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On a weekend which saw 85% of the stakes winners scoring B or above TrueNicks scores, there were several interesting pedigrees last week that are worth a quick mention. The Santa Monica Handicap (gr. I) was won by Intangaroo (by Orientate out of a mare by the Fappiano stallion Tasso), who followed 2007 Alabama Stakes (gr. I) heroine Lady Joanne (out of a mare by Unbridled) as the second grade I winner from the first crop of Orientate, and his second grade I winner out of a mare by a son of Fappiano, making this an A++ nick. Orientate's sire, Mt. Livermore, did well with Mr. Prospector in general, and his third dam, Questar, is a Questionnaire/Bull Dog cross - a pattern seen in Rough'n Tumble, sire of Dr. Fager, the broodmare sire of Fappiano. Intangeroo has a second dose, as her granddam is by Bet Big, a son of Distinctive, whose dam is a full sister to Questar.

Johannesburg has a smart second crop runner in the shape of the Swale Stakes (gr. II) winner Eaton's Gift. He's an A+ horse on the very successful Johannesburg/Mr. Prospector cross that has produced stakes winners out of mares by stallions as physically diverse as Unbridled and Carson City (the broodmare sire of Eaton's Gift). Johannesburg is particularly interesting with Carson City, since both his granddam, Yarn, and Carson City are by Mr. Prospector with second dams by Nijinsky II. The broad Storm Cat/Carson City cross has been a good one too.

Cactus Ridge (TrueNicks, SRO) , another son of Johannesburg's sire, Hennessy, had his first stakes winner when Big Glen took the WEBN Stakes Feb. 2. Out of a mare by Unaccounted For, he is an A+ on the basis of the Hennessy/Private Account cross. He might have created a new record, as he is also the first stakes winner we can recall with six stakes crosses of Northern Dancer (all within six generations), three coming through Storm Bird and his genetic relatives, The Minstrel and Nijinsky II.

Hennessy also turns up as broodmare sire of the Dancing Count Stakes winner Vanderkaay. The son of Malibu Moon is the first stakes winner for a cross that we have been waiting to see hit, that of Malibu Moon/Storm Cat. Malibu Moon is a product of the same A.P. Indy/Mr. Prospector cross as Pulpit, a horse who has worked well with Storm Cat. He also brings in Nijinsky II, a genetic relative to Storm Cat's sire, Storm Bird. This pedigree has some other points of interest too. Vanderkaay is inbred 3 x 4 to Seattle Slew at the top and bottom of the pedigree, and Malibu Moon is a reverse Seattle Slew/Raise a Native to Vanderkaay's granddam, Basking, with the Raise a Native bloodline appearing through the genetic relatives Mr. Prospector and Alydar.

Filed under: Recent Winners