Western Pride

Western Pride: The Pride Of Florida

by Ann Ferland ©

A Florida legend passed away this January when 30-year-old stallion Valid Appeal died. The small son of In Reality spent his entire stud career at Mockingbird Farm in Ocala and became one of Florida's all-time leading sires, a sire of sires and a top broodmare sire as well. His get included 86 stakes winners, 21 of them group or graded, and last year's Leading Freshman Sire Valid Expectations.

Valid Appeal belonged to a generation of Florida-based sires that included such names as Baldski, Barachois, Crafty Prospector, Fappiano, Hold Your Peace, Sovereign Dancer, and Tri Jet. Dependable sires of winners and of stakes horses, all are gone now with the exception of Crafty Prospector, who now stands in Kentucky, and the torch for the Florida industry must be passed to a new generation.

Who will be the stars of the future among the Sunshine State's stallion ranks? One candidate to carry on the tradition of Florida sires is Way West, sire of recent San Fernando S. winner Western Pride. This dark bay or brown four-year-old colt is his sire's first stakes-winner, coming from his second crop, and his rise to prominence has been workmanlike, progressing from ungraded stakes to grade 3 and 2 level.

Way West has some similarities to Sovereign Dancer, as both raced in France, achieving only placings at the group level and so was somewhat unknown in North American breeding circles when they originally retired to stud. Yet each was superbly bred, Sovereign Dancer by Northern Dancer from a sister to What a Pleasure, et al, and Way West by Gone West from a group-winning mare belonging to a stellar French family.

Gone West was one of the better milers from the crop that included Alysheba, Bet Twice, Gulch, Cryptoclearance, Polish Navy, and Java Gold. As a sire he has overshadowed most of his classmates, with group/grade 1 winners like Zafonic, Commendable, Da Hoss, Grand Slam, West by West, and Came Home. Although he has tended to get the speedier types, like his sire Mr. Prospector, he has on occasion thrown the odd distance runner like Commendable, undoubtedly a reflection on his heritage from his damsire Secretariat.

On the other hand, Greenway, the dam of Way West, come from a family in which high-class distance horses are as common as any other sort. Greenway herself won 3 of her 6 races at two, including two group 3 events, both at 1000 meters (about 5 furlongs). But her daughter Greenvera (by Alleged) has produced the first-class 2-mile horse Royal Rebel, winner of the Ascot Gold Cup-G1 among other races.

Her sire Targowice was an American-bred who also showed his best form at two in France, winning all 3 of his races, including two group 3 races at 1300 meters (about 6 ½ furlongs) and 1500 meters (about 7 ½ furlongs). He was being pointed toward a career as a miler and duly won the important Guineas trial the Prix Djebel in his first start at 3 but he proved incapable of dealing with top-class opponents thereafter. He must have exceeded all expectations at stud by siring the great international filly All Along in the clutch of stakes winners from his half-dozen crops in France before being sent to Japan. Of course, as he was a son of Round Table from a daughter of Bold Ruler from the Colosseum family anything was possible.

Gracious, the dam of Greenway, won 3 races in France, and produced the group 3-winning miler Gay Minstrel as well as the stakes-placed filly Gracious Lassie, dam of group 1 winners Oczy Czarnie and Glaieul (both scoring at age 2). She was by Habitat, another North American-bred, he by Sir Gaylord from Little Hut, by Occupy.

Since Sir Gaylord was a slightly-more-than-half-brother to Secretariat, Way West picks up a potent inbreeding to Somethingroyal, their dam. Habitat's success as a sire and broodmare sire needs no elaboration here.

