmares in the field,
Patiently carrying their heavy load
Without complaint waiting for the big day,
When they, without a sound, lay down in the straw
And then the most amazing thing happens,
The miracle of a brand new life.
Now the everlasting circle is complete,
The amazing wonder of a living thing.
The foundation stock of every breed,
How fast we all happen to forget,
Where all our champions came from.
How fast we are to discard the blessed ones.
When they get too old or unproductive,
The most tolerant members of every breed,
Raising their young without ever a mumble,
Loyal beyond everyone’s compare.
Till they go on to raise the next one,
When will we finally wake up and see
How enormously grateful we should be
For the blessed ones we so easily forget?
E.M.S
A lovely poem.
This seems to be a year for great ones to fill in gaps in their resumes by winning something important that they never won before. Javier Castellano, a Hall of Fame rider, had never won a Derby or a Belmont in spite of many tries, but he got both of them this year with different horses–Mage and Arcangelo. Similarly, John Velazquez, another Hall of Famer, had won almost everything except the Preakness, and he got that one this year with National Treasure. If you want to expand this to other sports, Josef Newgarden, who was the champion Indycar driver many times but never won the Indianapolis 500, won it for the first time two weeks ago. I don’t know what if anything this means, but it’s interesting and it’s quite satisfying to see.
Well said Jiffy.
Well deserved winner for Bel.
The family of Best In Show does it again. Same family as Rags to Riches and Jazil.
Manchester City wins the Champions League to win the Treble, previously only won by Manchester United in 1998 – 1999.
Best in Show’s sire, Traffic Judge, was inbred to Tracery, whose owner was August Belmont, Jr., the son of the namesake of the Belmont Stakes. This is getting kind of spiritual almost. I mean three winners now is almost spooky..
Thanks Predict for the extra information re: Traffic Judge. This family is extraordinary with prominent winners the world over. When you go further back you find Torpenhow (1910) who can also be traced back through Nijinsky’s female line as well. Full of stamina and determined to win.
There is a three year old filly, Scylla, a full to Tacitus, who looks outstanding thus far, from the Best in Show family.
Well what started out earlier this week as a questionable Belmont Stakes Saturday, all is well that ends well.
Congratulations to Archangelo, Jenna, Javier and Jon Ebbert and Blue Rose Farm.
Sure that Steve is already starting to write another great backstory on Archangelo!
Arrogate would have made a top sire and his untimely death at such a young age left a huge void.
Nope, no back story this time. Thre was no one to talk to behind the scenes, and as a part of Secretariat,com I went in a different direction. What you saw on TV is the only story that I can see and its the same story everyone will have.
I didn’t put down money this time on my choices, but I did pick the 3 big winners: Caravelle, Cody’s Wish / Zandon 2nd and Archangelo / Forte 2nd. By the time the Belmont was over, I’d cheered myself hoarse. Plus, I hadn’t publicized my picks beforehand, so I hesitate to say it after the fact. It was such a feel good day at the races – I need, and racing needs more good daylike this.
For me, the cake topper was Zenyatta delivering a filly, and both Mama and her mini me healthy.
I watched Fox’s broadcast from home and thought it odd Mike Smith didn’t mention Arrogate before or after the Belmont. I was surprised and delighted to see him as a commentator ‘ and wondered if he’d hung up his silks? Any one know if Big Money Mike’ has retired as a jockey? Fox called him “our Mike Smith” at one point.
I also want to thank you Steve for writing such inspirational and intriguing backstories, I’ve lurked for years, first at Blood Horse, then followed you here to Secretariat. com
Thank you very much for the kind words and it’s great to see you here. No need to lurk anymore. The more the merrier. Hope to see you again.
Mike’s still riding! He was pretty good, yesterday! I liked the production, sad about Tom Durkin’s vocal chords—I know he had troubles, in the past—maybe the adrenaline got to him, his voice started to waver, and FOX drowned him out, so to speak….
Congratulations to Arcangelo and his trainer, Jena Antonucci (the first woman to train a Belmont winner)!!! I’m so THRILLED she, the horse, and Javier all got this precious Belmont victory.
And Forte ran his heart out.
Fox ran a sneaky good interview of Jena by Maggie Wolfendale in the pre-race show, which sparked my interest in Arcangelo. Plus, the lightly raced newcomer from the Peter Pan is a triple crown trope. The interview almost makes up for the weird mic’ing of the track that nearly drowned out Tom Durkin. Why bring a great race caller out of retirement only to bury his call with superfluous noise? I noticed it during the Jaipur several races before the Belmont, so they must have had time to fix it.
I agree on both counts. I too offer congratulations to everyone involved with the Belmont winner. And as a devoted fan of Forte, I was very proud of him. Given all the adverse circumstances, I didn’t think he belonged in the race, and I was worried about him. But my heavens, after an injury, a messed-up training schedule, a two-month layoff, a bit of acting up before the race, and after looking badly beaten at the top of the stretch, he actually came on to be second in an excellent field at a mile and a half. I found that amazing. I still think he’s the best three-year-old out there and as for today’s race, I say, “Well done.”
Forte showed how much heart he has today. I am so proud of him.
I too was worried about him in this race.
I feel just as you do, Ms Blacktype, about everyone you mentioned! Also very happy about Cody’s Wish. What a great horse.
In other news, Zenyatta had a filly last night. Will Garish announced it earlier today in an interview.
Hope all is well with Zenyatta and her filly. I haven’t heard of too many June foals.
Just saw photos of Zenny and her foal.
She is gorgeous, looks like Zenyatta.
Both are healthy and doing great.
You can see the photos and read the story on com
This is her last foal, she is being retired as a broodmare.
Very happy she’s being retired. This filly looks more like her than all the others!
This means the end of breeding for the three female Horses of the Year. Rachel Alexandra was retired several years ago for health reasons, and Havre de Grace sadly passed away this year. I wish Zenyatta a long and happy retirement.
Good grief, the gremlins are at it again.
Will Farrish, not Garish.
Zenyatta dot com to see the photos of her new filly.
Tears of joy and happiness for Cody’s Wish!
The best horse racing in America!!
CONGRATULATIONS to young Cody Dorman, Bill Mott, Junior Alverado, Godolphin, the grooms ..everyone.
This horse, this young man, this story is the heartbeat of horse racing!!!
That was a masterful performance by Cody’s Wish. I agree with you that he’s the best horse out there right now.
They just showed Maritime Traveler and Trusted Company, ages 33 and 34 they are the last remaining foals of Secretariat!….both eating grass in their pastures….
Yes, that was a wonderful bit of news. I was happy to learn about them and I wish them well.
Rockemperor is my day’s biggest play, in The Manhattan, should he win I will sit back and enjoy The Belmont! It’s one of the more intriguing Belmonts in recent years….
It doesnt get any better than that. What a boost for racing.
My bet is in.
Spread your wings Pegasus and take flight.
Good luck to all.
$200 Win – Trice
$10 Exacta – Trice > Treasure
$1 Trifecta – Trice > Arc, Forte, Show, Empire, One > Treasure
$10 Exacta – Treasure > Trice
Guess who is in the tail female line of Elite Power not once but twice? Yep, it’s Papila.
