Orb, the emphatic winner of the 139th edition of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, became the first classic winner for his sire, 16-year-old Spendthrift Farm stallion Malibu Moon, and adds even more glow to the luster of A.P. Indy, whose influence on the contemporary Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry continues to grow.
Sitting in the interview room at Churchill Downs on Saturday evening, the eyes of Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps averted their gaze to watch a nearby replay of the 139th Kentucky Derby over and over. Each time, the result was the same—Orb, the homebred colt he owns in partnership with his cousin, Stuart S. Janney III, splashing home in the mud to overpower a strong field of 3-year-olds in America's most famed race.
Pedigree analysis of the 20 horses set to contest the Kentucky Derby.
The Kentucky Derby will be the first start at a mile and a quarter for each of the 20 horses expected to enter the gate for Saturday’s race.
The Kentucky Derby carries a purse of $2 million, but America’s most famous race can pay further dividends for the connections of the winner’s sire. The stallions represented by Kentucky Derby winners – particularly those early in their stud careers – typically see significant fee increases the following season and can also garner larger books filled with higher-quality mares.
Princess of Sylmar, who ran down last year’s champion juvenile filly Beholder in the final sixteenth to score a 38.80-to-1 upset win in the 139th running of the Kentucky Oaks, is the first Grade 1 winner for second-crop sire Majestic Warrior, an 8-year-old son of A.P. Indy who stands at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky.
In the spring of 2009, owner-breeder Ed Stanco's mare Storm Dixie, a winning daughter of Catienus who had been retired the fall before, was on her way to be bred for the first time. After extensive analysis and consulting bloodstock experts, Stanco had selected Grand Slam at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., for Storm Dixie’s first mating. However, with one phone call his plans changed abruptly.
Princess of Sylmar’s upset victory in the Kentucky Oaks added yet another feather to the cap of the Pennsylvania-bred program on a national stage.
The horses in this year’s Kentucky Derby will be racing for more than just the purse money and a gold trophy. They’ll also be racing to build résumés for their stallion careers and add to the legacies of their sire lines.
Joseph B. Hickey Jr., the longtime general manager of Windfields Farm in Maryland, died Tuesday in Easton, Md. He was 86.
