Flower Alley
Flower Alley, South Africa’s latest high-profile stallion acquisition, is a member of one of the most powerful branches of the Mr Prospector male line. By Champion Sire Distorted Humor (also sire of Highlands’ Farm’s young sire Pathfork), Flower Alley is a grandson of former Champion 2YO Colt Forty Niner.
Runner up, behind Winning Colors (Caro), in the 1988 Kentucky Derby, Forty Niner retired to Claiborne Farm with many feeling that he was the heir apparent to his own sire, Mr Prospector. A superb racehorse, whose 11 wins included five Gr1’s, Forty Niner hailed from the same family as ill-fated Kentucky Derby winner Swale (Seattle Slew), and traced back directly to classic St Leger winning mare Book Law (Buchan).
However, Forty Niner’s first few crops got off to a slow start, which resulted in the stallion being sold to Japan in 1995. However, his subsequent runners included Gr1 Belmont Stakes winner Editor’s Note and Gr1 Travers Stakes victor Coronado’s Quest, and his sale was soon bemoaned by many North American breeders.
Forty Niner
Now pensioned from stud duty, Forty Niner has indeed emerged as one of Mr P’s most important sire sons. While his tally of 56 stakes winners means Forty Niner lags behind other such top Mr Prospector horses as Gone West, Smart Strike and Machiavellian, to name but three, his sire sons have ensured that Forty Niner will continue to be an influence on the thoroughbred for generations to come.
Forty Niner has had a huge influence throughout the world through his sons and daughters. His South African influence has been considerable and looks likely to grow further over the coming seasons.
His Belmont Stakes winning son Editor’s Note, while a disappointing sire overall, has a superb strike rate with his runners in South Africa. His only two local runners are the Gr1 Gold Cup winner In Writing as well as high-class staying mare Equiparada (Gr2 Gold Vase). Few stallions can boost a strike rate as good!
Another sire son of Forty Niner to enjoy some success in this country was the ill-fated Rich Man’s Gold, who died after five seasons at stud in South Africa. His best performer was Champion 2YO Colt Kildonan, the sire of last season’s Cape Champion 2YO Filly Rosier.
Editor’s Note
The latter won her first three outings, including the Gr2 The Debutante Stakes and is clearly one of the leaders of her generation.
Rich Man’s Gold’s other top horses include disqualified Cape Derby “winner” Money Bags, Gr1 SA Derby runner up Bennie Blue and the very tough Lucky Find, runner up in the Gr1 Daily News 2000, Gr2 Umkhomazi Stakes hero Royal Vintage, and winner of the Maktoum Challenge in Dubai.
Also sire of Chilean Horse Of The Year and multiple US Gr1 winner Lido Palace, Rich Man’s Gold has also become a highly successful broodmare sire. In South Africa, RMG is the broodmare sire of last season’s SASCOC Triple Crown winner Louis The King, as well as the Gr1 winners Athina (SA Fillies Classic) and Wagner (Summer Cup).
Forty Niner’s son End Sweep also was a highly successful stallion, and is the sire of one of the country’s best current stallions in the form of Trippi.
A successful stallion in North America (where his runners included the Breeders Cup placed pair R Heat Lightning and Miss Macy Sue), Trippi has consistently done well in South Africa, while remaining an exceptionally commercial prospect. His South African crops have already produced the Grade 1 winners Afrikaburn (Golden Horseshoe) and For The Lads (Golden Slipper), as well as Gr1 performers Hammie’s Hooker, Lanner Falcon, Not Sulking, One Fine Day, and Ziparana, and Trippi remains one of South Africa’s more high profile stallions.
Trippi
Interestingly, Trippi’s best North American bred filly, R Heat Lightning, is inbred to Forty Niner – being out of a daughter of the latter’s Gr1 winning son Gold Fever.
A good but not great racehorse, the Gr3 winning End Sweep was North America’s leading first crop sire of 1999, but was later exported to Japan. Prior to his demise in 2002, End Sweep produced some top-class horses around the globe. His offspring won major races in Canada (Dark Ending) Dubai (Admire Moon), New Zealand (Clean Sweep), Japan (Admire Main, Rhein Kraft, Sweep Tosho) and USA (Swept Overboard,Trippi).
Other successful sire sons of Forty Niner include Jules, Roar and Luhuk. Orpen’s half-brother Jules sired millionaire and multiple US Gr1 winner Peace Rules before his premature death, while Roar (broodmare sire of Horse Of The Year Rachel Alexandra) was Champion Sire in Argentina in 2005. Luhuk, also sire of US Gr1 winning sprinter Avanzado, is best known as the sire of 2012 Breeders Cup Marathon winner Calidoscopio.
Ironically, Forty Niner’s greatest racing son Coronado’s Quest was a disappointing sire – whose offspring include just eight stakes winners to date. However, he has become a good broodmare sire – to date, his daughters have produced the Gr1 winners Mani Bhavan (Spinaway Stakes), Kodiak Kowboy (Carter Handicap, Cigar Mile, Vosburgh Stakes), and Boys At Toscanova (Hopeful Stakes), as well as the high-class performers Soldat, Mendip and Delaunay.
Distorted Humor
However, Forty Niner’s greatest sire son is Distorted Humor. Champion US Sire in 2011, Distorted Humor is a truly great stallion. His 123 stakes winners (a world class 10% SW to foals) include 16 Gr1 winners, and Distorted Humor’s offspring have already earned over $100 million. Distorted Humor is also a versatile stallion, capable of siring top colts and fillies alike, and he is also capable of siring both top-class dirt performers (Funny Cide, Any Given Saturday, Commentator) and turf performers (Boisterous, Aesop’s Fables, Fourty Niners Son).
