Warning: longest blog post in history commences.
One of the exciting things about bringing home a gen-yew-wine (that's how we say it in NC) racehorse is that he comes with a paper trail. His every move has been watched and logged since he set foot on a track and his family tree has been carefully charted. So, as you can imagine given my irrepressible curiosity, I set out on a google quest and discovered that I had stumbled upon a pot of gold.
Watch Encore (running as "Joyous Jester") break his maiden with a bang at Pimlico in 2008. Well, now I know he can gallop.
Encore was bred for speed, stamina, and heart; his pedigree reads like a review of the TB leading sires list. Great names that have almost been forgotten in modern racing spring off the page, as well as a few horses who were founders of the modern jumping sporthorse. Settle in for a tour of the kings of racing and of the unstoppable heart of the Thoroughbred horse.
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| AP Indy |
As I mentioned in my previous post, Encore is an
AP Indy grandson. AP Indy was purchased as a yearling in 1990 for a whopping $2.9 million, which turned out to not be such a bad investment. In racing alone, he won almost $3 million and was crowned Horse of the Year in 1992. He went on to even greater heights in the breeding shed, where he stood for $150,000 per cover until 2011, when he became infertile. In 2003 and 2006, he was the leading TB sire in the country. He sired many fantastic horses, one of which was Bernardini, the 2006 Preakness winner who was the first stallion chosen to breed the champion racemare,
Zenyatta.
Encore's damsire is
Allen's Prospect, a Kentucky-bred stallion, purchased at Keeneland's famous yearling sale for $560,000 (that was a heck of a lot of money in 1983). A son of Mr. Prospector, he ended up siring a greater percentage of winners than the famed Storm Cat (who has a $500,000 stud fee) and topped both Seattle Slew and Unbridled in national stallion rankings. He is also known for siring a number of VERY good jumpers and eventers, particularly through his broodmare line.
It only gets better from here. His papers include, from the USA:
Secretariat: Does he even need an introduction? Just in case you live under a rock,
I wrote about him here.
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| Seattle Slew |
Seattle Slew: The only undefeated Triple Crown winner (1977), the renowned tough guy Slew won the Eclipse Award in 1976 AND 1978, was awarded Horse of the Year in 1978, was the Leading Sire of 1984, and the Leading Broodmare Sire of 1995 and 1996. Before he died, Slew sired an amazing 7 North American champions and 1 European champion. Encore inherits his toughness and speed from both his sire and dam's lines.
Mr. Prospector: Descended from the Darley Arabian through Eclipse, Mr. P earned the affection of many. He had the misfortune of racing in the same year as Secretariat AND
Forego and it is a testament to his courage and speed that he came second to both. A Leading Sire 6 times, Mr. P sired a winner of each Triple Crown race, as did his grandson,
Unbridled. He is buried at Clairborne Farms between his old rival, Secretariat and the Canadian legend,
Nijinsky.
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| Swaps |
Swaps: This 1955 KY Derby winner broke records left and right. Named Horse of the Year in 1956, reporters wrote that Swaps would "go to the front of the race and say goodbye." Also in '56, he fractured his leg in three places and most parties agreed he would have to be destroyed. Swaps would have none of it -- he hung in a custom-built sling in his stall for four weeks and trotted out at the end of it to live a long life.
Nashua: In 1955, he beat Swaps in a match race when the latter had an infected foot. The two were hearty rivals and Nashua won out as Horse of the Year in 1955, when he won both the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. He won over $1 million and was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1965. He stood at Claiborne with his sire, the Irish champion
Nasrullah.
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| Citation |
Citation: In 1948, Citation won the Triple Crown and went on racing until he was 6 to become the first horse in history to win over $1 million. Inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1959, he held the American record on a dirt track for 30 years until
Spectacular Bid blew it wide open. Citation is listed as #3 on the list of Greatest Horses of the 20th Century (he trails only Man O' War and Secretariat) but he won far more races than either legend.
War Admiral: Contrary to what Hollywood would have you believe, this son of Man O' War was only 15.3 but he won both the Triple Crown and Horse of the Year in 1937. He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame and was a Leading Sire in 1945.
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| Bold Ruler |
Bold Ruler: As a colt, Bold Ruler was so accident-prone that Bull Hancock (owner of Claiborne Farm) would hide him behind the barn in his own paddock so visitors wouldn't see him. He was forever cutting his legs to pieces and once nearly bit off half of his own tongue. Nevertheless, he grew to win the Preakness in 1957, even though there was a 2 inch splinter from his fetlock imbedded in his leg tendons for some time. As a result he won the Eclipse Award and Horse of the Year in 1957 and was inducted posthumously into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1973. He sired Secretariat and was the grandsire of
Foolish Pleasure,
Bold Forbes,
Ruffian, and Spectacular Bid.
