Caulfield Pedigree Insights: Arrogate

Arrogate | Sarah K. Andrew

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Resumes don't come much more impressive than the one compiled by Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms since Known Fact gave the Prince his first Classic success, in the 1980 G1 2000 Guineas. There have been three more wins of the 2000 Guineas, thanks to Dancing Brave, Zafonic and the mighty Frankel, and the famous green, pink and white colours have also been carried to success in the G1 1000 Guineas (twice), G1 Oaks, G1 Derby (three times) and the G1 St Leger. In Ireland there have been wins in the G1 2000 Guineas, G1 Derby and G1 Oaks (two), while the extensive Classic haul in France features two in the G1 Prix du Jockey-Club, the so-called French Derby. There have also been a highly impressive four winners of the G1 Arc and four in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris, including one by Flintshire, who initiated a spectacular Grade I double for Juddmonte at Saratoga three days ago.

Over in the U.S., there have also been an impressive number of Grade I turf successes from the likes of Banks Hill, Beat Hollow, Cacique, Champs Elysees, Chester House, Heat Haze, Intercontinental, Midday, Proviso, Ryafan and Ventura.

However, horseracing in the U.S. is mainly about dirt and that surface has been less rewarding for the Juddmonte homebreds, with their predominantly turf pedigrees. Of course there have been a few notable exceptions, thanks largely to some distinguished dirt stallions. Seattle Slew supplied Juddmonte with Flute (GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Alabama S.), Honest Lady (GI Santa Monica H.) and Sleep Easy (GI Hollywood Oaks), while his son A.P. Indy was responsible for Aptitude (GI Hollywood Gold Cup and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup). Unbridled excelled by siring the GI Belmont S. winner Empire Maker and another of his sons, Unbridled's Song, sired First Defence, winner of the GI Forego H. First Defence himself sired Close Hatches, who did so well on dirt that she was named champion older mare.

The fact that Aptitude and Empire Maker both finished second in the Kentucky Derby only intensified the desire to add this historic Classic to Juddmonte's CV, to complete the set of major Northern Hemisphere Derbys. A slight change of policy therefore ensued. Juddmonte has bought only the occasional yearling in recent decades, but in 2012 a bolder approach was adopted. The farm signed for yearlings by Curlin, Elusive Quality, First Defence and Tapit at Keeneland, with the youngsters starting a new relationship for Juddmonte by going to Bob Baffert.

It was a similar story in 2013. This time sons of Malibu Moon, Speightstown and Street Cry were purchased, but it was in 2014 that the new venture gathered momentum. This time the haul stretched to eight colts, for an average price of just under $400,000. They comprised sons of Candy Ride, Harlan's Holiday, Midnight Lute, Scat Daddy, Speightstown, Trappe Shot (two) and Unbridled's Song, with the Unbridled's Song colt out of Bubbler being the second-most expensive at $560,000.

It was back to the Keeneland well in 2015, with the haul made up of colts by Bernardini, Ghostzapper, Harlan's Holiday, Malibu Moon and Sidney's Candy. These have been joined under Baffert's care by a Mineshaft colt bought at the 2-year-old sales.

These latest purchases have a lot to live up to now that 'TDN Rising Star' Arrogate–the 2013 Unbridled's Song–Bubbler colt–has burst onto the racing scene with all the elan and swagger of a superstar. His winning margin of 13 1/2 lengths in the GI Travers S. was stunning enough, but then we saw that he had stopped the clock at a magical 1:59.36.

His winning margin has been bettered on two occasions. Damascus came home 22 lengths clear in the 1967 Travers, but he was faced by only three rivals. Then, in 1979, General Assembly scored by 15 lengths in setting a track record of 2:00.00 on a sloppy track, which effectively meant he was racing on the hard base. No Travers winner before Arrogate had previously dipped below the two-minute mark, even though the roll of honour includes nine horses which went on to be named Horse of the Year at the age of three.

Arrogate's rider Mike Smith immediately drew comparisons between the Juddmonte colt and his sire Unbridled's Song. Recalling the 1995 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, who went on to add the GI Florida Derby and GI Wood Memorial, Smith said “He was an unbelievably talented horse, his son might even be more talented. It's crazy, he just did a mile and a quarter and as you can see galloping out I had trouble getting him to stop.”

One thing that Arrogate has done which his sire failed to do is win over a mile and a quarter. Perhaps Unbridled's Song wasn't at his best in the Kentucky Derby, because of a foot problem, as he finished only fifth as the favourite. Unbridled's Song was never again asked to tackle more than 1 1/8 miles during a stop-start career which ended with a victory in the Olympic H. over seven furlongs on his only 4-year-old start.

Interestingly, Arrogate's sire Unbridled's Song, his paternal grandsire Unbridled and his broodmare sire Distorted Humor had all previously sired a Travers winner. They were respectively responsible for the 2000 winner Unshaded, the 2005 scorer Flower Alley and the 2013 winner Will Take Charge. Deputy Minister, sire of Arrogate's second dam Grechelle, got into the act, thanks to his son Deputy Commander in 1997. Coincidentally, Will Take Charge is out of Deputy Minister's distinguished granddaughter Take Charge Lady (by Dehere). Graydar, another of Unbridled's Song's high-class sons, also has a dam by Dehere.

Arrogate is the second impressive son of Unbridled's Song produced by a Forty Niner-line mare, following Liam's Map. Now resident at Lane's End, Liam's Map also set a track record when he took the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in 1:34.54. He had previously recorded a good time–1:47.44–in taking the GI Woodward S. over a mile and an eighth. Liam's Map is out of a mare by Trippi, a grandson of Forty Niner, whereas Arrogate is out of a granddaughter. That fast colt Zensational has a second dam by Forty Niner.

When the time comes for Arrogate to take up stallion duties, he will benefit from the presence, as his third dam, of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Meadow Star. A daughter of the giant Meadowlake, who became a Grade I winner by nearly nine lengths as a 2-year-old, Meadow Star won all seven of her juvenile starts. She continued to shine at three, extending her winning run to nine before the colts put an end to the sequence in the Wood Memorial. She bounced back to take the GI Acorn S. and GI Mother Goose S.

Arrogate's second dam, Grechelle, scraped onto the Experimental Free H. for 1997, her weight of 104 reflecting her third in the GIII Golden Rod S. Her daughter Bubbler did better, winning six of her nine starts. She was in fine form at the end of 2009 and the start of 2010, winning stakes from 7 1/2 furlongs to a mile and an eighth. She won on dirt and turf and her Grade III-placing was on grass.

Arrogate is her first foal and his Travers exploits will ensure that hip 226 at Keeneland will come under the closest scrutiny. This Medaglia d'Oro filly from Clearsky Farms is Bubbler's second foal. The mare produced another filly, this one by Giant's Causeway, in March before visiting Into Mischief.

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