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The April 18 Apple Blossom H.-G1 ended thrillingly in a photo finish between Ce Ce and Ollie’s Candy, with Ce Ce winning by the shortest nose, while favored Serengeti Empress faded badly and finished out of the money. But Ce Ce demonstrated enough tenacity to make her the sport’s newest Grade One winner.

By the late, brilliant miler Elusive Quality, she represents one of his most powerful nicks, as almost 50% of his best graded stakes winners are 4 x 4 Northern Dancer, as she is, just as a majority of his best offspring offer inbreeding to Raise a Native, through another dose of Mr. Prospector, Affirmed, Exclusive Native, Native Charger, Alydar, and others, as Ce Ce does, too.

No surprise, either, that Elusive Quality on Belong to Me mares (he is Ce Ce’s broodmare sire), scores a 3.32 AEI (Average Earnings Index), as Belong to Me was by Danzig, by Northern Dancer, out of the Exclusive Native mare Belonging. It should be noted that Ce Ce is actually 4 x 4 x 5 Northern Dancer, with another dose on her dams’ side through Magesterial.

Ce Ce’s first two dams are also both Grade One winners, her dam Miss Houdini the winner of the Del Mar Debutante S. and her granddam Magical Maiden won the Hollywood Starlet S. Miss Houdini is also the dam of millionaire and MGSP Papa Clem, by Smart Strike, as well as the dam of MGSW Hot Springs (Uncle Mo). So this female side both runs and produces.

As a detour, we should examine the pedigree of 1993 Kentucky Derby-G1 winner Sea Hero, because Ce Ce is a close genetic relative of this wonderful Mellon-bred horse. Paul Mellon appreciated the great female families in the thoroughbred, and Sea Hero demonstrates this. He was inbred to La Troienne (1926) 5 x 5, an amazing feat for a horse foaled in 1990, through her daughter Businesslike (1939) on his sires’ side (the dam of Busanda, who would produce Buckpasser), and through her daughter Big Hurry (1936), tail female, making La Troienne Sea Hero’s fifth dam.

His third dam, Searching, was by War Admiral, just as Busanda was, making them very closely related, and making these doses of La Troienne even more powerful through these near-sisters. Sea Hero’s dam, Glowing Tribute (1973), became a true Blue Hen herself. By Graustark, surely the source of Sea Hero’s stamina, her dam, Admiring (1962), was by Hail to Reason, another source of stamina to be sure, as he was Seattle Slew’s sire’s broodmare sire. Sea Hero’s sire was Polish Navy, by Danzig, just as Ce Ce’s broodmare sire, Belong to Me, was by Danzig.

But back to Ce Ce. Elusive Quality’s broodmare sire is Hero’s Honor, by Northern Dancer, out of none other than Sea Hero’s dam, Glowing Tribute. Echoes of Glowing Tribute and Sea Hero abound, though—this is just round one. Belong to Me’s tail female line goes back to La Troienne, too, through La Troienne’s daughter Big Hurry (1936), who was also Glowing Tribute’s third dam, through Admiring and her dam, Searching.

Already mentioned was that extra dose of Northern Dancer through Magesterial, and Magesterial’s dam was the Bold Lad mare Courting Days. She is in the fifth position in Ce Ce’s pedigree, where most pedigrees mistakenly end. But by going back one more generation, we find that Courting Days was out of Admiring, by Searching, by La Troienne. Ce Ce therefore has triple inbreeding to this powerful family, making her 7 x 7 x 8 La Troienne, and 5 x 6 Admiring. This is a huge collection of such valuable old blood in a four-year-old filly.

My other favorite twentieth century Blue Hen must also be mentioned, as Ce is 5 x 6 x 6 Somethingroyal, through her sons Secretariat and Sir Gaylord in Elusive Quality, and through another dose of Sir Gaylord, through his grandson Lord Avie, who also adds a huge bump of Mahmoud, to CeCe’s pedigree, complementing all of the Mahmoud in the doses of Northern Dancer, through his dam, Natalma.

Ce Ce’s breeder and owner, Bo Hirsch, is to be congratulated on this stunning pedigree with such a profound influence of twentieth century girl power. Certainly, Ollie’s Candy (Candy Ride) has a lovely pedigree as well, but for once, the photo finish was decided by the strength of pedigree and history rather than the whims of fashion.

