Broken Vow

[Cree]

Since he is a son of Unbridled, I am wondering what all the "haters" of this sire line think of him?
He had a nice win today when Unbridled Belle won the Delaware Handicap.

[Melhor_Ainda]

I like Broken Vow because he's got Nijinsky as a damsire. Other than that, I'm not that high on him, personally. Nice sire, but just.. ehhh...

[Maven]

He's big and coarse. If I remember right, I think his dam-line is built the same way. I actually think he might be a good broodmare sire. His pedigree sets up beautifully for what I look for in a broodmare sire.

[Rokeby Forever]

Unbridled poison.

[Sam]

He's big and coarse. If I remember right, I think his dam-line is built the same way. I actually think he might be a good broodmare sire. His pedigree sets up beautifully for what I look for in a broodmare sire.

Ditto that. Additionally, of all the Unbridleds he reminds me the most of Fappiano.

Let's put it this way, there's only 3 Unbridleds out there that I think are worth considering as a sire (at the moment, there's still some that don't have crops to race yet): Unbridled's Song, Broken Vow and Grindstone.

Based on their production numbers, not sales figures, NONE of them are breed to sell stallions in my mind -- Not even UbS. My reasoning is that I wouldn't want to breed something to sell unless I was reasonably sure it would race. I can't fathom how you get a reputation as a good breeder if you constantly produce horses that breakdown in training or can't manage more than 6 starts. Therefore, if I were considering breeding to something I think is a high risk stallion (anything that can't produce 70% starters/55% winners is high risk to me), I'd be doing it for myself, not the sales ring.

That said, I'd go to Broken Vow before UbS or Grindstone because I think he has the better pedigree to build from and he was clearly the most hardy of the three. I'll take a horse who wins multiple stakes at 4 over a colt that breaks down in the Derby or one who

[Rokeby Forever]

What's not to like about up-and-comers like Malabar Gold and Red Bullet?

[Sam]

I'll take a horse who wins multiple stakes at 4 over a colt that breaks down in the Derby or one who

Bleedin' hell... that was a complete thought when I wrote it... no clue what it was now, though.

What's not to like about up-and-comers like Malabar Gold and Red Bullet?

Actually, the one I was thinking of was Saarland. I'm also marginally interested in seeing what Spanish Steps is going to do but only because there've been more than enough examples of a lesser brother on the track being the better sire.

[Rokeby Forever]

There's always Wheelaway

As long as Unbridled lines continue, the fiberglass people will never go out of business.

[griff]

Perhaps some Fappiano line breeding with Cryptoclearance would bring more soundness to the Unbridled line.

griff

[Intrinsic Worth]

I worked with Broken Vow and his dam and many of his relatives. I had always thought that if any Unbridled son was going to throw a sound runner, Broken Vow could. His dam is built like a work horse with bone the size of a Clydesdale. Broken Vow is a nice blend of his dam and Unbridled.

BTW he has extremely good feet.

[jagger]

Griff,

MORE Fappiano? I really am a BIG fan of Fappiano but not 3 x 4 or closer. Fappiano is the most successful conduit when inbreeding to Mr. P by a landslide but I think there would be better choices than Crypto - another horse I like because of Fappiano.

[griff]

I see a lot of posts bashing Unbridled on soundness and was looking for a Fappiano with soundness and that throws soundness. Besides Cryptoclearance has been listed as a top broodmare sire for a long time.

Does Unbridled get his supposed unsoundness from his sire or his dam??

Just a thought.

griff

[cewright]

griff

Another poosibility is Crypto's son Victory Gallop. He also brings in Turn To twice through his dam! Seems to be a good value at $10K.

Chuck

[LaTroienne]

I see a lot of posts bashing Unbridled on soundness and was looking for a Fappiano with soundness and that throws soundness. Besides Cryptoclearance has been listed as a top broodmare sire for a long time.

Does Unbridled get his supposed unsoundness from his sire or his dam??

Just a thought.

griff

Galileo1998 mentioned something very interesting on Equiman.com. He/she said:

also know that Unbridled is dead, and has been for six years now so I'm pretty confident that people aren't rushing to breed to him and it is actually more of a Fappiano problem than an Unbridled problem. A large majority of the Mr. Prospector line horses are incorrect, it's just that with Fappiano horses they seem to also very big horses. Unbridled himself was NOT an unsound horse. He raced 24 times from 2-4 and was in the top 3 for 20 of those starts. Empire Maker retired unsound with 8 starts, Saarland had 21 starts (a lot by today's standards), Halfbridled only 6 and Unbridled's Song just 12. However, what about Carefree with 84 starts, Colihan with 74, Defenman with 34, Famously Free with 92, Touch Silver with 71 and Unnattached with 60 and Niigon with 23? They all appear to be sound, durable horses. The problem in my opinion with Fapianno/Unbrided line horses is that they are BIG HORSES yet were rushed to run as two year olds and hence broke down, so the apparent unsoundness in that line is a poor management issue more than an actual problem with the horse.

In an old article from Thoroughbredtimes.com:

Unbridled, by Dr. Fager's maternal grandson Fappiano, was the best three-year-old colt of 1990, winning the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Sold for only $70,000 as a weanling at the Tartan dispersal because his right front foot turns out markedly, Unbridled is a tall, massive horse who tends to get progeny that are either very, very good or almost useless.

Unbridled's year-younger full brother, Cahill Road, was an even larger and more unsound racehorse. Unraced at two because he was simply too large and ungainly, Cahill Road broke down while scoring an impressive win in the 1991 Wood Memorial Invitational Stakes (G1) and never raced again.

Given his unsoundness, Cahill Road has been even more inconsistent at stud than Unbridled and has not transmitted much of the family's brilliance to his offspring. Cahill Road has sired 14 stakes winners (5%), but his best have been Puerto Rican Horses of the Year Mi Vereda and Social Request and Grade 3 winner Traffic Circle.

[kimberley mine]

I see a lot of posts bashing Unbridled on soundness and was looking for a Fappiano with soundness and that throws soundness. Besides Cryptoclearance has been listed as a top broodmare sire for a long time.

Does Unbridled get his supposed unsoundness from his sire or his dam??

Just a thought.

griff

I think the soundness issues come from his dam via his grandsire Le Fabuleux. Le Fab was a BIG HORSE with, among other things, post legs and a straight shoulder. Although (IMO) the son of Wild Risk brought out the brilliance that was Unbridled and Cahill Road, it also brought out fragility via large size, questionable conformation (Red Bullet came by it honestly), and early speed.