Pedigree Insights: Munitions

History, of a minor sort, was made at Lingfield on Feb. 23 when Wissahickon landed the G3 Winter Derby to become the first European group winner by America's two-time champion sire Tapit.

The same 4-year-old colt had already become his sire's first black-type winner in any of the major European racing powers when he won the Listed Quebec S. on his final start of 2018. I should add, though, that Tapit had gone very close to notching up that elusive first European group success nearly 10 years earlier when his Spanish-trained son As de Trebol–a member of Tapit's first crop–had narrowly landed the G3 Prix du Palais-Royal, only to lose the race in the stewards' room.

Bearing in mind that the 18-year-old Tapit has been represented by well over 100 black-type winners in North America, his previous lack of high-level European success seems extraordinary. The knee-jerk reaction is that it must be because Tapit raced exclusively on dirt and is a grandson of A.P. Indy, another stallion who made a far greater impact in his native U.S. than in Europe.

It mustn't be forgotten, though, that doubts about the adaptability of dirt stallions often become self-fulfilling prophecies. European breeders and buyers usually demand that such stallions prove themselves in Europe before they are prepared to support them, but how can the stallions prove themselves if only a few of their offspring are brought to Europe?

Although Tapit has had well over 900 starters in North America, statistics show that he has had just 16 runners in Britain, 13 in France and six in Ireland. This didn't deter George Strawbridge from sending Wissahickon to be trained by John Gosden and he's had no cause to regret the decision. A highly progressive son of that excellent broodmare No Matter What, Wissakickon has won eight of his ten starts, including six of his seven appearances on all-weather tracks. However, the BHA considers his best effort came when he ran to a figure of 117 in winning the Cambridgeshire H. on a fast turf course.

Of course, it's said that one swallow does not a summer make, and I would still be somewhat wary of Tapit's progeny in Europe. However, there are now encouraging signs that any such prejudice need not be applied to the progeny of Tapit's broodmare daughters. In the last few weeks we have seen them represented by Scat Daddy's fast son Sergei Prokofiev, who added the Listed Cork S. to his 2018 win in the G3 Cornwallis S., and War Front's Munitions, who was winning for the third time in five starts when he narrowly landed the G3 Prix Djebel.

Sandwiched between these two wins was the Japanese 1000 Guineas victory of Deep Impact's daughter Gran Alegria, with this winner of the G1 Oka Sho being a daughter of Tapit's GI turf winner Tapitsfly. This success has also spread as far as Australia, where this year's Group 2 seven-furlong winner Qafila was sired by Not A Single Doubt from Zighy Bay, a Tapit mare who was placed in the French Provinces.

It was a bold move by Godolphin to send Munitions to be trained in Europe after purchasing the Winchell-bred colt for $550,000. After all, the Djebel winner is by War Front, a stallion who raced only on dirt during a 13-race career, and he is out of War Echo, a four-time winner on dirt, including in the GIII Silverbulletday S. over 1 1/16 miles and the Daily Racing Form Distaff S. over a mile and an eighth. War Echo is herself a three-parts-sister to Pyro, a GI-winning dirt specialist sired by Tapit's sire Pulpit.

As I've already mentioned, War Echo is by Tapit, another who raced only on dirt. The next dam, Wild Vision, won on dirt on her only appearance and was a sister to Wild Wonder, a multiple graded winner at up to 1 1/16 miles on dirt.

Perhaps the Godolphin team remembered that War Echo's brother Farrier handled turf well enough to finish second to Tryster in the G1 Jebel Hatta in 2016. Of course the Godolphin team will also have witnessed the turf exploits of numerous European-raced progeny of War Front, such as Roly Poly, U S Navy Flag, Declaration of War, Air Force Blue, Brave Anna and War Command. It will be interesting to see whether Munitions can become another European Group 1 winner for the Claiborne stallion. His chances of doing so will improve if he stays a mile, which he should.

Munitions belongs to a crop which promises to be one of War Front's best, and most versatile. Other members include Omaha Beach and War of Will, both of whom have done so well on dirt that they are on the Kentucky Derby trail. Omaha Beach ranks second on the points table behind Tapit's son Tacitus, having amassed 137.5 points, principally from his victories in the GII Rebel S. and the GI Arkansas Derby. War of Will (whose pedigree I reviewed on Jan. 21) ranks 12th, with 60 points, having won the GIII Lecomte S. and the GII Risen Star S.

Omaha Beach RNA'd at $625,000 as a yearling, despite possessing a first-rate pedigree. His dam, the Seeking The Gold mare Charming, has already produced a champion in the top American juvenile filly Take Charge Brandi. Charming is also a daughter of the outstanding racemare Take Charge Lady, which makes her a half-sister to the top colts Will Take Charge (GI Travers S.) and Take Charge Indy (GI Florida Derby). This reads like a dirt pedigree, but Omaha Beach's older brother Courage Under Fire chased home Caravaggio after setting the pace for his long-odds-on stablemate in the G1 Phoenix S. in 2016.

Other members of War Front's 2016 crop, which was sired at $150,000, include Fog of War (GI Summer S,), Dogtag and Simmering (both listed winners on turf at two in the U.S.) and the group-placed fillies Secret Thoughts and Happen.