With Glaneuse, the third dam of Way West, we come to the truly French part of the pedigree, for she was by Snob, a French Derby winner and top sire, from Glamour, by Djebé (not to be confused with the more familiar Glamour by Nasrullah from the La Troienne family). A group 1-type winner in Italy over 2400m (about 1 ½ miles) as well as victress in the Prix Malleret and Prix Chloe in her homeland, Glaneuse did herself one better by producing the distance-loving mare Gold River, who shortened up successfully to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1). Gold River has been a good broodmare with 3 stakes winners to her credit, including group 1 winner Riviere d'Or, herself dam of Gold Splash, also victorious in group 1 races.

Glaneuse had a half-sister by U.S.-blooded Spy Well (Mark-Ye-Well - Miss Spy, by Spy Song) named Gleam, who won the Prix Minerve and ran second in the 1000 Guineas and another half-sister produced Ilium, winner of the marathon Yorkshire Cup. They like it long and like it short in this quality family, depending on the sires they are bred to.

Glamour by Djebé, despite her French sire, came from Britain, her dam being Tudor Gleam by Owen Tudor (sire of Tudor Minstrel). Tudor Gleam was dam of two black-type winners and was half-sister to a stakes wnner in Byng and a stakes-producer in Love Lyric, dam of Dubasoff (American Derby). The most notable aspect of Tudor Gleam's pedigree was her 3x3 inbreeding to Pharos, the sire of Nearco.

She was out of Riding Rays, by Nearco, who was a half-sister or closer to a number of notable mares, including 1) Red Ray, ancestress of Mill Reef, etc., 2) Excelsa, dam of stayer Exar and second dam of classic winner Wollow, and 3) Red Briar dam of Pipe of Peace (Middle Park S, sire in Australia), and 3rd dam of Aussie star Red Anchor. And going back another two generations to Black Ray via Infra Red, we find the family has spawned the like of Khaled, Blushing Groom, Agnes Digital, Zabarella, La Zanzara, Tejano Run, Alwuhush, Simply Majestic, Lady's Secret, and Itsallgreektome. Although Glanuese's branch has not produced an important sire of late, Way West could go on to remedy that situation.

Aside from the inbreeding to Somethingroyal mentioned earlier, Way West has Bold Ruler 4 x 4 via Secretariat and Matriarch plus a cross in the fifth generation of his sire Nasrullah, and an additional cross of Somethingroyal's sire Princequillo through Round Table. The crossing of Nasrullah with Princequillo blood accomplished at Claiborne Farm has repeatedly shown its worth in producing high-class animals.

Moving on to the female side of the family for Western Pride, we find more Florida breeding. His dam, Strongerthanpride, was a winner at two and a full sister to graded-placed stakes winner Pride Prevails, both of them by a Rodney Daingerfield sort of horse in Proud Birdie. One supposes that he lost too many races to garner the respect he earned for his wins, but Proud Birdie did do what a good horse does: he was a stakes-winner at two, he won the Everglades S-G2, then a good classic trial, and placed in the Fountain of Youth S-G3 and Florida Derby-G1 at three, and he came back at four to win the Marlboro Cup-G1, then the nation's top 10-furlong race. True, he was getting 16 lbs from Crystal Water, the 129 lb highweight, and his only other stakes win that year was a restricted race, but on his day, Proud Birdie was capable of a top-class effort.

Proud Birdie has had a quietly respectable stud career, his only offspring to make much noise nationally being the Vosburgh H-G1 winner Birdonthewire; it is somewhat ironic that the best son of a confirmed 9-10 furlong horse like Proud Birdie should be a sprinter. In a way, it reflects the dichotomy in his own pedigree, for he was a son of Kentucky Derby-winner Proud Clarion out of a daughter of Bolero, best known for his very quick offspring.

