Pedigree Musings: Thoughts on Thoroughbred Pedigrees

Thanks for Comments and Apologies for Absence

2008-12-27T11:25:00.006-06:00

First, a big thanks to the two comments I received, and my apologies for not replying to them earlier. Obviously, keeping up a blog while working full-time on a "real" job is harder than it looks! Another reason for my absence the past few months is that I have striven to avoid posting information on stallions or racehorses that have been posted in the major publications or blogs elsewhere. I want to be try to be unique, yet obviously there has to be a bit of information available elsewhere on the thoroughbred in question in order to do the research. After a major stakes win, I waited until the dust settled from the other publications before considering a new posting. With the Breeder's Cup generating information everywhere, that proved to be difficult. And, as one comment pointed out, this blog requires quite a bit of research to get the job done. Plus, I'm anal about accuracy of research. (My first master's degree was in library science, after all.) Plus, of course, there's that little thing called a "full-time job" and "life" getting in the way! Hopefully, I can devote a bit of time again to this blog.

In the meantime, if any of you would like to see a posting devoted to a specific thoroughbred, please let me know! And thanks for reading!

Early Christmas Presents

2008-12-27T11:17:00.007-06:00

Kudos to both The Blood-Horse and competitor Thoroughbred Times for continuing to issue their stallion directories, the Stallion Register and the Stallion Directory, respectively, in print format to their subscribers. Both arrive at about the same time and both are treated by me as early Christmas presents. While some may question the wisdom of a printed directory that must be kept up to date constantly online, it remains a simple pleasure to thumb through these massive volumes. I work in technology, and I obviously use technology while posting this blog. However, my first profession of being a librarian obviously implies a certain love of books as well. You miss the serendipity of stumbling across a previously unknown sire while thumbing through these books. Congratulations to both publishers for keeping up this tradition, and let's hope the tradition continues, despite the financial pressures that are likely present to do otherwise.

City Zip: The Less-Famous Older Brother of Ghostzapper

2008-09-21T14:49:00.015-05:00

When Run Away and Hide won the gr. II Saratoga Special Stakes on August 14, 2008, he was following in the hoof prints of his sire, City Zip, who accomplished the same task eight years previously. Unlike his sire, however, Run Away and Hide skipped the preceding gr. II Sanford Stakes at Saratoga, and also skipped the crown jewel for juveniles at Saratoga, the gr. I Hopeful Stakes. Not so his sire. In 2000, City Zip--whose pedigree from Tesiopower is reproduced at the end of this article--completed a rare triple of Saratoga's threesome of prestigious stakes races for two-year-olds, capturing the Sanford, Saratoga Special, and dead-heating with Yonaguska in the Hopeful (beating Macho Uno by a neck in the process). The dead heat in the Hopeful, which was hurriedly started that year five minutes before the scheduled post time to avoid one of those familiar impending Saratoga summer storms, was unprecedented.¹ Writers were quick to pounce on the disparity of the dual winners of the Hopeful: Yonaguska was a $1,950,000 graduate of Fasig-Tipton Calder’s select two-year-old in training sale, while City Zip was purchased for a mere $9,500 as a yearling at the January Keeneland sale. More impressively, City Zip’s Saratoga juvenile triple was historical, being accomplished previously only by the great filly Regret in 1914, Campfire in 1916, and Dehere in 1993, who later captured the Eclipse Award for champion two-year-old male. Unfortunately for City Zip, the history-making comparisons ended there. If anything, City Zip has an interesting history that mixes bloodlines and circumstance, which while hardly unique in thoroughbred racing and pedigrees, is what makes this sport so fascinating.

After capturing the three stakes at Saratoga, City Zip next finished second by a nose to Burning Roma in his first route test at one mile in the gr. I Futurity at Belmont, but then finished seventh to A P Valentine in the gr. I Champagne Stakes over 8 1/2 furlongs at the same track, and then seventh again in the gr. I Breeder's Cup Juvenile, also at 8 1/2 furlongs, at Churchill Downs to old rival Macho Uno--who went on to capture the year's Eclipse Award for champion two-year-old male. If you are already detecting a trend, it is an all-too-familiar one in thoroughbred racing: the speedy juvenile hitting the proverbial brick wall when introduced to routes. City Zip never won a race beyond seven furlongs in his racing lifetime.

Little wonder, as his sire Carson City was a product of the most prominent influence of tail-male speed in the United States, being sired by Mr. Prospector who, of course, was sired by Raise a Native. Carson City won the gr. II Sapling Stakes as a two-year old and the gr. II Fall Highweight Handicap and gr. III Boojum Handicap at age three, every single one of which was run at six furlongs. He had a good stud carrer, siring grade one winner Flying Chevron (who did win at one mile and over), the filly Carson Hollow, a winner of the gr. I Prioress Stakes (run at 6 furlongs), this year's gr. II Vanderbilt Handicap winner Abraaj, Pollard's Vision (another one able to get a route, as he won the 2004 gr. II Illinois Derby over 9 furlongs), and many others. He has gained almost as much notoriety as a broodmare sire, most notably of the ill-fated Barbaro and Stormello. Carson City died at age 17 in late 2004 at Overbrook Farm after standing there his entire career. When he died, the Thoroughbred Times reported he had sired 72 stakes winners from 11 crops of racing age.² Acknowledging that Steven Roman's dosage methodology does not have universal acclaim, it must nevertheless be pointed out that Dr. Roman thought enough of Carson City's influence to grant him chef-de-race status in 2007.

