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PEDIGREE HANDICAPPING SEPTEMBER 29, 2007 Whywhywhy - more distance and maybe turf needed? by Tim Holland When WHYWHYWHY's (Mr. Greeley) offspring first appeared on the racetrack this spring, many pedigree followers may have expected the runners to follow in their sire's footsteps and be fast and precocious. However, five or six months later, and having had the chance to assess the performances of many of his runners, there is good reason to believe that this stallion's progeny may need more time and distance and, maybe, turf to be at their best. The assumption that Whywhywhy's runners would be ready to win sprinting on the dirt, early in their juvenile season, is mostly based on the sire's own race record. After finishing a solid second in his debut as a two-year-old for trainer Patrick Biancone in mid-May at Belmont, the chestnut broke his maiden second time out in the Flash S. (G3) at the same venue the following month. This 5 1/2-length victory was followed by an equally impressive score in the Sanford S. (G2) after being hampered at the start and having to close from way off the pace. Whywhywhy's fourth start would be his biggest victory, but also his last. Dispatched as the favorite, the chestnut did not disappoint in the one-mile Futurity S. (G1), winning by nearly two lengths, but disappointment would follow when he faded badly as the choice in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) in his next outing. Early the next year, Whywhywhy was sent on the Derby trail via the Fountain of Youth S. (G1), but this route was short lived when he again faltered, and he was returned to sprinting. However, he was not able to recapture his two-year-old form and was retired after three uninspiring efforts over seven furlongs. Whywhywhy is by Mr. Greeley, whose racing career highlight came in his final start, a second-place finish to Desert Stormer in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). A winner of five of his 16 starts, Mr. Greeley's stamina, similar to his son's, was seen to be suspect in several efforts at a mile or beyond, most notably in the Derby Trial (G3) when he took the lead in the stretch only to fade late to finish a well-beaten fourth. By Gone West, whose progeny include the champion sprinter Speightstown as well as the English champion Zafonic and the popular Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) winner Da Hoss, Mr. Greeley is out of Long Legend, a winner of four of six starts in England. Long Legend is by Reviewer (most famous for being the sire of the ill-fated champion Ruffian, but also the broodmare sire of Kentucky Oaks [G1] winner Dispute as well as American champion turf female Laugh and Be Merry), and is out of the very fast French champion sprinter on the grass, Lianga. While there is plenty of dirt influence in his background there is also a large amount of talent on grass and it should be of little surprise that Mr. Greeley is becoming as well known for his runners on both surfaces. Indeed, half of his eight Grade/Group 1 winners, namely Finsceal Beo (English and Irish One Thousand Guineas, Prix Marcel Boussac), Reel Buddy (Sussex S.), Saoirse Abu (Phoenix S. and Moyglare Stud S.) and Miss Kournikova (Oakleigh Plate in Australia) all achieved that status on the turf. It should also be noted that of Mr. Greeley's 36 stakes winners, just seven (including Whywhywhy) earned black-type as two-year-olds. Furthermore, Whywhywhy is the lone representative of his sire to win a stakes race before the month of August as a juvenile, and he is just one of three to do the same before October of their freshman year. A foal of 2000, Whywhywhy is out of Thorough Fair who was a bargain $5,000 claim at Turfway Park in the last race of her undistinguished racing career which yielded three wins from 13 tries and just $7,747 in prize money. Thorough Fair is by Quiet American who, as well as being a top sire through the likes of Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Real Quiet and champions Hidden Lake and Warrior Queen, is fast becoming a notable broodmare sire. Daughters of Quiet American have produced the 2005 Horse of the Year Saint Liam and the 2006 champion three-year-old Bernardini as well as European Group 1 winner Cherry Mix. It must be noted that the majority of Quiet American's offspring, as well as those of his daughters, improved as older horses and over longer distances and that Spellbinder (Tale of the Cat), who was Thorough Fair's third foal, a year younger than Whywhywhy, scored his biggest triumph as a four-year-old in the San Antonio H. (G2) over a mile and a furlong. While it must be said that it is a fine achievement to train any horse to win a Grade 1 race, after assessing the stats of Mr. Greeley and Quiet American the question may be asked as to whether Whywhywhy was an overachiever at two, and that if campaigned differently he may have been a top-class miler as a three or four-year-old. Standing at Gainesway Farm in Kentucky for a fee of $7,500, Whywhywhy's first crop numbered 62 foals and of these 39 were sold as yearlings in 2006, producing a healthy average of $65,436. So far this year, 14 yearlings by Whywhywhy have sold for $27,510, a fair drop which one could view as a reflection of the performance of the first runners. However, this may prove to be a premature reaction. Whywhywhy's very first runner was NOWNOWNOW (trained by Biancone) at Keeneland on April 6. This race may have set a precedent that would be repeated by many of the sire's runners in the months that followed, as the bay colt showed little early speed but made up ground late to finish a promising second. In his next two starts, both over five furlongs at Churchill Downs, Nownownow started slowly but still ran respectably without threatening to win. However, at the end of August, Nownownow, whose dam owns a solid grass pedigree being by Prix Jacques le Marois (G1-Fr) winner Exit To Nowhere, was switched to the turf for the With Anticipation S. over 1 1/16 miles at Saratoga. With Lasix added for the first time, Nownownow's lack of early speed was not a disadvantage as he settled toward the rear of the field before making a bold run in the stretch through traffic to record an impressive win. The form of this race was upheld when Zee Zee (Exchange Rate) won her next race, the Happy Ticket S. at Louisiana Downs last weekend, and the filly must be considered a serious contender for the new Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Biancone also trains two promising fillies by Whywhywhy, who each made their first two starts at Saratoga this summer. HOPEHOPEHOPE debuted on July 29 over six furlongs and, while beaten 10 lengths, she ran on well to be second to the highly thought of J Z Warrior (Harlan's Holiday). In her next start, at 6 1/2 furlongs, she was more forwardly placed early in the race chasing fast fractions and finished stoutly enough to maintain third position, beaten less than four lengths. With turf and stamina on her dam's side (her dam, by Roberto, was second in the 1 1/2-mile Long Island H. [G2]), Hopehopehope should be watched when she is entered over a route and possibly on the grass. The other Whywhywhy filly in the Biancone barn is NIGHTNIGHTNIGHT, who debuted over 1 1/16 miles on the turf in early August. The filly ran satisfactorily after racing in midpack until she lost her place before the turn for home. Forced to come very wide in the stretch, Nightnightnight ran on well at the finish to wind up fourth. For her next race she was switched to the main track and dropped back in distance to a sprint and, after dueling for the lead throughout, she failed by only a head. The form of both these races has been enhanced as the winner of the former was the aforementioned Zee Zee, and the third-place finisher in the latter was Blowing Kisses (Vindication), who broke her maiden next time out at Belmont Park. WE'RE IN THE MONEY became the second of Whywhywhy's stakes winners when finishing in a dead-heat in the Cinderella S. at Charles Town in early September. Making her third lifetime start, the filly rated off the pace after being bumped at the start before being switched to the inside and making a good late run to share first-place honors. This win was typical for the offspring of Whywhywhy as indeed others by the sire, ORINOQUIA (Calder), WHY BE QUIET (Arlington) and LAIRD'S QUEST (River Downs) employed similar tactics in breaking their maidens. All of these winners have the potential to improve over longer distances as do several other offspring of this sire, most notably ROCKET LADY, a filly that cost $300,000 as a yearling and who closed strongly to be second to subsequent allowance winner Saki To Me at Delaware Park.
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