Archive for February, 2010
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
By Sid Fernando
Eskendereya, impressive winner of the G2 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Saturday, actually sold at Keeneland, for $250,000 as a yearling to Zayat Stable. High marks to the Zayat crew for another remarkable auction purchase, but the official breeder of the colt is Sanford R. Robertson, and he gets the full credit.
I don’t know Mr.Robertson personally, but by reading Eskendereya’s family tree, I’m impressed with his knowledge of pedigrees, his understanding of theory, and his patience — which has rewarded him now with a legitimate classics contender.
The breeder got into this family when he purchased the Alydar mare Altair — Eskenderya’s 2nd dam — in 1993 as an unraced 2-year-old at the Keeneland November sale, from the consignment of her breeder, Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm. Though unraced, she was classically bred, descending in tail-female to her 4th dam, Almahmoud, through Cosmah, her 3rd dam. Cosmah, among others, produced Halo — the sire of Sunday Silence. Cosmah’s half-sister was Natalma — the dam of Northern Dancer.
Cosmah’s daughter Queen Sucree — Altair’s 2nd dam — produced Derby winner Cannonade, as well as the Northern Dancer mare Stellar Odyssey, Altair’s dam. Stellar Odyssey, bred by North Ridge Farm, also was unraced, but she had an interesting pedigree pattern: As a daughter of Northern Dancer from the immediate family of Northern Dancer, she was inbred 3×3 to Almahmoud.
Bred to Alydar, she produced the unraced Altair, the filly that Mr. Robertson purchased in 1993, 17 years ago.
He decided to breed his young mare first to Seattle Slew, adding more classic blood to a pedigree rich in it — even if the first two dams were unraced. This mating, in 1996, produced Aldebaran Light, who won 3 of 5 starts but no stakes races.
Aldebaran Light is Eskendereya’s dam. Before him, she produced the European G2 sprinter Balmont, by Stravinsky (by Nureyev, by Northern Dancer). Balmont was raced by Mr. Robertson in partnership with Hatta Bloodstock and also was multiple G1 placed, too.
The pedigree pattern that produced Balmont is similar to that of Eskendereya, as both are by Northern Dancer-line sires from the family of Northern Dancer. In Eskendereya’s case, Mr. Robertson bred Aldebaran Light to one of the best young sires in the country, Giant’s Causeway — the best son of his exemplary sire, Storm Cat.
Click here to take a look at this pedigree. Note the surface classic strength of this pedigree: by Giant’s Causeway, a champion at 9.5 to 10f, out of a mare by Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, out of a mare by Alydar, out of a mare by Northern Dancer, out of a mare by Ribot, from the immediate family of Derby winners Cannonade and Northern Dancer.
Now look at the pattern again: Mr. Robertson has inbred to the sire of a member of the tail-female line, notably Stellar Odyssey, the Northern Dancer 3rd dam of Eskendereya. Therefore, Eskendereya is inbred 4×4 to Northern Dancer. This specific pattern of inbreeding has been utilized through the years by some of the greatest breeders in the world; in Eskendereya’s case, there’s also been a layering of repitition to other points of Northern Dancer’s female family, obviously with Stellar Odyssey having Almahmoud 3×3.
David Miller’s View From the Quarter Pole blog has more interesting notes on this pedigree.
The late Jack Werk and associates at WTC Inc., utilized some similar constructs in designing the pedigree of 1998 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet. Click here to view the pedigree. Note that Real Quiet’s 3rd dam, Gay Hostess, produced the Derby winner Majestic Prince (by Raise a Native), as well as his sister Meadow Blue, and Real Quiet was also a Raise a Native-line horse through Quiet American/Fappiano/Mr.Prospector/Raise a Native.
In a similar pattern to Eskendereya’s pedigree, then, Real Quiet is inbred to the sire of a member of the tail-female line, in this case to 2nd dam Meadow Blue’s sire Raise a Native 4×3.
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Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Please click here to read it.