At age three City Zip's trainer, Linda Rice, did what every trainer of a three-year-old who showed promise his juvenile year would do: point to the classics. He started on a traditional route, in the gr. I Fountain of Youth Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, where he finished a respectable third to Songandaprayer--not bad considering he went into the race on a tender foot. His next race was the gr. I Florida Derby at 1 1/8 miles, where he finished ninth to Monarchos, who would later go on to win the gr. I Kentucky Derby. His connections wisely returned him to a sprinting schedule, and during the rest of his three-year-old year his triumphs included the gr. III six-furlong Jersey Shore Breeder’s Cup Stakes at Monmouth over Songandaprayer, and most notably the gr. II Amsterdam Stakes (also six furlongs) back at his favorite track, Saratoga, where he defeated fellow three-year-old Speightstown--who later went on at age 6 to capture the gr. I Breeder’s Cup Sprint in 2004 and won the Eclipse Award for best sprinter that year. His career concluded with two straight defeats at one mile: a third to Forbidden Apple in the gr. II Kelso Handicap, and a ninth place finish in the gr. I Breeder’s Cup Mile on the turf to Val Royal. His connections opted to bypass the Breeder's Cup Sprint that year, won by Squirtle Squirt, to whom City Zip finished third in the gr. I King’s Bishops Stakes earlier at Saratoga.

City Zip was retired in 2001 to stand stud beginning in 2002 at Contemporary Stallions in New York for a fee of $7,500. His final racing tally was 23 starts, 9 wins, 5 places, and 4 shows, earning just over $818,000. He stayed at Contemporary for three years until he was moved in 2005 to William S. Farish’s Lane’s End Farm to stand for $15,000. While this is conjecture on my part, the reason for the move and the increase in stud fee was obvious: in 2004, City Zip’s much more famous half-brother, Ghostzapper, won the gr. I Breeder’s Cup Classic on October 30, 2004 at Lone Star Park, setting a track record time of 1:59.02 for the mile and a quarter in the process. Ghostzapper later went on, of course, to be named the 2004 Horse of the Year. In September 2005, it was announced that Ghostzapper he would stand his first season at stud in 2006 at Adena Springs Kentucky for an eye-popping fee of $200,000--the highest in history since Devil's Bag commanded that fee in 1985. (The fee was later reduced to $150,000 for his 2007 season.) Between the success of City Zip and Ghostzapper, it was little wonder that the dam of both, Baby Zip, was named Broodmare of the Year.

Which brings us to City Zip's female side of the family. Baby Zip's dam, Thirty Zip, produced Turkish stakes winner Win River Win, but little else of note. She was a warrior as a racehorse, however, starting 44 times and earning just over a half-million dollars in the process. Baby Zip's grand dam, Sailaway, produced the filly Eileen's Moment, who had an undistinguished racing career but went on to become the dam of gr. I Kentucky Derby winner Lil E Tee and was accorded Reine de Course status by Ellen Parker. (At the time of this writing, Parker's site is not listing the Reines.) Baby Zip's male ancestors include sire Relaunch, who won the gr. III Del Mar Derby at nine furlongs, and Relaunch's sire In Reality, who could get a distance of ground himself (he won the gr. I Florida Derby at nine furlongs), but gained greater notoriety as a miler, winning both the seven furlong gr. I Carter Handicap and the gr. I Metropolitan Mile. He proved to be an influence on both speed as well as classic horses and was placed in the Brilliant-Classic chef-de-race category by Steven Roman.

Speaking of In Reality, Carson City proved to be a good match for In Reality-line mares, as gr. I winner City Band was a result of that breeding, as was 2006 gr. II Saratoga Stakes winner Chace City. The ever-predictable inbreeding to Northern Dancer, however, has proven more fruitful, producing Dubai Golden Shaheen winner State City, the previously mentioned Pollard's Vision, and this year's gr. III Miss Preakness Stakes winner Palanka City. Turn-To male-line mares have also nicked well with Carson City, producing this year's gr. II Vanderbilt winner Abraaj, 2001 Vanderbilt winner Five Star Day, and the 1996 gr. II Boojum Handicap winner Lord Carson.

City Zip has so far sired nice, if not yet exceptional (with the possible exception of Bustin Stones), offspring. In his first crop, his leading money earner was Little Miss Zip, who won Finger Lakes’ Lady’s Finger Stakes in 2005 and placed in various other ungraded stakes. His leading second-crop offspring was With a City, who at age 3 won the gr. II Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park at odds of over 48 to 1 before finishing last in the gr. II Arkansas Derby. Shortly afterwards he was euthanized after suffering from an unknown illness. His third crop brought Tishmeister (foaled 2004), who captured Saratoga’s Statue of Liberty Stakes in 2007. That same year, City Zip sired Bustin Stones, who is his greatest success so far, winning this year’s gr. I Carter Handicap and gr. II General George Handicap, and who has yet to be defeated in six starts. At the time of this writing (September 21, 2008) his racing future is uncertain, with his next start possibly the gr. I Vosburgh Handicap. He was scratched from the Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga with a bruised foot (according to the September 12, 2008 issue of the Thoroughbred Daily News), which one hopes will not be a sign of City Zip offspring, as our subject himself was prone to foot issues. His long-range plans, however, are set: in the same issue of TDN, it was announced Bustin Stones will begin standing at stud next year at Waldorf Farm in New York for $6,500. City Zip’s latest crop of racing age, from 2006, has produced the aforementioned Run Away and Hide, who also captured the gr. III Kentucky Stakes, and the filly Partner’s Star, who won the Anna M. Fisher Debutante Stakes at Ellis Park.

