In a weekend full of racing action, one colt stood out – Instagrand, winner of August 11th’s Best Pal S.- G2 at Del Mar. Frequently cynical racing commentators felt their blood pressure rise, and utilized the ultimate compliment when describing him -“freak.” Indeed, he had that man among boys look to him that we’ve become accustomed to seeing in Justify, that aura of professionalism one rarely sees in two-year-olds and that very masculine handsomeness.
Instagrand demolished a decent field, bringing his record to two starts, two wins, for Jerry Hollendorfer and Drayden Van Dyke, and for owner Larry Best, who races under the stable name of OXO Equine. Best is to be congratulated for rocketing to the top of owner standings so rapidly, and for spending the $1.2 million at Fasig Tipton Florida March this year for this exquisite specimen whose action is effortless—he glides and floats, feet barely leaving the ground. Hollendorfer is pointing his young star toward the September 3 Del Mar Futurity – I can’t wait to see him again.
Instagrand continues to lend credence to the ascent of Into Mischief, who stands at Spendthrift Farm for $100,000, into the top echelon of stallions. His dams’ side is less distinguished, as he is out of the Lawyer Ron mare Assets of War, herself by Lord at War. Into Mischief has created stake horses with such a vast variety of mares that it would seem he crosses brilliantly with all other sire lines, though a second dose of Northern Dancer seems especially appealing to him. One stake winning son stands out, though, when considering Instagrand’s pedigree and why it works. Can the Man, who also stands at Spendthrift for $3500, has made a decent start in his first year at stud, and like Instagrand, was brilliant at two.
Most significantly, however, he is out of a Danzig mare, just as Instagrand’s dam is a great granddaughter of Danzig. Of course, Can the Man’s dam is no ordinary Danzig mare. She is a daughter of one of the all time great, blue hen broodmares, Juddmonte’s Blush With Pride, whose offspring fill a page with black type, and whose other daughter happens to be Better Than Honour, Broodmare of the Year and dam of Belmont-winning filly Rags to Riches, among others.
Can the Man got his speed from his sire, but got a bit of stamina from this dams’ side, through Blushing Groom, Blush With Pride’s sire. Instagram’s dam may not be as distinguished as Can the Man’s, but he does get a major boost in endurance through Lord at War’s dose of Ribot, the primary stamina influence in thoroughbreds to this day, which doubles the Ribot already found in Into Mischief’s dams’ side, through His Majesty.
The influence of Lord at War could make the difference in Instagrand’s ability to get a distance and go on to the classics at three. Can the Man, with his superficially superior pedigree, did not demonstrate this ability, and only achieved Grade 3 status. Instagrand has already demonstrated Grade 2 winning ability. Danzig coupled with some stamina influence would seem to be one key to success in breeding to Into Mischief.
Lawyer Ron, a son of Langfuhr, makes an interesting broodmare sire when coupled with Into Mischief. Through his sire, he brings the aforementioned Danzig, and also a dose of My Babu, which blends beautifully with the Turn-to in Into Mischief’s pedigree, through Stop the Music. But there’s more: Lawyer Ron’s dam, Donation, was by Lord Avie, which adds that essential extra line back to Secretariat’s great dam, Somethingroyal, through her other important son, Sir Gaylord, the sire of Lord Gaylord. Here is where the magic happens. Lord Gaylord is out of the Ambiorix mare Miss Glamour Gal. Ambiorix, bred so similarly to both Turn-to and My Babu, creates the triumvirate of inbreeding that coalesces to make an unusually high percentage of stakes winners. Ambiorix’s dam, Lavendula, is also the second dam of both My Babu and Turn-to.
Here’s the other magic trick in Lawyer Ron’s pedigree—in considering him, it turns out he needs to become one of my favorite broodmare sires! Miss Glamour Gal’s grand dam is a mare named Hostility, by Man o’War, out of Marguerite de Valois, the full sister to both Bull Dog and Sir Gallahad III. Into Mischief’s pedigree contains numerous strains of the brothers, sons of the great Spearmint mare Plucky Liege, but it’s the addition of their full sister on the dam’s side that completes the collection of superior genetic material with the addition of the huge heart gene that can only come from a female contributor.
It must also be noted that Turn-to’s dam, Source Sucree, was sired by Admiral Drake, a half-sibling to the three full siblings already mentioned, another son of Plucky Liege. I’ve written about the importance of inbreeding to all the sons and the one daughter of Plucky Liege, but must continue to do so as every stake winner I examine continues to amaze me with the importance of the offspring of this one great mare born in 1912. Put Plucky Liege inbreeding together with two strains of Somethingroyal, not to mention Almahmoud through her two great daughters, Cosmah and Natalma, and this freak of a horse, Instagrand, is born.
One more common theme found in the lineages of Into Mischief’s stake winners is the addition on the dams’ side of Mr. Prospector. This makes sense, since Into Mischief’s pedigree is devoid of Mr. Prospector, but contains his relative from the Raise a Native line, Affirmed. Once again, Instagrand’s relationship with Mr. Prospector is from an underwhelming son of the great Mr. P, Stutz Blackhawk, the sire of Instagrand’s third dam, Added Elegance. However, Stutz Blackhawk is out of Amber Morn, a daughter of Ambiorix. What is so fascinating about this pedigree is that it combines so many important genetic strands through lesser relations, and yet the sum of the parts creates this magnificent beast. Clearly, collecting the genetic material known to make stakes winners, through whatever relations, works. California Chrome and American Pharoah (who, coincidentally, has his own Lord at War connection through his sire) are examples of this phenomenon, both having dams’ sides that, when examined closely, bring together important DNA through some undistinguished uncles, aunts and cousins.
The more one examines current pedigrees of stellar race horses, the more convinced one becomes that there really are only four or five great mares of the twentieth century that matter. Find them, in multiples, in a pedigree, and you will find a race horse. Certainly, we study stallions to find the right mates for our mares, and to acquire mares by excellent broodmare sires. But over and over, mare power lurks in the background, as it does in Instagrand’s superficially unimpressive pedigree. This $1.2 million dollar two-year-old may be a freak of a race horse, but his background of mare power makes him anything but a genetic freak. He has a license to be a great racehorse in his blood.
— Roberta Smoodin
Thanks to Thoroughbred People contributor and bloodstock consultant Roberta Smoodin for this article. Roberta offers pedigree analysis for sales and breeding recommendation services for your broodmares – please contact Roberta at [email protected] for more information.