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Saturday, February 20th, 2010
By Sid Fernando
Ashford Stud’s Giant’s Causeway, the leading US sire of 2009, hasn’t skipped a beat through the first seven weeks of 2010 and was the name of the game (along with trainer Todd Pletcher) in Saturday’s classic preps on both coasts. At Gulfstream Park in Florida, Zayat Stable’s Giant’s Causeway colt Eskendereya was dominant in the G2 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes, winning off by 8½ lengths from the good Florida stakes winner Jackson Bend; in California at Golden Gate, the Giant’s Causeway colt Connemara won the G3 El Camino Real Derby by 1¼ lengths for Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, and Derek Smith – the Coolmore group. Both colts, by the way, are trained by Todd Pletcher, who also was responsible for G2 Risen Star Stakes winner Discreetly Mine at the Fairgrounds in Louisiana on the same day.
Both Eskendereya and Connemara won their races over trips of 9f, but the former won on dirt in 1:48 4/5 while the latter covered the distance in 1:51 1/5 over the all weather to underline the great versatility of their sire, who raced over turf in Europe and not surprisingly is a sire of top-class grass horses, too. But as a son of the great American sire Storm Cat, Giant’s Causeway appropriately stands in Kentucky, at Coolmore’s US satellite Ashford Stud. He’s been here since 2002, after beginning his career at Coolmore in Ireland in 2001. He will always be remembered here for his brilliant last-race performance in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Classic over dirt, when he gave Tiznow all he could handle in a runner-up performance after a full and busy season in Europe.
It’s become apparent every year that surface isn’t a problem for the progeny of this exceptional sire, who consistently gets high-class runners on turf, all weather, and dirt, despite having covered large books of mares that would ordinarily dilute a sire’s effectiveness statistically. Simply put, however, he is one of the most influential young sires in the world, and his few young sons at stud to date already have made impacts quickly, too. Note that on Feb. 11 at Meydan in Dubai, the Giant’s Causeway sire Shamardal’s 3yo first-crop daughter Siyaadah won the UAE 1000 Guineas on all weather; last year, Shamardal was the leading first-crop sire in Great Britain, while the another son, Footstepsinthesand (25 2yo winners), was ranked among the leaders, too.
Jack Werk wrote an outstanding piece on Giant’s Causeway in this space on Dec. 2, 2009, and I’m not going to regurgitate what Jack wrote about the sire here, except to note that Jack put the stallion’s 2010 stud fee of $100,000 – down from $125,000 in 2009 – in great perspective when he wrote: “Coolmore did breed him to very large books, which made it almost impossible for him to show profitability by yearling median sales, but GC’s absolutely amazing ability to get the ‘big horse’ – isn’t that what breeding is all about? – at a very consistent rate makes him an exceptional stallion at a very reasonable price!” Well put!
At this time of year, the “big” horse is a classics contender, and Giant’s Causeway has two more to date in the US so far.
Click here to read Jack’s Dec. 2, 2009, post.
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Thursday, February 18th, 2010
Two of Jack Werk’s oldest industry friends paid tribute to him today.
Australian BLUEBLOODS publisher ANDREW REICHARD wrote the following today: Farewell to Jack
New WTC president and former DAILY RACING FORM bloodstock editor SID FERNANDO wrote this in TDN today (pages 4-5): Sons, daughters, fathers, friends, and Jack Werk
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the American Cancer Society.
Friends and family are invited to a memorial to celebrate his incredible life on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 11:00 am at Berge-Pappas-Smith Chapel of the Angels, 40842 Fremont Blvd., Fremont, 94538.
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Monday, February 15th, 2010
By Sid Fernando
I’m posting this press release here to let WTC clients and friends know of the passing of WTC founder Jack Werk, a close friend. Jack’s goal, when he learned of his illness almost a year ago, was to situate the company on firm footing so that it could continue uninterrupted. He has accomplished this, and we at WTC will continue the work and business relationships that he has established.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WTC President Jack Werk Passes
Fremont, California, February 15, 2010–Jack Werk, 65, founder of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants and the eNicks online mating and stallion promotion service, died early Sunday morning, attended by close friends and family, after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his daughter Kris and son Steve.
In the late 1980s, Werk transformed a long-time hobby into the most vibrant pedigree consulting company the thoroughbred industry had ever seen. The popular Werk Nick Rating, only the best-known of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants’ many innovations, together with Werk’s imaginative approach to product creation and marketing, catapulted the company into prominence. As advisor to the late Eduardo Gaviria, Werk’s company recommended the mating that produced 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet, who raced for the same connections as those of 2010 Classic prospect Lookin at Lucky, also the result of a WTC-recommended mating.
