OK, Bill. How'd you do it???!!!

[jagger]

First...a big congrats to Bill Lathrop of Conduit Mare Profile aclaim. I think I understand the basic idea of the Conduit Mare Profile but fail to see in Animal Kingdom what was so compelling about his pedigree. With a meager Dosage Points (8), I think, and a dismal GSV (<60), no chefs or reines anywhere in the first 2 generations and only 3 chefs and 1 reine in the first 4 generations, this is maybe the least compelling pedigree I have seen in the winner of the Derby since maybe L'il E Tee. If you wouldn't mind, Bill, enlighten me/us. Again, a huge congrats!!! This is the first year I have ever completly dissed your pick.....I just thought you were losing your mind when I saw his pedigree. Will NEVER make that mistake again!!!

[ElPrado]

I've been following Animal Kingdom since last Nov. He came to hand right when I expected him to.

[louis finochio]

A student of pedigrees, like Bill & myself, were right on when we researched those Derby tb for stamina. AK has tons of stamina thru those Euro stallions & mares that most US fans missed.

[ElPrado]

I must be a student of pedigrees to, then. That's what I used.

[kimberley mine]

First...a big congrats to Bill Lathrop of Conduit Mare Profile aclaim. I think I understand the basic idea of the Conduit Mare Profile but fail to see in Animal Kingdom what was so compelling about his pedigree. With a meager Dosage Points (8), I think, and a dismal GSV (<60), no chefs or reines anywhere in the first 2 generations and only 3 chefs and 1 reine in the first 4 generations, this is maybe the least compelling pedigree I have seen in the winner of the Derby since maybe L'il E Tee. If you wouldn't mind, Bill, enlighten me/us. Again, a huge congrats!!! This is the first year I have ever completly dissed your pick.....I just thought you were losing your mind when I saw his pedigree. Will NEVER make that mistake again!!!

Very few chefs, but a world of class anyway. Just at a glance, his sire is out of a mare from THE premiere Juddmonte family, with champions falling out left right and centre. Candy Stripes' dam produced two important colts (the other being Bubble Gum Fellow), her dam was a Gr-1 winner, etc.

On the other side, his dam is a stakes winner by one of the most important German stallions of the last 40 years. His 3rd dam is a champion, who produced several other stakes-winning fillies. It's a very solid family, just not one that a US person would necessarily be familiar with.

[BenB]

The german breed is 100% free from med,s and are a tough bunch altogether,
maybe some late developers.

[zinn21]

I give a lot of credit to the stallion, Leroidesaminaux. He is something special IMHO.

[Bill from WA]

Hi Jagger

First of all, I had the most confidence that this horse would win the Derby since I selected Big Brown, and I backed it up at the betting window.

Kimberly Mine summed up the pedigree very well. Acatenango excelled in any type of going, and had an excellent turn of foot (just as his sire Surumu did). Acatenango had remarkable stamina and stands out as one of the world’s premier stallions. Leroidesanimaux also exhibited that same quick acceleration in his races, and seems to be passing on stamina to his progeny.

My evaluation starts with examining the pedigrees of the starters from the Modern Conduit Mare perspective. I don’t care how many “Chefs” are in the pedigree or Reines for that matter. Now, I am not denigrating either of these methodologies, I just don’t use them myself. My perspective is only through the aptitudes passed through the conduit mares (female families) within the pedigree. Animal Kingdom’s pedigree has a wonderful balance of brilliance and stamina, and, in my opinion, he had the best distance pedigree of any of the starters.

I have long been an advocate of German breeding. I think they produce the soundest horses in the world. I had many conversations with Kathleen Irwin (long before she became Mrs. Irwin) regarding the merits of German horses. She too, recognized the value of the German ideology, and Team Valor went to Germany to acquire the dam of Animal Kingdom. They are brilliant judges of pedigree and horseflesh.

After selecting Animal Kingdom’s pedigree as the best for the distance (in my opinion), I then started to examine his connections. I knew that Team Valor’s input was top notch, and that the trainer, Graham Motion, is (again, in my opinion) one of the top horsemen in the world, I knew that the horse would be ready to run. Animal Kingdom’s race in the Spiral stakes showed the quick acceleration that had been a trademark of many of his ancestors. That added another point to the plus column. There were concerns that he might not react positively to the kickback that he would encounter in the Derby, but according to the connections, it didn’t bother him in the Spiral Stakes. The only question was, can he run on the dirt? His works at Churchill were exceptional, and that was the last piece of the puzzle. He had it all…pedigree, connections, talent, and works. The post position was good, and the race unfolded just as I had hoped.

George Smith commented: You are the king, because you not only selected Animal Kingdom but you explained why before the race AND the race happened as you envisioned it.

I do place a high value on George Smith's evaluations, and use his scores in evaluating racing potential.

[jagger]

Thanks so much, Bill, and for the others on this thread for the enlightenment. I'm guessing that you think that if AK can get a win in the Preakness, that his best distance is going to be the Belmont. I value your thoughts so much, Bill, and will NEVER ignore your input again. I am particularly fond of the mutual admiration/respect that you and George share. A fine testament to the gentlemen that both of you clearly are. George and I communicate on a fairly regular basis and he has sung your praises on many occasions. It would not be surprising if, indeed, the two of you had an adversarial relationship but I am thankful that this is not the case. On my bucket list, is to have dinner with the two of you in Lexington, Ky. someday.

[spex4me]

LMAO! I was cruising down the road a couple of hours ago listening to the Sirius radio with TVG on and ol Rich gave a shout out to Bill about picking AK along with one other well informed or brave soul on the TVG forum!! Congrats to all that "could see" this horse doing it. I will admit I have jumped on his bandwagon now. (A whole lot of $$$ later but hey... )

[Bill from WA]

Hi Jagger

Thank you for the kind words. I do like Animal Kingdom's chances to sweep the Triple Crown races, if he stays healthy. I believe he has all the ingredients to do so. I like another horse that is scheduled to compete in the Preakness by the name of Mr Commons. I think he has a chance to improve enough to be a valid contender, although I still like Animal Kingdom on top.
I have the greatest respect for George Smith. He is an exceptional pedigree analyst, and his track record speaks for itself. I am honored to call him my friend.

Bill

[Firebrand]

I tip my hat to Bill also.

Bill, I saw your post on Facebook about Animal Kingdom. I liked his sire Leroidesanimaux when I saw him at Stonewall and doubly liked Animal Kingdom's pedigree with the strong German bloodlines, but really didn't have a lot of hope in him winning the Derby in his first effort on dirt. Wrong!

I would love to see a revival of foreign bloodlines in American breeding programs that can produce offspring able to win on dirt.

[Bill from WA]

I'm with you on that Firebrand. More good German mares would help.

[vineyridge]

Y'all do know that Animal Kingdom's dam has been sold to Japan in foal to Mr. Greeley, don't you? One more good German mare out of the US breeding pool

[jagger]

The owner of Animal Kingdom, Barry Irwin, is a pretty "think outside the box" kind of guy. He is bringing in quite a few horses from different continents in the hopes of bringing new blood to the gene pool.