Page 27 - March 2008 The Game
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Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper The Game, February 2008 27 CFarrying a Dynasty: Canadian Sires Make Their Marks at the Top By Kelsey Riley
or many years, the blood of Canada’s  nest wins. Among these are multiple stakes winners Thoroughbreds has pulsated through the veins Paradise Dancer, Interpatation and Amazing Speed,
of some of the world’s most celebrated racehorses. Tracing most notably back to the immortal Northern Dancer and his sons, the immense success of Canadian bloodlines can be described as nothing short of a dynasty.
all of whom are over four years of age. Langfuhr has gotten off to a quick start as a broodmare sire, with Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Proud Spell (by Proud Citizen) among three stakes winners to his credit. Langfuhr celebrated his  rst stakes win of 2008 with the talented four-year-old Euroears, who ran his record to 4 for 4 in Fairground’s $100,000 F.W. Gaudin Memorial Stakes.
As we race into the twenty- rst century, one is left to wonder where the storied history of the Canadian Thoroughbred may be leading. The answer lies no further than The Blood-Horse general sires list of 2007, where Canadian-breds Smart Strike, Langfuhr and Awesome Again have secured their positions in the history books.
Stallion LAngFuHR
Gus Schickedanz, who has supported Langfuhr from the beginning, has enjoyed the success of his stallion. Langfuhr is the sire of his homebred champions Wando and Mobil, both young sires, as well as Grade 2 winner Last Answer and stakes winner Six Sexy Sisters.
Smart Strike, Langfuhr and Awesome Again each experienced a year for the ages in 2007. Standing at William S. Farish’s Lane’s End farm in Versailles, Kentucky, both Smart Strike and Langfuhr took home sire titles in 2007; Smart Strike set a single season progeny earnings record of $14,358,570 while garnering his  rst leading general sire title. Langfuhr produced 147 individual winners, earn- ing him his second title as leading sire by number of winners while placing  fth by earnings.
Club Gold Cup and Breeder’s Cup Classic in a year unmatched by any three-year-old colt. Smart Strike’s legacy, however, extends far beyond this one super- star. Smart Strike’s progeny registered a total of 29 stakes wins in 2007, equaling the tally of Distorted Humor and second only to fellow Lane’s End stallion A.P Indy. Both Distorted Humor and A.P Indy will stand the 2008 season for $300,000 in comparison to Smart Strike’s $150,000 fee. Among Smart Strike’s stakes winners were turf champion and Breeders’ Cup winner English Channel, Fabulous Strike and Sam-Son homebred Strike Softly. In addition to setting a record progeny earnings mark, Smart Strike realized another milestone in 2007, becoming the  rst stallion to sire three Grade 1 winners at the same track on the same day (Curlin, the Jockey Club Gold Cup; English Channel, the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, and Fabulous Strike, the Vosburgh, at Belmont Park). Outside of 2007, Smart Strike is also the sire of Canadian champions Gold Strike and Added Edge.
When it comes to the Breeders’ Cup, no horse
has a more impressive record than Awesome Again. Winner of the Classic in 1997, Awesome Again has sired four Breeders’ Cup winners in just six crops
of racing age, ranking him among leading Breeder’s Cup sires Storm Cat, Sadler’s Wells, Danzig, and
his own sire, Deputy Minister (all descendants of Northern Dancer). Awesome Again’s top performers include the brilliant Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and Horse of the Year Ghostzapper, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Wilko, and back-to-back Distaff winners Round Pond and Ginger Punch. Bred by Frank Stronach in Ontario, Awesome Again is out
of the Blushing Groom mare Primal Force, who has also produced Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Macho Uno. Awesome Again proved a formidable foe for his competitors, winning nine races over two years including the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Whitney Handicap (both G1) and Canada’s Queen’s Plate.
Awesome Again, standing at his owner Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs Kentucky, continued his parade of Breeders’ Cup winners when Ginger Punch slugged out a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, giving him his fourth Breeders’ Cup winner from
six crops to race and ranking him in sixth place on the general sires list. Even more impressive are numbers from the Thoroughbred Times, which rank Smart Strike, Langfuhr and Awesome Again in  rst, third and eighth respectively worldwide. Combined, these three sires produced 42 stakes winners, 18 Graded stakes winners, and nine Grade 1 winners
in 2007. They are the sires of four 2007 Eclipse Award champions: Smart Strike is represented by Horse of the Year and three-year-old male Curlin and turf male English Channel; Langfuhr’s son Lawyer Ron earned top older male honours, and Awesome Again’s Ginger Punch came out on top in the older female category. All three sires ranked in the top ten by earnings, and all three are Canadian-bred.