— Roberta Smoodin

The “big news” of the past racing weekend, Saturday, April 11, in particular, was that a 46-1 shot, Mr. Big News, won the Oaklawn S. and secured a guaranteed place in the Arkansas Derby and in the Preakness S., whenever that may be held. Trained by Bret Calhoun and ridden by Gabriel Saez, Mr. Big News has brought his sire, the late, great Giant’s Causeway, very near the magic number of having sired 200 stakes winners.

Though Giant’s Causeway died in April, 2018, unable to complete his final breeding season at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in the Bluegrass, his genetic force is still felt in the thoroughbred industry: 2019 Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar is proof of this, as is Mr. Big News. And this is before a further inspection of Giant’s Causeway’s sons’ and daughters’ achievements on April 11 leads one to count him as one of the most influential sires of the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

I am prejudiced, because the first time I laid eyes on the stallion, I fell in love. He was a beautiful, compact, perfectly conformed chestnut, both elegant and masculine, with that look of eagles. He dared you not to love him. A very successful trainer friend called him, “perfection. You can’t ask any more of a horse than that.” I visited him every year thereafter at Ashford’s annual open house for breeders, and his daunting beauty never diminished. I was lucky enough to breed clients’ mares to him twice, getting two outstanding foals. He will always be one of my all-time favorites.

Mr. Big News demonstrates Giant’s Causeway’s ability to sire stakes winners with anomalous crosses, as he is out of the Galileo mare Unappeased. Through Giant’s Causeway’s entire stud career, only seven Galileo mares have been bred to him, though multi-millionaire Eishin Apollon was out of a Sadler’s Wells mare. However, we must look to Galileo’s dam, Urban Sea, by Miswaki, to cement the possibilities in this mating, as Giant’s Causeway loved mares with Miswaki in their pedigrees: Canadian Champion Irish Mission, millionaire My Typhoon, and others were the results of such matings.

He also appreciated inbreeding to Northern Dancer, apparent in approximately half of his graded stakes winning runners. We mustn’t disregard the double breeding of both Northern Dancer and Halo, offering four doses, therefore, of Almahmoud through her daughters Natalma and Cosmah.

The real key to this pedigree, however, is the bringing together, top and bottom, of the full sisters Glorious Song, through her stellar son Rahy, and Angelic Song, the dam of Unappeased (hence the coveted zigzag), both by Halo and out of the Blue Hen Ballade (1972), offering massive doses of Mahmoud and his family, La Troienne, and Swaps (for whom Giant’s Causeway clearly has an affinity—his full sister will make a cameo later). Ballade was the dam of Devil’s Bag by Halo, a full brother to the sisters offered here, Saint Ballado, and Imperial Falcon.

The fact that this regally-bred colt only fetched $95,000 as a yearling perhaps points to the weakness of the Fasig Tipton October Yearling Sale at which he was offered, rather than to his quality, because he appears to be a big, strong serious runner. Why would a January 29 foal be offered in this sale in the first place? I can only imagine that he was small as a yearling, or that health issues kept him out of the more prestigious, earlier sales.

Given his pedigree, one of the commentators on TVG suggested that Bret Calhoun should transfer this colt to the turf as soon as possible. After the race, this commentator said, “shows what I know.” Devil’s Bag, from this family, was a killer on dirt. This colt’s Galileo dam may add stamina, and perhaps, eventually turf ability, but for now, Mr. Big News looks like a real Triple Crown contender and a bargain for Calhoun and Allied Racing Stable.

In that same hour that Mr. Big News cemented his place on the Triple Crown Trail, in the twelfth at Gulfstream, a $75,000 optional claimer, another Giant’s Causeway offspring, the four-year-old filly Princess Causeway, won in perhaps the most stunning race of the day. Dead last all the way around, she closed into very fast fractions down the stretch to dominate with a thrilling turn of foot. She has five wins from eleven starts, and has earned over $314,000 for Winchester Place Thoroughbreds and trainer Ian Wilkes, and seems certain to be a candidate for a stakes race in the near future. Unlike the anomalous nick demonstrated by Mr. Big News, Princess Causeway is a much more typically pedigreed offspring of Giant’s Causeway, being out of the A.P. Indy mare A.P. Investment, who was out of the Gone West mare Clear in the West.

