Is Lucky Pulpit a one hit wonder?

[Keith]

Wiseman's Ferry has Wise Dan and now Lucky Pulpit has California Chrome. Ole Bob Bowers had John Henry. Not to take any credit away from Lucky Pulpit but does one really great horse make a sire. Bold Reasoning had an extremely short career and to sire Seattle Slew is something.

[Patuxet]

Keith: kimberley mine already addressed this very subject with this especially comprehensive post to the "Stamina in California Chrome's Dam" thread.

"I am of the opinion that Lucky Pulpit is an upgrader, and possibly a significant upgrader well beyond what his own race record would imply.

His sire page in the BH stallion register lists his AEI/CI as 1.52/1.17, back at the end of 2013 before California Chrome became a household name. His foals aren't just running in California-bred company, either. His son Rousing Sermon was second by a neck in a Gr-1 as a juvenile. Rousing Sermon's dam has a foal by Tiznow and a foal by Bertrando, neither of whom made more than $40k on the track, compared to Rousing Sermon who has won over $700k and is still running. His son Floating Feather has run out over $250,000 and is his solidly-producing dam's top earner by over $70k. Floating Feather's dam also saw Unusual Heat and Western Fame, so that's saying something. LP's stakes-placed son Woodman's Luck ran through his statebred conditions and is now running with credit in open allowance/AOC company. Woodman's Luck's dam is another solid producer of winners, and her Lucky Pulpit son has so far outrun one by Cee's Tizzy and one by the stalwart Salt Lake. His best filly, Desperate Measures, is the best runner of her dam by almost $100k and his second-best filly, Patty's Pulpit, is the only stakes-placed runner of her good producing dam. Patty's Pulpit is marching through her conditions and will probably move up to her dam's 2nd best earner ahead of an In Excess and behind a Benchmark--again, very good stallions here.

He's not being bred to top-of-the-industry mares, but he is seeing some very useful mares who have been bred to the best of the California stallions, and is improving on those mares as well as cheap ones. IMO a good stallion SHOULD get good foals from good mares....so the fact that he's getting better foals out of good mares than the likes of Unusual Heat, Bertrando, Benchmark, and Salt Lake stands out."

[Keith]

California Chrome's dam may be the factor as only time will tell. She was not much of a runner nor was her dam much of a producer. California Chrome came out of no where as I lay a great emphasis on the production record of the 1st two dams. I understand she is inbred on the great mare Numbered Account. She may never produce another good one nor does she have to because who would not settle for a California Chrome?

[kimberley mine]

Love the Chase may or may not be a much better producer than her own race record and family would indicate, BUT that doesn't change the fact that Lucky Pulpit has been siring better foals out of the same mares than California stalwarts like Bertrando, In Excess, Benchmark, and Cee's Tizzy. It also doesn't change the fact that he as 4% SW out of foals 3yo and up (nearly 60 2yo foals this year who have not yet raced and drag the total numbers down).

Chrome may prove to be his best foal in all, but I wouldn't say that Lucky Pulpit is a one-hit wonder by any description.

[geowarrior]

We should factor in that Pulpit has done pretty well as a sire of sires.

[Keith]

Lucky Pulpit and Unbridled's Song's dams are 3/4 sisters going back to Icantation their 3rd dam who is the 2nd dam of Seattle Song.