2010 Freshmen Sires Get Catty

The most precocious progeny of the 2010 Freshmen sires are off and running with Blue Grass Cat leading the herd in terms of money won ($85,284). The chestnut sire has four starters, two winners and claims a stakes placed runner. His son, the appropriately named Speed Demon, already has three starts under his girth and he finished second in the Par Four Stakes at Delaware Park.

Bluegrass Cat (Storm Cat - She's a Winner, by A.P. Indy) was pretty precocious as a youngster, winning three of four starts including the Nashua (G-3) at a mile and the Remsen (G-2) at 1 1/8 miles. As a three year old, Bluegrass Cat won the Sam F. Davis and Haskell Invitational. He placed second in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, and Travers Stakes. He has a very classy distaff side, as his dam is a full sister to graded stakes winners Accelerator, Daydreaming and Girolamo. Additionally, she is a full sister to Supercharger, the dam of this year's Kentucky Derby winner, Super Saver. Bluegrass Cat can trace his female family back to LaTroinne, one of the most important mares in thoroughbred breeding history.

With the versatile Storm Cat as his sire and the bloodlines of A.P. Indy, Mr. Prospector and Norther Dancer, as well as a very strong distaff line, Bluegrass Cat should be a solid, versatile sire, getting winners over all surfaces. He should be an especially strong mud sire. Distance wise, Bluegrass Cat won between a mile and 1 1/8 miles, and placed at longer distances. While his juveniles shouldn't have any issues with distance, time and individual breeding will be the judge as his runners mature. Bluegrass Cat stands at WinStar Farm and has produced 118 two year olds, so there should be Bluegrass Cat babies cropping up at many tracks this summer.

Bluegrass Cat isn't the only first-crop sire with a couple of winners and stakes placed runners. Primal Storm (Storm Boot - Primistal, by Stalwart) also has two winners from four starters, and his daughter Lady Primal is undefeated, including a minor four furlong stakes win. Primal Storm checks second in terms of progeny earnings ($52,470). Primal Storm was a speedy sprinter during his brief racing career. He won the Flash Stakes (G-3) at five furlongs and placed in the Tremont and Dancing Count Stakes at three. Primal Storm was bred to be a win-early speedy sort. His sire Storm Boot is known for getting precocious offspring and has a 19% win rate from two year olds. Primal Storm's dam sire Stalwart, a son of Hoist the Flag, was active as a juvenile also, as he won the Hollywood Futurity and Norfolk Stakes. Primal Storm's second sire is Private Account, a son of Damascus. Expect Primal Storm's offspring to be mostly win early dirt sprinters and they will mainly run at Southwest regional tracks although a few might show up in California. He stands at Asmussen Horse Center in Texas.

              

Many are surprised to see Giacomo, the shocking winner of the 2005 Kentucky Derby, in the early top ten standings. Giacomo has four starters,  two winners, both repeat winners one stakes winner and one stakes winner. His daughter Blushing Sis was second behind Lady Primal in the Manor Downs Thoroughbred Futurity and his other daughter Lady Giacomo is undefeated, including a win in the TTA Sales Futurity. Taking a closer look at Giacomo's race record and pedigree shows that he was indeed precocious as a juvenile and has the breeding to produce early winners. Giacomo (Holy Bull - Set Them Free, by Stop the Music) was in the money in three of four starts at age two, including a second place finish in the Hollywood Futurity.

Breeders will see Giacomo as an excellent outsource since he has no inbreeding within five generations. Descending from the sire line of Rough and Tumble, Giacomo is free of the dominating bloodlines of Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector, and claims only one strain of Bold Ruler. The most prevalent son of Holy Bull at stud is Macho Uno the Champion Colt of 2000 and Holy Bull himself was a Grade One stakes winning juvenile. Giacomo stands at Adena Springs Kentucky and has 77 two year olds and is third in the money-earned standings ($47,580). Most of his offspring should make their presence known later in the year and do well at all distances. Giacomo has some turf breeding throughout his pedigree so don't be afraid to take a chance if his babies show up on the lawn, especially if there are turf bloodlines on the dam's side.

 

With Distinction was a $1.8 million dollar private sale weanling purchased by Bob and Beverly Lewis. He is a son of Storm Cat, one of the world’s best sires out of a mare by Alydar. The cross of Strom Cat with other Alydar broodmares has produced Breeders' Cup winner and sire Cat Thief and Lion Hearted, who is one of the leading sires in Maryland.

Although he didn’t run as a two year old, the well-conformed dark brown stallion was all speed on the track, winning from 5.5 furlongs to a mile. He is a proven stakes winner over dirt and Polytrack. He has a strong dirt pedigree and his offspring will likely be at their best over that surface. With his success over a synthetic track, one should keep an eye out for his starters over synthetic tracks, especially if the damsire is known producer of synthetic track runners or the female family has a record over the surface.

With Distinction stands at Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds in Florida and he has 115 foals in his first crop. His At the February OBS Two Year Olds in Training Sale, a With Distinction filly worked 10.2 over the SafeTrack surface and sold for $50,000 and he currently has two winners from four starters. With Distinction’s babies will be more precocious than their sire and while With Distinction only won at distances up to a mile, his offspring may do well going two turns if the distaff family is stamina oriented. His offspring should be early season runners and do well throughout their two year old season.