Secretariat
was the complete racehorse. Twice Horse of the Year, a 31 length winner
of the Belmont Stakes, he is widely considered the greatest horse of the
last century.
Expected
to be a great sire, he was considered by many people to be a
disappointing sire, although his AEI of 2.95 suggests he was a highly
successful stallion.
The
sire of 57 stakes winners, Secretariat failed to leave a successful sire
son. Among his 57 stakes winners were Horse of the Year, Lady’s
Secret, and champion Risen Star.
His
daughters however have more than made up for it and have stamped
Secretariat as a dominant force in modern pedigrees.
The
Breeders Cup Sprint was won well by Speightstown. Inbred to Secretariat,
he is by Gone West out of a champion filly, by Storm Cat. Both Gone West
and Storm Cat are out of stakes winning Secretariat mares. Between the
two, they have sired seven Breeders Cup winners - of eight races.
Storm
Cat, befittingly the world’s most expensive sire, enjoyed a strong
Breeders Cup. Not only as the broodmare sire of Speightstown, his two year old daughter,
Sweet Catomine romped home in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies, to wrap
up an Eclipse award. His son, Hennessy, sired 2001 Juvenile winner,
Johannesburg.
Secretariat’s
most influential daughter, Weekend Surprise, had three sire sons
represented by Breeders Cup winners. A.P. Indy was the best racehorse
and sire son of Weekend Surprise and was represented by Tempera -successful in the Breeders Cup
Juvenile Fillies of 2001. A.P. Indy himself won the Breeders Cup Classic
in 1992.
Five
years prior to that half brother Summer Squall was the sire of that
year’s Juvenile Fillies winner, Storm Song.
Last
year Adoration caused a 40-1 upset when winning the Distaff. She is a
daughter of Honor Grades-a half brother to Summer Squall and A.P. Indy.
Another
grandson, Chief’s Crown, won the inaugral Breeders Cup Juvenile,
before siring 97 Turf hero. Chief Bearhart.