MAY 2, 2017 SPECIAL .COM Calumet’s Derby Dominance By Ray Paulick Calumet Farm’s dominance of our country’s most famous horse Jones would train five of Calumet’s Derby winners, then become race dates back to 1941 when Whirlaway romped to an eight- the farm’s general manager, after which his son, H.A. “Jimmy” length victory under Eddie Arcaro – equaling the biggest winning Jones, would saddle two Derby winners for Calumet. margin in Kentucky Derby history (a record that still stands). Let’s take a look at all of Calumet Farm’s homebred Kentucky Remarkably it was the first of four Derby winners in the 1940s Derby winners: and eight overall to be bred and owned by Calumet Farm. Calumet was founded as a Standardbred operation in 1924 WHIRLAWAY (1941): Nicknamed Mr. Longtail, this son of the by William Monroe Wright, a baking powder salesman who in imported Blenheim II helped carry Calumet Farm to an all-time 1889 started a Chicago company, Calumet Baking Powder, earnings record of $475,091 in 1941. Whirlaway himself earned that made him a wealthy man. $272,386 by year’s end, winning 13 of 20 starts, with five seconds and two thirds. He became the sport’s fifth Triple Crown winner. Wright died in 1931, two years after selling his company to General Foods. One year later, his son, Warren Wright Sr., PENSIVE (1944): Like Whirlaway, Pensive came into the Derby transformed Calumet Farm to a Thoroughbred nursery. off a defeat, losing the Chesapeake Stakes by a nose at Pimlico It didn’t take long for Calumet to make its mark. Nellie Flag, a filly seven days before the Run for the Roses. Pensive and jockey Conn out of 1924 Preakness winner Nellie Morse, became the first Continued on Page 7 stakes winner bred by the farm and was a champion at 2. She took on colts as Calumet’s first Kentucky Derby starter in 1935, finishing fourth to Omaha, who would go on to become racing’s third Triple Crown winner. Next came Bull Lea in 1938. After setting a track record in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, he could do no better than fin- ish eighth in the Derby behind Lawrin. But Bull Lea really made his mark at stud as Calumet’s foundation sire. Among his top runners were three horses who carried Calumet’s devil’s red KY DERBY CONTENDER and blue silks to glory in the Kentucky Derby: Triple Crown win- GORMLEY ner Citation (1948), Hill Gail (1952), and Iron Liege (1957). Santa Anita Derby (G1), FrontRunner S. (G1), If Bull Lea was the cornerstone for Calumet’s breeding pro- Sham S. (G3) gram, the decision in 1939 by Warren Wright to hire Ben A. Jones – who had conditioned the previous year’s Derby winner, Lawrin – as the farm’s private trainer was equally significant. ASK RAY KY OAKS CONTENDER QUESTION: What’s the most popular bet on the FARRELL Kentucky Derby? Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), Rachel Alexandra S. (G2), Golden Rod S. (G2), ANSWER: In 2016, old-fashioned win-place-show Silverbulletday S. bets were still the most popular, with just over $50 million wagered. The trifecta (picking first 3) handled $27.5 million, the exacta (first 2) $22.2 million and superfecta (first 4) $10.9 million. Among multi-race bets ending with the Der- The Breeders’ Farm by, the pick 4 was most popular, handling $3.2 million. A.P. Indy – Macoumba, by Mr. Prospector | $75,000 S&N spendthriftfarm.com | 859.294.0030 Page 2 Pedigree Spotlight A.P. Indy and Mr. Prospector By Frank Mitchell The two sire lines playing the largest roles for this year’s Grade 1 In contrast to the classicism of A.P. Indy, Mr. Prospector was Kentucky Derby are those descending from 1992 Belmont Stakes speed. As a young 3-year-old with “Derby potential,” Mr. Prospec- winner A.P. Indy and from international supersire Mr. Prospector, tor worked faster than good horses raced. Mr. Prospector did particularly through 1990 Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled. not make the 1973 Kentucky Derby, and the preceding season’s Horse of the Year Secretariat burst away from the field to take With final entries not yet drawn, approximately two-thirds of the the first of three victories that made the great chestnut a house- field traces to these two lines in nearly equal number. hold name across America. The grand old man of American breeding, A.P. Indy is a living legend Mr. Prospector, however, came back as a 4-year-old. The bay son at Lane’s End Farm, where he was bred and raised and where he of Raise a Native won stakes, showed much of the lethal speed he returned – after earning Horse of the