Another generation back is the Allan Paulson-bred Danka, by Strawberry Road out of the Blushing Groom mare Paloma Blanca, offering the powerful cross of Nijinsky II and Blushing Groom, and calling out to the Blushing Groom, on the zig zag, through Rahy on the top side. Sires from the Storm Cat line love the addition of Nijinsky II to any pedigree, as Nijinsky II is a close genetic relative of Storm Bird, and the two complement each other beautifully.

While considering Princess Causeway, having a look at the pedigree of Grade One winner Imagining is essential. The Phipps-bred was by Giant’s Causeway, out of the A.P. Indy mare and G2 winner Daydreaming, with a second dam by Northern Dancer, with tons of La Troienne, as only the Phipps stable could do, in the dams’ side. What Calumet Farm did in breeding Princess Causeway is, though, just as strong. Giant’s Causeway’s best progeny are littered with inbreeding to Secretariat and his dam Somethingroyal, and this pedigree offers Secretariat 4 x 4 x 5, and Somethingroyal 5 x 5 x 6, through three of the most influential Blue Hen Secretariat mares in the stud book: Terlingua, Weekend Surprise, and Secrettame.

The appearance of Chieftain (1961) via the dam of Mariah’s Storm, Immense, in Giant’s Causeway’s pedigree only heightens the effect, as Chieftain was by Bold Ruler, like Secretariat, out of the Blue Hen Pocahontas, whose dam, How, was by Princequillo, just like Somethingroyal. As in Mr. Big News, there is a build-up of Hail to Reason, always a good thing, through various sources this time, such as Halo, Roberto, Seattle Slew’s granddam, Reason to Earn, and Hail to Reason’s close genetic relative, My Babu, through A.P. Indy. We must also mention a bit of Graustark, for stamina, in her tail female line.

But there’s more Giant’s Causeway news. The winner of the Oaklawn Mile, an hour earlier than the Oaklawn S., was the seven-year-old Tom’s D’Etat, a millionaire whose career has been wisely guided by Al Stall Jr., through 17 starts, with ten wins, two seconds, and one third. How does this son of Smart Strike fit into my paean to Giant’s Causeway? Because his dam, Julia Tuttle, is by Giant’s Causeway, whose career as a sire of sires is more than equaled by his career as a broodmare sire: he is currently the leading broodmare sire worldwide, and is the broodmare sire of G1 star Mucho Gusto.

In Tom’s D’Etat we see a collection of Turn-to/Hail to Reason blood just as we did in Mr. Big News and Princess Causeway, as Smart Strike’s Blue Hen Dam, Classy ‘n Smart, was a granddaughter of Turn-to. This twins with the Hail to Reason/Turn-to in Giant’s Causeway through Halo and Roberto, and as in Princess Causeway, we see another dose of Blushing Groom in Julia Tuttle’s dams’ side.

Further examination of Classy ‘n Smart’s pedigree, however, reveals that her granddam, Classy Quillo, was by Outing Class, whose dam was Track Medal. Remember the powerful dose of Swaps, in the sixth position, in Mr. Big News, tail female? In the sixth position in Tom’s D’Etat’s pedigree, in his dams’ side, is Track Medal, the full sister to Swaps. And Classy ‘n’ Smart’s third dam is Quillopoly, yet another powerful Princequillo mare, like Somethingroyal and How. As usual, ancient history rears its head, and Giant’s Causeway’s affinity for Swaps/Track Medal and Princequillo mares cannot be denied.

The death of Giant’s Causeway in 2018 was painful, as he was clearly one of the greats. In Europe, his son Shamardal is a leading sire (with extra Halo in his dams’ side), so his legacy lives on. But I sincerely hope this is not the last paean to the handsome chestnut I will write. On April 11, in one hour’s time, Giant’s Causeway ruled the world once again.