Looking back at City Zip's stud career in progeny earnings, his $1,064,275 in offspring earnings was good enough to rank a respectable third on the 2005 Leading First-Crop Sires list, behind only Tiznow and El Corredor. In 2006, he ranked sixth among 2006 Leading Second-Crop Sires, while in 2007 he was back in the top 5, ranking fifth among 2007 Leading Third-Crop Sires. That year was also the first time he would crack the list of Leading Sires overall, where he ranked 69th. He ranked even higher among sires of 2007 when considering the ranking by Average Earnings Index, where he finished 44th with a respectable AEI of 1.81. Plus, he is among the elite group that betters the produce of his mares, as his Comparable Index for that year was 1.44, which put him among the 42 (of 75 sires ranked) whose AEI was higher than the Comparable Index. At the time of this writing (September 21, 2008), he ranks 47th on the current Leading Sires listing for 2008. His APEX rating is similarly respectable, and as of mid-year 2008 his ABC Index stands at 1.99--enough to rank him 41st. (Bill Oppenheim released his mid-year APEX ratings in the August 13, 2008 edition of the Thoroughbred Daily News, which contains a link to a downloadable spreadsheet.) For comparison, all fellow 2007 Leading Third-Crop Sires who ranked above him in earnings rank below him in the ABC Index: Broken Vow is currently at 1.54, Tiznow is 1.45, Trippi is 1.66, and El Corredor is 1.43.

One thing he is virtually guaranteed to do is sire speed horses. With 248 foals of racing age so far, the average winning distance of his progeny is but 6.4 furlongs according to his Equineline statistics. His offspring are eerily similar to his own limits, as well: the same statistical page indicates the average maximum winning distance is 6.66 furlongs. Are his offspring going to have the same 7 furlong barrier? It is likely. So far, among his graded stakes offspring only With a City has won around two turns, as the Lane's End Stakes is nine furlongs. Just as this article was being completed, the September 20, 2008 winner of the non-graded Sunday Silence Stakes at Louisiana Downs was won by gelded two-year-old City Style (out of Brattothecore), which was contested over 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Perhaps, with the proper influence of distance on the distaff side and good training, City Zip may yet produce a few more runners who can go a distance.

Currently standing at Lane's End Farm for $15,000, it is little surprise that City Zip is featured in most trade publication advertisements from Lane's End as a half-brother to his more famous sibling Ghostzapper, whose yearlings are averaging over $300,000 (according to the September 10, 2008 Thoroughbred Daily News). Nevertheless, City Zip has so far proven that the older sibling is not giving up easily. He has become a respectable sire in his own right, and offers the breeder on a more modest budget than breeding to Ghostzapper permits a better chance to bring back the stud fee in purses.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
¹ As reported in the Thoroughbred Times, available only to subscribers.
²Subscribers to the Thoroughbred Times can access the story here.

TesioPower Pedigree for City Zip
City Zip (1998) - M - 23-b
by Carson City out of Baby Zip by Relaunch to 6 generations

Carson City 1987	Mr Prospector 1970	Raise A Native 1961	Native Dancer 1950	Polynesian 1942	Unbreakable Black Polly	1935 - 4-i 1936 - 14-a
			Native Dancer 1950	Geisha 1943	*Discovery* Miyako	*1931 - 23-b* 1935 - 5-f
			Raise You 1946	Case Ace 1934	Teddy Sweetheart	1913 - 2-n 1920 - 1-k
			Raise You 1946	Lady Glory 1934	American Flag Beloved	1922 - 7 1927 - 8-f
		Gold Digger 1962	Nashua 1952	Nasrullah 1940	Nearco Mumtaz Begum	1935 - 4-r 1932 - 9-c
			Nashua 1952	Segula 1942	Johnstown Sekhmet	1936 - 17-b 1929 - 3-m
			Sequence 1946	Count Fleet 1940	Reigh Count Quickly	1925 - 2-d 1930 - 6
			Sequence 1946	Miss Dogwood 1939	Bull Dog Myrtlewood	1927 - 16-a 1932 - 13-c
	Blushing Promise 1982	Blushing Groom 1974	Red God 1954	Nasrullah 1940	Nearco Mumtaz Begum	1935 - 4-r 1932 - 9-c
			Red God 1954	Spring Run 1948	*Menow* Boola Brook	*1935 - 8-g* 1937 - 8-c
			Runaway Bride 1962	Wild Risk 1940	Rialto Wild Violet	1923 - 12 1935 - 3-f
			Runaway Bride 1962	Aimee 1957	Tudor Minstrel Emali	1944 - 9-c 1945 - 22-d
		Summertime Promise 1972	Nijinsky II 1967	Northern Dancer 1961	Nearctic Natalma	1954 - 14-c 1957 - 2-d
			Nijinsky II 1967	Flaming Page 1959	Bull Page Flaring Top	1947 - 4-m 1947 - 8-f
			Prides Promise 1966	Crozier 1958	My Babu Miss Olympia	1945 - 1-w 1952 - 23-b
			Prides Promise 1966	Hillbrook 1957	I Will Johann	1944 - 1-s 1950 - 4-r
Baby Zip 1991	Relaunch 1976	In Reality 1964	Intentionally 1956	Intent 1948	*War Relic* Liz F	*1938 - 1-o* 1933 - 8-c
			Intentionally 1956	My Recipe 1947	*Discovery* Perlette	*1931 - 23-b* 1934 - 5-j
			My Dear Girl 1957	Rough 'n Tumble 1948	Free For All Roused	1942 - 1-l 1943 - 1-o
			My Dear Girl 1957	Iltis 1947	*War Relic* We Hail	*1938 - 1-o* 1942 - 21-a
		Foggy Note 1965	The Axe II 1958	Mahmoud 1933	*Blenheim* Mah Mahal	*1927 - 1-e* 1928 - 9-c
			The Axe II 1958	Blackball 1950	Shut Out Big Event	1939 - 16-g 1938 - 1-x
			Silver Song 1957	Royal Note 1952	Spy Song Penroyal	1943 - 2-o 1935 - 12
			Silver Song 1957	Beadah 1953	Djeddah Beauty Spot	1945 - 13-c 1948 - 3-o
	Thirty Zip 1983	Tri Jet 1969	Jester 1955	Tom Fool 1949	*Menow* Gaga	*1935 - 8-g* 1942 - 3-j
			Jester 1955	Golden Apple 1945	Eight Thirty Thorn Apple	1936 - 11-b 1937 - 23-b
			Haze 1953	Olympia 1946	Heliopolis Miss Dolphin	1936 - 8-g 1934 - 4-p
			Haze 1953	Blue Castle 1938	*Blenheim* Blue Dust	*1927 - 1-e* 1929 - 20-c
		Sailaway 1976	Hawaii 1964	Utrillo II 1958	Toulouse Lautrec Urbinella	1950 - 6-d 1953 - 20-a
			Hawaii 1964	Ethane 1947	Mehrali Ethyl	1939 - 3-e 1936 - 1-l
			Quick Wit 1956	Shannon II 1941	Midstream Idle Words	1933 - 7-f 1932 - 8-g
			Quick Wit 1956	Witty 1946	Rhodes Scholar Native Gal	1933 - 1-n 1939 - 23-b

