Andrew Caulfield, May 10, 2011-Animal Kingdom PEDIGREE INSIGHTS BY ANDREW CAULFIELD Saturday, Kentucky Derby KENTUCKY DERBY PRESENTED BY YUM! BRANDS-GI, $2,171,800, CDX, 5-7, 3yo, 1 1/4m, 2:02, ft. 1--sANIMAL KINGDOM, 126, c, 3, by Leroidesanimaux (Brz) 1st Dam: Dalicia (Ger) (GSW-Ger & SP-Fr, $195,352), by Acatenango (Ger) (video) 2nd Dam: Dynamis (Ire), by Dancing Brave 3rd Dam: Diasprina (Ger), by Aspros (Ger) ($100,000 yrl '09 KEESEP). O-Team Valor Int=l; B-Team Valor (KY); T-H Graham Motion; J-John R Velazquez; (video) $1,411,800. Lifetime Record: 5-3-2-0, $1,738,700. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Taylor Made. At a time when many are questioning the soundness of the American Thoroughbred, it can=t have gone unnoticed that the latest winner of the Kentucky Derby is by Leroidesanimaux, a stallion bred in Brazil, and has a dam bred in Germany, where stallions are subject to strict soundness requirements. The only American-breds in Animal Kingdom=s first three generations are Candy Stripes, his paternal grandsire who raced in France, and Dancing Brave, the British-based superstar who sired his second dam Dynamis. American-breds are also rather scarce among the 16 horses in Animal Kingdom=s fourth generation, the exceptions being Red God, Lyphard (who appears twice), Sookera and Navajo Princess. Of these, Red God started his racing career in England, while Lyphard and Sookera raced exclusively in Europe. In the circumstances, anyone could be forgiven for wondering how Animal Kingdom would cope in his first start on traditional dirt, but we now know that he is as versatile as he is talented. Perhaps those who underestimated him forgot that there are plenty of previous examples of Candy Stripes=s descendants performing with distinction on dirt. His champion son Invasor triumphed in the Breeders= Cup Classic over the Kentucky Derby course and distance, and there were also graded successes by Different (GI Spinster S.), Lundy=s Liability (GII Goodwood Breeders= Cup H. and GII San Antonio H.), Criollito (GII Churchill Downs H.) and Victory Stripes (GII Hawthorne H). Candy Stripes also sired the dam of Candy Ride, whose first couple of crops have done so well in the U.S. It is also significant that Animal Kingdom=s great-grandsire, the brilliant French colt Blushing Groom, enjoyed some major victories with his dirt runners, even though his stallion success centered largely on Europe. Blush With Pride won the Kentucky Oaks for him and Sky Beauty did even better, taking the Triple Tiara. Caulfield cont. www.coolmore.com Caulfield cont. When I saw Leroidesanimaux at Stonewall Farm a few years ago, it was impossible not to liken him to Among Blushing Groom=s sons, the French 2000 Blushing Groom. Like his grandsire, Leroidesanimaux is Guineas winner Blushing John adapted well enough to a medium-sized, muscular, well-balanced chesnut with dirt to win the GI Hollywood Gold Cup and Pimlico a good shoulder and a fair splash of white on his legs. Special, while Rahy was another former turf horse who Leroidesanimaux probably has more length, though. adjusted extremely well to dirt. The most spectacular Leroidesanimaux also displayed the same sort of convert to dirt, though, had to be Arazi, who turned the verve that Blushing Groom brought to the racecourse, 1991 Breeders= Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs into a and he also showed a good measure of his grandsire=s procession. Others Blushing Grooms with high-class dirt brilliance. When the World Thoroughbred Rankings for form included Runaway Groom (Travers S.), Mt. 2005 were published, Leroidesanimaux found himself in Livermore (Carter H.) and You=d Be Surprised (Top illustrious company. With a rating of 124, he ranked Flight H.). third among the world=s older milers and his rating My lasting memory of Blushing Groom is of his meant that he was the year=s best American-trained turf flamboyant, free-flowing action. Great Thoroughbred performer. Timeform rated him 127. Sires of the World relates that Blushing Groom Acould The handsome son of Candy Stripes had first drawn change gears in spectacular style, and the scope and attention to himself during a brief career at Gavea in his power of his high, bounding action was awesome on native Brazil, where he romped home more than any going, but perhaps made him an exceptional mud 11 lengths clear over six furlongs at the end of May horse.@ 2003 as a 2-year-old. A month later, he was pitched The analysis continues with the assessment that the into G1 company and justified the move by finishing Blushing Groom line has nicked best with Northern second to the champion 2-year-old Ay Caramba. Dancer (especially Lyphard and Nijinsky)..