Taking Stock: Oddballs in Kentucky

There's a 5-year-old Pennsylvania-bred horse in the Gll Kelso H. Saturday at Belmont Park by the name of Monongahela (K One King), which is the name of a river that flows through Pittsburgh in southwestern Pennsylvania. It's also the name of a small city–called “Mon City” for short–about 17 miles south of Pittsburgh with a population of approximately 4,100. Monongahela is a Native American name that references the vulnerability of the river's high banks, which were prone to collapse. Mon City in its way has fallen as well, with its population more than halved since a peak of 8,900 in 1950. Monongahela the horse is well named, because he's the last thread of a once-booming mid-century sireline that is all but extinct now. His pedigree is a case study of how male lines run as dry as riverbeds over time.

Monongahela descends tail-male from the imported Princequillo (GB) (Prince Rose {GB}), who led the general sire list in 1957 and 1958 at Claiborne. His Claiborne-bred-and-based son Round Table led the general sire list in 1972. One of the best American turf horses, Round Table was foaled on the same day in 1954 at Claiborne as Wheatley's top-class dirt horse Bold Ruler (Nasrullah {GB}), who'd also had an illustrious stud career at the Hancock farm. Bold Ruler's influence is still vibrant today through the Seattle Slew branch of A.P. Indy, which leads directly to Tapit and his many sons at stud.

In contrast, the Round Table line is down to one stallion in Kentucky, and he's the sire of Monongahela, who, by the way, is a Grade lll winner and could get a chance at stud somewhere. K One King, a Grade l winner on dirt, is now 23 and stands at Millennium Farms in Lexington for $2,500. K One King's sire was Claiborne-bred Apalachee, the European champion juvenile of 1973 and a son of Round Table who stood at Gainesway, where K One King originally entered stud as well. Bold Ruler, of course, had the Horse of the Year of 1972 and 1973 in Secretariat, who was produced from a daughter of Princequillo, as were many other high-class runners. It's this path as a broodmare sire that Princequillo ultimately took to exert his most profound influence (particularly with the Nasrullah line), and he passed on this attribute to his two most influential sons, Round Table and Elmendorf's Prince John, as well as to his Claiborne-based grandson Secretariat, whose sons never carried on for him as his daughters did.

One of the greatest of racehorses, Triple Crown winner Secretariat is the example that illustrates that branches of male lines from the most dominant of sire sequences (Nearco (Ity)/Nasrullah/Bold Ruler) can expire unexpectedly, even through its best-raced representatives; Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew (Bold Ruler/Boldnesian/Bold Reasoning) is an illustration of how the same line though lesser horses (either as racehorses or sires) can sometimes be the conduit for revival (A.P. Indy) and expansion (A.P. Indy/Pulpit/Tapit). As an aside, and to add some symmetry, note that Seattle Slew was out of a mare by Poker–a son of Round Table bred by Ogden Phipps.

Oddball Lines

There are a few oddball lines still in existence in Kentucky, and they are listed here along with some horses that descend from at least two unheralded sires or sires of sires from major lines. Therefore, horses like, say, California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit/Pulpit), Army Mule (Friesan Fire/A.P. Indy), Mitole (Eskendereya/Giant's Causeway), etc., are not included. Stud fees are for 2019.

Into Mischief ($175,000 for 2020) at Spendthrift is by Harlan's Holiday/Harlan/Storm Cat. Neither his sire, a top racehorse, nor grandsire are known as sires of sires, Into Mischief aside.

Uncle Mo ($125,000) at Ashford is by Indian Charlie, a very good stallion from the sequence of In Excess (Ire)/Siberian Express/Caro (Ire). The latter was imported to stand at Spendthrift in the late 1970s and is from the male line of Nasrullah.

Candy Ride (Arg) ($80,000) at Lane's End is Ride the Rails/Cryptoclearance/Fappiano. The latter's son Unbridled – sire of Empire Maker and Unbridled's Song – is the better-known branch.

Tiznow ($50,000) at WinStar is Cee's Tizzy/Relaunch/In Reality. This is the last major proven tail-male representative of the Man o' War sire line in the U.S.

Super Saver ($30,000) at WinStar is Maria's Mon/Wavering Monarch/Majestic Light. The latter is a son of Majestic Prince, whose sire Raise a Native is better known for the branch through Mr. Prospector.