Round Table: Foaled on the same night at Claiborne Farm as Bold Ruler, this stallion was the greatest turf horse in US history. He dominated the world of racing in 1958, winning every award there was, including Horse of the Year. In 43 of 66 starts, he won $1.7 million and set or equaled 14 records, including 2 US records and 1 world record. He was the Leading Sire of 1972 and when Queen Elizabeth visited KY in 1984, she requested her own audience with the great horse when he was 30 years old. He is noted for contributing jumping talent and good temperaments through his genes.
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| Buckpasser |
Buckpasser: Often called "the most perfectly conformed Thoroughbred ever seen," this stallion was an international record-winning two-year-old. A quarter crack kept him out of the Triple Crown, but he still was Horse of the Year in 1966 and was the first horse to win over $1 million before the age of four. He was syndicated for $4.8 million and was the Leading Broodmare Sire of 1983, 1984, and 1989 and is noted for passing on soundness. His sons include
Spend A Buck,
Lil E Tee, and
Silver Charm.
John P Grier. I had to note this guy; he was the only horse who would race Man O' War in the 1920 Dwyer Handicap. Although he did not win, he remains the only horse who ever ran neck and neck with Man O' War for a mile. That, my friends, is guts.
There is a lot of very impressive international blood there too:
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| JJ Babu |
My Babu: I admit, I squealed when I found this one. This French Thoroughbred is one of the most influential jumper and eventer sires of all time. He set a stakes record in England in 1948 and in 1955 was imported to America for $600,000, the highest price ever paid to import a Thoroughbred to the US. Syndicated for $1.2 million along with Nashua, he stood at Spendthrift Farm, where he was the Leading Juvenile Sire in 1960 and sired 47 stakes winners. Even more notably to me, his blood produced Bruce Davidson's 1984 gold-medal-winning mount, JJ Babu, Anky van Greunsven's
Bonfire, and the Grand Prix jumper, Sympatico, who set the world record for puissance (high jump) in 1973.
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| Princequillo |
Princequillo: Bred in France, his dam was shipped to Ireland, where he was foaled, to protect her from World War II. His sire was less lucky and was killed by German artillery fire in France. Princequillo and his dam were then sent to the US as the war escalated. He nearly died on the boat ride over and was sold due to his poor condition. His owner no doubt regretted the decision, as Princequillo went on to become the greatest distance runner in US history besides
Kelso. He was retired at 4 to the breeding shed of Claiborne where he was the Leading Sire of 1957-58 and the Leading Broodmare Sire of 1966-70, 1972 and 1973. He is the grandsire of rivals Secretariat and Sham and known for passing on soundness, good temperament, and large hearts.
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| Northern Dancer |
Northern Dancer: The most successful sire of the 20th century, he won 14 of 18 races and never finished lower than 3rd place. He set the KY Derby record until Secretariat broke it (who still holds it) and in 1964 he was Canadian Horse of the Year, North American Champion Three-Year-Old, and an Eclipse Award winner. In 1965, he was also the first horse inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame (he now shares it with
Big Ben) and in 1999 he got his own Canadian postage stamp. With a $1 million stud fee, Northern Dancer sired a mind-blowing 147 stakes winners.
Nearco: This Italian Thoroughbred was named one of the most important sires of all time. He had his own bomb shelter in World War II. He produced Nasrullah and Nearctic and was the grandsire of Northern Dancer. Over 100 of his sons have stood at stud around the world, which is a world record apart from
St. Simon.
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| Carbine |
Carbine: This incredible horse from New Zealand won 33 of 43 starts and was 1 of 5 inaugural members of both the New Zealand and Australia Racing Hall of Fame. He won the 2 mile Sydney Cup in record-setting time as a 3-year-old and won the 1890 Melbourne Cup while carrying 53 more pounds than the 2nd place horse. He failed to place only once because of a cracked hoof. Imported to England in 1895, Carbine's descendents include 8 of the 9 horses to ever win more than $10 million. From 1914-1978, half of the Melbourne Cup winners descended from Carbine and in the US, both Mine That Bird and Rachel Alexandra can trace back to him.
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| The Tetrarch |
The Tetrarch: An undefeated, white-spotted grey called "The Spotted Wonder," was named Britain's top 2-year-old of the 20th century. An injury ended his racing career at 2, but he was Britain's Leading Sire in 1919. His most important progeny was a mare named Mumtaz Mahal, called "The Flying Filly," who became one of the top broodmares of the 20th century.
Gainsborough: He won the English Triple Crown in 1918, he was the Leading Sire in Great Britain and Ireland from 1932-1933. He left a legacy of conformation and stamina behind.
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| Cor de la Bryere |
Dark Ronald: Yes, that is his real name. His sire was Bay Ronald; the owners were apparently not very inspired. This stud stands at the roots of the modern show jumper. He was purchased in Great Britain by the German National Stud in 1913 and his blood has produced horses such as
Landgraf I,
Cor de la Bryere,
Furioso II, and
Ladykiller xx.
Teddy: Another founder of today's showjumpers and one of the most influential sires of the 20th century, Teddy was a French horse that raced in Spain and France in the mid-teens of the 20th century. He won 6 of 8 races and was the Leading Sire of 1923. Imported the US in 1931, he sired 65 stakes winners.