@ Blushing T N T Stud then transferred him to the care of Bobby Groom himself sired the Group 1 winners Groom Frankel in California. As Leroidesanimaux was born to Dancer and Gold Splash from daughters of Lyphard, Southern Hemisphere time, on September 27, 2000, he plus their fellow Group 1 winner Sillery from a was effectively in the early stages of his 3-year-old grand-daughter. season when he made his American debut in early His son Rainbow Quest also sired the G1 St Leger January 2004, when officially a 4-year-old. winner Millenary from a grand-daughter of Lyphard, by Although he could finish only fourth on that occasion, Dancing Brave, who supplies one of the two lines to Leroidesanimaux easily shrugged off whatever Lyphard in Animal Kingdom=s pedigree. It was also a disadvantage his birth date placed on him against older mating between Blushing Groom and a daughter of Northern Hemisphere horses. By the time he made his Lyphard which produced the dam of that brilliant mare American stakes debut, in the GIII Inglewood H. May 1, Goldikova (and of Goldikova=s very promising half-sister when still well short of his actual fourth birthday, he Galikova). had already recorded a pair of victories over a mile at Santa Anita. Ï Ò Leroidesanimaux underlined his tremendous potential with his display in the Inglewood, over 1 1/16 miles. He flashed home a length clear of the seven-year-old ANIMAL KINGDOM, c, 2008 Designed For Luck--winner of the GI Shoemaker Mile Red God later in the month--and his time sliced 0.32 seconds off Blushing Groom (Fr) Runaway Bride the course record. Candy Stripes Bubble Company Lyphard Although it was nearly six months before Leroidesanimaux (Fr) Prodice (Fr) Leroidesanimaux raced again, he showed no rustiness (Brz) *Lorenzaccio in the GIII Morvich H. over Santa Anita=s downhill six Ahonoora (GB) Helen Nichols (GB) and a half furlongs. He extended his winning sequence Dissemble (GB) High Line (GB) to four and quickly increased that to five in the Kerali (GB) Sookera GI Citation H. at Hollywood four weeks later. Literat (Ger) As a fully mature 6-year-old, Leroidesanimaux had a Surumu (Ger) Surama (Ger) great shot at taking championship honours among the Acatenango (Ger) Dalicia (Ger) *Aggressor II turf milers in 2005. He began his quest with a Aggravate (GB) GSW-Ger & SP-Fr, Raven Locks (GB) gate-to-wire win against six other Grade I winners in 21-3-3-3, Lyphard the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita in March, $195,532 Dancing Brave Dynamis (Ire) Navajo Princess when he recorded his sixth straight victory, in a time of 2Fls, 1GISW 18-0-2-3, $5,382 5Fls, 1GSW Diasprina (Ger) Aspros (Ger) 1:33.89. 12Fls, 3SW Dorle (GB) Caulfield cont. Up to this point Leroidesanimaux had raced Animal Kingdom clearly possesses more stamina than exclusively in California. It was the same old story, his sire, and for this we need look no further than his though, when he shipped to Saratoga for the dam, Dalicia. This daughter of Acatenango claimed a GII Fourstardave H. Carrying top weight of 122 pounds, notable victim in Soldier Hollow when she became a he led virtually from the start to set another track Grade 3 winner over a mile and a quarter as a record for 1 1/16 miles, this time covering the distance 4-year-old in Germany. This family scored a fine graded in 1:39.92. double on Derby Day, as Dalicia=s sister Darwinia is the AWhen he gets competition, he tries even harder,@ dam of Daveron, winner of the GIII Beaugay S. on turf. Frankel pointed out. AWhen horses come to him, he=ll go Acatenango, an outstanding racehorse and sire in on by himself.@ Germany, was pensioned at the age of 22 in 2004, and Even better was to follow when the five-year-old then died in April 2005. However, the Gestut Fahrhof shipped to Woodbine for the Atto Mile. Despite running stalwart made sure that he wasn=t easily forgotten. His on a yielding course for the first time, Leroidesanimaux retirement was quickly followed by the French Derby cruised away to score by nearly eight lengths. When success of his son Blue Canari. Then, in 2005, he was asked whether Leroidesanimaux was the best turf horse represented by his third winner of the German Derby he had ever trained, Frankel agreed, saying Ahe must when Nicaron followed in the footsteps of Lando and be. He keeps winning and getting better with every Borgia. In doing so, Acatenango matched his sire, the run.@ German Derby winner Surumu, who owed his three Unfortunately, the striking chesnut drew the outside Derby successes to Acatenango, Mondrian and Temporal.