The leading sire by number of winners in 2005 and 2007, Langfuhr has established himself as one of the most prominent sons of Danzig at stud. Inbred 3X3 to the great Nearctic, Langfuhr is out of the Briartic mare Sweet Briar Too. Like Smart Strike, Lang- fuhr is the result of a long line of Canadian tradi- tion. Both Langfuhr and his dam were bred by Gus Schickedanz, who still retains full ownership in both horses. In addition to Langfuhr, Sweet Briar Too is the dam of two other stakes winners: Wonneberg, and the stakes-producing mare Princess Ruckus. Langfuhr proved to be Sweet Briar Too’s biggest hit, winning nine career races and  nishing on the board in an additional eight starts. His greatest wins came in the Metropolitan Handicap, Vosburgh and Carter Handicap (all G1) as well as the Forego Handicap (G2).
In his short stud career thus far, Awesome Again appears to be passing his af nity for winning big races onto many of his offspring.
Bred by Sam-Son Farm in 1992, Smart Strike  nds his earliest roots in one of Canadian racing’s most prominent families. A son of Mr. Prospector, Smart Strike was born into royalty at the historic Sam-Son Farm in Milton, Ontario. His female line represents an empire of the Canadian turf, from third dam Classy Quillo through to her daughter
No Class and  nally Classy ‘n Smart, the dam of Smart Strike. These three matriarchs have been responsible for 28 stakes winners and seven champions, including stallions Sky Classic and Regal Classic, Grade 1 winners Hello Seattle
and Full of Wonder, and Canadian Triple Crown winner Dance Smartly and her Queen’s Plate winning offspring, Grade 1 winner Dancethruthedawn and Scatter The Gold. As a race- horse, Smart Strike lived up to the reputation of his illustrious family. He won six of eight career starts, including the Philip H. Iselin Handicap (G1) and the Salvator Mile (G2).
Awesome Again produced 11 stakes winners in 2007, which accounted for 21 stakes wins in to-
tal. His top performers for the year included Grade 1 winners Ginger Punch (Eclipse award winner), Daaher and Sugar Shake, as well as Grade 2 winner Awesome Gem.
In keeping with their successful homebred program, Sam-Son Farm has supported Smart Strike from the beginning. In recent years they have reaped the rewards with homebred stakes winners and champions Soaring Free, Eye of the Sphynx and Portcullis.
“When an offspring of Langfuhr wins you look at the broodmare and very few times have they already had a stakes winner,” Kenny said. “He’s always been a bargain. He’s probably the best value at $25,000 for what he’s done.”
There is no denying the value of Smart Strike following his tour-de-force among North American sires in 2007. Smart Strike is best known for siring Horse of the Year and three-year-old male Eclipse champion Curlin, winner of the Preakness, Jockey
Many of Langfuhr’s supporters cashed in on that bargain in 2007. Among his 147 winners were multiple Grade 1 winner and Eclipse champion Lawyer Ron, turf star Jambalaya and Lang Field. These three Grade 1 winners represent a  gure topped only by Distorted Humor and Street Cry, who will stand for $300,000 and $100,000 respectively
According to Lauri Kenny, farm manager for
Gus Schickedanz’s Schonberg Farm, Langfuhr’s combined pedigree and race record appeared to be a recipe for success from the beginning.
Awesome Again’s healthy reputation as a sire was indicated by his success at public sales in 2007. 25 yearlings sired by Awesome Again sold at public auction in 2007, with 20 bringing $100,000 or more. Four of 18 two-year-olds in training offered brought six- gure prices, and broodmare prospect Round Pond sold for $5.75 million to John Ferguson.
“Being by Danzig separated him from the rest almost right away,” Kenny said. “You can have a bad Danzig too, but he won three Grade 1’s and a Grade 2. All four are now Grade 1’s.”
“He’s  nally getting the respect he deserves at the commercial level as well,” Recio said.
To Kenny, Langfuhr’s most valuable attribute as a sire is the way he improves his mares.
To date, Awesome Again has sired nine Grade
1 winners. Of these, four have been Stronach homebreds: Ghostzapper, Ginger Punch, Spun Sugar and Sugar Shake. He is also the sire of top competitors Toccet and Personal Legend. Awesome Again will stand at Adena Springs Kentucky for a fee of $150,000 in 2008.
For Canadians, these three sires represent more than just facts and  gures: they represent the continuing dominance of the Canadian lines that have shaped the Thoroughbred breed. To date, Smart Strike, Langfuhr and Awesome Again have amassed over $123 million in progeny earnings, and, with the unrelenting support of their owners, breed- ers and fans, the legacy continues to grow.
in 2008. Langfuhr was responsible for a total of 15 stakes winners in 2007, which collected 26 stakes
“Awesome Again’s aren’t big  ashy horses, but they have a lot of heart and tenacity,” said Mike Recio of stallion nominations and advertising marketing at Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs Kentucky.
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