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PEDIGREE HANDICAPPING JUNE 17, 2006 Triple Crown Bloodlines by Tim Holland While many are still lamenting the tragic breakdown, and loss as a racehorse, of Barbaro in the Preakness S. (G1) and the fact that different horses won the three legs of the Triple Crown, one should realize that although a hero did not emerge from the series, it has been quite productive. One certainly likes to see the "underdogs" -- the less famous owners, trainers and jockeys with not so fashionably bred or expensive purchases -- win the big races now and again, and the stories of Afleet Alex, Smarty Jones and Funny Cide (Distorted Humor) all drew the attention of the public. However, while all of this is definitely a boost for racing, it is also important for the industry as a whole that leading owners and breeders are rewarded and also that the top bloodlines excel for the future benefit of the breed. In fact, pedigree followers should be well pleased with the results of this year's Triple Crown races. The winners, Barbaro, Bernardini (A.P. Indy) and Jazil (Seeking the Gold), are all by stallions who rank among the most successful in the world and commanded stud fees of more than $100,000 for the 2006 breeding season. While it is not rare for different horses to win the three legs of the Triple Crown (it had happened 12 times in the previous 36 years), it is unusual that three winners were all by such prominent sires. The only year that is comparable in this time period was 2000 when Fusaichi Pegasus, Red Bullet and Commendable were by Mr. Prospector, Unbridled and Gone West, respectively. Even more significant for bloodline students is the fact that all three of the series winners are out of mares that were graded-placed or graded winners. To put this in perspective, in the previous 20 Triple Crown series there have been 46 horses win at least one leg and just 14 of these were out of mares that were graded-placed or better. Dynaformer, who himself raced 30 times and scored seven victories, has passed along soundness and adaptability to his runners. Best known as a turf sire through the likes of Film Maker, Riskaverse and Ocean Silk, he has also produced top dirt runners Dynever and Perfect Drift as well as Barbaro. However, Dynaformer has not, so far, succeeded as a sire of sires but being a son of Roberto, who is also responsible for many top stallions including Silver Hawk, Kris S., Lear Fan and Red Ransom, it should be only a matter of time before one of his sons succeeds at stud. While it is too early to be confident of Barbaro making a good enough recovery to enable him to even stand as a stallion, there is still room for much optimism. He's a good cross for most Northern Dancer line mares and there is no reason to think that he could not fill that void. By winning the Preakness, Bernardini joined Empire Maker and Grindstone as the only horses in the last 20 years to win a Triple Crown race that are by a classic winner and out of a Grade 1 winner. By Belmont S. (G1) and Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner A.P. Indy, Bernardini is out of Cara Rafaela (Quiet American) who won the Hollywood Starlet S. (G1) and finished in the money in both the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies S. (G1) and the Kentucky Oaks (G1). Being fairly lightly raced so far with a sensibly planned campaign ahead of him, Bernardini's best is probably still to come, especially when one considers that many of his sire's offspring, such as Mineshaft, Golden Missile and Aptitude, improve with age. Bernardini's summer goal is the Travers S. (G1) at Saratoga in which he would meet Belmont winner Jazil. A late developing sort, Jazil is by Seeking The Gold, who while being better known for a sire of fillies through the exploits of his daughters Seeking The Pearl, Heavenly Prize, Catch The Ring, Flanders and Pleasant Home to name a few, is also the sire of the champion colt Dubai Millennium. Just as important, Jazil is out of 1998 Demoiselle S. (G2) winner Better Than Honour, who is by top broodmare sire Deputy Minister and out of Blush With Pride, winner of the 1982 Kentucky Oaks (G1). With his Belmont victory being just his second win, Jazil's form still looks a little suspect. However, the colt is still improving and the fact remains that he is a well-bred Grade 1 winner who will have every opportunity to succeed in the breeding shed. The Travers, which should be an interesting match-up between Bernardini and Jazil, may also feature Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont runner-up Bluegrass Cat (Storm Cat), who could be the best bred of all this year's Triple Crown contenders. Indeed, Bluegrass Cat's great grandsires include three Derby winners--Northern Dancer, Secretariat and Seattle Slew, while his fourth is no less than Mr. Prospector. Although one might not expect much further improvement from him on the racetrack, he is a very exciting stallion prospect. Another with a strong pedigree who may have a bright future at stud is Belmont third-placer Sunriver (Saint Ballado). After missing the first two legs of the Triple Crown, he made a nice run at Belmont only to flatten out and may have found the distance too far. By Saint Ballado, who sired last year's Breeders' Cup Classic winner and Horse of the Year, Saint Liam, Sunriver is out of Goulash which makes him a full brother to Ashado, who was champion older mare in 2005 and champion three-year-old filly the previous season. Many might consider this year's Triple Crown contestants to be a moderate lot based on the fact that there are not one or two standouts in the group. However, pedigree enthusiasts will rightly disagree when considering the overall quality of their bloodlines.
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