— Roberta Smoodin

Three of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks prep races on Saturday, February 1, featured remarkably similar results. The Forward Gal S.-G3 at Gulfstream was won by unbeaten Tonalist’s Shape, by Tonalist. The Withers S.-G3, at Aqueduct, was won by Max Player, by Honor Code. And the Holy Bull S.-G3, again at Gulfstream, was won by Tiz the Law, by Constitution. See the trend? Tonalist, standing at Lane’s End, is by Tapit, making him a great-grandson of A.P. Indy. Honor Code, also at Lane’s End, is by A.P. Indy himself. Constitution, the second leading first crop sire of 2019 by earnings, stands at Winstar Farm, and is, like Tonalist, by Tapit. The grand old man, A.P. Indy, continues to dominate the 2020 three-year-old picture, even as such great contemporary sires as Into Mischief, whose son Mischevious Alex, and Pioneer of the Nile, whose son Thousand Words, took the other two derby preps, continue to produce exciting colts.

Tonalist could hardly have been expected to throw precocity with his first crop of 2019, as his one start at two yielded little, while his three-year-old campaign yielded a Belmont S.-G1 win and a Jockey Club Gold Cup S.-G1 win, with a repeat performance of that victory at four. Throw in his Pleasant Colony dam, and his Pleasant Colony looks (the very high withers, masculine head, and stout bone), marking him as different looking from other sons of Tapit, and the grass ability that should come with the Pleasant Colony influence, and you’d hardly expect him to pass dirt speed to his offspring. Yet Tonalist’s Shape has made her mark on the Oaks trail. The key is her terrifically outcrossed pedigree. There is no inbreeding through the fifth cross, and yet…lurking just beyond that is the powerful combination of Northern Dancer sons who are closely related, Nijinsky II and Storm Bird, plus a dose of Topsider. There is a wealth of Princequillo through male and female offspring. There is a doubling of Secretariat through his dam, Somethingroyal, top and bottom. Tapit loves both Deputy Minister and his sire, Vice Regent, as is evidenced by his many stakes performers featuring these, and lurking in the fifth position is Vice Regent himself, on Tonalist’s Shape’s dams’ side.

The real deciding factor in Tonalist’s Shape’s dirt ability, however, must be the presence of Meadowlake, through his son, Meadow Dancer, the filly’s second broodmare sire. Meadowlake, as a sire, embodied brilliance, toughness, precocity, and dirt ability, and during his tenure at Darby Dan epitomized North American dirt breeding, while being a wonderful outcross for most mares. The other strong dirt influence in the dams’ side of this filly is none other than Triple Crown Winner Affirmed, calling out to the Mr. Prospector and Fappiano in Tapit, and to the Raise a Native in Meadowlake.

Honor Code’s pedigree all but guarantees his success at stud. Out of the Storm Cat mare Serena’s Cat, his third dam is Champion and multi-millionaire Serena’s Song, by Rahy, creating therefore, in Serena’s Cat, a pedigree very similar to that of Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat on a Rahy mare). Honor Code features Secretariat top and bottom, through his daughter Weekend Surprise on top, and his daughter Terlingua, on bottom, arguably the best and most influential daughters of Secretariat who ever existed, as they gave us the breed-altering A.P. Indy and Storm Cat. Examining Max Player’s pedigree, patterns begin to materialize. As in Tonalist’s Shape, multiple doses of Northern Dancer appear, through Storm Cat, Northfields, Dance Number, Deputy Minister and daughter Cold Reply in this case, and Mr. Prospector is likewise doubled (4 x 3), top and bottom, as is Buckpasser (5 x 5). Halo appears twice (7 x 5), top and bottom, adding his own dam, Cosmah, a daughter of Almahmoud and half-sister of Natalma, Northern Dancer’s dam. There exists, because of this, an obvious wealth of Mahmoud in Max Player. Plus the shadow of Meadowlake, through his second dam’s sire, French Deputy, whose own dam, Mitterand, was by the same sire as Meadowlake, Hold Your Peace, almost lost in contemporary pedigrees.