Yes… second dam Miss Doolittle got Storm Cat and Mt Livermore representing the confluence of two Crimson Satan daughters (Crimson Saint and Flama Ardiente)…
At this pace you will be championing instituting a Papila Stakes some where … Perhaps in South America at once … LOL
Going with Arcangelo and AOE in the Belmont. I will box those two in an EX and will only use those two in my P5. Belmont TRI 3,8/2,3,6,8/2,3,6,8. Belmont SF 3,8/2,3,6,8/2,3,6,8/2,3,6,8. Here’s my P5 ending with the Belmont. 4,7,13/8,10,11,12/1/3,4,8/3,8. I am singling Cody’s Wish in the Met Mile.
Hopefully Rosario won’t be riding War like Goddess anymore, just another awful sense of pace again.
I am looking for good payouts in the Belmont Stakes assuming that Forte is a vulnerable favorite.
In my Trifecta I will be keying 8-Angel of Empire with:
1-Tapit Shoes/2-Tapit Trice/3-Arcangelo/7-Hit Show/9-Red Route One/
I see Hit Show chasing National Treasure and then leading the field entering the far turn… from there he might be fighting doggedly to save a good placing at the end.
Safe trips and good luck to everyone this weekend of first class racing!
Good luck, Nelson. I’ll have one eye in Istanbul and one eye in New York from the Ogden Phipps to the Met Mile. With everyone saying Man City will win is making me very nervous, I might just record the Champions League to enjoy later.
Who do you like in the Met Mile? John Velasquez on Charge It intrigues me a little as does Prat on Zandon but how good is Repo Rocks and then Dutrow has White Abarrio with Gaffalione on board.
Thanks Davids…I am adding the ongoing 2023 Roland-Garros Women’s final to the entertainment list today… I will be recording the CL final as well.
Beautiful day at Elmont … enjoy your weekend!
Enjoy!! How tall is the Russian lass going to be at 23? I’m saving my eyes for the Novak Djokovic – Christian Ruud final tomorrow night.
PS: let’s hope it’s a memorable Belmont Stakes for the return of Tom Durkin. Excitement is building!!
Nice trifecta choices, Nelson! I’m thinking of an Angel of Empire – Hit Show exacta. I think Steve is on the right track about the Brad Cox horse.
Thanks Ms Blacktype… I must confess that National Treasure looms like a big threat now after seeing how Next won wire to wire the 1 mile and a 1/2 of the Brooklyn Stakes. The Brazilian Jockey Luan Machado did a great job rationing Next speed to win easily… JV is famous for mastering that very skill…
The difference is that Next had won at the distance and National Treasure runs it for the first time (as are the others) but one can not underestimate Baffert in these big events… I did it once with Silver Charm and I am still regretting it (curing my Captain Bodgit mania in 1997)…
Let’s see what happens in about two hours…
Kate Chenery is doing “Riders up” tomorrow for the Belmont Stakes!
Awesome!!!
That is really awesome! Thanks for the heads up! Excuse my ignorance, but would Kate be Penny’s daughter or granddaughter?
Daughter
Name correction..Kate Chenery Tweedy.
Handicapping each horse in 3 words…
Tapit Shoes – Brad not confident
Tapit Trice – Pegasus takes flight
Arcangelo – Many big hurdles
National Treasure – Getting real good
Il Miracolo – Why rabbit why
Forte – Thrown off form
Hit Show – Improving underneath play
Angel of Empire – Warning cliff ahead
Red Route One – Not good enough
hi Steve. Your columns and comments are much appreciated. Could I bother you for the Thorograph pattern on my probable choice Arcangelo? Keep up the good work! Thanks
Thank you John. Arcangelo ‘s pattern actually is pretty amazing. Not only has has he improved with every race he has improved so much you would have expected him to bounce by now. But he keeps leaping forward. After running a 15 first time out he made a normal move forward move to a 10. But then he jumped to a 5. A regression could have easily been expected. But he made another gigantic leap to a 1, which makes him the fastest horse in the race. The question is, will this be the expected bounce stretching out to 1 1/2 miles or is this some freaky kind of horse who can actually improve again or even stay where he is. Even a slight regression puts him right there with Tapit Trice, Angel of Empire, and Forte. Very intriguing horse.
Hi Steve, well now we know he is a very intriguing horse. I’m happy for Jena, good to see a woman get one of the TC’s. I saw the interview with her, when asked what was Arcangelo doing right now, she said laying down taking a nap and snoring. 🙂 but she said he will wake up, and boy did he ever!
Steve
Thank you ! As usual an awesome read .
It’s pretty amazing she is involved with most of the entries .
I like Hit show Arcangelo and Red Route One with Tapit on the dam side of both over AOE and Tapit Trice
Thanks
Hope to do this again next year
Chris
Thank you Chris! Good luck.
I am putting my money on National Treasure. Seeing what Baffert has said in comparing this horse to Authentic was all I needed to hear about this rapidly improving horse. My other horse I like is Tapit Trice. He is well rested and ready to go. Looking forward to the race as this years triple crown has not been kind to me from a betting standpoint and with so many horses being injured or sick and missing the Derby and/or Preakness.
Both should run wll. Good luck!
He has no chance. Cox’s horse is live.
Surprising to hear that after 39 Breeders Cups only two winners of The BC Juvenile have started on The Belmont, one being Chief’s Crown, who ran on the first BCup….
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why none of these racing enthusiasts on YouTube like National Treasure.
I see only the highest positives and zero negatives coming into this race.
My only question maybe is can he get the 1 1/2 miles, but I’m leaning yes. Steve, any help here?
Probably because he had the perfect trip in the Preakness and only barely won. I dont think he needs the lead and would be even better laying off a horse like Il Miracolo. If he can handle the distance he could be tough again but his 4 1/2 Thoro-graph number needs to get faster. Blazing Sevens ran a 1 3/4 in defeat .
Thanks Steve. I don’t consider thoro-graph in my handicapping but I’m projecting big jumps forward for both Tapit Trice and National Treasure. Think they leave the rest of the field in the dust.
Mr. Haskin – I was curious if you could provide some Thoro-graph info on Tapit Shoes. He looks to be a live long shot trained by Cox. If it’s not one Tapit son, maybe it’s the other? I’m looking forward to the writings for the “next” Derby Dozen. Any word when that all starts up again? I would assume it’s fall-winter time. Thank you sir.
Hes been improving steadily but still has to make a significant jump forward to be competitive. Hes run 10 1/2, 7 1/2, 7 1/2, and 5 1/2. Good steady improvement, but not fast enough right now. Would need a 4 or 5 point improvement to win this race.
Lynda is so right, Racing has taken hit after hit—and it started on the day after The Breeders Cup when they retired that amazing horse….I get it, the insurance premiums are large, but SOMEONE needed to step up for the SPORT, someone with VISION…..Racing that horse would’ve been an EVENT, there was worldwide interest because here was a superhorse, and how long has it been since we heard THAT?
Well said, Matthew. Let’s hope for clear sunny skies on Long Island on Saturday.
Well…we got it!….smoke is gone, track looks beautiful…..great card…..