The second dam of Western Pride was bred not in Florida but in Illinois, a daughter of Horse of the Year Ack Ack. Named Royal Ack, she raced 2 years and won 2 of 17 starts, one on turf and one on dirt. She also had two much more accomplished half-brothers, the rugged turf campaigner Scythian Gold and the French Group 3 winner Loyal Double. Most people think of Ack Ack as a horse with speed, but he was so much more than that. Remember that his sire Battle Joined won the Lawrence Realization, when that race was the New York version of the St. Leger, run at 1 5/8 miles on the main track. And although his damsire Turn-to was fast enough to win the Saratoga Special, many of his descendents like Hail to Reason, Roberto, Sir Ivor, and Cox's Ridge are sources of staying ability. (Since Proud Clarion was by Hail to Reason, Strongerthanpride was inbred to Turn-to 4 x 4.) Moreover, Ack Ack's second dam, Cherokee Rose, by Princequillo, won the CCA Oaks.

This author witnessed Ack Ack's San Antonio S of 1971; the field including some very good 9-furlong horses, including the world-record holder Figonero, the honest Hanalei Bay, and the talented Good Manners but Ack Ack shouldered top weight, went to the lead, and ran them into submission in 1:47 flat. He did it again in the Santa Anita H under 130 lbs and then again in the Hollywood Gold Cup under 134 lbs. Ack Ack's first top-class son Youth showed that stamina could be an attribute of his get, being a dyed-in-the-wool 12-furlong classic horse. And his best son at stud, Broad Brush, has shown the ability to sire stayers.

Saygood, Royal Ack's dam, was also a winner, if a minor one, and only two of her five half-siblings were winners. Her sire was a royally bred Princequillo horse named Royal Ascot, a son the important broodmare Glamour, by Nasrullah, and a half-brother or closer to St. Leger winner Boucher, turf stakes winner Poker (damsire of Seattle Slew and Silver Charm), steeplechase stakes winner Jaunty, and stakes-placed Intriguing (dam of Numbered Account, etal). Royal Ascot was a stakes winner, accounting for the 6-furlong Hibiscus at 3 and the 7-furlong Royal Palm H at 4 (both at Hialeah), but he also ran second in the 12-furlong Hialeah Turf Cup, just to show that his talents were not limited to sprinting. (Since Ack Ack's second dam was by Princequillo also, Royal Ack was inbred to that sire 4 x 3, while Saybrook has the half-siblings Baby League and Bimelech 4 x 3.)

Although, as we mentioned, Saybrook, the dam of Saygood, was not a very good producer of runners, she did run well on the track - 3 wins and 7 placings among 16 starts - and she did have a good pedigree for her day and age. Her sire was Brookfield, the cornerstone and foundation of Harry Isaac's Brookfield Farm, and she was a full sister to Baybrook, who replaced his sire at the Ocala, Florida, facility. In addition, she was a half-sister to Arise, a Travers winner who also won the Carter and the Fall Highweight Handicaps - the son of He Did could do it all, winning 19 of 51 starts with 20 more placings in the money.

Taking them in order, Brookfield was a good stakes winner by classic winner Bimelech out the imported Knockaney Bridge, fourth dam of champion and top sire Never Bend; actually, Never Bend's second dam, Be Faithful, was by Bimelech as well, making her a ¾-sister to Brookfield, and another ¾ -sister, Bimlette foaled the sire No Robbery. Brookfield churned out a steady stream of winners - 110 of them from his 128 foals (that's 86% winners from foals, folks, 92.5 % winners from starters) and 19 of them earned black type, the best of them being Invigorator, winner of a Brooklyn Handicap and third in the Kentucky Derby of his year.

Baybrook was a decent sort of stakes winner, placed in the Cowdin at 2, but made very little impact at stud, except for his Ohio-bred stakes-winning daughter Bill and I. Not only was she dam of Diabolo, a Damascus colt who won the Del Mar Futurity-G2 and set a track record for 9 furlongs in winning the California Derby-G2 before running third in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Bill and I is also third dam of champion and sire Dehere.