Constitution was the surprise star of the freshman sires of 2019. The worst psychic in the world could have predicted that American Pharoah would be number one, but who would have thought that Constitution would be so close behind in the second position? His gorgeous son with the huge, dramatic blaze on his face, Tiz the Law, seems the most likely of this Indy-trio to get the distance of the Triple Crown races, as he is triple-bred Seattle Slew (5 x 6 x 5), quintuple-bred Northern Dancer through Nijinsky II, Danzig, Storm Bird, Lyphard and, as in Max Player, a female carrier of his genes, his granddaughter Lonely Dancer. It is, however, his second dam’s sire, Belmont S.-G1 winner Go for Gin, who cements his claim on stamina, as Go for Gin’s sire, Cormorant, is, like Pleasant Colony, by His Majesty, and out of a Stage Door Johnny mare: Tiz the Law should be able to run forever. Mitigating this stamina, however, is brilliance: the full siblings Moon Glitter and Relaunch appear top and bottom, 5 x 4, and add their own doses of In Reality and The Axe II (Mahmoud) to the extant In Reality in Unbridled on top, and Crafty Prospector on bottom, who are closely related, not to mention the other dose of the Axe II in Constitution, through his son Al Hattab. As well, La Troienne, the Blue Hen of Blue Hens, makes numerous appearances through doubled Buckpasser and tripled The Axe II.

After reviewing these three scions of the A.P. Indy line, it should come as no surprise that a perusal of the leading second crop sires list features Constitution at number one, Tonalist at number two, and Honor Code at number four, as close to a monopoly as you can get. Though he was foaled in 1989, A.P. Indy remains the most important influence in 21^st century pedigrees, and his sons, grandsons and great grandsons seem poised to insure the continuation of this trend.

— Roberta Smoodin

War Front, who stands at Claiborne Farm for $250,000 in 2020, has had stellar offspring running at the highest levels in both North America and Europe, and Saturday, December 28 was no exception, when two of his sons from his 2016 crop won stakes races. Omaha Beach, who more and more looks like the quintessential race horse, won the Grade One Malibu S. at Santa Anita with such ease that Mike Smith didn’t move a muscle, raise a whip, or scrub a neck on the spectacular colt. He was merely a passenger on the superb animal.

Much less heralded was gate to wire winner of the Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream, Halladay. Omaha Beach is a multiple graded stakes winner and earner of $1,651,800, and his second dam is Broodmare of the Year Take Charge Lady, whose immediate family has become more and more important in pedigrees (Omaha Beach is a half-sibling to Champion Two-Year-Old Filly Take Charge Brandi). Halladay’s family is less refined (and this was his first stakes win, and has earned $211,745), but he is out of the Tapit mare Hightap, and the similarities between his pedigree and Omaha Beach’s are fascinating.

What stands out immediately is inbreeding, top and bottom, in both colts, to Ruby Slippers, the dam of Rubiano, who appears twice himself in Omaha Beach’s pedigree, and through Rubiano’s ¾ sister, Tap Your Heels, Tapit’s dam, in Halladay. Omaha Beach is 3 x 4 Rubiano (and therefore 4 x 5 Ruby Slippers), while Halladay is 4 x 4 Ruby Slippers and 4 x 5 Fappiano. Ruby Slippers’ pedigree is blue-blooded, as she was by Nijinsky II (Northern Dancer), out of the In Reality mare Moon Glitter, a perfect match for the Fappiano line because it features In Reality’s close genetic relative, Dr. Fager. It should be noted that Omaha Beach’s fourth dam was by Blushing Groom, which reaches out to the doubling of close genetic relative Nijinsky II.

More than this, though, Moon Glitters dam, Foggy Note, was by The Axe II, a son of Mahmoud. So in both colts, there is double-breeding to Nijinsky II, Fappiano, In Reality/Dr. Fager, and an abundance of other strains of Mahmoud, as Omaha Beach is 3 x 5 x 6 x 7 Northern Dancer, whose dam, Natalma, was by the most influential Mahmoud mare of modern times, Almahmoud, while Halladay is 3 x 6 x 6 x 5 x 5 Northern Dancer. Halladay gets two more strains of Mahmoud through his third broodmare sire, Caveat, who was by Cannonade, whose second dam was Cosmah, Almahmoud’s other important daughter, and the dam of Halo (and it must be noted that Caveat’s dam, Cold Hearted, is out of a Turn-to mare, almost recreating Halo via Caveat). As well, Cold Hearted’s sire was The Axe II—making Halladay 7 x 7 x 6 The Axe II.