Kantharos ($20,000) at Hill 'n' Dale is Lion Heart/Tale of the Cat/Storm Cat. An uncustomary path to Storm Cat.

Animal Kingdom ($15,000) at Darley is Leroidesanimaux (Brz)/Candy Stripes/Blushing Groom (Fr). The latter was imported to stand at Gainesway in the late 1970s and was an outstanding sire.

Bal a Bali (Brz) ($15,000) at Calumet is Put It Back/Honour and Glory/Relaunch. Like Tiznow, a link back to Man o' War.

Bayern ($15,000) at Hill 'n' Dale is Offlee Wild/Wild Again/Icecapade. The latter, like Northern Dancer, was a son of the Nearco horse Nearctic.

Midnight Lute ($15,000) at Hill 'n' Dale is Real Quiet/Quiet American/Fappiano. A different avenue to the Mr. Prospector branch of Fappiano, which is mainly famous through Unbridled and his sons Empire Maker and Unbridled's Song.

Macho Uno ($10,000) at Adena Springs is Holy Bull/Great Above/Minnesota Mac/Rough'n Tumble. The latter sired Dr. Fager, whose male line nowadays is nonexistent. This is an American line that goes back to Himyar.

Mizzen Mast ($10,000) at Juddmonte is Cozzene/Caro and is the only other Caro-line option after Uncle Mo.

Texas Red ($10,000) at Crestwood is Afleet Alex/Northern Afleet/Afleet. Along with his sire Afleet Alex ($6,500) at Gainesway, this is the only branch of Mr. Prospector through Afleet.

Include ($7,500) at Airdrie is Broad Brush/Ack Ack/Battle Joined. This is an American line that goes back to Colin.

Aikenite ($5,000) at Calumet is Yes It's True/Is It True/Raja Baba. The latter was by Bold Ruler.

Firing Line ($5,000) at Crestwood is Line of David/Lion Heart/Tale of the Cat. Lion Heart is also the sire of Kantharos, a stallion who made it to Kentucky after proving successful in Florida.

Albertus Maximus ($2,500) at Shadwell is Albert the Great/Go for Gin/Cormorant. The latter was sired by His Majesty, whose best and only significant son was Pleasant Colony. This is the Ribot (GB) line.

Tale of Verve ($2,000) is at CF Farms and is Tale of Ekati/Tale of the Cat/Storm Cat.

Grey Swallow (Ire) (private) is at Calumet and is Daylami (Ire)/Doyoun (Ire)/Mill Reef. The latter was by the Nasrullah horse Never Bend from a Princequillo mare.

Musketier (Ger) (private) at Calumet is Acatenango (Ger)/Surumi (Ger)/Literat (Ger). This is a long line of German sires going back to Dark Ronald (GB).

Skipshot (private) at Considine is Skip Away/Skip Trial/Bailjumper. The latter was sired by Damascus, who'd once revived the Teddy (Fr) line through lesser representatives than its icons of Sir Gallahad lll (Fr) and Bull Dog (Fr). This line is all but gone now.

Postscript from Japan

The Sunday Silence line in Japan has been extraordinarily successful, but it may have reached a point of such saturation that breeders are looking elsewhere, especially as many have daughters or granddaughters of the GI Kentucky Derby winner. Shadai Stallion Station, which stood Sunday Silence and his best son Deep Impact (Jpn) along with others from the tribe, recently released the numbers of mares bred to its sires in 2019. Eight stallions covered books of more than 200, but only one of the eight sires was a male-line Sunday Silence horse. Some of the eight may qualify for oddball status:

Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) (King Kamehameha (Jpn)/Kingmambo): 245 mares.

Rulership (Jpn) (King Kamehameha): 225.

Epiphaneia (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S./Kris S./Roberto): 224.

Harbinger (GB) (Dansili (GB)/Danehill/Danzig): 217

Just a Way (Jpn) (Heart's Cry (Jpn)/Sunday Silence): 214.

Maurice (Jpn) (Screen Hero (Jpn)/Grass Wonder/Silver Hawk/Roberto): 212.

Satono Crown (Jpn) (Marju (Ire)/Last Tycoon (Ire)/Try My Best/Northern Dancer): 207.

Drefong (Gio Ponti/Tale of the Cat/Storm Cat): 204.

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.