Andrew Caulfield, Feb. 28, 2012- PEDIGREE INSIGHTS B Y A N D R E W C A U L F I E L D

FASIG-TIPTON FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH S.-GII, $400,000, GPX, 2-26, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:42 3/5, ft. 1--UNION RAGS, 122, c, 3, by 1st Dam: Tempo, by Gone West 2nd Dam: Terpsichorist, by Nijinsky II 3rd Dam: *Glad Rags II, by High Hat ($145,000 yrl '10 FTSAUG; $390,000 2yo >11 FTFFEB). O-Chadds Ford Stable; B-Phyllis M Wyeth (KY); T-Michael R Matz; J-Julien R Leparoux; $240,000. Lifetime Record: GISW, 5-4-1-0, $1,098,800. *Full to Geefour, SP, $159,092. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Another GSW from Paramount Sales Foaled & raised at Royal Oak Farm (Damian & Braxton Lynch) X I B Successful pinhook for Xavier Int’l X I B Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs, the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree or the video replay. When died at Lane=s End just under two years ago, this son of had achieved the grand age of 30. Sadly Dixieland Band=s demise was followed less than three months later by that of one of his most accomplished sons, Dixie Union. This popular stallion had to be euthanized at the comparatively young age of 13, because of a deteriorating neurological problem. The problem hadn=t prevented Dixie Union from covering a full book of 136 mares in 2010, which means that there will be plenty of youngsters from Dixie Union=s 10th and final crop at this year=s sales. These yearlings appear to have a first-rate ambassador working for them in Union Rags, an impressive winner of Sunday=s GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. Union Rags would arguably be unbeaten, but for being drawn so wide in the GI Breeders= Cup Juvenile. Still, finishing second in the Juvenile didn=t prove a lasting setback for the likes of Tank=s Prospect, Easy Goer, Bertrando, Point Given, Afleet Alex and Lookin At Lucky. The ease and style of Union Rags=s victories in the GII Saratoga Special, GI Champagne S. and Fountain of Youth suggests that he has the talent to follow their example. In winning his first three starts as a 2-year-old, Union Rags showed that he had inherited much of the precocity which earned Dixie Union graded victories in the July, August and October of his juvenile season. Of course Dixie Union=s precocity didn=t stop him shining at three. After being sidelined by a knee chip suffered in the Breeders= Cup Juvenile, Dixie Union missed the Triple Crown, but gained ample compensation when he defeated Captain Steve, Milwaukee Brew and More Than Ready in the GI Haskell Invitational H.

Caulfield cont. Dixie Union was clearly suited to 1 1/8 miles, but his I deliberately avoided describing Terpsichorist as one attempt at 1 1/4 miles, in the GI Travers S., proved stoutly bred, as her second dam, Dryad, was a sprinter inconclusive. The scrimmaging on the first turn resulted in England. Dryad produced the high-class English in the colt losing a shoe and part of the wall of his left sprinter Victorina and the fast Italian colt Doney, both of forefoot, so he had every excuse for finishing a soundly these being by stallions with plenty of stamina. It was a beaten fourth. By the time Richard Mandella had him similar story with Dryad=s High Hat filly, Glad Rags. Fast ready to race again at the end of the year, there weren=t enough to score over five furlongs on her debut, Glad many options for a colt as good as Dixie Union, and he Rags went on to win the 1000 Guineas, but Timeform dropped back to seven furlongs in the concluded that she needed a sound surface to last a GI Malibu S., in which he wore down Caller One to win mile. by a length. Union Rags=s dam, the lightly raced Tempo, gained Once again, though, Dixie Union came out of his race both her wins over sprint distances, so the colt can=t be with an injury, this time a tendon injury which forced his considered sure to thrive over 1 1/4 miles or more. retirement. No doubt a campaign at four would have Fortunately