Distorted Humor’s Drosselmeyer

By Sid Fernando

Drosselmeyer, a son of Distorted Humor, finally got his first stakes win after flashing more promise early in his career than the same sire’s and owner’s Endorsement, and it couldn’t have happened at better time than Saturday at Belmont Park in the historic Belmont Stakes over 12f. The win gave WinStar Farm two of the three 2010 classic—the same farm’s homebred Super Saver won the Kentucky Derby—and it gave WinStar’s resident sire his second classic winner, too, after 2003 Derby winner Funny Cide.

Distorted Humor (Forty Niner-Danzig’s Beauty, by Danzig) stands for $100,000 at Win Star Farm in Versailles, Ky., and already has swept the Triple Crown races as Derby winner Funny Cide also won the Preakness. Now the sire of at least 86 SWs (including at least 9 in SH from three seasons in Australia), Distorted Humor began his career inexpensively at $12,500; last year he was at $150,000. His first crop, which included Funny Cide and 9 other SWs, announced his arrival, and he hasn’t looked back since. To date in 2010, Distorted Humor leads all sires by number of unrestricted SWs with 10, including 7 first-time unrestricted SWs in 2010.

As a racehorse, Distorted Humor was primarily a 7f sprinter, but he has scaled the heights to become a reliable source of classic talent. He raced three seasons, from 3-5, winning fives stakes races at the G2-G3 level and earning more than $750K. The well-managed WinStar operation made sure early on that they spread mares in foal to him in states with good restricted racing programs, and WinStar was actually the listed breeder of Funny Cide in New York.

Nowadays, Distorted Humor is one of the elite sires in the country and doesn’t need restricted company for protection; he easily makes his away in the best races around the country. The stallion’s Endorsement won the $800K G3 Sunland Park Derby in New Mexico and was very much a live Derby colt before getting hurt on the eve of the first classic. A $450,000 yearling, Endorsement is out of an A.P. Indy mare from an Argentine family and on a sire-line cross is bred like Funny Cide, who was produced from a mare by the Seattle Slew sire Slewacide. A winner of 2 of 4 starts, Endorsement defeated the undefeated and highly regarded Conveyance in the Sunland Park Derby. The Distorted Humor/Seattle Slew combination through A.P. Indy also was responsible for the one-time classics contender and G1 winner Any Given Saturday and the Delta Jackpot winner at 2 and one-time classic contender Z Humor, as well as of 2010 3-year-old SW Bank the Eight.

In contrast, Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer is out of a Northern Dancer-line mare and is actually inbred 4x4x5 to the 1964 Derby winner through Danzig, Nijisnky, and Storm Bird. The chestnut colt was bred by Aaron U. and Marie D. Jones and was purchased as a September yearling for $600,000. The dam, Golden Ballet, was a multiple G1 winner.

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