In 1987, with the support of his friend and long-time Daily Racing Form “Bloodlines” columnist, Leon Rasmussen, Werk founded the influential Owner-Breeder, a first-of-its-kind monthly journal dedicated to thoroughbred pedigree analysis and evaluation. Werk’s column, “Who’s Hot, Who’s Not,” the most popular feature of the publication, was reinvented as a blog at www.werkhorse.com, the company’s website, where Werk continued to provide insightful pedigree commentary until just days prior to his death.
In 2004 Werk launched what has become his company’s most successful venture ever, the wildly popular eNicks.com, an online mating assistance facility featuring WTC’s signature Werk Nick Rating. “With the remarkable success of eNicks,” said Sid Fernando, Werk’s long-time friend and hand-picked successor in the management of the company, “Jack has left the company stronger than it’s ever been. We’re all devastated at losing Jack, but his most heartfelt wish was that the company go on, and he put a solid plan in place that promises the thoroughbred industry WTC’s high standard of service for a long time to come. I’m going to see to it that the company keeps that promise.”
“Knowing Jack has made me a better person,” said Roger Lyons, long-time friend and partner with Werk in the popular pedigree software, CompuSire, which the two founded in 1992. “Jack’s friendship, advice, and vision have gone a long way in my life, both professionally and personally.”
Chuck Fipke, long-time client and close personal friend, once named a foal out of his mare Recoletta “Jack’s Work” in honor of Jack. “Recoletta was his favorite mare,” Fipke said. “Jack and I were completing a distance aptitude research project when Jack suddenly passed. Jack has trained his assistant Elaine Belval in this project, but there will be a huge void for owners and breeders throughout the world. But Jack will have a place in all our hearts as ‘Jack’s Work’ lives on.”
A memorial service, yet to be scheduled, will be held in Fremont and will be open to friends and family. For details, call Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc. Phone: (510) 490-1111.
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Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
By Jack Werk
Quality Road’s absolutely monster performance in the G1 Donn Handicap Saturday at Gulfstream Park was one of the most visually amazing races I’ve seen in a while! I guess the boys at the Beyer Speed Figure ratings thought so too because he got a huge 121 for the performance. Did I mention that it was a track-record performance? Quality Road covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47 2/5 to win by almost 13 lengths! Did you know that the track record he broke was his own, set last year in the G1 Florida Derby? Of course, you know that his sire is Darley’s Elusive Quality, a son of Gone West who keeps coming up with “big” horses!
Elusive Quality is a 17-year-old stallion and is a “made man” as a sire. By this, I mean that he’s a certified proven sire, and in these days he’s the type of sire that will attract plenty of interest because of his proven ability. As I mentioned, he’s by Gone West and out of the mare Touch of Greatness, by Hero’s Honor. Believe it or not, Elusive Quality was not a Grade 1 winner himself, and both his stakes wins came on turf! He won 9 of 20 starts and won two G3s on turf as a 5-year-old! He was placed in two G2 sprints on dirt, but with this type of race record, it’s not surprising that he went to stud for only $10,000 live foal, even with the great family that he has. In 2010, he stands for $75,000 live foal – a measure of his success and something that I take great pride in because I picked him as the No. 1 sire prospect of his year!
The main thing he had going for himself was his sire, I’m convinced. Gone West (Mr. Prospector) is a flat out sire of sires, and Elusive Quality is his best son at stud, but there are many others, too. They include the up-and-coming Speightstown, the very promising Proud Citizen, the proven Mr. Greeley and Grand Slam, the European sire Zamindar, the late Zafonic, and Western Winter – one of the leading sires in South Africa.
To date, Elusive Quality has sired 55 SWs, including many top dirt runners. He’s best known as the sire of G1 Derby and G1 Preakness hero Smarty Jones, but his other leading runners include the European-raced G1 winner Raven’s Pass, who came here and won the Breeders’ Cup Classic from a field that included Curlin in 2008; European G1 winner Elusive City, who’s turning into a promising sire in Europe; G1-winning US dirt filly Maryfield; and Australian G1-winning filly Camarilla. As you can see, he’s had G1 winners on dirt, turf, and synthetics – the true hallmark of a high-class stallion in the US.
