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Just last Sunday we reported on the Japan Derby (gr. I) victor of Eishin Flash, a son of King’s Best. Just a week later, another son of King’s Best, Workforce, gave King’s Best a remarkable Derby double with a seven lengths Epsom Derby (gr. I) win, in a new course record.

This was the second win in three starts for Workforce, who won a maiden in his only start at two. This year he’d kicked off the campaign with a second to Capo Blanco in the Dante Stakes (gr. II), which if memory serves, makes him the first horse to win the Derby after being beaten in the Dante.

King’s Best – by Kingmambo (TrueNicks,SRO) out of Allegretta – is a three-parts-brother to the great mare Urban Sea (the dam of Galileo and Sea The Stars). King’s Best won the English 2,000 Guineas (gr. I) over Giant's Causeway (TrueNicks,SRO), but suffered a career-ending injury in the Irish Derby (gr. I) next out, so we never found out if he would have stayed as well as Urban Sea. Now standing in France, he’s been a very solid sire with 33 stakes winners, including other group one winners King’s Apostle, Creachadoir, Proclamation, and Dubai Surprise. Prior to the Derby winners, his group I winners had distinguished themselves over shorter distances, scoring at 6½ furlongs, one mile (two), and ten furlongs.

Workforce has plenty of stamina in the distaff side of the pedigree. His dam, an unraced daughter of Sadler’s Wells, is a sister to Brian Boru, winner of the third leg of the English Triple Crown, the St. Leger (gr. I), run over an extended mile-and-three-quarters. The granddam, Eva Luna, is by two-time Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (gr. I) victor Alleged, out of Media Luna (by another Prix de l’Arc hero, Star Appeal), who was runner-up in the Epsom Oaks (gr. I) over the Derby course and distance. Eva Luna won the “Fillies St. Leger,” the Park Hill Stakes (gr. II), and was highweighted older mare in Europe at 14 furlongs and up. Media Luna is also dam of Rougeur, a U.S. stakes winning daughter of Blushing Groom, who subsequently produced the Alabama Stakes (gr. I) and Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Flute (by Seattle Slew). In tail-female line, the family goes back to the “peerless” Pretty Polly via Lady Sybil, a three-parts-sister to Nearctic.

Workforce is the fifth stakes winner, and second group I scorer by King’s Best out of a mare by Sadler’s Wells. Given the high-profile of the Kingmambo/Sadler’s Wells cross (which brings together the three-parts-brothers Sadler’s Wells and Nureyev, who are 4 x 2 in Workforce) and the fact that King’s Best is three-parts-brother to the dam of Sadler’s Wells’ son, Galileo, it’s not surprising that Sadler’s Wells mares have been tried a lot with King’s Best. The nick has not been phenomenal from a TrueNicks perspective, although it now has five stakes winners from 72 starters. The rating is almost certainly a function of King’s Best having been tried as a default alternative with a lot of accomplished Sadler’s Wells mares, some who would probably been past their prime in producing years. King’s Best has shown a notable ability to upgrade mares by sons of Sadler’s Wells – presumably a less well-credentialed group overall than the daughters of Sadler’s Wells bred to him – and his four stakes winners (all group/graded) from 28 foals on the cross, yield a TrueNicks rating of A (King’s Best with mares by Sadler’s Wells and his sons).

Oddly enough, when we look at Kingmambo, we see that he has eight stakes winners from 75 starters out of Sadler’s Wells mares – actually slightly below his overall stakes winners/starters strike rate – but of these Divine Proportions, El Condor Pasa, Henrythenavigator (TrueNicks,SRO),Thewayyouare (TrueNicks,SRO), and Virginia Waters, are all group and grade I winners. Overall, one would have to conclude that it’s a cross that’s distinguished itself with relatively average frequency relative to opportunity, but well above average quality.

Coincidentally, the Derby runner-up At First Sight is a son of King’s Best’s near-relative, Galileo. A 100-1 shot who was there to make the pace for the Aidan O’Brien stable prime contenders, At First Sight looked like stealing the race when he opened up a ten-length lead coming down Tattenham Hill. He’s out of a mare by Bering (so bred on a similar cross to Derby favorite and ultimate fourth placed Jan Vermeer, who is by Montjeu out of a Bering mare). The second dam is by Gone West, and he’s another whose Mr. Prospector inbreeding hasn’t stopped him running well over a distance of ground). Third was Rewilding, by Tiger Hill (by Danehill), out of the Prix Vermeille (gr. I) heroine, Darara, herself a half sister to Darshaan. He’s a half brother to the excellent Singspiel filly Dar Re Mi (group I winner at the Dubai World Cup meeting this year), to Australia group I winner Darazari, and to River Dancer, Champion Older Horse in Hong Kong.

Filed under: Recent Winners