Page 74 - July 2015

to be overtaken in the stretch by I’ll Have Another in each races. He would later be retired due to a shoulder injury.
Bodemeister is a son of Empire Maker
and he was out of Untouched Talent, a Storm Cat mare. Storm Cat was out of Terlingua by Secretariat. Untouched Talent was out of Parade Queen by A. P. Indy, a maternal grandson of Secretariat. This makes Untouched Talent a double-bred Secretariat mare. Secretariat was the winner of the 1973 Triple Crown, dominat- ing his three Triple Crown races completely - especially over the field in the Belmont, making him a super star when he set the World Record for a one and half mile race in 2:24 seconds. Secretariat had literally sprinted the mile and a half contest. His performance showcased how speed should be carried to win races at a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half.
The breeding of a winner of the one or
all of the Triple Crown races brings into play the balancing of the pedigree with speed, and the stamina to carry that speed in a long race. The Kentucky Derby is 1 1/4-miles, Preakness Stakes is 1 3/16-miles and the Belmont is 1 1/2-miles. Breeding to win these three races takes a horse with speed and the ability to carry that speed over a distance.
American Pharoah showed his greatness when he ran the last quarter of the Belmont in 23 1/5 - the fastest time for the last quar- ter in the history of the Belmont Stakes. He also ran the second fastest Belmont Stakes of the now 12 Triple Crown Champions. This performance shows how American Pharoah carried his speed over a distance. He is the epitome of balancing speed and stamina to get the classic racing Thoroughbred. What can we learn about this balance in the pedi- gree of this great horse? Let’s take a look.
Our look at the pedigree of American Pharoah has its beginning when Zayat Stables bought a mare named Star Of Goshen. The foal she was carrying when Zayat bought her was Pioneerof The Nile. They would send Pioneerof The Nile to Bob Baffert to train. The colt would become
a Grade 1 stakes winner in the Cash Call Futurity at two. He would come back at three to be a leading contender for that year’s Kentucky Derby-G1 with wins in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes-G2, the San Filipe Stakes-G2 and the Santa Anita Derby-G1. He would finish second to Mine That Bird in the Derby, and would only place 11th in the Preakness Stakes.
The sire of Pioneerof The Nile is Empire Maker, the sire of Bodemeister. Empire Maker won the 2003 Belmont Stakes. He showed his versatility as a runner by winning shorter races in the Florida Derby-G1 and
American Pharoah wins the Kentucky Derby, the first leg
o
s on
o
o
f
f
f
t
t
th
h
h
e
e
e
T
T
T
r
r
ri
i
ip
p
pl
l
l
e
e
eC
C
Cr
r
ro
o
o
w
w
w
n
n
n,
,
,
a
a
a
t
t
t
C
C
Ch
h
hu
u
ur
r
r
c
c
c
h
h
hi
i
il
l
l
l
l
l
D
D
Do
o
o
w
w
w
n
n
n
s
s
n Ma
a
y
y 2
2
.
.
the Wood Memorial-G1 that same year. Empire Maker retired to become the sire of such noted horses as Royal Delta, a 3-time Thoroughbred racing Champion. She was the 2011 Champion Three-Year-Old Filly and the 2012 and 2013 Champion Older Female.
The sire of Empire Maker was Unbridled, winner of the 1990 Kentucky Derby-G1. He also won the Breeder’s Cup Classic that year. Unbridled was sired by Fappiano by Mr Prospector. The dam of Fappiano was Killahoe by Dr. Fager. The dam of Unbridled was Gana Facil by Le Fabuleux. The dam of Gana Facil was Charedi by In Reality.
A note on Dr. Fager: this horse was known for his speed and was a World Record holder for the mile, running in
a time of 1:34 1/5 under 134 pounds in 1968. He would also be named the Horse of the Year, Champion Handicap Horse, Champion Turf Horse and the Champion Sprinter in 1968 - a speed horse carrying his speed over a distance. Dr. Fager was sired by Rough N Tumble and out of Aspidistra by Better Self. Aspidistra was the dam of Aforethought, sire of 3-time Champion Timeto Thinkrich and Champion Hot Idea
- both Quarter Horses winners of the All American Futurity-G1.
The dam of Empire Maker is Toussaud, a mare by El Gran Senor by Northern Dancer. Northern Dancer would become a world- renowned sire after winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. The sire of Northern Dancer was Nearctic, who was out of Lady Angela by Hyperion. The dam of El Gran Senor was Sex Appeal by Buckpasser. Sex Appeal was out of Best In Show by Traffic Judge by Alibhai by Hyperion.
A note on Buckpasser: he was the 1965 Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, 1966 Horse of the Year, Champion Three-Year-Old Colt and Champion Handicap Horse, and at four he was again the Champion Handicap Horse. He won five major stakes at two going from seven furlongs to one mile. He came back at three to win 8 stakes races going from seven furlongs in the Malibu to two miles in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. He was a horse that could carry his speed over a distance.
The dam of Toussaud is Image Of Reality by In Reality. This gives Empire Maker a 4 X 3 breeding pattern to In Reality. In Reality was sired by Intentionally and out of My Dear Girl by Rough N
72 SPEEDHORSE, July 2015
SPEEDLINES
Churchill Downs; Reed Palmer Photography
Los Alamitos