Dosage Profile: 21-11-11-1-0 (44) DI=5.77 CD=1.18
TesioPower

Mauralakana: 2008 Beverly D. Stakes Winner

2008-09-02T19:12:00.078-05:00

The Arlington Million tends to attract plenty of attention both nationally and internationally. And why not? The race has been captured by numerous non-American-based thoroughbreds over the years, and this year's victory of Spirit One was no exception. Arlington Park happens to be this writer's hometown track, and their International Festival of Racing day features three Grade 1 events. Alan Porter did an analysis of Arlington Million (gr. IT) winner Spirit One on the Blood-Horse site and Avalyn Hunter covered Secretariat Stakes (gr. IT) winner Winchester, also on the Blood-Horse site. Missing from the usual overview was detailed coverage of the winner of the third Grade I race of the day, the Beverly D. Stakes (gr. IT), contested for 3-year-old and up fillies and mares. This year's victory went to Mauralakana, and if you missed it YouTube has a video of her first Grade I win here. (All English language versions were no longer available shortly after this was posted; you will have to live with this version, in French!)

The Beverly D. winner is by Muhtathir (GB), out of Jimkana, by Double Bed. (See TesioPower-generated pedigree following this entry.) Muhtathir during his career was nothing if not cosmopolitan. Winner of the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques Le Marois (Group 1, in 2000) in France, the Premio Vittori di Capua (Group 1, in 1999) and Premio Emilio Turati (Group 2, in 2000) in Italy (the former in record time), and the Tripleprint Celebration Mile (Group 2) and Hungerford Stakes (Group 3) in England, both in 1998, such success in these and other races led him to be named champion older male in England, the United Arab Emirates, and Italy (twice). Currently standing at Le Haras du Mezeray for 10,000 Euros, Mauralakana represents her sire's second major North American winner, the first one being Doctor Dino, winner of the 2007 edition of the Man O' War Stakes (gr. IT). Doctor Dino is still racing at age six, in fact, and just this past weekend finished second in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville over one and 9/16 miles to Getaway on August 31, 2008. Other stakes winners sired by Muhtathir include Group 1 winner Satwa Queen and Group 3 winner Headache.

Muhtathir's sire, the Eclipse Stakes (Group 1-Eng) and Irish Champion Stakes (Group 1) winner Elmaamul, was not an especially prolific sire, producing (apart from Muhtathir, of course) gr. I Hollywood Derby, Eddie Read Handicap, and Charlie Whittingham Derby winner Sweet Return among a few others. Elmaamul's sire Diesis produced numerous group winners, including two-time Eclipse Stakes (gr. I Eng) winner Halling and Epsom Oaks (gr. 1 Eng) and Irish Oaks (Group 1) winner Ramruna. An excellent article on the Sharpen Up male line, which Muhtathir is a product of, is covered in Avalyn Hunter's Mahubah's Corner in the September 19, 2007 (p. 23) issue of Bloodhorse NOW, formerly produced in PDF format and which the Blood-Horse website has made inexplicably impossible to find since they have stopped producing it in the PDF format. After a bit of digging around and using my librarian searching skills, I finally found it here.

NASCAR used to have the adage "win on Sunday, sell on Monday," reflecting the effect that its stock car manufacturers had in the salesrooms of America after a win at the track. Though not quite the same, the effect is often similar in thoroughbred sales, as Muhtathir had eight yearlings cataloged in the Deauville August Yearling Sale on August 15 through August 18. The timing could not have been better. All eight sold, and as Bill Oppenheim reported in the August 20, 2008 Thoroughbred Daily News on page 9 (available to subscribers in the archives), all eight sold for an average of 135,875 euros, including a 570,000 euro filly, fifth highest price in the sale. (Hip number 148, out of Princess d'Orange.)

Looking the female side, Jimkana has produced Mauralakana's half-sister Petit Calva, who placed second in the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte in France, and won the listed stakes Prix de la Calonne and Criterium du Bequet. More noteworthy, Jimkana is the full-sister to Jim and Tonic, a gelding who like her was by Double Bed, out of Jimka, by Jim French. Jim and Tonic's wins included the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free at Nad Al Sheba at age 7 in 2001, and earlier the Hong Kong Cup, Hong Kong Mile, and Queen Elizabeth II Cup (all gr. I Jap) at Sha Tin in Japan. His winning of numerous Group 3 races in France earned him high weight older horse twice on the French Handicap at 9 1/2 to 11 furlongs, and high weight older horse on the same handicap at 7 to 9 1/2 furlongs at age 7.

In fact, Jimka, who won 7 races in France out of a jaw-dropping 76 starts, produced no fewer than six offspring by Double Bed, including Gigawatt, who produced Anabaa Republic, third in two Group 3 races in France. Double Bed, winner of the Group 2 Prix de la Cote Normande in France and second in the Group 1 Champion Stakes in England, was out of Claire's Slipper, who won the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh in 1977.

