broodmare of the week: mining my own

Tags

breeding class, class in the dam, dullahan, joe estes, Kentucky Derby, mine that bird, mining my own, pacific classic

Decades ago, the great bloodstock researcher Joe Estes proved that racing class in the dam was the first and most obvious indicator that a mare could be a good producer. Then she actually had to do it.

As time, temperament, and vicissitudes of fortune have proven, even the best racemares don’t always prove notable successes at stud. And likewise, some mares who have no race records nonetheless possess the right stuff to produce the premium racers of the next generation.

That has proven the case with the now-illustrious Smart Strike mare Mining My Own, who was not raced but has produced not one but two G1 winners from her first three foals. Furthermore, the first was Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird (Birdstone), and the second is Dullahan (Even the Score), winner of the G1 Breeders’ Futurity, Blue Grass Stakes, and Pacific Classic.

Mining My Own has a useful but not illustrious female family, and it is likely that a significant element in her success as a producer lies with her sire, who has fashioned himself into one of the most important sons of his sire, Mr. Prospector. Smart Strike is, in addition to being a multiple leading sire and sire of Horse of the Year Curlin, a stallion who is likely to become an increasingly important broodmare sire as more of his better daughters get to stud and are given chances with better stallions.

One of the most salient qualities in the Smart Strike tribe is their durability and versatility, with some racing well beyond the norm and many having the ability to switch surface or to excel over different surfaces.

The offspring of Mining My Own are notable as strong finishers. Mine That Bird won his Derby due to his capacity to maintain a steady, even lethal, gallop over trying conditions, and Dullahan shows his best form when he can get a superior grip on the surface, which is one of the advantages of synthetic tracks, where all three of Dullahan’s G1 victories have come.

Mining My Own, now 11, has been bred to some of the most prominent stallions in the breed the past few years and will continue to have opportunities commensurate with her famous offspring.

The produce record is below:

1st Dam: Mining My Own, ch, 2001. Bred by Lamantia, Blackburn & Needham/Betz Thoroughbreds (KY). Unraced in NA, Eng and Fr.
	2006: MINE THAT BIRD, b g, by Birdstone. Raced 3 yrs in NA, 18 sts, 5 wins, $2,228,637. Won Kentucky Derby (G1), Grey Breeders’ Cup S. (G3), Swynford S., Silver Deputy S.; 2nd Preakness S. (G1), Borderland Derby; 3rd Belmont S. (G1), West Virginia Derby (G2). 2007: Brother Bird, dk b/ g, by Yonaguska. Raced 4 yrs in NA, 22 sts, 8 wins, $174,075. 2008: Barren. 2009: DULLAHAN. At 2: Won Dixiana Breeders’ Futurity (G1); 3rd With Anticipation S. (G2). At 3: Won TVG Pacific Classic S. (G1), Toyota Blue Grass S. (G1); 2nd Palm Beach S. (G3); 3rd Kentucky Derby (G1). 2010: Mezah, ch f, by Tapit.  Unraced in NA, Eng and Fr. 2011: No record. 2012: Unnamed foal,  c, by Giant’s Causeway.  Unraced in NA, Eng and Fr.
	Broodmare sire: SMART STRIKE, b, 1992. Sire of 165 dams of 448 foals, 301 rnrs (67%), 215 wnrs (48%), 65 2yo wnrs (15%), 30 sw (7%).
	2nd Dam: Aspenelle, ch, 1990. Bred by Whitco Farm (ON). Raced 1 yr in NA, 4 sts, 2 wins, $68,425 (ssi = 13.25). 2nd Canadian Oaks (R). Dam of GOLDEN SUNRAY (f, Crafty Prospector, $87,720. Won Poinciana Breeders’ Cup Handicap.).

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mining my own appears to be the mother lode

Tags

broodmare success, dullahan, mine that bird, mining my own, smart strike, uncertainties of breeding thoroughbreds

Breeding racehorses can appear deceptively simple at times. Either it works, or it doesn’t. Simple, sort of.

Many a mare gets nice foals, but they are all “woulda, coulda, shoulda” types who have talent, promise, and phhht! Nothing quite comes to fruition.

On the other hand, Mining My Own (an unraced mare by Smart Strike out of Aspenelle) makes getting G1 winners look easy. First the dam of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird (by Birdstone), the mare has produced $100k winner Brother Bird (Yonaguska) as her second, and Dullahan, last weekend’s winner of the G1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, for her third.

Not bad.

The mare has a yearling filly by Tapit that has to be one of the more desirable young prospects out there.

