It is still my belief that breeding stamina oriented sires to stamina oriented mares is the best way to buy a successful race horse.
I think this strategy works because it is the opposite of what pinhookers and “win early” owners are looking for. Stamina/stamina horses are consistently sold at bargain prices because 90% of the buyers are looking for SPEED and PRECOCITY.
This leads me away from pedigrees that are “milers we hope we can stretch out” that are what Brad Cox and Liz Crow, and everybody else are looking for in yearlings.
But yesterday my favorite stamina guys at Donegal won with a nice looking son of Into Mischief and a turf miler dam. So maybe just for a moment I can open my narrow mind to some other possibilities.
Let’s look at the new sires and see if there is a more speed oriented sire that I can live with.
One that jumps off the page in the $10,000 Unified, a son of Candy Ride. Unified never won a two turn race, but he did carry his natural speed to 1 1/8 winning the Peter Pan. He did not start until he was 3 years old and injuries limited his number of races to 7. He was out of a Dixie Union mare that suggested speed. Jimmy Jerkens was Unified’s trainer and he was campaigned by Centennial Farms, both hint he might have been more than a sprinter. Commentators said Unified had the “build of two turn horse”. I hope Unified is overlooked because everyone will be chasing the other son Candy Ride, the $70,000 Gun Runner.
I am going to try to finds some mares that add some stamina to the speed of Unified:
One that looks interesting at Keeneland is hip #1462.
The fourth dam was a fancy French distance horse. The third dam ran a big speed fig at 1 3/16 miles at Arlington, the second dam was a nice turf miler. All that was bred to Mizzen Mast and produced the dam Mesana. Mesana won her maiden race at Santa Anita with a 95 fig for John Sheriffs, but only ran once more race. Mesana’s first foal has won $200,000 sprinting
I think this is kind of “sneaky” distance pedigree. The nick is rated A+ by TruNicks, having produced several stakes winners.
Another is hip #1918:
The dam by Blame, Rachel Wall ran a 108 fig going 1 3/8 miles at Saratoga. There is plenty of stamina in the extended family. The nick is A+
Another is hip #2034
The dam brings in some Pleasant Colony family, and is the same cross as Gift Box. The nick is A++
I will not give in and start buying Speightstowns and Into Mischiefs, but I will at least consider a few Unified’s.
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Just for fun, let’s go one step further an think about a son of Into Mischief. Practical Joke is a new $25,000 sire. He is out of a Distorted Humor mare, so he might be more than a sprinter. Practical Joke won the Hopeful and the Champagne, was 3rd in the BC Juvenile, 2nd In the Blue Grass, and failed in the Kentucky Derby. Chad even said he could not go that far.
Practical Joke is almost the prototype for “can get you a mile, but never a mile and a quarter”. Just looking at his picture in the Stallion Registrar you can see a horse built “downhill” like a sprinter. Just for fun lets try to add some stamina:
Hip #2630 by a Medaglia de Oro mare that won twice at 4, and produced a nice foal. The second dam was also a runner and producer. This is a May 1st foal, so maybe we can get him cheap. A++ nick.
Hip #2232 is a filly out of a nice Lemon Drop Kid mare that was a great runner and producer, the second dam was a runner and producer. The nick is A++, and the foal is April 1.
Hip #2705 is a colt with plenty Euro-distance pedigree on the dam side, and is an April 30th foal.
I am actually getting kind of excited about my new speed ideas. All I have to do is ignore common sense, and pay up for these types. At least Practical Joke is only $25,000, not $175,000 like his daddy.
Buying A Race Horse 