First American Foal for Victorian Visiting Kentucky Derby Winner

28-01-2012

BREEDING of a filly foal which arrived in Kentucky this week combines two sires used in Australia, being the first by year 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver (USA), a debut visitor at Eliza Park, Kerrie, Victoria in 2011, and from Yield of Faith, a mare by High Yield (USA), a Storm Cat triple Group1 winner used over an aggregate of 387 mares in four visits, 2001-200, to Coolmore, Hunter Valley.

The foal is the first of more than one hundred due from Super Saver’s book of 145 mares presented to him in the 2011 season at Winstar Farm, Kentucky. His popularity followed a ten start career in which he followed two wins at two, including the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes-Gr.2 (8.5 fur.) in new stakes record time, with the Kentucky Derby win (10 fur., by 2.5 lengths), a second in the Arkansas Derby-Gr.1 (9 fur.) and a third in the Tampa Bay Derby-Gr.3 (8.5 fur.) at three.  Super Saver is by Maria’s Mon, a champion American 2-year-old going back on the top line to Majestic Prince, a Kentucky Derby winner by the same sire as Mr. Prospector, and from Supercharger, a very powerfully bred daughter of A.P. Indy and a Mr. Prospector Group 2 winner out of a Northern Dancer mare from the great La Troienne family.

Maria’s Mon has had 980 foals of racing age, 767 starters, 603 winners (52 SWs) of 1835 races and $55,782,433. Two of his progeny, Super Saver and Monarchos, sire of champion American sprinter Informed Decision, each won the Kentucky Derby.  Super Saver was one of 84 sires used in North America in 2011 who each looked after books of a hundred or more, accounting between them for 30.6% of the mares serviced. The busiest were Congrats (Vinery; A.P. Indy – Praise, by Mr. Prospector) 205, Giant’s Causeway (Coolmore’s Ashford stud; Storm Cat – Mariah’s Storm, by Rahy)198, Bellamy Road (Winstar Farm; by Chief’s Crown sire Concerto) 192, Scat Daddy (Coolmore; Johannesburg (USA) – Love Style, by Mr. Prospector) 191 and Henrythenavigator (USA) (Coolmore; Kingmambo – Sequoyah, by Sadler’s Wells) 189.

During the 2011 North American season, according to the Jockey Club statistics,1,935 stallions covered 36,504 mares as against 2,186 stallions and 40,576 mares in 2010. The numbers have fallen in each of the past six years and are well down on 2005, a year in which a total of 59,339 mares were served.

 Courtesy of Brian Russell Bloodstock Media Service