Jimka's dam was the unraced Kastueuse, who also produced Tartueuse, who in turn produced Tolle Legge, dam of French Polo, winner of the listed Derby de l'Quest at Nantes in 2003. Kastueuse's dam, Vertueuse, was out of Tenebreuse, who produced in 1963 Taneb, winner of the Group 1 Gran Prix de Saint-Cloud in 1967.

With all of the black type in the 5-year-old Mauralakana's family, it is little wonder that Australian owner Robert Scarborough had plans to retire her to the breeding shed in Australia right after the race. Those plans are now on hold, since the victory in the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" Beverly D. qualifies her for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (gr. IT-as if you needed to know). Scarborough purchased his stakes winner as hip number 495 for $900,000 at the 2007 Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale, and she has done little wrong in 2008, winning the mile and 3/8 Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay Handicap and Grade 2 New York Handicap at a mile and a quarter, both at Belmont and both on the turf. The mile and 3/16 Beverly D. represented a shortened distance from those two, but as the above pedigree overview can attest, she was bred for grass and for distance. Her dosage profile of 2-0-7-1-0 is another indicator of her being bred for distance. Inbred 5m X 4m to Northern Dancer through five generations, her six-cross pedigree shown her also shows she is inbred Tudor Minstrel through her dam, as well as to Nasrullah (6m x 6m) and Native Dancer (6m x 6f).

What does her future hold? Diesis-line mares have displayed quite a bit of affinity for Northern Dancer-line stallions, which of course is going to produce the ever-familiar inbreeding to that line. Nevertheless, this cross has produced 2001 gr. IT United Nations Handicap winner Senure, and more recently the 2006 Group I Irish Derby and 2007 Group I Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Dylan Thomas, and 2006 Group 1 St. Leger stakes winner Sixties Icon, who this year recently won the Group 3 Glorious Stakes. Using the G1 Goldmine program, the Ventura GeoScore for Northern Dancer over Sharpen Up (the sire of Diesis) is positive: 1.28 in the United States. (1.00 is the baseline; over 1.00 means the cross did better than expected.) Interestingly, using Diesis specifically on the bottom under Northern Dancer yields a lower 0.90 in the United States, though a 1.15 overall. It should also be noted, however, that the Diesis line has produced very few graded stakes winners in the U.S. to begin with (17 grade I winners, by G1 Goldmine's count).

Breeders wanting to shy away from having Northern Dancer crosses --for whatever reason--will have to look hard. One option is breeding to Raise a Native-line sires, though obviously Native Dancer blood will still be there. One such results is 2000 Group I Irish One Thousand Guineas and Gr. I Coronation Stakes winner Crimplene. Another possibility is mating to Hail to Reason-line sires, under whom this cross has produced 2007 Gr. 1 St. Leger Stakes winner Lucarno, and 2003 Canadian Gr. 2 Sky Classic Handicap winner Bowman Mill, who also placed in that year’s Grade I Hollywood Turf Cup. Again taking into account the relatively low number of Diesis-line offspring in this country, the Ventura GeoScore for this particular cross is a striking 2.09 in the United States, 1.51 overall. When broadening things out to look for the Hail to Reason sire line cross over a Sharpen Up sire line mare, the tally includes Prince Arch, winner of the 2005 gr 1T Gulfsteam Park Breeders' Cup Handicap, and 2003 gr. I Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Action This Day, who were both descendents of Kris S. on the male side, as well as gr. I Japanese winner Neo Universe, who captured the Tokyo Yushun Derby and Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) in 2003, who was by Sunday Silence.

Regardless of the prospective sires she mates with, Maurlankana promises to be a very good broodmare if all goes well.

TesioPower Pedigree for Mauralakana
Mauralakana (2003) - F - 1-l
by Muhtahir out of Jimkana by Double Bed to 6 generations

