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March 30th, 2010

Two big boys get Derby prospects

By Sid Fernando

Distorted Humor and Unbridled’s Song stand for six figures and here’s one reason why: Both get plenty of classics contenders, which is the goal of big-time stables and owners. Both veteran sires came away this weekend with two new colts on the Triple Crown trail: Endorsement for Distorted Humor, and Mission Impazible for Unbridled’s Song.

Distorted Humor (Forty Niner–Danzig’s Beauty, by Danzig) stands for $100,000 at Win Star Farm in Versailles, Ky., and already has a Derby winner to his credit in 2003 winner Funny Cide, who also won the Preakness. Now the sire of 85 SWs (including at least 9 in SH from three seasons in Australia), Distorted Humor began his career at $12,500, and last year he was at $150,000. His first crop, which included Funny Cide and 9 other SWs, announced his arrival, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Distorted Humor was primarily a 7f sprinter as a racehorse, and he raced three seasons, 3-5, winning fives stakes races at the G2-G3 level and earning more than $750K. The well-managed Win Star operation made sure early on that they spread mares in foal to him in states with good restricted racing programs, and Win Star was actually the listed breeder of Funny Cide in New York. Nowadays, Distorted Humor is one of the elite sires in the country and doesn’t need restricted company for protection; he easily makes his away in the best races around the country.

The stallion’s Endorsement won the $800K G3 Sunland Park Derby in New Mexico Sunday for Win Star to give Win Star and the sire their second combined classic contender, along with Drosselmeyer. Endorsement, however, is the “Now” horse. A $450,000 yearling, Endorsement is out of an A.P. Indy mare from an Argentine family and on a sire-line cross is bred like Funny Cide, who was produced from a mare by the Seattle Slew sire Slewacide. Now a winner of 2 of 4 starts, Endorsement defeated the undefeated and highly regarded Conveyance in the Sunland Park Derby and covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48 2/5. Last year, Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird was 4th in this same race.

The Distorted Humor/Seattle Slew combination through A.P. Indy also was responsible for the one-time classics contender and G1 winner Any Given Saturday and the Delta Jackpot winner at 2 and one-time classic contender Z Humor. All told, there are 9 Distorted Humor unrestricted SWs from Seattle Slew-line mares.

Distorted Humor

Unbridled’s Song stands for $115,000 at Taylor Made Farm in Nicholasville, Ky., down from $125,000 in 2009. A big, strapping, gray, Unbridled’s Song has been one of the major and most consistent sources for high-quality late-season 2-year-olds and spring 3-year-olds on the classics trail. The sire of at least 85 SWs, he’s been as maligned by some as he’s been exalted by others for a rash of high-profile injuries to prominent classics contenders—most obviously highlighted by the graphic breakdown of his daughter Eight Belles after finishing 2nd in the Kentucky Derby a few years ago. Last year, his highly regarded son Dunkirk finished 2nd in the Belmont but also suffered a career-ending injury, which followed on the heels of 2009 Derby contender Old Fashioned’s career-ending injury before the classics and champion 2-year-old Midshipman’s mishap in Dubai. Before them, Rockport Harbor had missed the Derby with an injury after appearing as dominant as Old Fashioned had, and since then Winslow Homer this year flashed quite a bit of promise before also going to the sidelines.

On Saturday at Fair Grounds, the Unbridled’s Song colt Mission Impazible won the $750K G2 Louisiana Derby (with Distorted Humor’s Drosselmeyer in 3rd) for his 2nd win from 5 starts. Out of the Hold Your Peace mare La Paz, he’s a half-brother to Forest Camp. He completed the 1 1/8 mile in 1:50 1/5.

The question will be this: Will it be Mission Impossible for this colt to stay sound? And is that fair to ask? My responses are No and No. One reason why the Unbridled’s Songs succumb to injury, in my opinion, is because they are so talented, show the late-season 2yo and early 3yo form requisite for classics preps, have large frames that perhaps hide immaturity, have speed that’s too easy to be seduced by, and have class; as a result, they are perhaps pushed hard on the classics trail—which is the toughest assignment of all for 3yos.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 at 2:35 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.

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4 comments to "Two big boys get Derby prospects"

Jameel Anees writes:
March 30th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Hi Sid,

I’m pretty impressed with Mission Impazible, and I might even make him my Derby horse!

Where do you stand on the theory that inbreeding of 4×4 or closer makes horses unsound?

-Jameel
sidfernando writes:
March 30th, 2010 at 11:07 pm
I don’t belive breeding closer than 4×4 makes horses unsound, but i personally would stay away from anything closer than 3×2 or 2×3; again, the duplicated ancestor (and as a result, the multiple duplications behind him or her) has bearing on the issue, too.
Amanda Simmons writes:
April 6th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Along those same lines, what do you think about close inbreeding to horses known for soundness and durability?
sidfernando writes:
April 6th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Amanda, that’s a really good question on many levels. First off, when breeders think “soundness,” they are usually thinking of outcrossing for “hybrid vigor.” Inbreeding, unfairly perhaps, has been associated more with “weakness” than strength. Much inbreeding also happens naturally when a prepotent sire line creates generations of the line, as has happened with Northern Dancer and Mr.Prospector, to name two. Conversely, in our racing enviornment, “sound” and “durable” horses rarely create dynasties; therefore, natural inbreeding to them rarely occurs.
Another point: In this age of large books and favored commercial lines, “sound” and “durable” type sires, such as Mr. Leader and Naskra from eras past, to name two, are hard to find.

About

Headshot of Jack Werk Jack Werk (1944-2010)
Jack founded Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc. From 1987 to 2000, he published OWNER-BREEDER, the highly acclaimed, first-ever journal dedicated to thoroughbred pedigree analysis, theories and trends. After a six-year hiatus from writing, he returned with this blog Who's Hot, Who's Not.