Since I’m so close to New York, I’ve been watching the air quality alert numbers very closely. Here in the Catskills the sun not only came out, the sky turned blue. Still the “AQI” is 74, meaning unhealthy air quality. From what NY officials are saying, Saturday’s card is a go if the AQI is below 150. (What, the new normal? Delhi, India, used to be considered polluted with a figure of 50!)
In other words, I think there will be racing on Saturday. Thank you, Steve, for your insights into the field. Before all the smoke arrived, I was thinking Angel of Empire for the Belmont and I’m going to stick with him. He’s over-performed in every race this year except his first (warm-up) start in January. With my luck, of course, he’ll run second. Would be happy with a win by Tapit Trice or Forte — even Tapit Shoes (sing along with me: “my, my, my Tapit Sho-es”). Safe trips to all, and please lord, no pull ups in respiratory distress.
Down to 42! Whoo-hoo! Porch weather.
Excellent news, Ms Blacktype. I was fearing the worst that they may cancel Saturday. We have a long weekend here, King’s Birthday holiday, which was perfect to catch all the races live. Best of luck.
I like the two Tapit colts, the setup seems ideal to me but you never know in racing. Hope the smoke keeps dissipating.
I think there will be too. Rain declined most of the drift in mid-state NY, and there’s still a day to go. Should be an interesting race. Good trips to all.
Steve, I have certainly enjoyed your post on Papila and reading all the comments from others in response to it.
Looking forward to the Belmont, it is my opinion that Tapit Trice or Angel of Empire are the most likely winners.
National Treasure has been training lights out and he could very well win it.
The long shot choice is Red Route One.
I have not jumped off Forte’s bandwagon by any means. I just think that the time that has passed since his
last race (as you mentioned) is a factor. Also somewhat bothered about that stumble almost a week ago. Another factor is the photo I saw of him when he was being trained in the paddock a few days ago. May have been the angle of the photo or the light but he looked tucked up in the flank. That can sometimes be an indicator of weight loss or loss of condition. Never seen him look that way before. His usual little jiggy dance was not as spirited when he was being ponied onto the track the day he stumbled. Little things that may mean nothing. If he wins of course I will be over the moon.
Best of luck to Cody’s Wish…may the dream continue!
Good luck to all the connections, safe racing for all and best of luck to everyone with their wagers.
This year’s triple crown has been so meh. I’m rooting for Angel of Empire because….well, GORGEOUS, and Pennsylvania Bred. Go Angel
I remember in the early 70s in junior high (which they don’t call it anymore) getting sent home from school on “smog alert” conditions, and we played outdoors anyway, but you could not take in a deep breath without coughing and chest pain…..the emissions laws and the unleaded gas bans changed that, but 50 years ago the everyday air quality in SoCal was terrible, you could see the huge ring of smog— tiday you have a better view of the San Gabriels at Santa Anita than when Shoemaker and Pincay ruled the jockey standings..
For anyone keeping track:
Governor of New York has announced that AQI over 200, racing will be canceled. 150 to 200, horses will be required to pass breathing tests.
I think this is a good decision not only for the health, well being and safety of the horses but also the jockeys, track workers including grooms and exercise riders but spectators as well.
The AQI in New York City remains within a range of unhealthy to hazardous depending on location within the city.
Conditions will improve when the prevailing winds shift which is expected over the next few days.
Will this happen time for the Belmont Stakes remains to be seen.
The track is closed today for all training, workouts etc. Reportedly a decision will be made later today about reopening the track and racing.
I am beginning to think that if it were not for bad luck, horse racing in the United States would have no luck at all.
Yes, Lynda, the smoke will definitely have an impact on this year’s Belmont. I’m 100 miles north of NYC and the air quality yesterday was over 100. (It’s dropped some today but is still an unhealthy 74. A bad day has an AQ index of 50).
Forecasters here keep saying it will clear up overnight, but then you get up and they say the same thing all over again. Very ominous for the future, despite the Northeast’s tendency toward wet summers.
On a positive note, I see the NY Court of Appeals threw out the 3 year suspension of Linda Rice. Glad she has that monkey off her back.
No fan of her!
Ms B, I have two horse fans FB friends who live in the state of New York. One lives in the vicinity of Saratoga Springs. The other one lives in the western part of the state and owns a harness racing horse. Both areas have had very unhealthy to hazardous AQI warnings this past week.
Both areas are in a drought situation which makes for poor quality AQI even before the wild fire smoke was carried down by winds from Canada.
The one who lives close to Saratoga has had two thunderstorms that cleared a lot of the smoke.
I have never paid much attention to AQI before other than pollen counts. Living is a rural area where there is a lot of forest land and farms, small population, air quality has not really been a concern. Fortunately we do not have wildfires either.
The smoke from Canada did come down to western North Carolina, upstate South Carolina and Northeast Georgia.
There were a couple of days that these areas had unhealthy AQI, but it is much improved today.
Our AQI is moderate today because of the smoke particulate that is still floating around.
So far our spring and early summer has had a lot rain. Too much rain really. Hay farmers have had a time getting in the spring hay crop. All the rain and cooler temperatures and cloudy days have made it almost impossible to cut, dry and bale.
We just have to go with the flow I guess and try to find the silver linings. Temps in the 70’s during the day and lows in the 50’s at night means we do not have to heat our homes or use the air conditioning.
This has been another learning experience for me when it comes to AQI.
I am sure that Linda Rice is very relieved that she won her appeal.
Tapit Trice…
Bluegrass – looked bulky, out of shape
Kentucky – looked skinny, ribs showing
Belmont – looks very fit, with a larger hind
He clearly was on empty before the gates opened in the derby. Saez’s last crack of the whip was turning into the stretch, as he knew he had nothing under him, stopped riding very early in the stretch. Draw a line through the derby.
Watch his April 21 workout vs. his June 3 workout. He looks so much better physically, more focused, really attacking the workout… on June 3.
I think will rebound big time here. $1.3M + pedigree for 1 1/2 miles. Hoping to get 3/1.
Watched a bit of a video of him on the track a few days ago.
He does look really good out there, moving nicely and really striding out.
Thought all along that the Belmont would be the sweet spot for him.
Hi Lynda, good to hear your confirmation. Hopefully, his performance on the track matches what we’re seeing.
Smoke from wild fires can have the same effect on horses as it does on humans which includes eye and respiratory inflammation and diminished lung capacity.
The NYRA said they were monitoring the air quality at Belmont Park.
This morning several contenders for the Belmont Stakes were out on the track.
A photo of two of the horses showed a milky, yellowish mucous from their noses.
Chances are that the NYRA will not cancel racing on Friday and Saturday mainly because of the revenue they will lose.
Races have been canceled at two other tracks, one being a harness racing track in New York and this morning it was
announced that racing was being canceled at tracks in Maryland.
Residents in New York are being asked to wear masks when they go outside.
I hope that some of this clears up by Friday and Saturday but the fires are still burning and the smoke has drifted down the East Coast to western North Carolina, upstate South Carolina and Northeast Georgia.
Air quality alerts have been issued for all these areas.
When exposed to wildfire smoke, horses react the same as humans, they will cough. Horses also do not like the smell of smoke. Their instincts tell them that it is danger.
Hopefully all the horses who race this weekend will be OK and not experience respiratory issues.
It is concerning.
I agree; it is. I wouldn’t want my horse to run 1 1/2 miles while breathing smoky air.
