Bloodlines impact Breeders’ Cup Juvenile - by Brock Sheridan for SureBet

Oct. 21, 2011 - Looking at the pedigrees of the 27 winners of the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Grade 1), it is no surprise the male-line impact of stallions Mr. Prospector, Northern Dancer, Bold Ruler and Hail To Reason.

First run in 1984, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile distance was a mile for the first two runnings at Hollywood Park and Aqueduct before switching to 1-1/6 miles in 1986 at Santa Anita. The following year, the Breeders’ Cup returned to Hollywood Park and for the last time, the Juvenile was run as a one-turn mile. Since 1988, the Juvenile has been run at 1-1/16 miles, which puts a necessary emphasis on stamina in naming the divisional champion or breeding for a future juvenile winner.

Mr. Prospector has had the most male-line impact on the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with seven winners going back to the influential stallion. As one might expect, most of Mr. Prospector’s success in the Juvenile, came through his son, Fappiano, who sired 1985 Juvenile winner Tasso. But that would be just the beginning of the Fappiano productivity as his most successful son was Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands winner Unbridled. Although Unbridled did not start in the Juvenile at 2, he won the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic at 3, giving him two Grade 1 wins at 1-1/4 miles that year and the Golden Eclipse for the Horse of the Year.

Unbridled quickly passed on his genetic code for Breeders’ Cup success  to his first crop son Unbridled’s Song, who won the 1995 Juvenile just five years after dad had won the Classic. Four years later, another Unbridled son won the Juvenile when Anees came from far off the pace at 30-1 odds.

Mr. Prospector also had Breeders’ Cup Juvenile success through his sons, Woodman, the sire of 1994 Juvenile winner Timber Country; and Machiavellian, the sire of Street Cry. Street Cry produced Street Sense, who went on to become the first and only horse to win both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Kentucky Derby, doing so in 2006-07. Mr. Prospector also sired a Juvenile winner himself in 1989 winner Rhythm.

Bold Ruler has had a similar tale-line impact on the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as Mr. Prospector, with five Juvenile winners tracing back to him on their pedigrees. The Juvenile winner most directly related to Bold Ruler was Is It True, the 1988 Juvenile winner by the Bold Ruler son Raja Baba and grandson of Bold Ruler.

All other Juvenile winners with North Dancer in their pedigrees are a result of Seattle Slew, a great-grandson of Bold Ruler though his sire Bold Reasoning and grandsire Boldnesian.

Seattle Slew had two sons win the Juvenile in Capote (1986) and Vindication, (2002). Capote would also go on to sire 1996 Juvenile winner Boston Harbor. The other Bold Reasoning blood passed to Juvenile winners went through his son A.P. Indy, who, like Unbridled before him, did not start in the Juvenile but won the Classic when he was just 3.

A.P. Indy also has gone on to a lucrative career as a sire and one of the more influential “sire of sires” of his generation. Although he has only had one Juvenile winner through his son Stephen Got Even, Steviewonderboy, the 2005 victor, is by Stephen Got Even, a son of A.P.Indy he is well set to earn more in the future.

Four other Juvenile winners are stamped with Northern Dancer male-line influence beginning with the first Breeders’ Cup race in 1984. That year, the Juvenile was the first race on the card, and it was won by Chief’s Crown, a son of the excellent Northern Dancer stallion Danzig. Vale of York, the 1009 Juvenile winner, also has Danzig blood through his sire Invincible Light, by Green Desert, a son of Danzig.

Hail To Reason has produced three Juvenile winners through his two successful sons, Roberto and Halo. Roberto is the sire of Kris S., who along with Unbridled is the only stallion with two direct Juvenile winners. Kris S. sired 1993 and 2003 Juvenile winners Brocco and Action This Day respectively. Halo produced the sire of 1998 Juvenile winner Answer Lively, through his son Lively One.

This year, the Juvenile is expected to again have plenty of new ammunition through the male-line of these influential sires.

Champagne Stakes (Grade 1) winner and projected 2011 Juvenile favorite Union Rags goes back to Northern Dancer through his sire Dixie Union and grandsire Dixieland Band, a son of Northern Dancer. Hopeful Stakes (Grade 1) winner Currency Swap is by High Cotton, a son of Dixie Union. Hopeful Stakes (Grade 1) third-place finisher Big Blue Nation is by Bluegrass Cat, another son of Storm Cat.

Northern Dancer will have plenty of representation coming from the West Coast as well. Norfolk Stakes (Grade 1) winner Creative Cause goes back to Northern Dancer through his sire, Giant’s Causeway, another son of Storm Cat. Del Mar Futurity (Grade 1) winner and Norfolk runner-up Drill comes out of the Northern Dancer male-line through Danzig. Drill is by Lawyer Ron, a grandson of Danzig through the stallion Langfuhr.

Champagne Stakes runner-up Alpha and Hanson, winner of the Bluegrass Cat Kentucky Cup Juvenile (Grade 2), will both represent the Northern Dancer line through Seattle Slew and A.P. Indy. Alpha is by Bernardini, a son of A.P. Indy and Hanson is by Tapit, a son of Pulpit and grandson of A.P. Indy.

Mr. Prospector blood is expected to be in the Juvenile through the first two finishers of the Dixiana Breeders’ Futurity (Grade 1) at Keeneland. Winner Dullahan is a grandson of Unbridled’s Song through Dullahan’s sire Even the Score. Runner-up Majestic City, who captured the Hollywood Juvenile Championship (Grade 2) in July, is by City Zip, who is by the Mr. Prospector son Carson City.

No matter the outcome of this year’s Juvenile, whether the winner can trace his blood back Northern Dancer, Bold Ruler or Raise A Native or not, the first 27 years of this race clearly has their stamps already.