Tapit earns stud fee raise

By Elaine Belval

It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but, as much as I love horse racing I rarely bet. And, as much as I love horse racing, I rarely go to the track (but I love HRTV and TVG!).

In early October, I was in Lexington for the World Equestrian Games and the Genetics Symposium. In between those events, my friend Karen and I attended Sunday’s racing at Keeneland Racecourse, one of the most beautiful courses in the US. We saw Acoma demolish a very nice field in the G1 Spinster S (totally lost money on that race!). We saw Zenyatta’s younger brother Souper Spectacular take a one-other allowance (make some nice change on that race). And we also saw a very impressive two-year-old maiden winner named Dancinginherdreams. The filly was named a “TDN Rising Star” after her five-length victory that day.

Both Karen and I had the filly. She returned to win the G2 Pocahontas S. at Churchill Downs on Sunday, October 31. She won that race by five lengths for owner John Oxley and trainer John Ward. She will be heading to the Florida for the winter and is certain to make her mark on the three-year-old races. Dancinginherdreams is the 22nd unrestricted SW Tapit has sired, the tenth this year (eight are first-time SWs). Bred by Nancy Shuford, she is out of Mayan Milagra by Menifee. She is the fourth SW that Tapit has with Storm Cat-line mares, joining G1 winners Careless Jewel, Tell a Kelly and SW Bearcatt.

With four SWs, two G1, and one G2 SW, the cross of Tapit over daughters of Storm Cat-line mares exemplifies the A+++ nick rating. Tapit currently ranks 14th on the General Sire List (his first crop are only four-year-olds!). He ranks first on the Third Crop Sire List (through Nov.20; and what a grouping that is, with Speightstown and Medaglia d’Oro behind him). In July of this year I wrote Tapit is quickly becoming one of the most successful and versatile stallions in the US. That might have been an understatement. Tapit stands at Gainesway Farm in Kentucky, and it was announced that his fee would rise from $50,000 to $80,000. He’s earned it!

(Elaine Belval is Senior Pedigree Analayst for WTC.)

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Cape Cross puts up numbers

By Elaine Belval

Cape Cross, a son of the Danzig sire Green Desert out of champion juvenile filly Park Appeal, has been in the news quite a lot over the last few years. First there was his great filly Ouija Board, winner of two Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf races. And then in 2009, his European Horse of the Year Sea the Stars took center stage. Both of those runners excelled at up to 12 furlongs, whereas Cape Cross himself was a Group 1-winning European miler. [Click here to read more on the Green Desert sire line by Jack Werk. Cape Cross also is from the family of the leading first-crop sire Iffraaj and the stallion Diktat, who had the leading two-year-old colt Dream Ahead in 2010. Click here to read a post about Iffraaj and click here to read about Diktat by Sid Fernando.]

While Cape Cross does not have a Sea the Stars in 2010, he does have an impressive 15 NH SWs, including G1 winner Behkabad (Grand Prix de Paris). They include such new 2010 SWs as Cape Dollar, winner of the prestigious G2 Rockfel S. for two-year-old fillies (one of several new SWs in 2010). Daughter I Love Me finished a close third in the same race. Also on that card, his daughter Crystal Capella won the 12-furlong G2 Pride S. having won the same race in 2008 after finishing a close second in 2009.

Cape Cross is one of the most versatile stallions standing in Europe. Over 25% of his progeny win stakes at two. He has had SWs from six to 12 furlongs. Just over 50% of his SWs are graded stakes winners, so he is siring a great deal of quality in his SWs. Altogether, he has 33 Group winners and 29 Listed SWs, for a total of 62 SWs. Cape Cross currently ranks eighth on the British General Sire List by progeny earnings.

Ouija Board was Cape Cross’s first outstanding performer (winning the Oaks in 2004). Sea the Stars was sired in Cape Cross’s first post-Ouija Board crop (foals of 2006). Only better things can be expected from Cape Cross in the future.

Cape Cross stands under the Darley European banner at Kildangan Stud in Ireland, his 2010 fee was €35,000.

(Elaine Belval is Senior Pedigree Analyst at WTC.)

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Yankee Gentleman takes off with move

By Elaine Belval

This past weekend, Yankee Gentleman had the type of weekend that can establish careers. And overall, 2010 has been his best year yet. Earlier this summer, his colt E Z’s Gentleman became his first G1 winner, taking the Triple Bend H. at Hollywood Park. But, perhaps his best runner is the aptly named Yankee Fourtune.

Three-year-old old Yankee Fourtune won the G3 Commonwealth Turf S. at Churchill Downs, his fifth victory in six starts. Owned by Harvey Clarke and Andrew Albstein and bred by Brereton C. Jones, Yankee Fourtune had earlier this year won the G3 Hawthorne Derby. No doubt big things are expected of this colt in 2011.

Things started impressively on Friday night, when his three-year-old filly Washington Bridge won the Life is Sweet S. at Hollywood Park. Earlier in her career, this filly set a track record of :44.95 for four furlongs at Golden Gate Park in breaking her maiden. Owned by Mark DeDomenico LLC and Jerry Hollendorfer and also bred by Brereton C. Jones, this filly has a promising future.

Yankee Gentleman was one of numerous SWs bred by long-time racing enthusiasts Mr. & Mrs. Martin Wygod. Yankee Gentleman showed brilliance in his race career, winning a maiden race at Gulfstream Park by 11 lengths and defeating the G1 winner Avanzado in the Pirate’s Bounty S. at Del Mar (his 117 Beyer Speed Figure in that race was one of the highest of 2003). Yankee Gentleman finished his career with a respectable fifth to Cajun Beat in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Yankee Gentleman’s dam, Key Phrase (by Flying Paster), won her first five races, including the G1 Santa Monica Handicap. She is also a half-sister to leading California sire Tribal Rule (also by Storm Cat). Yankee Gentleman represents several generations of Wygod breeding, as they also bred his second dam, Sown, and his third dam, Bad Seed, is the dam of Pirate’s Bounty (the long-time leading California stallion that stood at their River Edge Farm).

With four crops of racing age, Yankee Gentleman sires a solid 70% starters, almost 50% winners, an impressive 25% two-year-old winners, and 5% SWs. His progeny average almost $50,000 in progeny earnings.

There is an old horse breeding adage that goes, “All a horse has to do to become successful is move or die.” Yankee Gentleman moved to Le Mesa Stallions in Louisiana for the 2010 season. That has the makings of one of the more astute recent stallion purchases for Louisiana.

(Elaine Belval is Senior Pedigree Analyst at WTC.)

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