Baseball games were canceled, problem is horses are trained in a way that makes it important they race—they ran a Breeders Cup in SoCal one year, when there were fires….but I do not recall they were suffering from mucus coming from their noses, this could be a logistical nightmare, those fires are going to be going for a long while….
An AQI of over 300 is hazardous for humans and horses.
George Winston, self described folk pianist, passed away on June 04.
Not only was a brilliant talent but a great humanitarian.
He will be missed.
Dang. George Winston was a brilliant jazz pianist….used to listen to his music every Sunday morning on a local FM station that highlighted soft, simple piano jazz music alongside Jessica Williams, Chuck Correa, Bill Evans, and of course Dave Brubeck etc….
Steve, Papila’s influence was also visible through Crimson Satan in Japan.
A daughter of Crimson Saint named Scarlet Ink was purchased by Mr Yoshida and exorted to Japan in 1973.
Though she only raced one time, she went on to produce what came to be called the Scarlet line in Japan.
She was bred to Northern Taste 4 times and produced 4 fillies.
Of the 4 fillies, Scarlet Bouquet was the most successful on the track and as a broodmare.
Scarlet Bouquet, by Northern Taste had 21 starts, 6 wins, 4 places and 3 shows and raced from age 2 to 4. She was the sixth highest earnings winner for Northern Taste.
Her most successful foals were a colt, Daiwa Major and a filly, Daiwa Rouge, both by Sunday Silence and a filly by Agnes Tachyon named Daiwa Scarlet.
In 2006 and 2007 Daiwa Major was named JRA Award Champion Miler/Sprinter. He had 28 starts with 9 wins, 4 places and 5 shows. At age 3 he won the Japanese Guineas and at age 6 the Yasuda Kinen.
Daiwa Scarlet had 11 starts with 7 wins and 4 2nds. She raced from age 2 to age 4.
Daiwa Major’s most successful progeny to date in earnings is the mare Restencia. She is out of the Argentine mare Malacostumbrada.
Restencia raced in Japan, Hong Kong and Saudia Arabia, 18 starts with 5 wins, 5 places and 2 shows.
Great stuff. Lets also remember Crimson Saint is the broodmare sire of BC Mile winner Royal Academy.
This blog which was brilliantly written by the master reminds me of the Abbott & Costello comedy scetch “Who’s on First”
I think a couple shots of Bourbon will help!! 🙂
I will raise my glass for Papila.
Great read!!
Lol. Thanks Deacon.
Love it Deacon, great comment!
Steve, thanks so much for the article on Crimson Satan. I remember watching his Belmont on TV, a race he might well have won had he kept a straight line. Crimson Saint ran in all four Triple Crown races that year. Wait, “four”? He was sixth in the Derby (the surprising Decidedly, Roman Line, and my favorite, Ridan, were the top three) and seventh in the Preakness.
Jaipur had been held out of the Derby because his owner didn’t think three-year-olds were ready to run ten furlongs on the first Saturday in May (this was an old school belief), but Jaipur and Ridan, the Preakness co-favorites, dueled until Jaipur gave way, and Ridan then dueled down the stretch with longshot Greek Money, who prevailed in a roughly ridden drive with no disqualification.
Memorial Day brought the other “Triple Crown” race, the Jersey Derby. Whatever was the matter with Crimson Satan must have been fixed, because he dueled down the stretch and finished first with Jaipur second and Admiral’s Voyage, who had faded in the Derby, third. However, Crimson Satan was disqualified for interfering with Admiral’s Voyage and placed third, giving Jaipur the win.
The Belmont was almost a replay of the Jersey Derby, with the same three horses battling down the stretch. Admiral’s Voyage had led most of the way. According to the Daily Racing Form, Crimson Satan, on the outside, got the lead between calls, but he was bearing in so badly that his rider had to fight to keep him from fouling the other two horses. The finish was the same as the official order of the Jersey Derby: Jaipur, Admiral’s Voyage, Crimson Satan. Had he run straight, Crimson Satan would have been a Belmont winner.
Note that Jaipur’s connections had no problem with him running three times in three weeks even though they passed the Derby. The Preakness was essentially a prep for the Belmont.
Great history lesson of a great year. That was even before my time. Thanks David. I still love watching that amazing Travers.
My love of horse racing comes from watching the 1958 Kentucky Derby on TV with my parents when I was a child. Tim Tam’s win was so exciting that I was hooked for life. Tim Tam had a great chance to win the Triple Crown, but he fractured a sesamoid and still finished second!
The 1962 Travers, an epic battle between Jaipur and Ridan from start to finish, can be seen on YouTube. Racing fans should not miss this! The exciting 1962 Preakness is there, too, but the grainy footage doesn’t show the battle between jockeys in the stretch.
Thanks for tip on 1962 travers on you tube fantastic race also
In that race was Cicada who has a great secretariat connection
Military Plume may have been best in that Travers.
The late Bill Nack said so too…
Me too. I wrote a story about that for DRF years ago
That’s a remarkable memory you have, it was as though the race was run only yesterday. Hats off to you. Crimson Satan ran an incredible 58 times, I looked that up, those iron horses of yesteryear will never be seen of again.
Crimson Satan was the champion 2-year-old colt of 1961 thanks to winning the Garden State Stakes which was the world’s richest race at the time.
But a series of health issues left Crimson Satan behind 2-year-old rivals Sir Gaylord, Jaipur and Ridan during the Derby trail. Sir Gaylord was the Derby favorite after 3 eye-catching wins including easily defeating Decidedly in the 1 1/8-mile of the Everglades Stakes.
Sir Gaylord had won a 7-furlong Derby prep (Stepping Stone) on April 30. It is said that in his strong gallop out he clocked between 2:01 2/5 and 2:02 2/5 for 1-1/4 mile… that spectacular move made him the 8-5 early Derby favorite. Unfortunately, the son of Turn-To suffered a hairline fracture in his right front sesamoid in his final blowout a day before the Derby.
Coming back to Crimson Satan, he suffered from kidney problems, acute sinusitis and troubles in one leg during the spring of 1962. On top of that, as you said, his habit of lugging in cost him winning the Belmont Stakes. His trainer designed a special blinker that made the horse practically blind over his left side and equipped the bit with a burr. The changes worked at first try when Crimson Satan won the Leonard Richard Stakes at Delaware Park but he was disqualified after a urine sample showed presence of Phenylbutazone. His trainer Gordon Potter was suspended for the rest of the year.
Crimson Satan enjoyed better luck in 1963 winning five Stakes and placings in five other to become the richest four-year-old of that year (earnings of $383,355).
His peak performance in 1963 was his win in the San Fernando Stakes at Santa Anita beating Hall of Famer Native Diver in 1:47 2/5 for 1 1/8 mile.
58 starts makes him the most durable among the top horses of his generation. Admiral’s Voyage ran 52 times…Prego who had 84 starts is not considered top tier of the 1962 class.
The only way we can see Iron Horses in this era is to have a brilliant gelding very well managed so as to extend top his performances as long as possible.
Excellent research, Nelson. Thanks for sharing. Do you have a special interest in Crimson Satan?
He is part of a work I am doing on the durability and performance of 2-year-old champions starting in 1960.
