Arrogate's daughters look to continue his legacy as broodmare sire

The late Arrogate, inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, made the most of his limited opportunities at stud. The Eclipse Award champion and all-time North American leading money-winner stood just three seasons at Juddmonte Farm in Kentucky before an illness leading to neurological symptoms resulted in his death in 2020. Of those three crops – the youngest are current 2-year-olds – Arrogate is represented by graded stakes winners from each, led by Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath in his first crop and Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo in his second.

“There’s a lot of things that can go wrong with horses and stallions, and what happened to him was just so unusual, freaky weird,” said Garrett O’Rourke, manager for Juddmonte’s U.S. operations. “Absolutely in his prime . . . .There’s a certain side of it, huge disappointment. And the other side is some pride in association you can still have with him, and the great memories that we have still of his racing career.”

Arrogate’s offspring have been considered collectors’ items as his legacy continues to grow as a stallion, and Arcangelo will be given every chance as he begins his stallion career at Lane’s End Farm. However, there is another avenue to consider with Arrogate’s legacy, and that is his daughters.

Four daughters of Arrogate, all graded stakes winners, will be on offer at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall selected mixed sale the evening of Nov. 7. Fasig-Tipton dubs its elite breeding stock auction the “Night of the Stars,” and at least a few of these are certain to be among the dizzying array of seven-figure broodmares and broodmare prospects this sale is known for each year.

The Arrogate mares on offer at Fasig-Tipton are led by Secret Oath, who won the 2022 Oaks, along with three additional stakes. Her multiple Grade 1 placings include a third against males in the Arkansas Derby.

Rounding out the quartet are Grade 1-winning juvenile And Tell Me Nolies, who was Grade 2-placed earlier this year; Grade 1 La Brea winner Fun to Dream; and Affirmative Lady, winner of the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks.

Arrogate is, genetically, positioned to be a strong broodmare sire. His sire, Unbridled’s Song, made his greatest impact in that arena, with daughters including Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Unrivaled Belle, dam of two-time Eclipse Award champion Unique Bella; Special Me, dam of four graded stakes winners, led by Grade 1 winners Gift Box and Gina Romantica; Rhodochrosite, dam of Japanese Triple Crown winner and champion Contrail; and Unbridled Melody, dam of Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Tourist.

Unbridled’s Song is, overall, the broodmare sire of 253 stakes winners – including, in the United States alone, Grade 1 winners Annapolis, Carpe Diem, Civil Union, General Quarters, J. B.’s Thunder, Leofric, Magnum Moon, Maracuja, Maxim Rate, Moonshine Memories, Restless Rider, Rolling Fog, The Lumber Guy, Volatile, Voodoo Song, and Unbridled Command.

Improving the odds for Arrogate as a broodmare sire, Unbridled’s Song is from a sireline with success in this regard, showing that he is not an aberration. Sire Unbridled produced Broodmare of the Year Oatsee, dam of Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford and others. Unbridled also is the broodmare sire of dual Eclipse Award champion Covfefe. Another of Unbridled’s sons, Empire Maker, is the broodmare sire of Juddmonte’s classic performer Mandaloun, along with Grade 1 winners Outwork, Rock Your World, Silver State, and Valiance.

More importantly of Arrogate, some of Unbridled’s Song’s sons have performed well as broodmare sires already, even with limited opportunity. Those include Juddmonte’s First Defence, broodmare sire of Grade 1 winners Beyond Brilliant and Idiomatic, along with multiple graded stakes winner Tacitus.

Unbridled’s Song’s sons include Midshipman, broodmare sire of two-time Breeders’ Cup winner Golden Pal; and Buddha, broodmare sire of Grade 1 winners Two Emmys and Valid Point.

While Arrogate’s top runners thus far have raced for various stables, and the four Arrogate mares on offer at Fasig-Tipton are coming from other outfits, Juddmonte strongly supported the big gray when he came to stud and has many of his daughters remaining on the farm. Their future is one to look forward to for the farm, which brought Mandaloun to stud this year and will debut champion sprinter Elite Power in 2024. O’Rourke noted that Juddmonte’s homebred Grade 1 winner Idiomatic is the product of crossing Curlin, Elite Power’s sire, over a mare by the Unbridled’s Song horse First Defence.

“When I started looking at what pedigree lines might suit even for Elite Power, you start to realize, ‘Wow, look at that Unbridled influence in some of the Curlins.’ If you look at the lovely, big, scopey Curlins, Idiomatic being one of them, and wonder, ‘Wow, where did the size come from in those?’ It’s probably him, from the Unbridled side of it. And then you start thinking, ‘Wow, we’ve got plenty of Arrogate mares.’ ”