Eclipse Champion Turf Female of 2015, Tepin, who made a winning reappearance on Saturday when successful in the Gr3 Endeavour Stakes, is a daughter of one of Storm Cat’s most underrated and best bred sire sons, writes Sarah Whitelaw.
Eclipse Champion Turf Female of 2015, Tepin
Bernstein, who died in 2011, is not only the sire of 2015 Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner, Tepin, but also of the now Gainesway-based Karakontie, who won the same race one year earlier. The horse was a dual champion sire in Argentina, whose top runners in that country included Horse Of The Year, Storm Mayor.
A full brother to Gr3 winner Caress (whose multiple Gr1 winning son Sky Mesa has more than 50 black type winners to his credit), the Gr3 winning Bernstein lacked nothing in terms of pedigree when he retired to stud.
He lived up to expectations, even if he never quite became a commercial standout, with his 90 stakes winners including more than 20 Gr1 winners (with the majority of Bernstein’s top flight wins coming in South America). His sire, Storm Cat, was an exceptional stallion and dual US champion, whose many high class sire sons include triple champion Giant’s Causeway –sire of Saturday’s Gr3 Sam F Davis Stakes winner Destin. Bernstein (who is bred on similar terms to another sire success in Harlan’s Holiday) also shares his sire with the likes of Hennessy, Tale Of The Cat, Stormy Atlantic, Storm Boot, Harlan, Forest Wildcat and Tiger Ridge –among others.
Bernstein
Bernstein’s female line is equally powerful. Not only was he a full brother to the above mentioned Caress and ill-fated Gr3 Gardenia Handicap heroine, Cat Attack, but his half brother, Della Francesca, (by Danzig) won the Gr2 Gallinule Stakes and ran third to champion Rock Of Gibraltar in the Gr1 Irish 2000 Guineas.
Bernstein, who traces back to the mighty matron La Troienne, is also very closely related to dual Gr3 Derby winner, Wiseman’s Ferry, the sire of charismatic dual US Horse Of The Year, Wise Dan, Wiseman’s Ferry being a son of Storm Cat horse Hennessy and Emmaus (a daughter of La Affirmed).
La Affirmed (Affirmed), dam of Bernstein and second dam of Wiseman’s Ferry, in turn, is herself a three parts sister to US Champion 2YO, Outstandingly (by Affirmed’s sire Exclusive Native). The latter is the fourth dam of one of Europe’s top 2yos of 2015, Lumiere, winner of the Gr1 Cheveley Park Stakes and a daughter of the Storm Cat line horse Shamardal.
However it is arguably his fourth dam, Busanda, who has been the gem in this family.
The daughter of Triple Crown winner and champion sire, War Admiral, not only was herself an outstanding racemare but left behind a remarkable legacy which has seen her make her mark in stud books all around the globe.
Busanda wins the 1951 Saratoga Cup
A winner of ten of her 65 outings, the tough Busanda won both the Alabama Stakes and Suburban Handicap (over males), with both races at various times receiving Grade One status. She was equally successful at stud, and is the dam of Horse Of The Year and leading sire, Buckpasser (by Tom Fool), widely recognised as one of the most successful broodmare sires of all time.
Top stallions out of Buckpasser mares include Al Mufti, El Gran Senor (damsire of Empire Maker), Miswaki (damsire of Galileo), Northern Guest, Private Account, Seeking The Gold (grandsire of Dubawi) and Woodman (broodmare sire of More Than Ready), and Buckpasser’s daughter, Lassie Dear, is the second dam of hugely influential US champion sire, A P Indy and his successful half brothers Honor Grades and Summer Squall.
Another Buckpasser daughter, Spring Adieu, is the second dam of Danehill (Danzig) and the influence of this great champion continues to grow, with numerous outstanding performers inbred to the 1966 US Horse Of The Year.
However, Busanda’s influence does not stop with Buckpasser and Bernstein and their numerous top class descendants. She also produced Gr1 Futurity Stakes winner, Bupers (Double Jay) while her daughter, Navsup, is the dam of Gr1 Woodward Stakes hero, Polish Navy (Danzig), whose offspring included Gr1 Kentucky Derby winner, Sea Hero. Bupers’ daughter, My Bupers, produced the great racemare My Juliet (Gallant Romeo) –USA’s Champion Sprinter of 1976 and a winner of no fewer than 24 races. My Bupers is also the fourth dam of South African champion, Kimberley Mine (Fort Wood).
Busanda’s daughter, Oak Cluster, made her mark in South Africa. She is the third dam of ill-fated champion sprinter Splendid Ann (Raise A Man) and the second dam of successful sire and broodmare sire Complete Warrior (Dewan). The sire of seven Grade One winners (including record breaking filly Wainui), Complete Warrior is also the broodmare sire of last season’s champion sire and seven times champion 2yo sire, Captain Al. A son of former champion sire, Al Mufti, Captain Al, whose half sister, Shadow Dancing, is both a Gr1 winner and producer, is intensely inbred to Busanda, with his sire being out of a daughter of Buckpasser and his broodmare sire being a great grandson of the former Suburban Handicap winner.
Angus wins Met
Other top class performers inbred to this truly remarkable matriarch include the Gr1 winners Clever Trevor, Stormy Kiss, champion Storm Mayor and Unshaded.
Outstanding horses inbred to her son Buckpasser are too many to mention but they include the likes of Air Force Blue (War Front), Angus (Northern Guest), Aptitude (A P Indy), Astronomer Royal (Danzig),Chiselling (Woodman), Corinthian (Pulpit), Frankel (Galileo), Frosted (Tapit), Golden Lilac (Galileo), My Flag (Easy Goer), Night Of Thunder (Dubawi), Roderic O’Connor (Galileo) and Tonalist (Tapit), among many others.
