Reply #54: Barbaro ran to his breeding [View All]

[two gun sid]

From DRF:
Last Saturday was a good day for pedigree handicappers as normalcy returned to the Kentucky Derby after a four-year hiatus. The victory by Barbaro was satisfying because it was the first time since Monarchos in 2001 that a runner who was bred to enjoy 1 1/4 miles ran to his pedigree and won the race. Interestingly, Monarchos and Barbaro's sire, Dynaformer, descend from the same female family.

From 2002 to 2004, speed ruled in the Derby. In 2002, War Emblem surprised the industry when he wired the Derby. While his sire, Our Emblem, possessed a pedigree as good as any stallion (Mr. Prospector out of champion Personal Ensign), Our Emblem took after his brilliant sire rather than Personal Ensign, finding his niche as a sprinter who placed in several stakes. Conversely, Our Emblem's stakes-winning full brothers Miner's Mark and Traditionally were most effective over classic distances.

Funny Cide's victory in 2003 was more palatable since he is by Distorted Humor, a son of Forty Niner who has proven himself as a serious stallion many times over. In addition, Funny Cide's performances leading up to the Derby, including a game second in the Wood Memorial behind Empire Maker, made him a contender. While Funny Cide's victory was legitimate, there is no doubt that he was aided by Empire Maker's foot problems, which surfaced in the weeks leading up to the Derby and caused him to miss valuable training time.

The 2004 Derby victor, Smarty Jones, who was the most dominant winner of this trio, had the most unlikely Derby pedigree of the three. Smarty Jones is by Elusive Quality, a very talented miler who was brilliant on dirt and turf. Smarty Jones remains an aberration - the only runner by Elusive Quality to perform at racing's highest level at classic distances. Elusive Quality is a solid source of high speed, and his progeny are sprinter-milers.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/74366.html