Pedigree Check: Louis The King

Louis The King (Black Minnaloushe) wins by 5 lengths in the Gr2 Gauteng Guineas, first leg of the 2014 SA Triple Crown, contested over a mile

The 15/1 starting price of Louis The King belied the ease of his runaway 5-length victory in the R1 million Gr2 Gauteng Guineas, first leg of the 2014 SA Triple Crown, contested over a mile on soft going at Turffontein.

The race time stands out when measured against other races on the day, suggesting either topclass ability or suitability to the going on the day – or both! The 3yo colt has 4 wins (from 1400m to 1800m, incl Gr2 and Listed) and a second (Listed) place from 5 starts to his credit. He’s going places.

Louis the King is by Black Minnaloushe, a multiple Gr1 winner (incl Irsh 2000 Guineas), rated Timeform 123. A son of super-sire Storm Cat, Black Minnaloushe is a half brother to US G1 Nasr El Arab (TFR 121), to 2000 Guineas winner Pennekamp (TFR 130) and to the dam of Breeder’s Cup Distaff winner Round Pond (TFR 124). His dam Coral Dance was Gr1 placed in France as a 2yo, before injuring herself as a 3yo. She still won twice in the USA as a 4yo.

Black Minnaloushe started his stud career as shuttle sire between Kentucky and New Zealand with a bang in 2002, siring Champion NZ 2yo colt Jokers Wild and US G1 winner Black Mamba.

His third crop included G1 Breeder’s Cup Sprint winner Dancing In Silks, followed two years later by Canadian Champion 2yo Hollinger. A majority interest in Black Minnaloushe was sold in 2006, following which he found a new home at Maine Chance in South Africa. Louis The King is from his third SA crop.

Traditional pedigree analysis will note in Black Minnaloushe the close kin-breeding of his grandsire Storm Bird and sire of his damsire Green Dancer, Nijinsky (2×3), the pair close kin (and in the pedigree world making a kin-breeding triumvirate with Nijinsky’s 3-part brother The Minstrel).

Pamushana, a twice-raced maiden by Rich Man’s Gold, was sold in foal to Black Minnaloushe for R20k at the 2010 Vintage Broodmare sale, to The Alchemy. The subsequent foal (Louis The King) changed hands for 55k at the KZN yearling sale to Limestone Thoroughbreds. Louis is the only foal of the mare, who has since died.

Pamushana’s dam Milden Magic is from the first crop of National Emblem, a sire not generally regarded in the market as a sire of fillies. Milden Magic may not have been aware of this, as she won six races up to 1200m, including the Gr3 Poinsettia Stakes, and also was Gr3 runner-up.

Her half brother Extrapolator (by Winter Romance, whose grandam is a full sister to Storm Bird) was a stakes winning full brother to two other multiple winners. At the end of her racing career she was offered at the KZN Mare sale in foal to Muhtafal, changing hands for R80k.

The mating of Milden Magic’s dam Easy Dancer (a daughter of Nijinsky stallion Piaffer) to National Emblem is an intriguing one. To fully grasp it, we have to go back to Milden Magic’s sixth dam Sister Anne, runner-up in the 1000 Guineas and third in the Oaks. She is by top stallion Son-in-Law out of Dutch Mary, a daughter of influential Pretty Polly.

Sister Anne was mated to Donatello, whose third dam is Dutch Mary, making the resulting progeny Dutch Anne inbred 4×2 to Dutch Mary along the bottom-lines of her sire and dam.

From a mating to influential sire Royal Charger (by Nearco, and 3-part brother to Nasrullah) Dutch Anne got Anne of Orange. The latter visited stallion Sybil’s Nephew, whose dam is by Nearco out of Sister Sarah (grandam also of Nearctic, by Nearco).

Sister Sarah’s third dam is Pretty Polly. This gave the resulting filly out of Anne Of Orange three lines (all bottom female) of Pretty Polly descendants. Named Anglice, she’s very closely kin-bred, 2×1.

Anglice is the third dam of Milden Magic, who is by National Emblem. The latter’s third dam, the in SA influential Sister Sublime, is a daughter of Sister Sarah, and by Nearco-stallion Dante. More of the same then, making Milden Magic kinbred 3×2 to bottom-lines mares.

Such kin-bred mares are rare and capable of producing highclass offspring. Milden Magic, so far, hasn’t dropped the bomb, although her offspring include twice Gr3 placed Silver Apples (by Victory Moon).

She has an as yet unraced 2yo colt Magic Trip and a yearling full brother to that one named Doctorow at the 2014 National Sale, both by Trippi and seemingly bred for speed. Although Trippi’s pedigree is void of Pretty Polly, there’s enough in his female line background to make both his grandam and third dam close kin to Milden Magic’s third dam Anglice (giving 3×4 and 4×4 kin-breeding). Magic, indeed.

For Louis The King the second leg of the Triple Crown (Gr1 SA Classic over 1800m) must now be well in his sights.

He has already won over the distance, and his sire Black Minnaloushe was effective from a mile to 2000m. His dam showed nothing, and she’s daughter of a sprinter, by Rich Man’s Gold, who has winners over all sorts of distances.

No clues from that side, then, other than an expectation of speed, not stamina. So let’s take it one step at a time and leave the final leg, the 2400m SA Derby, for when it comes.

(Footnote: Louis The King subsequently won the Gr1 SA Classic and Gr1 SA Derby, and with it became the first Triple Crown winner since Horse Chestnut  in 1999. On the same day as the SA Derby, the Gr1 SA Oaks, third leg of the Fillies Triple Crown, went to Ash Cloud, a daughter of Black Minnaloushe – giving the sire a remarkable Classic double. The Trippi half brother to the dam of Louis The King was a vendor buy-back at Nationals, on the day ofter Louis won the SA Derby).

Gr2 Gauteng Guineas

Turffontein, South Africa, March 1, R500k, 1600m, turf, soft, 1.38.02

1 – LOUIS THE KING (SAF), 58.0, b c 3, Black Minnaloushe (USA) – Pamushana (SAF) by Rich Man’s Gold (USA). Owner Mr L J van der Vyver; breeder The Alchemy; trainer GV Woodruff; jockey R Fradd

2 – Forest Indigo (SAF), 58.0, b c 3, Judpot (USA) – Albizia (SAF) by Fort Wood (USA)

3 – As You Like (SAF), 58.0, b c 3, Tiger Ridge (USA) – Always Forever (SAF) by Al Mufti (USA)

Margins: 5¼, nk, ½

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