Tags
alydar, benchmark, brother derek, new kentucky stallions for 2009, raise a native, river edge farm
This is the second in a series of notes and impressions about the new stallions in Kentucky for 2009. The horses will be reviewed alphabetically.
Brother Derek (2003 bay by Benchmark out of Miss Soft Sell, by Siyah Kalem)
Stands at Airdrie Stud for $10,000 live foal
Brother Derek’s sire, Benchmark, has done far more than his fair share to keep alive the sire line of Alydar. A seriously useful sire who has spent his entire career based in California at River Edge Farm, Benchmark has proven an even better sire than a racehorse, and on his best form, he won a trio of Grade 2 stakes.
Clearly, Brother Derek, a Grade 1 winner at 2 and 3, is the best racer for his sire, although Idiot Proof and Silent Sighs also won at Grade 1 level. A round-bodied and attractive bay, Brother Derek has big, bold eye and an intelligent expression with a big star on his forehead. He has a very good shoulder and hindquarter, which is notable for its muscle power and depth.
A very well-balanced horse, Brother Derek has outstanding leverage through his hindquarters, and he was able to use his natural athleticism to place himself competitively in races and finish well.
Like his sire, Brother Derek shows the benevolent influence of the great sire Danzig (broodmare sire of Benchmark and an outstanding influence for quality and quickness). A bigger and more substantial horse than his sire standing more than 16.1, Brother Derek is inbred to Raise a Native and offers breeders an option to use that line through a relatively scarce male branch.
Is there anything to his drop off in performance, as he matured, that would lead one to believe his progeny might tend to be precocious rather than stout?
Michael,
Yes, there is every reason to expect that the offspring of Brother Derek should have some precocity, as well as speed and versatility.
As for his dropoff in performance following the Kentucky Derby, there are two possible reasons. One is, as you suggest, that he was maturing faster than others at 2 and early at 3, then was passed for maturity. The other is that the horse was compromised by some physical issues that prevented him from regaining that elite level of form he had possessed earlier.
Great question.