I am trying to compile details about the reasons why champion juveniles don’t last or why they don’t perform as expected…
Crimson Satan happens to be the one I thoroughly researched first after Hail to Reason was easy to assess (injured during 2-year-old training)
That’s very interesting, Nelson. Have you come up with a hypothesis yet? I just glanced over the Cartier European Champion 2 year old colts then their Champion 3 year old colts the following year. The Cartier Racing Awards started in 1991.
Guess how many Champion 2 year old colts went on to become champion 3 year old colts – one. Guess who that colt was – yes, you’re right!! Ha ha The answer is of course- Frankel.
I’d hazard a guess it would be quite similar in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA from the same period.
Since 1960 The first figure I gather (as expected) is that 94% (60 2-y-o champions) continued with a 3-year-old campaign, 35% (22 horses) went on to run as 4-year-old and only three (3) 2-y-old champions could extend their campaign to the age of 5 (Fly So Free, Declan’s Moon and Storm the Court).
Top Knight did not run at 4 and 5 but ran to the age of 9 because he was sterile. Another gelding, Declan’s Moon ran until 6.
Since 1960 only seven (7) DUAL 2-y-o / 3-y-o champions:
Essential Quality
American Pharoah
Lookin At Lucky
Spectacular Bid
Affirmed
Seattle Slew
Secretariat
What is interesting to me is trying to compile the reasons for the Juvenile champions to go off form at 3…
I had before posted here the numbers to assess the impact of the BC Juvenile on the Derby.
Missed Buckpasser (1965-1966)
Thanks Nelson, that result is basically what I thought/expected although Looking at Lucky was a bit of a surprise. With Darley using “The first BC Juvenile winner ever to capture the Belmont Stakes“ to promote Essential Quality you get a sense/suspicion that American Pharoah would be the only other colt to achieve that status since Spectacular Bid.
You certainly see, through the resulting evidence, the impact that stud fees have havocked on the champion 2 year olds running past 3 years. Early precocity + Stakes wins at 2 years = bonanza at stud, for the first four years anyway. That’s been the formula since the 80s in most countries where massive stud fees totally outstrip purse money.
You are absolutely right … the business model of the Horse Race industry puts emphasis in the big money generated by the breeding activities.
we all know the business drive behind Secretariat going to stud at the end of his 3-year-old campaign…then you have the case of Devil’s Bag and his US$36 million syndication the highest price for any 2-year-old in racing history.
Chief’s Crown ($20 Million) is another example of a horse “too valuable” to risk running…
Gun Runner was not a Juvenile champion but acquired great value as a sire by running as 4-year-old (and one race as 5-year-old)…
Speaking of experience colts going to stud have you seen Flightline’s confirmation photo in The Blood-Horse Stallion Register? He looks every inch a thoroughbred, gorgeous horse.
Hopefully, Flightline passes on his best attributes to his progeny, they’ve restricted the crops to 150 initially so it will be interesting to see which lines click. I’m particularly hoping that Galileo, Siyouni, Frankel, Dubai, Shamardal, and Le Havre mares work well with him.
Yes Davids… I just saw Flightline’s photo at BH SR.
And Boy…! there is one who does need any photo shop whatsoever ! beneath are the videos of his Grade 1 wins … still bringing goosebumps to true fans.
Flightline, like Secretariat, prompted high expectation of “reproducing themselves” … but we know there is only one Secretariat and one Flightline.
I will be happy if any progeny reproduce only 60% of Flightline… it would be enough to be a star.
At least we know the best son of Tapit will be receiving the best mares that increases his chances of early successes…
Yes Nelson, all you can hope for is that some of Flightline’s attributes will be passed down. If Flightline can match Constitution then that would be a triumph. By the way, Constitution has some extremely impressive 2 year olds coming through this year that I’m really looking forward to seeing progress.
Doesn’t look as though Steve is going to write a special Belmont Stakes page this s year so the two I like are Tapit Trice and Tapit Shoes, the 12 furlongs looks ideal and the track is in their favor this time. Good luck.
Nelson, I am very interested in the results from your research.
Part of my responsibilities when I was working in Research and Development and in Marketing in the Meat and Poultry industry was trend analysis and the factors that drive trends.
My research into pedigrees, learning the history of horse racing in the United States and reading biographical information on owners and trainers leads me to the conclusion that there was a paradigm shift in the breeding, racing and training of Thoroughbreds that took place starting 30 to 40 years ago.
Of course Native Diver ran a few races….
You never fail to come through with a great read!
Thank you very much, Chuck.
National Treasure was my pick in Preakness, and will be even better this race. Will they be good enough against better horses? NT is just getting into tip top shape from injuries, a long break, and bad weather. I considered his Preakness almost a race to set up for his next race. We will see.
I’m with you Jeff. I thought he was a race away from his best going into the Preakness, so I expect his top effort here.
Unbelievable-another good one, Steve!
Thank you Jeff.
Man do I LOVE this stuff! Thanks Steve.
Great piece Steve, A combination of Finding Your Roots and Six Degrees of Separation. It’s going to take a couple rereads to digest it all. Which I’m going to enjoy! Is there anyway to download your knowledge ie “BRAIN” Remember Donovan’s Brain.
Thank you Derek. A great description. yes I remember Donovan’s Brain.
Leave it to you, Steve, to ferret out the influence of broodmare on generations of top-class horses. I also love the reference to Crimson Satan, whom I remember from his stellar young years.
But it’s the broodmares whom I have always loved the most. Always overlooked despite the power of their influence.
Thanks so much for bringing the glory of Papila and all her remarkable progeny to life!
Thank you very much Gale. So glad you enjoyed it.
Wiow this is why you are soley missed an education second to none, crossed every T ans dotted ever I thank you very much great article Got to print this out to save nd re-read
I appreciate that Henry. Thank you! I dont have to be missed. I’m here every Monday. lol.
Incredible read, Steve.
You have no equal in spotting historical angles and then delivering in a compelling and thoughtful way.
Thats very kind of you. Thank you. It’s good to see you again. It’s still fun ferreting out those stories.
Steve,
Leave it to you to find the story behind the story as I have said in the past you are the Paul Harvey of horse racing with “Rest of the Story” articles. Your column on Secretariat last week was another “Masterpiece” , just loved it. As far as the Belmont this week I really like the work out National Treasure had this morning with the 5 furlong in 59 and change and the gallop out 6 furlongs in 1:11 and 7 furlongs in 1:25 … NICE !!! Now if Johnny V can control the Pace he will be tough. On the other hand I was glad Bob B pulled Taiba from the Met Mile. When I saw his workout for 7 furlongs in 1:27+ I was not impressed and I thought this is not a typical BB workout when he gets his horse ready for a big race and he saw that too. Forte looks tough and like his time in his last work. Unless he has some underlying issues and is not run too close to the pace he should be there in the end. Not too impressed with some of the others with their final works. Crap shoot with them.
Steve as always have a great rest of the week and a GREAT Belmont weekend !!!
Speaking of Baffert horses working out-did you catch the workout yesterday (Sunday) at Santa Anita for Arabian Knight? Went 52.80 for 4 (85/85)….wow. Can’t remember a Baffert horse had this slow of a workout.
