Andrew Caulfield, April 8-Wicked Strong The name of Wicked=s Strong=s grandsire Danzig is PEDIGREE INSIGHTS often associated more with speed than stamina, but the B Y A N D R E W C A U L F I E L D truth is that his rich legacy has been Saturday, Aqueduct wonderfully varied. TWINSPIRES.COM WOOD MEMORIAL S.-GI, Although the nearest he $1,000,000, AQU, 4-5, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:49 1/5, ft. came to siring a Kentucky 1Bs#@WICKED STRONG, 123, c, 3, by Hard Spun Derby winner were the 1st Dam: Moyne Abbey, by Charismatic seconds by Stephan=s 2nd Dam: Classic Approval, by With Approval Odyssey and Hard Spun, 3rd Dam: Classic Value, by Copelan he sired winners of the ($375,000 yrl '12 KEESEP). O-Centennial Farms; Wicked Strong Susie Raisher GI Preakness S. and the B-William Flynn (KY); T-James A Jerkens; J-Rajiv GI Belmont S. If Hard Maragh. $590,000. Lifetime Record: 6-2-1-1, Spun were to sire a Kentucky Derby winner, he $704,610. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the wouldn=t be the first son of Danzig to do so, as Polish eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Navy was responsible for the 1993 winner Sea Hero, Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs or and we=ve also seen two sons of Danzig sire winners of the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO. the Derby at Epsom. All racing fans on both sides of the Atlantic look Hard Spun proved himself one of Danzig=s tougher forward to Derby time, but for the pedigree pundit this sons with a 10-race sophomore career which saw him can be a tricky few weeks. Often it=s far from easy to tackle just about every distance from seven furlongs to tell which of today=s GI Kentucky Derby contenders a mile and a half. It was fitting that he tackled all three have stout enough bloodlines for the all-important jump legs of the Triple Crown as his pedigree could be from nine to 10 furlongs. In England it is usually the described as classic. same old story when the connections of the 2,000 His third dam Luiana produced Little Current, winner Guineas winner decide to chance their colt=s stamina of the Preakness and Belmont in 1974, and Luiana was over an extra half mile at Epsom. also a half-sister to that exceptional brother-and-sister It therefore makes a welcome change to come across team of Chateaugay (Kentucky Derby and Belmont S.) a leading Kentucky Derby contender whose pedigree and Primonetta (champion older female of 1962 and and demeanor suggest strongly that the extra furlong at Broodmare of the Year in 1978). Churchill Downs will be a definite plus, rather than a While Hard Spun pulled too hard to give himself a minus. That colt, of course, is Wicked Strong, who was chance of lasting a mile and a half in the Belmont, he putting in all his best work in the closing stages of the galloped First Defence into submission in the GI King=s Bishop S. over seven furlongs. He also reversed GI TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial. Kentucky Derby form with Street Sense in the This confidence is based on the simple fact that GII Kentucky Cup Classic over a furlong less. Wicked Strong=s sire Hard Spun and broodmare sire Hard Spun didn=t only follow in Street Sense=s Charismatic both performed extremely well on Derby footsteps in the Kentucky Derby. He also followed him Day. Hard Spun was the only one to make a race of it to Darley=s stallion complex and has now taken the with Street Sense in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, and he same journey to Darley=s Japanese branch which Street could be forgiven for weakening a little in the final Sense took a year earlier. Street Sense did well enough eighth, having set early fractions of :22.96 and :46.26. during 2013, with seven graded stakes winners, to earn Later, in a re-jig of the Kentucky Derby form, Hard a return ticket. There must be a good chance that Hard Spun made much of the running to finish second to Spun will follow suit, as he has also enjoyed graded Curlin in the GI Breeders= Cup Classic, with Street success this year with Reload (GIII Canadian Turf S. Sense back in fourth on that occasion. Charismatic, for over a mile). It mustn=t be forgotten that Hard Spun was one of his part, finished strongest of all to defeat Menifee and those young stallions who found support ebbing away Cat Thief in the 1999 Derby. in his first few years. Having attracted 181 mares in his Further confidence in Wicked Strong=s stamina is first season, for 143 live foals, he had 105 foals from added by the records of his four great-grandsires. 147 mares in his second and 96 from 137 mares in his Northern Dancer wore the roses after the 1964 Derby; third crop, which includes Wicked Strong. His fourth Turkoman earned the champion older horse title in crop is a little bigger, at 104 live foals, and there are 1986 largely through his efforts over a mile and a 123 yearlings in his fifth. quarter; Charismatic=s sire Summer Squall was His move to Japan may have been precipitated partly runner-up to Unbridled in the Derby before gaining his by 2013 results which didn=t compare to his impressive revenge in the Preakness; and With Approval, the sire efforts in 2012, when he had only two crops on the of Wicked Strong=s second dam Classic Approval, won track. His total of stakes winners in 2012 stood at an Canada s Breeders S. over a mile and a half and was impressive 16, with two of the 16 scoring at the top = = level. beaten only half a length in the GI Breeders= Cup Turf. Questing led the way with her Grade I victories in the CCA Oaks and the Alabama S., which established she stayed pretty well, and Zo Impressive played her part by winning the GI Mother Goose S., prior to finishing second to Questing in the CCA Oaks. In contrast, the stakes winner tally fell to seven in 2013, when Hard Spun had only one graded winner in North America (the GISP filly Hard Not To Like). However, he also had a very speedy English-trained son in Moviesta (G2 King George S.). To get back to Wicked Strong, he has the probably unwanted distinction of being the first winner of any great note out of a daughter of Charismatic. Although the son of Summer Squall started his stallion career at a fee of $35,000 in 2000, he was on his way to Japan by the end of 2003. His only important winner from four American crops was Sun King, who repeatedly ran well in Grade I contests without quite managing to win one. Wicked Strong=s dam Moyne Abbey gained her only win in 12 attempts on turf. She is a half-sister to several above-average performers, the most successful being the smart turf miler Gulch Approval. Wicked Strong=s third dam, the dual GIII winner Classic Value, is also the second dam of Student Council, winner of the GI Pacific Classic and GI Pimlico Special, and this female line also produced that excellent but ill-starred filly Three Ring. Click here to share this story WICKED STRONG, c, 2011 Northern Dancer Nearctic Danzig Natalma Pas De Nom Admiral’s Voyage Hard Spun Petitioner Turkoman Alydar Turkish Tryst Taba (Arg) Darbyvail Roberto Luiana Summer Squall Storm Bird Charismatic Weekend Surprise Drone Moyne Abbey Bali Babe 12-1-0-1 Polynesian Charm 6Fls, 1GSW Classic Approval With Approval Caro (Ire) 14-3-3-2 Passing Mood 12Fls, 1GSW Classic Value Copelan 2SW 12Fls, 1SW Queen Pat.