The similarities don’t end there. Omaha Beach is out of the Seeking the Gold mare, Charming, bringing Mr. Prospector and Buckpasser together in his dams’ side. As previously mentioned, Halladay is out of a Tapit mare, and Tapit’s sire, Pulpit, brings together Buckpasser and Mr. Prospector as well, reversed from Omaha Beach’s, with Buckpasser through the sire line, and Mr. P through the dam of Pulpit. Then there is the presence of Unbridled in Halladay, Tapit’s broodmare sire, who also represents the Mr. P (through Fappiano)/Buckpasser cross. Of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the Fappiano/Mr. Prospector connection vividly apparent in both pedigrees.

One more distinct similarity must be noted. Omaha Beach’s previously mentioned second dam, Take Charge Lady, is by Dehere, a son of Deputy Minister and grandson of Vice Regent. Dehere as a broodmare sire appears in more and more pedigrees lately, and combining him with other Deputy Minister-line sons and daughters suggests that, like that Fappiano/Mr. P cross, Dehere has created his own sire line and will become more important as time goes on, just as Fappiano has become. In Omaha Beach, Vice Regent appears in the fifth position in the dams’ side, thanks to Dehere. In Halladay’s pedigree, Vice Regent appears in the fourth position, through his son Regal Classic, Halladay’s second broodmare sire.

Patterns like this can’t be ignored, though most of us can’t afford to breed a mare whose pedigree contains inbreeding to Ruby Slippers, Vice Regent, and the Axe II, even if we owned such a mare, to War Front. But we can place a two-dollar win bet on the noses of similarly bred offspring of War Front, and put that pattern to work for us when we enjoy cashing a ticket. Both colts went through the Keeneland September Yearling Sale of 2017, only to be bought back when their reserves weren’t achieved, and to be purchased privately, later. Sometimes even the high rollers buying top-of-the-market yearlings don’t understand what they’re looking at, heartening to those of us who are decidedly low-rollers.

— Roberta Smoodin

Any betting person would have selected American Pharoah to be the leading freshman sire of 2019, and, with progeny earnings of $2,703,916 and 27 winners, he was. But the second leading freshman sire was more than a bit of a surprise: Constitution, with as many winners as American Pharoah from a smaller foal crop, and $2,168,422 in earnings. To kick off the new year, Constitution’s unbeaten son, Independence Hall, won the Jerome S. at Aqueduct with ease, placing himself firmly on the Triple Crown trail (besting an American Pharoah colt who dead heated for second).

Though he started only eight times, Constitution earned over a million dollars and won both the Florida Derby-G1 and the Donn H.-G1. When he went to stud at Winstar Farm in 2016, in Kentucky, he commanded the stud fee of $25,000, modest compared to American Pharoah. The usual, intense inbreeding exists in his pedigree, as he is by Tapit, out of the Distorted Humor mare Baffled. He is, therefore, 4 x 5 Seattle Slew, 4 x 5 x 4 Mr. Prospector (with one of those crosses being through Fappiano), and 5 x 5 x 5 Northern Dancer, through his sons Nijinsky II, Danzig, and Storm Bird, though the latter isn’t through his best son, Storm Cat, but rather through the lesser known stallion Ocean Crest. Through Seattle Slew, Mr. Leader, and Cox’s Ridge, we see multiple doses of Turn-to, and we also see an assortment of crosses to La Troienne, through two doses of Buckpasser and two doses of The Axe II. All of the Northern Dancer and the two doses of The Axe II also builds up an impressive presence of Mahmoud.

The Constitutions hit the ground running, with Tiz the Law winning the Champagne S.-G1, Grade 3 winners Amalfi Sunrise, By Your Side, and Independence Hall, and G1 placed and much touted Gouvernour Morris, all with surprisingly different dams’ sides. The key to Independence Hall’s pedigree, however, is that his second dam, Desert Stormette, is by Storm Cat, strongly echoing the Storm Bird on the top side, while also adding a dose of Secretariat, through Storm Cat’s dam, Terlingua, which complements the Secretariat in A.P. Indy’s pedigree, through his dam, Weekend Surprise.

Add more Mr. Prospector, Buckpasser, and Seattle Slew through his broodmare sire Cape Town, not to mention the My Babu through Damascus (his third broodmare sire) reaching out to the same classic sire in A.P. Indy, and we begin to see one of those pedigrees in which the same ingredients are juggled, top and bottom, to maximum effect. It also doesn’t hurt that Desert Stormette is a full sister to Breeders Cup Sprint-G1 winner Desert Stormer; though she wasn’t the race horse her sister was, Desert Stormette was a winner with the same genetic cocktail as her speedy sister. It must be noted that this pedigree features multiple crosses to the two great Triple Crown winners of the ‘70s, Secretariat and Seattle Slew.

