view raw text
Most Recognition to Sire of Winner* Only Three Have Sent Out Trio to Triumph in Derby Considered Unusual Feat * When Sire Sends Out More Than One; Dam Also Gains By NELSON DUN STAN CHURCHILL DOWNS. Louisville, Ky., May 5. — Late tomorrow afternoon, after the seventy-sixth running of the Kentucky Derby, a three-year-old who had speed, stamina, soundness, serenity and unflinching courage will step into the winners circle at Churchill Downs and bring recognition to his sire and, in a lesser degree, his dam. Every Derby renewal makes a gripping story, and a chapter must always be reserved for the sire and dam of the winner. In the 75 runnings of the Blue Grass classic to date, only three stallions have sent three sophomores to the winners circle, Virgil, Falsetto and Sir Gallahad m., the latter one of the most successful studs ever brought to this country. This great son of Teddy sired Gallant Fox, Gallahadion and Hoop Jr. Although he has no representative in this renewal, his sons and daughters and those of his sire, Teddy, will make racing and breeding history in this country for many years to come. Pedigree patterns in Kentucky Derby candidates have been changing in the past decade. Of the winners in that period, two have been by Sir Gallahad m. and two by Blenheim n., while Englands great Hyperion was the sire of Calumet Farms Pensive, ► . winner in 1M4. Originally, 134 three-year-olds were named for his renewal and, of the 81 sires represented by one or more, no less than 15 have been imported here. To mention just four, Alibhai, Princequillo, Mahmoud and Helipolis. Nine Sires With Two Winners A stallions career of service averages 15 years, so it is an extraordinary feat when one is represented by two Kentucky Derby winners. To accomplish this, a horse must be far above the average, and even then he must have considerable luck. Nine sires have sent out two winners. King Alfonso, Longfellow, McGee, Black Toney, Broomstick, Man o War, The Finn, St. Germans and Blenheim H. Add to this group, the three mentioned above and it is seen that 12 sires accounted for 27 of the 75 runnings to date, leaving 48 stallions who sent one winner to that squared off space that is so difficult to enter. From another breeding angle, there is speculation every year as to whether a previous winner will send out a colt to duplicate his feat as Gallant Fox did with Omaha. Should that occur this year, the honors are most likely to accrue to Bold] Venture through his King Ranch colt, Middleground. It will be a double for Bold Venture, winner in 1936, and who sired Assault, sparkling winner 10 years later, in this years Derby running for he is the grandsire of William Goetz Tour Host. ► Your Host is by the unraced Alibhai out of Boudoir II., a daughter of Mahmoud, and while there are still some sceptics who question his ability to run one and one-quarter miles, Alibhai has, nevertheless, sired such distance horses as Cover Up, Solidarity and The Dude, who startled the racing world when he won the Arlington Classic in 1946. Not since 1922, when Mor-vich scored, has a California colt won the Derby and those from the Golden State are placing their faith in this fashionably bred -colt who created a track record at Keene-land just two weeks ago. Greek Ship Beautifully Bred Two of his colts were named for the Kentucky Derby, the Brandywine Stables Greek Song and the Brookmeades Stable, Greek Ship. The latter is a brown colt out of Man o Wars daughter, Boat. In 1949 Greek Ship won one of his four starts, but this year he has justified the opportunity being given him to start as a stablemate to Sunglow. A beautifully-bred colt, Greek Ship is a full-brother in blood to Ace Admiral, winner of the Travers Stake, Lawrence Realization, Santa Anita Maturity and other events. He is also a half-brother to Rampart, winner of many stakes. Mahmoud is not only the sire of the dam of Your Host, but, like that of Hyperion, his name is a big one in the pedigrees of some top three-year-olds. This gray son of Blenheim II. had five originally named for the Kentucky Derby and the two which have gained the greatest prominence are Oil Capitol and Mr. Trouble. Like Your Host, Oil Capitol is by an imported sire out of an imported mare, for his dam is Never Again II., a daughter of Pharos. Mahmoud was brought to this country by C. V. Whitney and from a mating with Motto, a good daughter of Sir Gallahad in., she produced Mr. Trouble, the colt who ran second to Your Host with Oil Capitol behind him in the Scarlet Gate Purse at Keeneland. The Scarlet Gate was the race which brought Mr. Trouble in the spotlight as a Kentucky Derby contender. His next start was in the Blue Grass Stakes, for which Oil Capitol was made £he odds-on choice and the C. V. Whitney pair of Mr. Trouble and Dooly the second preferences of the throng. At the half-mile pole Oil Capitol was in front with Mr. Trouble third, but in the final drive Mr, Trouble wore down Tom Grays horse, and finished in a manner which justified the belief that he would have no trouble negotiating the one and one quarter miles on Derby Day. Princequillo is another of the imported sires whose youngsters give promise of playing a prominent part -in the three -year-old division this season. His outstanding representative is Hill Prince, C. T. Chenerys Virginia-bred colt, who won Experimental Handicap No. 1, failed in No. 2, and then scored an easy victory in the Wood Memorial. Princequillo, an imported son of Prince Rose, was a high class distance performer in this country, winning the Saratoga Cup, Jockey Club Gold Cup, and other events. He was retired to stud in Virginia and, although he was later transferred to Claiborne Stud in Kentucky, it was a mating with Hildene, a daughter of Bubbling Over, that resulted in such a splendid colt as Hill Prince. Obviously horses by imported sires hold Continued on Page Nine Sire and Dam of Derby Winner Sure to Gain Recognition Continued from Page Six a powerf ul hand in this Derby. There Are others, however, who are grandsons of imported horses and must be given consideration, and one of these is Black George who surprised the fans at Churchill Downs last Tuesday by defeating a fine field in the Derby Trial. Owned by William Veene-man, chairman of the board of Churchill Downs, Black George is by Reaping Reward out of Secret Rose, by Blue Larkspur —Reaping Reward is a half-brother to Whirlaway, as his dam is Dustwhirl, by Sweep, but he was sired by Sickle, the brother of Pharamond II. The male line of Teddy, whose two sons, Sir Gallahad III. and Bull Dog. made, a lasting impression on our breeding lines, has two colts in this years renewal, Brook-meades Sunglow and William M. Peaveys Wisconsin Boy. Sunglow is a son of Sun Again who traces through Sun Teddy to Teddy, and is out of Rosern, by Mad Hat- tar, who was a son of our own Fair Play. The second dam of Sunglow was Rose N Drop, one of the best mares of her years and producer of the English Triple Crown winner, Gainsborough. Wisconsin Boy is a son of Teddys Comet out of Black Lashes, by Sickle. While a few colts not mentioned here may go to the Derby post, this years renewal would result in one of the biggest upsets since its inaugural if one of those mentioned in the above paragraphs was not the winner.