Muhtahir 1995	Elmaamul 1987	Diesis 1980	Sharpen Up 1969	Atan 1961	*Native Dancer* Mixed Marriage	*1950 - 5-f* 1952 - 2-f
			Sharpen Up 1969	Rocchetta 1961	Rockefella Chambiges	1941 - 7-a 1949 - 5-i
			Doubly Sure 1971	Reliance 1962	Tantieme Relance	1947 - 20-a 1952 - 16-h
			Doubly Sure 1971	Soft Angels 1963	Crepello Sweet Angel	1954 - 16-d 1955 - 2-o
		Modena 1983	Roberto 1969	Hail To Reason 1958	Turn-To Nothirdchance	1951 - 1-w 1948 - 4-n
			Roberto 1969	Bramalea 1959	Nashua Rarelea	1952 - 3-m 1949 - 12-c
			Mofida 1974	Right Tack 1966	Hard Tack Polly Macaw	1955 - 19-c 1959 - 10-a
			Mofida 1974	Wold Lass 1960	Vilmorin Cheb	1943 - 7-d 1948 - 9-e
	Majmu 1988	Al Nasr 1978	Lyphard 1969	Northern Dancer 1961	Nearctic Natalma	1954 - 14-c 1957 - 2-d
			Lyphard 1969	Goofed 1960	Court Martial Barra II	1942 - 1-p 1950 - 17-b
			Caretta 1973	Caro 1967	Fortino II Chambord	1959 - 4-r 1955 - 3-o
			Caretta 1973	Klainia 1960	Klairon Kalitka	1952 - 1-w 1954 - 4-r
		Affirmative Fable 1981	Affirmed 1975	Exclusive Native 1965	Raise A Native Exclusive	1961 - 8-f 1953 - 10-a
			Affirmed 1975	Won't Tell You 1962	Crafty Admiral Scarlet Ribbon	1948 - 8-c 1957 - 23-b
			Fairway Fable 1971	Never Bend 1960	*Nasrullah* Lalun	*1940 - 9-c* 1952 - 19-b
			Fairway Fable 1971	Fairway Fun 1962	Prince John Fast Line	1953 - 14-f 1958 - 4-m
Jimkana 1992	Double Bed 1983	Be My Guest 1974	Northern Dancer 1961	Nearctic 1954	Nearco Lady Angela	1935 - 4-r 1944 - 14-c
			Northern Dancer 1961	Natalma 1957	*Native Dancer* Almahmoud	*1950 - 5-f* 1947 - 2-d
			What A Treat 1962	Tudor Minstrel 1944	Owen Tudor Sansonnet	1938 - 10-b 1933 - 9-c
			What A Treat 1962	Rare Treat 1952	Stymie Rare Perfume	1941 - 1-h 1947 - 8-c
		Claire's Slipper 1974	Welsh Saint 1966	St Paddy 1957	Aureole Edie Kelly	1950 - 2-f 1950 - 14-c
			Welsh Saint 1966	Welsh Way 1954	Abernant Winning Ways	1946 - 9-c 1945 - 9-h
			Semislipper 1967	Seminole II 1959	*Nasrullah* Banish	*1940 - 9-c* 1945 - 14-f
			Semislipper 1967	Sayaslipper 1960	Sayajirao Dusky Slipper	1944 - 3-n 1948 - 22
	Jimka 1978	Jim French 1968	Graustark 1963	Ribot 1952	Tenerani Romanella	1944 - 6-d 1943 - 4-l
			Graustark 1963	Flower Bowl 1952	Alibhai Flower Bed	1938 - 6-d 1946 - 4-d
			Dinner Partner 1959	Tom Fool 1949	Menow Gaga	1935 - 8-g 1942 - 3-j
			Dinner Partner 1959	Bluehaze 1945	Blue Larkspur Flaming Swords	1926 - 8-f 1933 - 7
		Kastueuse 1970	Kashmir II 1963	Tudor Melody 1956	*Tudor Minstrel* Matelda	*1944 - 9-c* 1947 - 1-n
			Kashmir II 1963	Queen Of Speed 1950	Blue Train Bishopscourt	1944 - 3-o 1945 - 9-c
			Vertueuse 1961	Verrieres 1953	Palestine Serre Chaude	1947 - 3-e 1944 - 5-g
			Vertueuse 1961	Tenebreuse 1949	Teleferique Macreuse	1934 - 20-a 1938 - 1-l

TesioPower

Milwaukee Brew: A Sire to Watch?

2008-08-23T22:53:00.005-05:00

Milwaukee Brew is not a sire who has generated much conversation so far. Hard as it may be to call one of only three two-in-a-row winners of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap (Lava Man and John Henry being the other two) as flying "under the radar," he is rarely mentioned in the same breath as some of his fellow sires whose three-year-olds are now on the track.

But that could change, if the results from so far this year are any indication. Currently ranked third in earnings on the Second-Crop Sire List, with earnings (as of August 20, 2008) of $1,792,732, his standing so far is a leap above 2007's year-end first-year sire listing, where he finished twenty-first. Even so, he had a respectable 18% winners from all foals last year, double the percentage of Empire Maker, and on better footing than Mineshaft and Sky Mesa--not to mention that he is currently standing for a far cheaper fee than any of those sires. More telling, whereas last year he had no stake-winners, this year he already has three--the most notable being Ginger Brew, winner of this year's Calder Oaks and the second-place finisher (by just a head to Not Bourbon) in the Canadian G1 Queen's Plate. His stud fee is among the cheapest of this year's top twenty (so far), with only Repent ($5,000), D'Wildcat ($6,500), and Smooth Jazz ($3,000) having less expensive advertised fees, along with Yankee Gentleman's listed fee of $7,500.

When one looks at lifetime progeny earnings of second-crop sires, as Thoroughbred Times does, the statistics are just as favorable. Milwaukee Brew is ranked eleventh in lifetime earnings among his contemporaries, with (as of August 20, 2008) lifetime earnings of $2,253,013. To be fair, when one takes the progeny earnings for the top twenty in the Thoroughbred Times listing and divides it by the number of starters for each of them, Milwaukee Brew's ranking drops to thirteenth, with an average earnings per starter of $26,821.58. Still, that ranks about $500 higher than Van Nistelrooy and several others in the top twenty, all of which except Flatter command a higher stud fee.

So what is his Average Earnings Index--that other barometer of sire effectivness? Well…..not great. It is currently 1.35, with a Comparable Index of 1.55 according to the Blood-Horse listing as of August 20, 2008, ranking him at 137 on the list--barely making the cutoff of the top 150 listed. But let's try that other ranking, the APEX ranking, which is described more fully on the Thoroughbred Daily News site (link available only to subscribers of TDN). Recently, APEX creator Bill Oppenheim released his mid-year APEX ratings. (There is a link to a downloadable spreadsheet in the August 13, 2008 edition of the Thoroughbred Daily News.) Here, Milwaukee Brew rates a lowly 0.79 in his ABC index, placing him 549 out of 1096 listed. But here is what is interesting: his 2 year old APEX rating is 0.38, whereas his 3 year old rating is 1.15. Of course, much can be attributed to the success of Ginger Brew this year, but a rise in APEX ratings may just be indicative of a sire whose offspring may be late developers, a bit like himself.