It should come as no surprise that Constitution will stand, in 2020, for $40,000. With Independence Hall marking New Year’s Day for his sire in the Jerome, Winstar clearly might have raised the stud fee higher and still over-filled Constitution’s book. Though Constitution isn’t that glamorous frosty gray that his sire, and other exciting young Tapit stallions such as Frosted and Mohayman, possess, the handsome bay horse may indeed be, as his farm advertises, “the son of Tapit we’ve all been waiting for.”

— Roberta Smoodin

The Mr. Prospector S.-G3 at Gulfstream on December 21 turned into a relentless speed duel between favored Imperial Hint and X Y Jet, with the half clocked in 43.4 seconds. So it came as no surprise that both faded toward the finish line, leaving an opening for Diamond Oops to win. An appropriate win, as Diamond Oops’ pedigree is chock-full of Mr. Prospector: through Smart Strike, Gone West, Fappiano and Forty Niner, making Diamond Oops 3 x 5 x 6 x 5 Mr. P, with some Exclusive Native and Native Charger thrown in for good measure to further underscore the importance of Raise a Native.

Diamond Oops is by Smart Strike’s son Looking at Lucky, and out of Patriotic Viva, by Why Why Why, a son of Mr. Greeley (and grandson of Gone West) who had an undistinguished career at stud. Why Why Why, however, substantiated, early on, the effectiveness of inbreeding Mr. Prospector with his own son, Fappiano (through Quiet American in this instance), and it is generally thought now that Fappiano has created his own sire line. The Mr. P/Fappiano cross continues to thrive. Through Fappiano and In Reality, Diamond Oops’ dams’ side provides the riches of inbreeding to the In Reality/Dr. Fager/Ta Wee family, known to produce speed and determination on dirt.

What must now be considered is the possibility that Smart Strike himself has struck out and developed his own sire line, making such inbreeding to Mr. P fruitful. The splendid success of Curlin certainly suggests this possibility, as does Diamond Oops’ sire Lookin at Lucky. Smart Strike was out of the Smarten mare Classy ‘n Smart, cementing the cross of Mr. P on the Turn-to line. Mr. Greeley, the third dam sire of Diamond Oops, represents a closely related and successful cross: Mr. P on the Bold Ruler/Nasrullah line, as his broodmare sire was Reviewer, by Bold Ruler. This is, of course, an echo of his father’s cross as well, as Gone West is by Mr. P and out of the Secretariat (Bold Ruler) mare Secrettame (for good measure, Diamond Oops’ fourth dam is a Secretariat mare as well). We can expect to see the many sons of Curlin now going to stud bred to mares featuring Mr. Prospector bloodlines, and if these are successful, the argument that Smart Strike, like Fappiano, has created his own sire line must be made.

There’s one other fascinating aspect of Diamond Oops’ pedigree. Remember the little horse Came Home? Born in 1999, by Gone West out of a Clever Trick mare, he was the precocious winner of the Hollywood Juvenile Championship S.-G3 and the Hopeful S.-G1, and went on, at three, to win the Pacific Classic-G1 and the Santa Anita Derby-G1, for earnings of $1,835,940, and went to stud at Lane’s End in the Bluegrass before being sold to Japan in 2008. The small, duck-toed fellow got his name because, though his connections tried to sell him three times, at Keeneland November as a weanling, Keeneland September as a yearling, and Barretts March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, he never reached his (hefty) reserves, so he literally came home from every sale.

In the fourth position of Diamond Oops’ pedigree, on the sire’s side, we find Clever Trick, and in the dam’s side, we find Gone West. Embedded in this pedigree is the cross that made this tough juvenile and three-year-old who many favored for the Kentucky Derby-G1, in which he finished sixth, with War Emblem winning the roses that year. As a fan of Came Home, finding such buried treasure in a pedigree is a pleasant surprise, and proof that some crosses simply work—Diamond Oops may not be another Came Home, but he is a gritty gelding who vanquished top foes in the Mr. Prospector S.-G3.

— Roberta Smoodin