Year possessed in his early starts on the race- in 1992 with victories in the Belmont, San- track, and went to stud in Florida for Aisco ta Anita Derby, and Breeders’ Cup Classic Stable. Early success at stud sent Mr. Pros- – to begin a historic tenure at stud. pector to Kentucky, where he stood the rest of his long life, including covering his A son of Triple Crown winner Seattle final book of mares at age 29, at historic Slew (by Bold Reasoning) out of Week- Claiborne Farm. end Surprise, a daughter of Triple Crown winner Secretariat, A.P. Indy was bred to The Mr. Prospector sons Fappiano, princi- be something special, and he was from pally through Unbridled, and Smart Strike, the start. As a yearling, he sold for $2.9 principally through Curlin, are having a sig- million at the Keeneland July select year- nificant effect on classic racing. Unbridled ling sale and raced for Tomonori Tsuru- sired winners of each of the Triple Crown maki, earning slightly less than $3 million races, including Belmont Stakes winner Em- from 8 victories in 11 starts at 2 and 3. pire Maker, who is the grandsire of 2015 A.P. Indy Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Purchased by a syndicate and retired to stud at his birthplace, 2016 champion 2-year-old and 2017 Arkansas Derby winner A.P. Indy has been pivotal in making Lane’s End one of the most Classic Empire (both by Pioneerof the Nile), and 2017 Florida eminent breeding operations in the world. Derby winner Always Dreaming (Bodemeister). Curlin has 2017 Wood Memorial winner Irish War Cry in the Kentucky Derby. In his long career at stud, A.P. Indy has sired Horse of the Year Mineshaft (sire of Derby prospect J Boys Echo and grandsire of Outliers in the classic lines sweepstakes include Kentucky Derby Gunnevera), leading sire Pulpit (sire of three-time leading national points leader Girvin, winner of the 2017 Louisiana Derby. He is sire Tapit and grandsire of Derby prospect Tapwrit), and the from the Storm Cat branch of Northern Dancer through Tale of twice-raced Malibu Moon (sire of 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Ekati. This year’s winner of the Blue Grass Stakes is Irap, a son of Orb and 2017 Santa Anita Derby winner Gormley). Tiznow from the Man O’ War line in this 100th anniversary of the great horse’s birth. PRS BorntoRun. Experience. Performance. Reliability. And, above all, commitment. These are the qualities that distance champions from the rest. The same qualities you’ll find with John Deere. We’re proud to support the equine industry, the land, and your success. 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JohnDeere.com 17-500-395 JD Born to Run Ad_7.5x2.5_PR.indd 1 4/25/2017 4:23:57 PM Page 3 Eclipse Award Winner Brown Poised for Triple Crown Breakthrough By Tom Pedulla One deep breath. of his eight Breeders’ Cup victories: Maram, Juvenile Fil- lies Turf, 2008; Zagora, Filly & Mare Turf, 2012; Lady Eli, That is all Chad Brown allowed himself to celebrate his first Juvenile Fillies Turf, 2014; Dayatthespa, Filly & Mare Turf, Eclipse Award as North America’s leading trainer, an hon- 2014; Stephanie’s Kitten, Filly & Mare Turf, 2015; and or he received in January to culminate his stunning rise in New Money Honey, Juvenile Fillies Turf, 2016. the last decade. Bobby’s Kitten, in the 2015 Turf Sprint, “It was a tall mountain to climb. To fi- provided his only male Breeders’ Cup nally get there, I did a big exhale like, winner on grass. Wavell Avenue, in ‘Okay, we did it,’ “ said Brown. “But the Filly & Mare Sprint in 2015, repre- then the next day comes and there sents his lone dirt success in the Cup. are a lot of horses and a lot of co- Brown attributes his success with workers and you have to be at your turf fillies to lessons learned while he best.” worked under Frankel for five years. Rather than expressing joy, Brown, “I’m so grateful for what he taught me 38, repeatedly conveyed a feeling of in those areas,” he said. “I’ve put it to relief upon reaching the peak of his good use through my staff to execute profession. That likely conveys the his philosophy, his plan, with those type massive pressure he has exerted on of horses.” himself and those around him in his re- lentless drive to win and win some more. Continued on Page 4 “Any time you win at a high level in this sport,” he said, “there is a lot of relief.” The former understudy to Shug McGaughey and the late Bobby Frankel who began his own training operation in late 2007, paced the nation in turf victories each of the last five years.