The produce record follows:

1st Dam: Mining My Own, ch, 2001. Bred by Lamantia, Blackburn & Needham/BetzThoroughbreds (KY). Unraced in NA, Eng and Fr.
	2006: MINE THAT BIRD, b g, by Birdstone. Raced 3 yrs in NA, 18 sts, 5 wins, $2,228,637. Won Kentucky Derby (g1), Grey Breeders’ Cup S. (g3), Swynford S., Silver Deputy S.; 2nd Preakness S. (g1), Borderland Derby; 3rd Belmont S. (g1), West Virginia Derby (g2). 2007: Brother Bird, dk b/ g, by Yonaguska. Raced 3 yrs in NA, 10 sts, 2 wins, $109,000. 2008: Barren. 2009: DULLAHAN. At 2: Won Breeders’ Futurity (g1); 3rd With Anticipation S. (g2). 2010: Unnamed foal, ch f, by Tapit.
	Broodmare sire: SMART STRIKE, b, 1992. Sire of 134 dams of 343 foals, 234 rnrs (68%), 174 wnrs (51%), 52 2yo wnrs (15%), 21 sw (6%).
	2nd Dam: Aspenelle, ch, 1990. Bred by Whitco Farm (ON). Raced 1 yr in NA, 4 sts, 2 wins, $68,425 (ssi = 13.25). 2nd Canadian Oaks (R). Dam of GOLDEN SUNRAY (f, Crafty Prospector, $87,720. Won Poinciana Breeders’ Cup Handicap.).

up close with kentucky derby winner mine that bird

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Kentucky Derby, leonard blach, mark allen, mine that bird, sid fernando

A week ago, I had the opportunity for a close inspection of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, perhaps the most popular horse in America today.

Details of my thoughts about the classic winner were included in a post by Sid Fernando at his blog (click to read).

A really nifty young athlete, Mine That Bird is giving racing a boost of enthusiasm as people see a relatively cheap yearling rising to giddy heights of success and as people respond to the down-to-earth interests and comments  of the gelding’s owners, Leonard P. Blach and Mark Allen of Roswell, NM.

Trainer Chip Woolley was full of praise for the handling and development of Mine That Bird before the Kentucky Derby winner came to his barn after the Breeders’ Cup last year. Woolley said, “He was already a really nice horse. About the only change we made was letting him take more time early in his races, get into stride, and then make a run.”

As he proved in his three classic starts, Mine That Bird has an unusual kick for a classic horse and is going to be a competitor at his best distances, hopefully for many years to come.

dam of the derby winner

Tags

aspenelle, broodmare, keeneland, Kentucky Derby, mine that bird, mining my own, smart strike, vice regent

Mining My Own, bred in Kentucky by Lamantia, Blackburn & Needham/Betz Thoroughbreds, was foaled on February 9, 2001. The chestnut Smart Strike mare is out of the grand producer Aspenelle, a daughter of Vice Regent. As a producer of exceptionally appealing commercial yearlings, Aspenelle has been a marvel, with about $2 million in sales yearlings from 12 foals of age.

Among those good sales, however, the dam of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird does not figure. She was bought back as a Keeneland September yearling in 2002 for $25,000.

Even allowing that Smart Strike was a mite cold that year, the sales price was poor ($5,000 under the stallion’s median yearling figure in 2002). But the owners took the filly home, prepared her for training, and sent her to the track.

Off the bare record, they got nothing for their time and money. Mining My Own never started and earned nary a cent.

But she did stand training, and over the course of 13 months, Mining My Own had 17 published workouts, which appear below:

Track Date Distance Course TrkCnd Time Effort Gate Rank/Num in Rank

FG 01/26/05 3F Dirt Fast :38.60 Breezing G 12/14

FG 01/21/05 6F Dirt Fast 01:15.00 Breezing 1/1

FG 01/15/05 5F Dirt Fast 01:02.00 Breezing 13/50

FG 01/09/05 5F Dirt Fast 01:03.00 Breezing 26/45

FG 01/03/05 5F Dirt Fast 01:02.40 Breezing 9/36

FG 12/28/04 4F Dirt Fast :52.00 Breezing 50/61

FG 12/22/04 4F Dirt Good :49.60 Breezing 7/41

FG 12/15/04 3F Dirt Fast :37.80 Breezing 5/9

PMM 03/30/04 4F Dirt Fast :48.00 Breezing 4/18

PMM 03/23/04 4F Dirt Fast :47.80 Handily G 3/25

PMM 03/13/04 6F Dirt Fast 01:13.60 Handily 5/8

PMM 03/05/04 5F Dirt Fast 01:02.40 Breezing 10/19

PMM 02/15/04 4F Dirt Fast :48.40 Breezing 8/43

PMM 02/09/04 4F Dirt Fast :51.00 Breezing 34/42

PMM 02/02/04 3F Dirt Fast :36.00 Breezing 1/6

PMM 01/25/04 4F Dirt Fast :49.40 Breezing 23/58

PMM 01/18/04 3F Dirt Fast :37.60 Breezing 19/26

A mare with some athletic prowess, if not the toughness to quite make it to the races, Mining My Own was an above-average prospect for breeding, just off her bloodlines and the facts associated with her training regimen.

When put to stud, she bred two foals for the partnership of Lamantia, Blackburn & Needham/Betz Thoroughbreds before they liquidated her at the 2008 Keeneland January sale. There, Phil Needham bought out his partners and took the mare home for $8,000.

A heck of a buy for a mare who is now 8 and produced a Kentucky Derby winner as her first foal.