I have never seen a Baffert horse workout that slow. Was he going backwards ??? … LOL
Thank you kindly. I’m a firm believer that the story behind the story is the real story. it will be interesting to see if National Treasure can work out the same trip going 1 1/2 miles. Hes just coming into himself now.
Steve,
Thanks for the in-depth pedigree breakdown. I’ve always found researching the pedigrees fascinating, and I love the focus on the dam’s side!
Horse racing is coming to an end in Singapore in 2024 after 180 years.
The government is taking the land.
Declining attendance and need for the land for housing and other urban development is the the explanation.
700 Thoroughbreds will be exported. How many of the 700 will end up in slaughter?
The day is fast approaching in the United States when the same will happen here.
Several weeks ago I had the occassion to go to Augusta, Georgia. I knew that a 500 acre family farm had been acquired by an organization with ties to Bill Gates and that a solar panel farm was going to be built on the land.
As I drove by the farm it was most disheartening to see bulldozers knocking down small groves of trees, rerouting a creek, filling in a pond and what was once a flourishing farm with green pastures, grazing cows and hay fields being ravaged into a sea of nothing but red dirt.
I thought about the honey bees, the rabbits, squirrels, the fish in the pond, the birds that had called this place home for eons and I cried.
My remaining trips around the sun are numbered now and for that I am thankful. Hopefully my ashes will be returned to the Blue Ridge Mountains before the powers that be force me off my little piece of dirt.
We call this progress. We call this a necessity to combat climate change that may or may not exist.
We forget or ignore that when all the animals are gone that we as a species are next.
We are going head first into a technology of solar panel farms and giant wind turbine farms without knowing what havoc either or both will reek on our planet or the creatures, both great and small, that Lord, God, made all.
Excellent elegy, Lynda. It is painful to watch the rapid degredation and ultimate elimination of everything that was special. The hypocrisy and lies being used to take power from us seems an immovable force, and the indoctrination continues. I personally see a short future for humanity; thinking climate change is the great threat is laughable. Ireland is considering culling 200,000 cows in the name of climate hysteria and to please the radical EU. A writer i’ve enjoyed, Ed Abbey, though often co opted by radical environmentalists said “Nature bats last.” There is some comfort in that, though it doesn’t help people i care for who will continue in this world. As for racing, i have mixed feelings. I saw a catastrophic breakdown at Belmont friday, and one in the last race at Monmouth yesterday. Getting harder to bear.
Todd, I read about the situation in Ireland this morning.
I have a dear friend in England who lived here in the US for about ten years.
She moved back to England, remarried and had a daughter. Her husband works in a capacity similar to a USDA inspector here in the United States. She has horses of course and lives in a rural area in England. She is thankful that since England is not in the EU that for now agriculture is safe at the moment.
Something similar happened in the Netherlands a while back. The government was dictating all these changes and regulations for the family farms. In the next election they voted out members of their parliament who demanded all these changes and replaced them with people who understood agriculture and rhe necessity for farms.
I had not heard about the breakdowns at Belmont and Monmouth. I am so sorry that it happened.
Great post Lynda!! I agree with you 100%…..I/we realize that progress is for the most part a necessity, but sometimes we need to open our eyes to the “cost” of that “progress”.
Thank you Bruce. And I agree about the “costs” of “progress”.
From where I live….the Pacific Northwest…bears are now showing up in Seattle suburbs alongside cougars-they are being forced out of their environment because of “progress”.
John, I have tried to create as friendly environment as possible on my little farm.
I am pretty much surrounded by small forests where I live.
When we first moved here we had foxes and a bobcat
The foxes are gone now as is the bobcat.
I do have skunks, an armadillo, raccoons and opossums and hundreds of birds of almost every variety and deer.
A couple of weeks ago I discovered a honey bee hive in the knot hole of a mulberry tree. Someone suggested that I call z beekeeper to come get the hive. I decided against that for now, just going to let them do what bees do, LOL.
I do use herbicides or pesticides and commercial fertilizer.
In that I was raised in a very rural area of Virginia on a small dairy farm, I am not bothered by wildlife or snakes though I do try to keep an eye out for copperheads. It was not unusual to see black bears, foxes and mountain lions where I lived growing up.
Sadly developments have encroached on their environments in many places and wildlife has no choice but to scavenge for food in those areas if they are to survive.
Thanks Lynda. Sadly, about a year ago a black bear had roamed onto Interstate 405 within a mile of the city limits of Bellevue (175,000) and the results were predictable.
The decline of the orca (killer) whales have declined from 98 in 1995 to 73 two years ago in the Puget Sound. And don’t ask me about the Chinock salmon. Even the bald eagles are scare where years ago you can spot them in the air.
It is not only the about the progress but the noise disturbance it brings.
Edit: I do NOT use herbicides or pesticides
Wonderful as always Lynda. It wasnt too long ago that many top horses from Europe would race in Singapore, which seemed to be growing fast. This is very disturbing and surprising. And scary.
Thank you Steve. It was written from the heart.
I think a number of Japanese horses race in Singapore as well.
Yes, it is scary.
I do not know horse racing will totally disappear in the United States, it might as someone, perhaps you (?) suggested that ot become more of a regional sport.
It should be obvious that I have not left the sport as I felt compelled to do awhile back.
I have you to thank for that. Your stories and articles keep the sport alive for we old timers and gives us (me) hope.
I appreciate that Lynda. Thank you. They do make it hard to keep the pool passion we once had
I have no idea where the word pool came from
Thank you for your post. I hope you don’t have to move and don’t be intimidated by what’s happening, take heart Lynda. I hate seeing farm land gobbled up for other purposes, having grown up on a farm in a very rural county. It’s still that way because cities are a ways away. But it’s old news for farms closer to the cities. I thought in the future people would try to preserve these places, public and private. It’s too bad the zoning allows a non agricultural use in that area on the way to Augusta. I think solar and wind farms should be located in the least desirable areas of any given county and should be zoned into to those kinds of places. Some farms where I’m from have their own solar panels for their own use, they don’t look bad because they’re small installations, some of them blend in with the trees stands, but they only provide for that farm. Again, good luck, it’s disturbing to see this happening on prime farmland.
I’m a member of the Planning Commission in a small town in Vermont. I don’t like solar and wind farms, but the state does so we try to keep them as nearly invisible as possible. We have slate quarries in our town, and we have approved two solar projects–not huge ones, of course–in abandoned portions of quarries well away from any roads. Ideally you would need a helicopter to see them. I hope none of them ever get located on farm land.
Lynda, I agree with you totally. I started with Prometheus and Pandora’s Box
Steve, it is fascinating tracing back blue hen families and thanks for the history of Papila on her 80th birthday. Another interesting part of going back through pedigrees is discovering which races the relative horses have won/placed and whether the races have actually lasted that span of time.
Speaking of Crimson Saint, how good was she as a racehorse? All I can remember is that she was a lightning fast sprinter up to six furlongs but I just can’t recall how highly regarded she was. She certainly put her speed into Royal Academy and the full siblings Pancho Villa and Terlingua.
The Belmont Stakes is certainly looking to be the best Triple Crown race this year which is fitting as the weather is going to be just spectacular as well. Can’t wait for your appraisal of the field. Thanks Steve.
