Pedigree Check: Along Came Polly

Along Came Polly seen winning the Gr1 Thekwini Stakes as a 2yo

Times were tough, early in 1991. Hassen Adams’ breeding operation was far cry from his equine empire of today, cash-flow always an issue. So it came to be that a couple of  mares from Damascus Stud found themselves on the Cape mare sale in February. Among them Young Polly, a 7yo Del Sarto mare, straight from the track.

Bred by Godfrey Gird at Maine Chance, Young Polly was a 10k National Sale purchase in 1985. She only won a maiden halfway through her 4yo career, over 1400m at Clairwood, trained by Kit Kensley. Three more wins followed with James Lightheart in the Cape, up to 2000m, late at 4 and early at 5. In March of her 5yo season she showed that staying was her game, winning over 2600m at Scottsville, trained by David Payne. Her final career win was a Listed one, the Vaal Stayers (handicap) over two miles, while in the care of Jean Heming. She tried her luck subsequently in the Gold Cup, Gold Vase and Gold Bowl, making no show and was retired. She had raced 37 times. We rated her a career-best 90.

In the sale ring Young Polly changed hands on a final bid of R100.000, to spend the rest of her career at Varsfontein where close family members resided. The Kalmansons clearly wanted more!

It proved an inspired buy, for 1991 heralded the 2yo racing career of subsequent champion sprinter Marie Galante, whose dam Indira was a half sister to Young Polly’s dam Polly Peg. To put perspective on Young Polly’s R100.000 mare-sale price, the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint win of Marie Galante in 1993 earned her R93.000.

Young Polly may have taken her time to make a mark on the track, but once at stud there was no holding back – ten foals in a row, from a variety of sires. Let’s take them in order and get some insight of how a major breeder thinks.

Little Fox, filly by Russian Fox. Four wins including the SA Oaks and Gerald Rosenberg Stakes, rated 96. Dam of a stakes winner by Tara’s Halls, and Natal Oaks runner-up by Jet Master.

Goodgollymisspolly, filly by Golden Thatch,. A one-time winner over a mile (not tried further), she got stakes placed 8-time winner Irish Magic by Kilconnel, and a Gr3 placed miler by Jet Master

Barakat, colt by Model Man, Unraced.

Young Rake, by Rakeen. Champion Stayer, with two Gr1 wins and runner-up in the Cape Derby and Rothmans July (which should have been a dead-heat for first), rated 109 (MR 113)

Alacrity, colt by Al Mufti. Unraced.

Where’s Wally, colt by Waldoboro. Maiden in 11 starts.

Princess Polly, filly by Royal Chalice (then resident sire at Varsfontein). Six-time winning miler (rated 92) and dam of Gr1/2/3 winner Master Plan (rated 111), by Jet Master.

Rubirosa, colt by Rakeen. Stakes winner of six races up to 2600m (rated 91).

Miss Teenage Dream, by Model Man. Two time winner up to 2000m (rated 80), who got Listed winner Comebackanddance (rated 92), by Jallad.

Perfect Polly, by Model Man. Lightly raced debut-winner who earned a stake in each of her seven starts (favourite at four of those), and stayed at least a mile. She was not striding out at her penultimate start early at 4, then in season when last two weeks later, and packed off to stud.

The repeat-matings of Young Polly to Model Man in 1999 and 2000 were no doubt inspired by the exploits in 1998 of Model Man gelding Grantley Adams (rated 105), the first foal of Young Polly’s cousin Marie Galante. Perfect Polly’s first two foals to race are both multiple winners by Black Minnaloushe. And then Along Came Polly. Twice Gr1 placed Gr1 winner at 2, and now Gr1 winner at 3. The latest Gr1 a win in the Empress Club Stakes (WFA – f&m), over a mile at Turffontein, with Arcetri Pink a length back in second.

Along Came Polly-Gr1 L Jaffee Empress Club Stakes

Along Came Polly is from the first crop of Judpot, who made a cracking start to his stud career with two Gr1 winning Varsfontein-bred 2yo’s, the colt Forest Indigo and Polly. Considering that South Africa has just seven Gr1 races for 2yo’s (three reserved for fillies) that’s a terrific achievement (although things do, of course, depend on what the opposition is in a given year). Not even Captain Al, the perennial juvenile sire champion, manages to come close.
Judpot, by champion sire AP Indy out of champion race- and broodmare Miesque, has every right to be at the top of the tree. He’s a half brother to influential sire Kingmambo, the female line full of major winners. He’s in South Africa because he never raced, joining the precedents of Gr1 success set by (to name two) My Babu’s unraced full brother Joy II and Machiavellian’s unraced half brother Mogok.
Judpot’s second crop are 2yo’s in 2014 – they have much to live up to in the next few months.

Pedigree-wise, there’s little to conclude about Judpot’s affinities at stud. The female lines of his two Gr1 winners vary considerably.
Forest Indigo is out of a half sister by Fort Wood to highclass Alexandra Rose (Caesour by Nureyev), Pavlovich (Soviet Star by Nureyev), Alexandra Palace (Jet Master by Rakeen). The next dams are by Darshaan (Shirley Heights), Habitat (Sir Gaylord), going to the mare Cinq a Sept, bottom-line ancestress also of half brothers Sir Gaylord and Secretariat.
Along Came Polly’s dam is by Model Man (Elliodor by Lyphard), out of Young Polly (Del Sarto by Bold Bidder). The next dams are by Rock Council (Court Martial by Fair Trial), Arabian Night (Furrokh Syar by Colorado), Gold Bridge (Golden Boss by The Boss). It is a family which seems to work with just about anything!
Perhaps future Judpot big-race winners will shed some light on which way he throws best.
 
Notebook: Along Came Polly has a full sister in blood (Judpot out of full sister to the dam) at Nationals (#449), Forest Indigo has a 3-part sister by Judpot (#160), both consigned by Varsfontein.  More: #160 sold for R1 million to Jagessar, lot #449 was a vendor buy-back.