Pedigree fun facts: 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

Both of King Fury’s parents, Curlin and Taris, performed in the Breeders’ Cup. Sire Curlin won the 2007 Classic (G1) at Monmouth, and in 2008, he finished fourth on Santa Anita’s old synthetic surface that didn’t suit him as well as dirt. The Hall of Famer has sired two Breeders’ Cup winners, 2017 Juvenile hero Good Magic and 2019 Classic romper Vino Rosso, and he has more chances Saturday. King Fury’s dam, Taris, placed third in the 2015 Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) here at Keeneland. 

Essential Quality is by Tapit, who is responsible for five Breeders’ Cup winners including Hansen in the 2011 Juvenile, and more could come this weekend. Essential Quality’s dam is a half to Folklore, the 2005 Juvenile Fillies (G1) champ, from the family of Saturday’s Filly & Mare Sprint contender Come Dancing. Also in the family are recent Japanese Triple Crown sweeper Contrail and, further back, 2004 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) romper Smarty Jones. Essential Quality traces to the blue hen *La Troienne, as does 2018 Juvenile hero Game Winner. 

Hot Rod Charlie is a half-brother to Mitole, the 2019 Sprint (G1) champion. Although Hot Rod Charlie’s sire, Oxbow, did not run in the Breeders’ Cup, his parentage is steeped in it. Oxbow is by Awesome Again, the 1998 Classic winner, and out of a full sister to Hall of Famer Tiznow, still the only one to repeat in the Classic (2000-01).

The great Giant’s Causeway, just outdueled by Tiznow in 2000, factors prominently in two Juvenile contenders. Sittin on Go is inbred to the “Iron Horse.” From the first crop sired by Giant’s Causeway’s son Brody’s Cause, who was third in the 2015 Juvenile, Sittin on Go also descends from him on the dam’s side. 

Next is likewise from the first crop of the Giant’s Causeway stallion Not This Time, a neck runner-up as the favorite in the 2016 Juvenile. Not This Time has the morning-line favorite in Friday’s Juvenile Fillies, Princess Noor. Next’s dam is by the aforementioned Awesome Again, and his second dam is also by a Classic winner in Alphabet Soup, who dethroned the mighty Cigar in 1996.

Classier is by Empire Maker, son of 1990 Classic winner Unbridled and himself the sire of two-time Distaff star Royal Delta (2011-12). Classier’s dam is by 2006 Classic runner-up Bernardini, and his second dam is by Cozzene, hero of the 1985 Mile. Classier descends from a full sister to 1995 Sprint vixen Desert Stormer. This is the female line labeled 21-a that also claims 1986 Juvenile winner Capote, although their common ancestress is remote.  

Likeable is by freshman sire Frosted, twice unplaced in the Classic (2015-16), and his broodmare sire is Medaglia d’Oro, twice a Classic runner-up (2002-03). Likeable’s dam, Dashing Debby, also produced Dawn the Destroyer who was third in the 2019 Filly & Mare Sprint.

Reinvestment Risk is from the first crop of Upstart, the third-placer in the 2014 Juvenile. He hails from the 13-c family responsible for 1999 Juvenile upsetter Anees. While both descend from the influential Frizette via Valkyr, Anees goes back to Valkyr’s champion daughter Vagrancy. 

Rombauer is by Twirling Candy, also the sire of Collusion Illusion in Saturday’s Sprint. Rombauer’s dam is a half to California Flag, the 2009 Turf Sprint hero who competed in five straight runnings of the race.  This is also the immediately family of European star Roaring Lion. 

Calibrate and Rombauer both come from the 9-f family responsible for 2007 Juvenile champion War Pass, but Calibrate shares a nearer ancestress in common (Bourtai) with him than does Rombauer. Calibrate is by Distorted Humor, sire of 2011 Classic winner Drosselmeyer, and an ancestor on the maternal side of his pedigree is 1990 Mile victor Royal Academy.

Distorted Humor is the paternal grandsire of Juvenile favorite Jackie’s Warrior. He’s by Distorted Humor’s son Maclean’s Music, who is also the sire of Saturday’s Dirt Mile (G1) favorite Complexity. 

Jackie’s Warrior’s dam is inbred to 1977 Triple Crown legend Seattle Slew, and so is the dam of Dreamer’s Disease. Both receive one cross of “Slew” via A. P. Indy, the 1992 Classic winner and male-line ancestor of Essential Quality and Reinvestment Risk. 

Dreamer’s Disease is one of two in the Juvenile by freshman sire Laoban, along with Keepmeinmind, and he also has Simply Ravishing in the Juvenile Fillies. Laoban is a son of Uncle Mo, the 2010 Juvenile champion, and his broodmare sire is 2004 Sprint champion Speightstown. Keepmeinmind comes from the 2-f family like Johannesburg, the transatlantic champion of the 2001 Juvenile, albeit from a different branch.  

Camp Hope is by Summer Front, a son of War Front who was fourth in the 2014 Mile. Second dam Class Above finished seventh in the 2003 Juvenile Fillies.