Now, before you automatically jump to the conclusion that at this time of year it is only natural for a second-crop sire to have a higher rating for 3-year-olds than 2-year olds, a look at some of his contemporaries does not necessarily bear that out. Empire Maker's 2-year-olds are rated at 2.87, while his three-years have dipped to 1.89. Proud Citizen--even with the phenomenal success of Proud Spell this year--has a 2YO APEX of 1.68, and a 3YO of 1.21. Macho Uno has a 2YO rating of 1.54 and a 3YO rating of 1.17. To be sure, Harlan's Holiday, Sky Mesa, and several others have had an increase in ranking like Milwaukee Brew. However, among all the second-year sires (those with first foals arriving in 2005) who had a rating above 0.0 for 2 year-olds as well as 3 year-olds, Milwaukee Brew has the highest increase from 2YO APEX to 3YO APEX; that rating from 0.38 to 1.15 represents an increase of 302.6 percent. The next highest? Repent, whose 2YO APEX of 0.81 and 3YO APEX of 1.95 represents an increase of 240.7%. (Yankee Gentleman and Sky Mesa are next on the list, by the way.) While it's far too early to draw too many conclusions for this at the mid-year point, such ratings make perfectly good sense for a sire who himself did not really hit his best stride until he got older. (Although Milwaukee Brew won the Grade 2 Ohio Derby at age 3, his victories in the Santa Anita Handicap came at ages 5 and 6.) Could his offspring develop the same characteristics?

Milwaukee Brew certainly has an intriguing pedigree, as shown below and as created by the Tesiopower software. His most substantial inbreeding is on the male side, as he is sired by the first Breeder's Cup Classic (G1) winner Wild Again, who is inbred 3mX4f to Nearco through his sire Icecapade and 4mX3f to Hyperion. On the other hand his dam, Ask Anita, (a Grade 3 stakes winner), is a complete outcross in her first five generations.

After he won the 2002 Santa Anita Handicap, Thoroughbred Daily News pedigree expert Andrew Caulfield stated that "it would have been no surprise had Milwaukee Brew also proved to be a turf performer" [TDN, March 5, 2002, p. 4, available only to subscribers in their archive section]. Caufield points out his dam and broodmare sire (Wolf Power) were both turf performers, as well as the fact that the bottom half of Wild Again's pedigree features Epsom Derby winners Hyperion, Dante, and Mahmoud. In addition, Wild Again had sired turf performers Free at Last, Wild Event, Narita King O and Wild Zone. One can supplement Mr. Caufield's list with Gigawatt, winner of the Grade 3 Miami Mile Breeders Cup Handicap in 2006, and Aud, winner of the Grade 3 Pucker Up Stakes in 2003. Wild Again was retired from active duty at Three Chimneys Farm in 2004.

This makes a compelling argument for breeding Milwaukee Brew to some proven turf runners to, perhaps, optimize his breeding capability already inherent in his family. His most successful offspring so far, Ginger Brew, who is out of the lightly raced, non-stakes placed Coral Necklace (and whose broodmare sire was the 1982 Horse of the Year Conquistador Cielo who, however, did not win on the turf) won the Calder Oaks on the grass. This is likely courtesy of her Milwaukee Brew side of her pedigree, as her dam's side in the first few generations is notably bereft of significant turf runners. And (dosage haters may want to ignore this sentence) Milwaukee Brew's own dosage profile is more indicative of a turf runner, with a lower than average dosage index and center of distribution, thus in keeping with Roman's research that turf runners in general have lower figures.

Looking at some of Milwaukee Brew's other runners, several have won or placed on the turf: Musical Brew, Mascara, Fire Brewed, Dicey D J, and August Rush. Perhaps his lowered stud fee may attract a few more risk takers out there: he dropped from an advertised fee of $10,000 in last year’s Blood-Horse Stallion Register to his current $7,500 in this year’s. Currently ranked a rather lowly 61st (as of August 20, 2008) on the Blood-Horse listing of leading turf sires when ranked by earnings on the turf, his turf earnings percentage is a respectable 28%--the same percentage as established sires Alphabet Soup, Hennessy, and Elusive Quality. His 13 winners on the turf so far this year is also respectable--enough to rank him 38th on the same listing of sires, which lists the top 150.

Call it a wishful thinking on my part, but here’s hoping that a few more breeders with some solid grass runners in their dam’s pedigrees will consider Milwaukee Brew as an acceptable risk at $7,500. That said, this writer's hunch is that he may dip down in the overall rankings a bit the rest of this year, if only because he does not seem to be getting the graded stakes winners that tilt such rankings in the favor of those sires who manage to accomplish that task. But Milwaukee Brew is shaping up to be a “blue collar” racer who may beget blue collar offspring. As many racing fans know, late developing runners are often tried out on the turf if they fail on the dirt. And that may suit Milwaukee Brew's offspring just fine.

Note: Rankings on sire lists have already changed a bit since this article was composed; data was accurate as of August 20, 2008.

Milwaukee Brew is currently standing at Adena Springs South.

TesioPower Pedigree for Milwaukee Brew

Milwaukee Brew (1997) - M - 20-a
by Wild Again out of Ask Anita by Wolf Power to 6 generations