Well Davids you asked, and I will help to inform ….
Crimson Saint was a 3yo filly that came from the Midwest, some upstart track named Oaklawn, and the chestnut filly had recently set the half mile world record……she came to Hollywood Park for The Meteor Handicap, a 5 furlong race—facing the west’s faster older male horses—-and she beat them by from here to across the street…..until I daw Chinook Pass I considered Crimson Saint to have the fastest turn of foot I had ever seen a Thoroughbred throw! I also understand Crimson Saint was a popular and beloved broodmare, who lived into her thirties….
Thanks Matthew, your description is fantastic and gives a vivid impression. I’ve madly been trying to search for a video of the Meteor Handicap without luck. Royal Academy was a favorite runner, I actually saw him at the yearling sales, and thought him the most spectacular Nijinsky colt ever due a lot to Crimson Saint. Luckily he performed as expected.
I remember Crimson Saint very well. She was a rocket. A lot of those fast sprinters have become great broodmares. Look at Too Bald and Priceless Gem.
So true Steve, Too Bold produce the exquisite Capote among others, and Priceless Gem produced the immortal Allez France. I adored Allez France while living in Europe while you were in adoration of the great Secretariat.
Ta Wee is another crack sprinter who performed well at stud.
As a South American I am thrilled about Steve’s digging in the pedigrees of the Belmont entrants to find the Argentinian mare Papila as a common denominator in their maternal side.
Tracing Tapit Shoes’ fourth dam, Trithenia, to Crimson Saint and Papila was also very perceptive…
Steve’s scrutiny was so insightful that it renders trivial the observation of six Belmont possible entrants being either son of maternal grand sons of the immortal sire Tapit …
Papila is widely recognized by her descendants CRIMSON SATAN, TIZNOW and ROYAL ACADEMY, and now thanks to this article would be also known as the most influential mare in the 2023 Belmont Stakes.
BTW Tiznow also descends from a brilliant Chilean mare named Tizna (the second Dam of his sire Cee’s Tizzy)…
There was another contemporaneous Argentinian filly named Miss Grillo.
Miss Grillo, trained by the famous Argentinian Hall of Famer Horatio Luro, was one of the greatest stayers (with a world record for 2½ miles on dirt) of Horse Racing History. She has a Grade II Stakes memorializing her legacy.
Miss Grillo’s daughters had more success in Europe and Panama but her daughter Honey Lake (also by Spy Song like Papila) is the third dam of the brilliant Grade 1 horse Marquetry.
Perhaps the most prominent Argentinian mare in the breeding area is Dorine who was the champion 3-year-old filly and champion older male in Argentina (from 1961 to 1963).
Dorine is the dam of Grecian Banner who earned distinction of Broodmare of the Year after producing the immortal Personal Ensign and Suburban winner Personal Flag.
I remember distinctly the consternation about super sire Storm Cat not being a genetic factor in the Kentucky Derby for more than 20 years. Tabasco Cat third favorite in the 1994 Derby but had to live under the shadow of the great Holy Bull.
Storm Cat’s presence in the Kentucky Derby exploded in the 2015 edition. American Pharoah, Firing Line and Dortmund showed Storm Cat in their first three generations.
Since that breakthrough year, Storm Cat appears in the pedigree of six more Derby winners.
Rich Strike and Mage did not have Storm Cat (within their first 5 generations) but the 2nd and 3rd places behind them do have Storm Cat as ascendent (Epicenter, Zandon and Tow Phils, Angel of Empire).
So, we should then acknowledge that Papila (through Storm Cat) has somehow been influential in the Kentucky Derby as well.
The influence of the Argentinian blood in US Thoroughbred industry is an interesting topic. I remember being positively surprised when learning that an Argentinian horses named Kayak II (Seabiscuit’s stable mate) was an extraordinary runner in America (1939-1940) where he established five new track record.
Other great Argentinians like Yatasto, Quibu, Forli, Snow Sporting, Tatan, Montparnasse, Lord at War and Candy Ride merit reviewing their legacy in the US breeding landscape.
Nelson, that was fascinating to read. It’s always intrigued me how the South American breeders managed to concentrate more on Classic aptitude imports than the Australian breeders who were more inclined to speed influences.
Thanks Davids.
The focus of the South Americans in the early and mid 20th Century was on stamina with the most important races ran at 2,500, 3,000 and even 4,000 meters. There are still major Stakes at long distances but nowadays with the outpouring of American Stallions in Argentina the staying ability of the horses is being diluted.
You can see for instance the campaign of Rico Monte descending from a long line of Argentinian Sires and Dams. His exploits during 1946 and 1947 in the US are true testament to the stamina of those South American horses of the past.
Phar Lap and Bernborough come to mind as Australians/NZ who were almost invincible at any distance against any other horse .
The shifting from stamina to speed seems to be happening in many countries though…
Thanks for that, Nelson. Rico Monte is akin to the later Forli? Forli and Buckpasser, among others, were/are my favorite influences of stamina in the more modern era of US bloodlines.
Excellent point with reference to Phar Lap and Bernborough; Australia had substantial stamina influences until the introduction of Star Kingdom, 1951, whose saturation/success of ‘speed’ was marked for decades. So much so that New Zealand bred horses dominated the Melbourne Cup for decades and with the introduction of Sir Tristram, to New Zealand, their domination of middle distance/Classic races was complete until the arrival of Danehill.
Thank you very much Nelson and thanks for expanding on a those pedigrees.
Another great column, Steve. Papila popped up on my radar last year when Forbidden Kingdom was briefly ablaze on the Triple Crown Trail — she is his 7th dam. For such an obscure family (No. 26 in the Bruce Lowe numbering system) this line is making quite a buzz with promising young horses. I love how you explained how influential she is on the sire line side, a good nick from an often overlooked source, as Lynda explained so well.
Terlinqua’s dam sire was Crimson Satan who was out of Papila.
She was of course Storm Cat’s dam.
Storm Cat was also a broodmare sire.
No doubt the Papila and Secretariat line cross is largely responsible for the success of the Storm Cat mares.
Have you read the All American Pedigree article on Crimson Satan?
When Northern Farm (Japan) was searching for mares to breed to Northern Taste they purchased 8 mares by Crimson Satan.
She (Papila) was very influential in the bloodlines of in the Japanese broodmare band.
No I haven’t, Lynda. How do I find All American Pedigrees? Is it part of Pedigree Query?
Just Google horse’s name then Classic American Pedigree –
Crimson Satan Classic American Pedigree
I am not sure if Lynda is talking about the same website but w w w dot americanclassicpedigrees dot com has comprehensive information about Crimson Satan…
That’s the right website Nelson, American Classic Pedigrees and some other good sites are Thoroughbred Heritage and Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
Yes Nelson that is the web address.
I typically just Google a horse by name and all the sites come up where I can access information including American Classic Pedigrees, Blood Horse, HRN, Equibase, Wikipedia, and the stud farm where a stallion stands. I also get results for horses in Japan and if the horse is raced in England or Ireland, various horse racing sites in those countries up and photos.
Rarely is all the information I am looking for on one site.
The best site is Net Keiba for Japanese horses. Photos, pedigree, race stats, progeny, siblings and other useful tidbits of information such as in breeding percentages. You just click through the tabs.
