Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Caddo River

Caddo River

Hard Spun – Pangburn, by Congrats

Bred in Kentucky by Shortleaf Stable

Caddo River, who is continuing along Oaklawn Park’s Kentucky Derby prep series, comes from a family with a history of success. Both his sire and dam were hard-knocking racehorses, and there is proven two-turn ability on both those sides of the family.

Hard Spun, by Danzig, earned his Grade 1 victory at seven furlongs, in the King’s Bishop at Saratoga. However, he also was able to stretch out his brilliance for three additional graded stakes wins beyond a mile, including in the Grade 2 Kentucky Cup Classic against rival Street Sense. Additionally, Hard Spun competed with distinction in the 2007 Triple Crown series against what is widely considered to be one of the best crops of modern times. He was second in the Kentucky Derby to Street Sense, and third in the Preakness Stakes behind Street Sense and Curlin. He was second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic to Curlin.

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As a stallion, Hard Spun’s best runners have come at route distances, including Eclipse Award champion Questing, winner of the Coaching Club American Oaks at 1 1/8 miles and then the Alabama at 1 1/4 miles. The stallion also is the sire of Gold Cup at Santa Anita winner Hard Aces, a winner at up to 1 1/2 miles; 2014 Wood Memorial and Jim Dandy winner Wicked Strong; Arlington Million winner Hardest Core; Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Spun to Run; Hard Not to Like, a multiple Grade 1 winner on turf; and multiple graded stakes winner Rocketry, a marathon specialist who has won at up to 1 3/4 miles.

Pangburn, by the A.P. Indy son Congrats, was a useful racemare who won 4 of 17 starts while earning $338,480. She won the 2016 Maryland Racing Media Stakes at 1 1/16 miles and placed in five other stakes races at distances beyond a mile, including a second, beaten a nose, in the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks at 1 1/16 miles; a second in the Grade 2 Pocahontas Stakes; and a third in the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes

Pangburn’s first foal was the Bodemeister filly Babybel, twice a winner at a mile on turf. Caddo River, her second foal, added to a long family history with his 10 1/4-length victory in the one-mile Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn in January. That made Pangburn the ninth consecutive member of her direct female line to produce at least one stakes winner. The young broodmare is one of three stakes winners produced by her dam, the Yes It’s True mare It’s True Love. The female line continues through stakes producers Lovin Spoonful, O My Darling, Midnight Pumpkin, Me Next, Iltis, We Hail, and finally, Clonaslee, foaled in 1922.

Among the most well-known horses produced by this female line is 1985 Preakness Stakes winner Tank’s Prospect, out of Midnight Pumpkin. Iltis was the dam of champion My Dear Girl, who in turn produced the influential sire In Reality.