Wild Again 1980	Icecapade 1969	Nearctic 1954	Nearco 1935	Pharos 1920	Phalaris Scapa Flow	1913 - 1-i 1914 - 13-e
			Nearco 1935	Nogara 1928	Havresac II Catnip	1915 - 8-h 1910 - 4-r
			Lady Angela 1944	Hyperion 1930	Gainsborough Selene	1915 - 2-n 1919 - 6-e
			Lady Angela 1944	Sister Sarah 1930	Abbots Trace Sarita	1917 - 4-j 1924 - 14-c
		Shenanigans 1963	Native Dancer 1950	Polynesian 1942	Unbreakable Black Polly	1935 - 4-i 1936 - 14-a
			Native Dancer 1950	Geisha 1943	Discovery Miyako	1931 - 23-b 1935 - 5-f
			Bold Irish 1948	Fighting Fox 1935	Sir Gallahad III Marguerite	1920 - 16-a 1920 - 4-n
			Bold Irish 1948	Erin 1927	Transmute Rosie O'Grady	1921 - 3-n 1915 - 8-c
	Bushel-N-peck 1958	Khaled 1943	Hyperion 1930	Gainsborough 1915	Bayardo Rosedrop	1906 - 10-a 1907 - 2-n
			Hyperion 1930	Selene 1919	Chaucer Serenissima	1900 - 1-g 1913 - 6-e
			Eclair 1930	Ethnarch 1922	The Tetrarch Karenza	1911 - 2-o 1910 - 1-h
			Eclair 1930	Black Ray 1919	Black Jester Lady Brilliant	1911 - 1-s 1912 - 22-d
		Dama II 1950	Dante 1942	Nearco 1935	Pharos Nogara	1920 - 13-e 1928 - 4-r
			Dante 1942	Rosy Legend 1931	Dark Legend Rosy Cheeks	1914 - 9-e 1919 - 3-n
			Clovelly 1938	Mahmoud 1933	Blenheim Mah Mahal	1927 - 1-e 1928 - 9-c
			Clovelly 1938	Udaipur 1929	Blandford Uganda	1919 - 3-o 1921 - 3-e
Ask Anita 1990	Wolf Power 1978	Flirting Around 1971	Round Table 1954	Princequillo 1940	Prince Rose Cosquilla	1928 - 10-c 1933 - 1-b
			Round Table 1954	Knight's Daughter 1941	Sir Cosmo Feola	1926 - 6 1933 - 2-f
			Happy Flirt 1958	Johns Joy 1946	Bull Dog My Auntie	1927 - 16-a 1933 - 9-a
			Happy Flirt 1958	Saracen Flirt 1945	Pilate Knights Gal	1928 - 14-f 1930 - 2-s
		Pandora 1970	Casabianca 1961	Never Say Die 1951	Nasrullah Singing Grass	1940 - 9-c 1944 - 1-n
			Casabianca 1961	Abelia 1955	Abernant Queen Of Peru	1946 - 9-c 1948 - 6-f
			Blue Siren 1962	Open Sky 1956	Court Martial Per Ardua	1942 - 1-p 1941 - 2-u
			Blue Siren 1962	Alarmist 1955	Djask Firefighter	1942 - 5-j 1939 - 18
	Epanoui 1980	Val De L'Orne 1972	Val De Loir 1959	Vieux Manoir 1947	Brantome Vieille Maison	1931 - 27-a 1936 - 10-e
			Val De Loir 1959	Vali 1954	Sunny Boy Her Slipper	1944 - 16-a 1936 - 5-h
			Aglae 1965	Armistice 1959	Worden II Commemoration	1949 - 13-c 1953 - 9-f
			Aglae 1965	Aglae Grace 1947	Mousson Agathe	1934 - 16-g 1936 - 11-e
		Swalthee 1975	Sword Dancer 1956	Sunglow 1947	Sun Again Rosern	1939 - 9-f 1927 - 2-n
			Sword Dancer 1956	Highland Fling 1950	By Jimminy Swing Time	1941 - 20 1935 - 1-o
			Amalthee 1964	Right Royal 1958	Owen Tudor Bastia	1938 - 10-b 1951 - 3-f
			Amalthee 1964	Azulene 1956	Ocarina Alizarine	1947 - 14-c 1939 - 20-a

Dosage Profile: 6-5-7-2-0 (20) DI=2.64 CD=0.75
TesioPower

Welcome!

2008-08-17T22:10:00.004-05:00

Welcome to my page of thoroughbred pedigree musings. As my "About Me" section indicates, I am a fan of thoroughbred racing and not anything close to being a real "pedigree consultant." This site will contain my thoughts on thoroughbred pedigrees in general, and I invite any and all comments. I always wanted to write about pedigrees, and blogging gives me my best venue for doing so. Constructive feedback is always welcome.

I knew I was hooked on pedigrees when, in high school, I used my hard-earned dollars working as a library page, and later a library clerk-typist, to subscribe to both The Blood-Horse and the (then) Thoroughbred Record. Later, I purchased Sire Lines by Abram Hewitt. I wound up earning a B.A. in History and a master's degree in library science. So, I guess the combination of those two degrees with being a thoroughbred racing fan makes my interest in pedigrees a natural. (A second master's a computer information systems came a few years ago.)

As the years went on, I enjoyed reading the debate over such things as Steven Roman's dosage figures, which--I have to say now--I DO endorse, if only because it gives a casual fan such as myself a relatively easy way to spot potential prepotency in a sire. I remember reading Leon Rasmussen's columns in the Daily Racing Form when he talked about dosage using Franco Varola's Typology of the Racehorse as his model, but back in the days when Rasmussen went through an entire pedigree rather than four generations, it seemed impossible to replicate his research. When he adopted Roman's methodology, it put the casual fan in the picture. I know the majority of pedigree enthusiasts usually (and often violently) disagree with Roman's methods, but most pedigree research--it seems to me--is down to one person's opinion, anyway, backed by the racing statistics he or she can find to back them up. To be sure, even I don't agree with all of Roman's choices of chefs-de-race. Ah well, debate is good. And let's face it: dosage figures appear in almost all pedigree-related programs and web sites, like them or not.

While I certainly look at free sites such as Pedigreequery (see list of links) I am a big fan of Simon Morris' TesioPower software. While expensive, it is important to support software development such as this, and Mr. Morris provides excellent customer support. The G1 Goldmine software is another important resource, and their ability to search by specific places in a pedigree (not just entire generations) as well as their "Affinity Matrix" for analyzing potential nicking patterns makes it well worth the money.

Anyway, that's what I use for my research. How about you? I look forward to hearing from you and sharing your opinions.