Although Smarty Jones and Raven’s Pass won at 1¼ miles on dirt and synthetics in G1 company, many of Elusive Quality’s runners, including G2, G3, and Listed race winners, are known for their sprinting speed on dirt, turf, and synthetics and are “shorter” versions of Quality Road – speed horses that don’t stay farther than a mile. For this reason, he’s been really successful in the US, because of dirt and synthetics. When he shuttled to Australia, he wasn’t as successful, because he didn’t have the variety of surfaces that show him off best. He also probably didn’t get the mares that suited him best, either.
For the 2009 Southern Hemisphere season, Elusive Quality was sent to Brazil, so he has another shot to make his mark in the SH – in another environment.
But, let’s face it. He’s at his best here, where horses like Quality Road can flash their dirt speed to best effect. Based on what we saw in Quality Road this weekend, he’s going to continue to keep his sire at the top of the charts and in the news!
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Thursday, February 4th, 2010
By Jack Werk
The two-day New Zealand Premier Yearling Sale at Karaka on Monday and Tuesday produced some huge figures, including a sale topper by Zabeel (Click here for more info on Zabeel) who was purchased for a whopping NZ$2 million (about $1.4 million in US dollars). Overall, the sale was up 26 percent by average and 35 percent by median – amazing results for that part of the world when you consider that the Gold Coast sale was uneven. I didn’t go to Karaka because I was down with the flu, but I had insider info because my good friend Andrew Reichard, the publisher of Blue Bloods, was accompanying WTC client Chuck Fipke, who, as readers of this space know, is determined to win the Melbourne Cup! To that end, he was buying at Karaka and was also there with the great Australian trainer Bart Cummings, who will train the yearlings at Lelani Lodge and knows a thing or two about Melbourne Cup winners!
More than a year ago, on Jan. 10, 2009, I wrote a post here that said this: “You heard it here, first! The Indiana Jones of the Thoroughbred industry, Canadian Chuck Fipke has set his sights on the Melbourne Cup!” Click here to read the post, where I also wrote this background on Chuck’s interest in the Melbourne Cup:
“In 2007 and 2008, Darby Dan owner John Philips began a tradition for Chuck’s November sale advisors to dine at Dudley’s on the Monday night of the Melbourne Cup in Australia. Chuck got hooked watching the endurance race from Dudley’s, and it didn’t hurt that a group of Aussies at the table next to us this past November got us – and especially Chuck – hyped with their slurred chants of ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!!’ (Chuck was buying the rounds!)
“The winner in 2007 was Efficient, by the great Cambridge Stud sire Zabeel (sire of three Cup winners!), and the winner in 2008 was Viewed, trained by the legendary Bart Cummings.
“After the race last November, Chuck stood up and declared, ‘That’s it, I wanna win the Melbourne Cup.’ He was dead serious, and I knew better than to say, ‘You’ve got to be kidding!’”
In a Feb. 20, 2009, post, I wrote that on behalf of Chuck I had made the arrangements to send Chuck’s mare Perfect Secretary – a full sister to his G1 winner Perfect Soul – to New Zealand to be bred to Zabeel at Cambridge Stud. Click here to read that post, where I noted that Perfect Secretary would be permanently boarded at Cambridge Stud and bred to Zabeel every year in an attempt to get a potential Melbourne Cup runner (and winner!). The leading sire in NZ, Zabeel is a great source of stamina and is the sire of three Melbourne Cup winners to date!
Well, Perfect Secretary is in foal to Zabeel, but Chuck decided to increase his odds for the Melbourne Cup by buying a few more Zabeels, and that’s exactly what he accomplished this week, buying two. And both the Zabeels that he purchased were from the outstanding Eight Carat family – appropriately named for the Diamond Man himself!
Chuck’s first purchase, for NZ$575,000, was Lot #40, a Zabeel colt out of Markisa, by Danehill. (Click here to view pedigree). His second Zabeel, for NZ$220,000, was Lot #28, a Zabeel colt out of the appropriately named Love Diamonds, by Danehill! (Click here to view pedigree). For good measure, Chuck also bought a Montjeu colt, Lot #301, for NZ$440,000, and this one is out of a Danehill mare, too! (Click here to view pedigree).
So, Chuck’s pursuit of the Melbourne Cup, which happened by a chance viewing of the race on TV at Dudley’s, is now well on it’s way to becoming a reality!
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Jack Werk (1944-2010)