he appears to have an admirable given us a much better idea of whether 1 1/8 miles was temperament, which should allow him to reach his full his limit. One thing=s for sure--he possessed a lot of stamina potential. speed, as he demonstrated so well when he covered To return to Dixie Union, there were a few parallels five furlongs in a very swift :56.71 on his debut at between his career and that of his sire Dixieland Band. Hollywood Park at two and when he won the Malibu. Dixie Union=s graded winners consist of three winners at Speed, often coupled with precocity, has also proved Grade I level, seven at Grade II and nine at Grade III. It wouldn t surprise me if his proportion of Grade I winners the main asset of most of Dixie Union=s = were to become more impressive. Dixieland Band had 19 graded/group winners. His Grade I winners prior to been represented by only three Grade I winners by the Union Rags were , winner of the time he turned 19, but ended up with a score of nine. seven-furlong Spinaway S. at two, and Dixie Chatter, Dixie Union was unusual in that his fee rose steadily whose finest moment came in the Norfolk S. over a mile without the benefit of a stream of Grade I winners. and a sixteenth as a juvenile. After five seasons at $30,000, his price was increased The only ones which have won a graded stakes over to $40,000 in 2006 and then to $50,000 in 2007 and as far as nine furlongs are Dixie City (Demoiselle S.), 2008. In other words, his current 3- and 4-year-olds are Gone Astray (Ohio and Pennsylvania Derbys) and members of his highest-priced crops, so ought to make Justwhistledixie (Bonnie Miss S.). However, their mark. Grasshopper proved himself an exception to the rule Dixieland Band was well-known for his affinity for when he finished a good second to in the daughters of Mr. Prospector. This combination=s total of Travers S. 82 foals included 12 black-type winners (an excellent Union Rags could also be an exception, thanks to the 15%), with the graded/group winners Love That Jazz, presence in his pedigree of his second dam Chimes Band, Jazz Club, Didyme and Southern Rhythm Terpsichorist. With Nijinsky II as her sire and the English among them. He also sired several other stakes winners stayer High Hat as her broodmare sire, Terpsichorist had from granddaughters of Mr. Prospector, so it is no some strong staying elements in her pedigree and this surprise that Dixie Union had a Mr. Prospector mare as helped her win the GIII Long Island H. over 1 1/2 miles his second dam. at three and the GII Sheepshead Bay H. over This productive relationship between Dixieland Band 1 1/4 miles at four. and Mr. Prospector inevitably encouraged breeders to try adding a second line of Mr. Prospector when selecting mares for Dixie Union. The ploy has worked UNION RAGS, c, 2009 well, with as many as 10 of his graded winners being inbred to Mr. Prospector in the first four generations. Northern Dancer Gone Astray, Grasshopper, Sensation and Turf War are Dixieland Band Delta Judge all inbred 4x2, while Dixie Band and Dixie City are both Mississippi Mud Sand Buggy 4x3 and Most Distinguished, Bold Union and High Dixie Union Cotton are all 4x4. Too Bald The majority of these graded winners also have She’s Tops Mr. Prospector inbreeding to Northern Dancer. Thanks to having a She’s a Talent Paintbrush second dam by Nijinsky, Union Rags is inbred 3x4 to Northern Dancer. Mr. Prospector Gold Digger Flower Alley, Commentator, Persistently, Red Rocks, Gone West Secretariat Carry On Katie and Misty For Me are among the other Tempo Secrettame Grade I winners whose pedigrees feature inbreeding in 3-2-1-0, $34,400 Tamerett the first four generations to these two great stallions. 8Fls, 1GSW, Northern Dancer Terpsichorist Nijinsky II Interestingly, four of these six enjoyed Grade I success 1SP MGSW, 28-11-5-4, Flaming Page over 1 1/4 miles or more, which must be encouraging to $426,986 Glad Rags II High Hat (GB) Union Rags s connections. 11Fls, 1SW, 1GSP 12Fls, 3GSW Dryad (GB) =