All pedigree dot com and Thoroughbred pedigree dot com both have a lot of information and the tabs can be sorted.
Thanks for the tips Lynda…! Japanese horses will be trending topics for the foreseeable future…
Thanks Lynda, Nelson, and Davids for steering me in the right direction. I actually DID find the page on American Classic Pedigrees. The good stuff about his pedigree comes after his racing summary, which I was already familiar with. The three of you are so knowledgable and articulate about thoroughbred pedigrees internationally I feel like a beginner — and I’ve been studying pedigrees since I was 12!
Steve got it right when he called the three of you amazing on a thread awhile back.
Lol. You’re not too shabby yourself.
Ms Blacktype, that’s very kind but everyone is just a student of racing/breeding and you learn something new everyday. I highly recommend you read anything by Tony Morris. On the internet Thoroughbred Racing Commentary have Tony Morris’ 100 Shapers of the Breed available to read which you may find truly fascinating.
Ms B, thank you.
Don’t forget your expertise and knowledge about the pedigrees!
Thank you Steve!
I have seen Crimson Satan’s name pop up quite often in pedigrees.
When I was researching Northern Taste I more or less randomly did a count on the number of progeny by dam sire and Crimson Saint showed up 8 times. The resulting foals produced two great runners for Japan.
I so appreciate your story about Papila.
It seems that the credit always goes to the stallion and the dam is left out of the conversation and we forget how much influence the dam has.
Interesting little piece of trivia. Years ago it was the stallion who traveled to the breeding farms to cover mares. This was the exact opposite of the way it is done now.
Aiden mentioned John Magnier in an interview after the Derby. He said John made the decision to send Rhododendron to Deep Impact and that some thought it was a questionable decision.
Did you happen see the video of Forte’s latest gallop? He stumbled again when he was transitioning down from the gallop to a trot. Could not tell if it was the same leg that had the stone bruise. I find this to be concerning.
Happy Sunday Everyone!
PS, Congratulations to Songline who won the Yasuda Kinen. Was not Sadashi’s day.
I didnt see that. I see the works, but I havent seen gallops. I’m glad you get to see them from whoever shows them. Not happy to see that again. Hopefully those little stumbles are not related to any physical issues.
A person I am friends with on FB posted a link late last night to a portion of the video where he stumbles.
I searched you tube and found the full video.
“Forte ( out) Varatti (in) work on the main Belmont Track June 03, 2023” that was posted by the NYRA.
The full video shows start to finish.
The stumble comes towards the end when he is geared down to a trot and right after he comes out from behind a bush that is blocking the camera angle for a couple of seconds.
I have watched the full video twice and the only other thing I see is that he seemed to be kicking up a lot of dust on the forehand.
Now that might just be the track conditions. New York is in a semi drought so track could be dry perhaps?
Just concerned. I love this horse and do not want anything to happen to him or any of them for that matter.
Horses do stumble occasionally, even ones out in pasture and definitely from time to time on trail rides.
I did read that Pletcher said he was back in regular racing plates.
My gut feeling says that Forte should not run in the Belmont Stakes … too many things going on with him including the 2-month-layoff.
I would even dare to say that Angel of Empire, Tapit Trice, HIT SHOW, Arcangelo and Red Route One are all in better standing going 1-1/2 mile…
Hope this saga ends well to everyone…
Nelson, I tend to agree with you..Forte should sit the Belmont out. Rather be safe than sorry.
I am no vet and certainly no horse trainer but hoof bruises can and often take longer than a few weeks to heal (based on my experiences with my own horses).
Pletcher said that Forte was back in regular shoes. That alone might account for the stumble if the full shoe is putting pressure on the bruise.
The other thing that bothers me is that when the track vet examined Forte before the Kentucky Derby, Forte flinched when he felt along the cannon bone on the right front (I think that is the leg that has/had the hoof bruise).
I agree with both of you. I love Forte and I was devastated when he had to miss the Derby. But if I were an owner of a horse whose training schedule was messed up by an injury, the last race in the world that I would choose for his initial comeback is the Belmont Stakes. I still think he’s the best three-year-old out there, but I think this is asking too much of him. He’s already missed two of the Triple Crown races and he doesn’t really need the third one. There’s always the Haskell or the Jim Dandy, which might be more reasonable, and then the Travers and the fall stakes, where he can prove that he’s the best. I didn’t see the stumble, but even before that, I didn’t feel good about this race. I hope Pletcher and Repole give it more thought.
Hi Nelson
I noticed you used caps when you mentioned “HIT SHOW”, does this mean he could be your pick in the Belmont?
In the KD, Hit Show was making a strong move going into the far turn, but counldn’t sustain it during the stretch drive.
Needless to say I was very disappointed that I didn’t hit my Derby Futures wagers, which were quite numerous.
I’ll take one more shot with Hit Show in the Belmont, in hopes the stamina influence on both sides of his pedigree will kick in during the late stretch drive.
Good luck Nelson.
Hi Lynda, I just watched the video on YouTube and saw the stumble you referred to. That is concerning. I’m starting to wish he’d be scratched from the Belmont, too.
Mr. Haskin once again educates his readers in a most interesting way. Blue Canary won only 13 of 133 starts. The gene pool needs more sound mares today. Great article always enjoy reading what Steve Haskin has to say.
Blake, well said!
Thank you very much Blake
On Sunday, will the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby), at exquisite Chantilly, be a repeat of the Epsom Derby result? Well, it could be if Continuous has anything to say in the matter. Same trainer: Aidan O’Brien, same jockey Ryan Moore, the Sire a deceased son of Sunday Silence, and the dam also by Galileo.
However, there is a twist. The sire of Continuous is Heart’s Cry, not Deep Impact. Sadly, Heart’s Cry passed away in March this year. Good luck, Continuous.
Even more eventful could be a very emotional win at Chantilly should the favorite, Big Rock, take the Prix du Jockey Club for Christopher Head. Ghislaine Head, owner-breeder and matriarch of France’s famous training dynasty, died on Thursday, June 1 at the age of 95. Good luck, Big Rock. Memories fading away.
Ace Impact (Cracksman) was magnificent in the French Derby at Chantilly! The J C Rouget trainee was 9 to 1 but won like a 3 to 5 favorite… let’s see how long he can remain undefeated.
Big Rock could not fend off such a devastating rally after leading all the way.
Marhaba Ya Sanafi was very unlucky running uncomfortably by the rail.
Yes Nelson, I just watched the race. Ace Impact was extremely impressive and Rouget is starting to establish a remarkable record himself. It’s a bit hard to gauge how these colts will impact the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as the ground is so different in October.
Big Rock was swept aside unmercifully, the others were not really in the race but these are early times yet. The day looked beautiful it would have been wonderful to see the race in person.
That’s amazing. I don’t know how you found all that–or thought to look for it–but I’m glad you did.
Unless I read it wrong, I believe there’s a misprint in the paragraph about Terlingua, who was by Secretariat and was bred to Storm Bird to produce Storm Cat. But that’s a minor point in an excellent article. Thank you for writing it.
Yep I didnt mean to put any stallion’s name there. but I still have Secretariat on the brain. Thanks its been fixed. Glad you enjoyed it