If you’re feeling disgusted for not anteing up and buying a nice young mare by Smart Strike, you aren’t the only one. Several hundred buyers were at the Keeneland January sale that day, and none of them bought her. So don’t kick yourself. I was there too.

breeding the derby winner i

Tags

aspenelle, bill betz, curlin, fasig-tipton, keeneland, Kentucky Derby, mine that bird, mining my own, phil needham, smart strike

The Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird brought exhilaration to a quartet of breeders with his victory at Churchill Downs on May 2. One of that group was Kentucky breeder Phil Needham, who for many years operated a boarding, sales, and consignment operation called Needham/Betz Thoroughbreds with Bill Betz.

Needham said that he “is getting out of the partnership and that the partnership mares are at the farm” with Betz. “I own about 10 mares, and the mares I own 100 percent are at Bona Terra Farm,” Needham said. “I stay involved but not running a farm.”

Among the mares Needham still “owns with a partner is Aspenelle,” he said. A 19-year-old Vice Regent mare, Aspenelle is one of those amazing producers who gets one grand-looking foal after another and who has disproportionate success as a commercial producer.

The partners in Aspenelle sold about $2 million worth of yearlings out of the mare over the years, including the highly talented stakes winner Golden Sunray (by Crafty Prospector).

Aspenelle’s second foal, Golden Sunray was her dam’s only stakes winner, but even greater fame has come from the Aspelle’s sixth foal, Mining My Own, a daughter of increasingly influential Mr. Prospector stallion Smart Strike, sire of Horse of the Year Curlin.

Needham said, “I owned a share in Smart Strike and sold it when there was a profit to be made.” From his connection with Smart Strike also came the dam of the Derby winner.

The 8-year-old Mining My Own is from the fourth crop of Smart Strike and is the stallion’s first classic producer. In part, that is the result of Mining My Own being unraced and going directly into production at age four.

Needham said, “Mining My Own was disappointing because she never got to the races but had ability. She would have a couple of good works, then something would happen.”

The Kentucky Derby winner is the mare’s first foal, and her second is a 2-year-old colt by Yonaguska. Barren on a cover to Pure Prize, Mining My Own went through the Keeneland January sale in 2008.

Needham said, “She is this big, roomy mare, and I saw her going through the ring for $7,500. So I bid and was going to take it [the bidding] on but instead got her.” When Needham offered to have the other partners stay in, they indicated they had enough of the family. So he offered a share in the mare to new partner Bena Halecki.

Bred to the Unbridled’s Song stallion Even the Score in 2008, Mining My Own produced a colt by that stallion early this year and is back in foal to leading juvenile and freshman sire Tapit on a single cover.

The combination of the Tapit cover and having a champion Canadian juvenile and now Kentucky Derby winner as a first foal make Mining My Own a flashy and highly desirable item for any top-end breeder.

That means that Needham and Halecki are in the driver’s seat for a major commercial success. Whether the mare sells through a public auction at Keeneland or at Fasig-Tipton or through a private transaction to one of a handful of premium mare buyers, Mining My Own will be as big a success story in 2009 as her famous son.

bunk and debunking

Tags

birdstone, birth date, calvin borel, dosage, Kentucky Derby, mine that bird, size

One of the many points of interest coming out of Mine That Bird’s victory in the Kentucky Derby is a welcome debunking of many myths and associated foolishness about bloodlines and breeding.

Once again, the old canard dosage received its due. Mine That Bird has a dosage index of 5.40 and surely was suffering from the inadequacies of stamina as he sliced past the competition to win the Kentucky classic. Already exposed as rare foolishness masquerading as a handicapping scheme by such earlier Kentucky Derby results as Strike the Gold and the dosage-busting exacta of Charismatic and Menifee, dosage is lovely exercise for those wanting to refresh their math skills.

Among the less arcane myths exploded by this year’s Kentucky Derby winner was the bias against May foals. Not yet chronologically 3-year-olds, they are supposed to be at a disadvantage against the older members of their crop. Well, if so, then don’t tell Mine That Bird. He was foaled on May 10.

Another “disadvantage” of May foals is that they are supposed to be smaller, and Mine That Bird is definitely a smallish to medium-sized horse, like his sire Birdstone, and paternal grandsire Grindstone. Size, however, did not prevent them from earning success in the classics, and it certainly did not prevent Mine That Bird from flying home over his competition. So perhaps we should conclude from these examples that being tall has nothing to do with anything other than being tall and that being fast is what it’s all about.

So far from being a disadvantage, Mine That Bird’s size was part of the reason he won the classic (along with tremendous stamina and gameness). When a reporter asked rider Calvin Borel how he got through a hole in the stretch that allowed the colt to maintain his momentum and surge on to victory, Borel said it was a small hole but that Mine That Bird was a small horse and shot right through.

Well done to them both.

Size, birth date, ear carriage, and other senseless things have little or nothing to do with what a horse becomes as an athlete. How the horse is managed and how it responds to the opportunities it is given make all that difference, and that boils down to character and guts.

The glory goes to those who have ’em.