And what of Arise, the best racehorse of the three? We don't have access to complete records, but it appears that he had only two small crops of foals, in 1954 and 1955, and neither included any major winners. This was unfortunate, since Arise was a member what proved to be the last generation of top race horses from the sire-line of Ben Brush, which had been so prominent in the first half of the century. Amazingly, a member of his court in 1953 was none other than Rough Shod II! She produced a filly named Rough Morning, who did not share the exalted destiny of her half-siblings Gambetta, Ridan, Lt. Stevens, Moccasin, and Thong; her foals dispersed into regional breeding programs and have been lost from view.

Coralie B., the dam of Arise, Baybrook, and Saybrook, won 3 races in her racing career. Her sire, Apprehension, never won or placed in a stakes race, but he received a chance at stud due to his pedigree - his sire was Friar Rock and his dam Swan Song was a full sister (by Ben Brush-Pink Domino) to Sweep. He had a long career as a stallion -19 crops! - but sired only one horse of serious merit, Larranaga, winner of the Jerome, Manhattan, and Fall Highweight Handicaps.

Her dam Good Selka had a curious career as a broodmare: one segment, lasting from 1939 to 1944, resulted in 5 foals, all runners, all winners, and all but Coralie B started 65 or more times. The second phase lasted from 1951 to1957 resulted in 6 foals, only one of which even raced (he was a winner). What happened in between 1945 and 1950? She didn't seem to have any trouble getting in foal or carrying her foals to term so we must assume she was busy with other duties. Hunting? Showing? Producing crossbreds? We may never know but it is fun to speculate.

Good Selka's sire Waygood was bred in England, won the Irish Derby, and was a son of U.S.A.-bred Tracery. Since both Friar Rock and Tracery were by Rock Sand, Coralie B. was inbred to that stallion. At stud in the U.S., Waygood had a pretty dismal record, with only 75 winners from 161 foals and only a smattering of black-type earners.

Only one more generation to go - the dam of Good Selka was Selka, by Bracadale (Good Selka by Waygood out of Selka, get it?). Since Bracadale was a high-class son of Fair Play, winner of the Withers when that race was New York's 2000 Guineas equivalent, we find that Coralie B. has acquired the half-brothers Friar Rock and Fair Play 2 x 4 in her pedigree to go with the Rock Sand crosses, a potent combination exploited by August Belmont, Jr., most notably in Man o' War. Adding Swan Song, Sweep's sister, to the pedigree immediately brings to mind Man o' War's best son War Admiral, out of a Sweep mare.

Coralie B. had a lot of the classic elements in place. Selka was a half-sister to a daughter of Flying Heels named Throttle Wide, dam of Ladies Handicap winner Miss Request and a couple of family founders called Nimble Feet and Fast Line. Under Throttle Wide on a produce page we could find White Star Line (Kentucky Oaks), Magazine (CCA Oaks), Intergaze (multiple G1 winner in Australia), Miss Huntington (Apple Blossom H), Northern Trick (French Oaks), Muhtathir (Prix Jacques Le Marois), and numerous other group and graded winners.

We said this was the last generation we would explore in detail but if we step back just once more we can include a most unusual branch. Selka and Throttle Wide were out of Let Her Fly, a foal of 1920 out of a mare named Mary King. Mary King's last foal arrived in 1933 and was named Mary's Last; she had an Alsab filly called Rojanga was sent to Argentina, where she became the third dam of multiple group 2 winner Categorico and his group3-winning sister Clavija, dam of Lord Jim II, one of the top Argentine 2/3yos of 2000. Lord Jim is now racing in the U.S.A., bringing the family full circle.

This family traces back to Magnolia, by Glencoe, foaled by the imported mare Myrtle. Magnolia produced 13 first class horses, among them Kentucky, Daniel Boone, Skedaddle, Madeline, Gilroy, Charley Ball, Magic and Madonna. Madeline became the dam the top racemare and foundation mare Maggie B. B..

In several ways, Western Pride's female line antecedents were the poor relations of the poor relations of Magnolia's descendents. But Western Pride doesn't care about that - he just keeps on winning races.