Each year’s Kentucky Derby (G1) field brings together an interesting collections of horses from all over the continent, or world, with some very unique pedigree lines. Of course the greatest stallion of them all, NORTHERN DANCER, Canada’s superstar, appears in most horses today.
Through his sons and daughters as well, the Dancer is a major influence on speed, stamina and toughness in Derby starters.
There are other Canadian-breds in the breeding of starters in this year’s 151st Derby, names that some may not remember, but they are significant nonetheless.
Here are some Canadian horses and the Derby starters’ pedigrees they appear in:
APALACHIAN AFFAIR – FLYING MOHAWK (#11)
Bred by Kinghaven Farms, Apalachian Affair (Apalachee – Love in Vain by Buckpasser) won the 1982 Princess Elizabeth Stakes on the dirt at Woodbine and the grassy Ontario Damsel Stakes as a three-year-old in 1983.
Apalachian Affair was bred to the likes of Secretariat, among others, early in her breeding career at Kinghaven, but it was when she was bred to 1979 Queen’s Plate winner Steady Growth, Kinghaven’s own stallion, that she had a top-class runner. Her sixth foal was the gritty chestnut filly STRONG AND STEADY, bred by Foxfield in Ontario and raced by John Sikura and the Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms team.
Blessed with speed and stamina, Strong and Steady won her maiden second time out, early in in 1993 as a sophomore, and she won the Wonder Where Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf. At four she defeated champion Bold Ruritana in the Nassau Stakes.
Sikura’s brother Glenn Sikura bought Strong and Steady in 1995 for $70,000. She produced $700,000 earner Steady Ruckus for owner Ed Lang. A daughter of Strong and Steady, Karlova, has produced several good winners locally.
Sikura is quick to note that Strong and Steady is his all-time favourite horse. “She was so kind. I always kept her in a stall with a webbing because she was so social.”
Strong and Steady’s half-sister Become a Rose (born one year before, daughter pf Deputy Minister) never raced for Kinghaven, but the daughter of Deputy Minister (Vice Regent) is the fourth dam of FLYING MOHAWK, a starter in the Derby this year. Becomes a Rose was bred to another Canadian-bred, RUNAWAY GROOM, to produce winner Runaway Rosy, the dam of stakes-placed America’s Blossom, dam of Bourbon’s Fleur, the dam of the Derby runner.
Flying Mohawk is by Karakontie (Jpn), who is inbred 4×5 to Northern Dancer.
DEPUTY MINISTER
A Cinderella story, a freak. A son of Ontario sire Vice Regent.
DEPUTY MINISTER was voted 1981 Eclipse winner as North America’s champion juvenile and Canada’s Horse of the Year and the first Canadian-bred to head the U.S. Experimental Handicap. The colt, bred by Mort and Marjoh Levy’s Centurion Farms of Ontario, was out of Mint Copy, a mare her owners had claimed for $6,250. After his early successes for trainer Bill Marko, the Levys sold a half interest to Kinghaven Farms. The following year Robert Brennan’s Due Process Stables bought a half interest in the promising colt and became sole owner in 1983.
Deputy Minister’s juvenile campaign was truly remarkable, as he won the Bull Page, Clarendon, Victoria and Colin Stakes at Woodbine, setting a five-furlong track record, before heading to the United States to win the Gr.1 Young America, Laurel Futurity and Youthful. His only loss, which came after recovering from a virus, came in the Champagne Stakes. Injuries thwarted his progress in 1982 and ’83, but he still mustered enough class at age four, winning the Gulfstream Sprint Championship, Hialeah’s Donn Handicap and the Tom Fool Stakes at Belmont for trainer Rey Nobles. During his career he won 12 times (10 stakes) with two seconds and two thirds in 22 starts.
He was brilliant at stud, too.
The 2025 Kentucky Derby starters who trace to the ‘Deputy’ include the favourite JOURNALISM; his sire CURLIN is from a daughter of Deputy Minister. Journalism’s dam Mopotism is a granddaughter of a French Deputy mare and that sire is by Deputy Minister.
GRANDE is also by Curlin and RODRIGUEZ is a grandson on his dam’s side of Belmont Stakes winner TOUCH GOLD, a son of Deputy Minister and Ontario-bred mare Passing Mood. Oh, and Rodriguez’ fourth dam is by none other than 1982 Derby winner Sunny’s Halo.
Speaking of SUNNY’S HALO. his daughter Beautiful Noise is the granddam of Florida Derby (G1) winner BURNHAM SQUARE.
And Derby runners with Ghostzapper or his sire Awesome Again in the pedigree also have the Deputy Minister influence, as he sired Awesome Again, the Canadian-bred winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. These include EAST AVENUE, ADMIRE DAYTONA and AMERICAN PROMISE.
BOLD EXECUTIVE
Yes, one of Ontario’s leading stallion lines this century, Bold Ruckus and his son Bold Executive, are represented by NEOEQUOS, a son of Neolithic who has drawn post 2 in the Derby.
Neoequos, owned by C2 Racing Stables, Ian Persad, Shining Stables and Stefania Farms, is trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. and is a Florida-bred from the Ontario-bred mare BOLD BIRDIE, a daughter of Birdstone from the Bold Executive mare On the Podium.
Bold Birdie, bred by Sienna Farms, raced for John Oxley and trainer Mark Casse in 2012 as a two-year-old. She was a winner at 5 furlongs and third in the Shady Well Stakes and later was claimed by Sam DiPasquale, who won with her, and then Mike Doyle, who sold her for $10,000 in January 2015.
Owned by Matalona Thoroughbreds in Florida, Bold Birdie has produced a few winners and Neoequos is her fifth foal.
Neoequos’ FIRST FOUR DAMS are Ontario-bred. Bold Birdie is from ON THE PODIUM, bred by Ann and Butch Kent’s Hope Stock Farm and a stakes placed two-year-old. On the Podium has produced six winners including stakes winner Quality Lass, who earned over $416,000.
On the Podium is from SILVER AND BRONZE (Silver Deputy, also an Ontario-bred, a stakes winner and leading sire) who was a winner bred by Hope Stock Farm. Silver and Bronze produced Kenora Stakes winner You Don’t Pass plus the placed broodmare Matching Sox, owned by Mike Ambler, who produced DOUBLE MALT and a litany of good Woodbine winners.
Neoequos’ 4th dam is BAND OF BRONZE (Banderilla), bred by Bob Anderson in St. Thomas (Anderson Farms) and owned by Hope Stock Farm. Noted by Hope Stock as a ‘mare of great character,’ Band of Bronze was placed on the track and produced seven winners including multiple stakes winner Bronze Basque (Col. R.S. McLaughlin, Fair Play Stakes) and $375,000 earner Bronze Bayou. plus seven-time winner Dyna Performer.
Oh Canada!
Neoequos’ pedigree page:
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