When Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song) downed favourite, California Chrome, to land Saturday’s Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Classic, he became the tenth Mr Prospector line horse to win the Classic.
The 2015 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner American Pharoah
The trend was started by Arrogate’s grandsire, Unbridled – also great grandsire of 2015 Classic hero American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile).
Another Unbridled son, Broken Vow, was responsible for 14 Hands Winery Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, Champagne Room.
Arrogate’s third dam, Meadow Star (Meadowlake), was herself a Breeders’ Cup winner, having romped to a five length victory in the 1990 Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Interestingly, Arrogate (who is inbred to the mighty Mr Prospector) is from the same family as former SA Gr1 performer, Raise The Pace (Nijinsky’s Secret), and the successful local broodmare, Star Land, second dam of smart stakes winners, Deepo (Albert Hall) and Hard To Get (Fard).
Arrogate’s win also continued the tremendous run of success that Unbridled’s Song and his descendants have enjoyed in the Breeders Cup.
Liam’s Map
Himself winner of the 1995 BC Juvenile, the now deceased Unbridled’s Song’s had previous Breeders Cup winners, Liam’s Map (Dirt Mile), Unrivaled Belle (Ladies Classic), Midshipman (Juvenile), and Unbridled Elaine (Distaff).
Former US champion, and five time Gr1 winner, Lemon Drop Kid is, without question, one of the very best sire sons of the late Kingmambo.
Lemon Drop Kid (Kingmambo – Charming Lassie)
The champ (himself a three parts brother to South African sire, Mambo In Seattle) has once again enjoyed a solidly successful year with his nine individual stakes winners in 2016 including Gr1 Secretariat Stakes winner, Beach Patrol, and five time stakes winner ,(in 2016) Da Big Hoss.
However, it was as a broodmare sire that Lemon Drop Kid (whose relatives also include dual US champion sire A P Indy and former high class local sires Al Mufti and Tiger Ridge) truly made his mark at the 2016 Breeders’ Cup.
The former Gr1 Belmont Stakes winner featured as the broodmare sire of two BC winners, Finest City (City Zip), the winner of the G1 Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, and Tamarkuz (Speightstown), who shocked heavy favourite Dortmund (Big Brown) to land the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
Lemon Drop Kid is also maternal grandsire of Distaff third, Forever Unbridled, a daughter of the ubiquitous Unbridled’s Song!
The late El Prado (Sadler’s Wells) once again made his presence felt at a Breeders Cup meeting.
His outstanding sire sons Kitten’s Joy and Medaglia D’Oro were both represented by BC winners, with Kitten’s Joy responsible for the very impressive Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile turf hero, Oscar Performance.
The latter did well to overcome a wide draw and defeat highly promising Irish 2yo, Lancaster Bomber (War Front) by 1.25 lengths.
In the process, Oscar Performance became the third Breeders’ Cup winner for former Champion Sire, Kitten’s Joy, also previously responsible for BC winners, Bobby’s Kitten and Stephanie’s Kitten. Kitten’s Joy is once again leading the turf sires list in North America, and he continues to impress as a consistent sire of high class grass stars.
Medaglia D’oro (photo: Darley)
Medaglia D’Oro, whose brilliant and former BC winning, daughter, Songbird, was narrowly denied victory in the Gr1 Distaff, was represented by his 16th individual Gr1 winner when daughter, New Money Honey, landed the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Juveniles Turf.
El Prado, himself the sire of former Mile hero, Artie Schiller and broodmare sire of another Breeders Cup winner in the form of Outstrip (Juvenile Turf), was not the only son of Sadler’s Wells to make his presence felt at this year’s Breeders Cup, with the world’s number one sire, the Sadler’s Wells horse Galileo, responsible for Turf hero Highland Reel.
Highland Reel, now a four time Gr1 winner, beat Flintshire (out of a Sadler’s Wells mare) into second, with Galileo’s recent Arc winning daughter, Found, back in third. Galileo has now four Breeders’ Cup Turf winners to his credit –Red Rocks, Magician and Found having preceded Highland Reel in victory.
Flintshire’s sire, Dansili, (a full brother to the dam of Mauritzfontein’s successful Kingmambo sire, Ideal World) did not go away empty handed, however, with his daughter, Queen’s Trust, landing the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
It was the second Filly & Mare Turf winner for Dansili (whose full sisters, Banks Hill and Intercontinental both previously won the race) –his daughter, Dank, was successful back in 2013.
Not for the first time, the half brothers, City Zip and Ghostzapper, made their presence felt at a Breeders’ Cup meeting.
Ghostzapper
Former Gr1 Hopeful Stakes winner City Zip (by far and away the best sire son of the late Mr Prospector sire, Carson City) has now been represented by at least one winner at each of the last three Breeders Cup meetings.
The Lane’s End stalwart’s latest BC winner came in the form of BC Filly & Mare Sprint winner, Finest City, who accounted for last year’s Filly& Mare Sprint winner, Wavell Avenue (Harlington), to pick up the first Grade One win of her career. City Zip’s previous BC winners came last year with Catch A Glimpse (Juvenile Fillies Turf), and, in 2014, with a pair of Breeders Cup winners, in the form of Work All Week (Sprint) and Dayaatthespa (Filly &Mare Turf).
Meanwhile, City Zip’s half brother, Ghostzapper (Awesome Again), one of the most impressive BC Classic winners of all time, featured as broodmare sire of G1 Twinspires BC Sprint hero, Drefong (Gio Ponti)
- Sarah Whitelaw
