WinStar Holds Strong Hand in KY Derby as Breeder

Kenny Troutt's WinStar Farm holds the strongest hand among breeders of Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) contenders, with three representatives qualified for the year's first American classic.

The picturesque farm along Pisgah Pike between Lexington and Versailles bred and raised Noble Indy, who is ranked fourth on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 110 points; Bolt d'Oro, who ranks sixth with 104 points; and, Quip, who is ranked 10th with 90 points. 

WinStar Farm is also the co-owner of Noble Indy with Mike Repole's Repole Stable and co-owns Quip with China Horse Club and SF Racing. WinStar sold Bolt d'Oro at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale for $630,000 to Ruis Racing.

Tragically, Noble Maz, the dam of Noble Indy (by Take Charge Indy), and Globe Trot, the dam of Bolt d'Oro (by Medaglia d'Oro ), both died while foaling. Noble Maz last delivered a 2016 filly by Revolutionary , and Globe Trot's last foal is a 2016 colt by Curlin  named Global Campaign.

WinStar still owns Princess Ash, a daughter of Indian Charlie—Boston Lady (Boston Harbor), whom the farm bought from Zayat Stables at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Horses of Racing Age sale held in conjunction with the July yearling sale. WinStar paid $200,000 for the then-4-year-old filly, who is a half sister to graded-placed winner Normandy Invasion  (Tapit ).

Though Princess Ash did not win until she was 4, WinStar president and CEO Elliott Walden said his team saw a lot of potential in the filly as a broodmare prospect.

"Basically, we have four criteria: physical, pedigree, looks, and movement," Walden said. "If a filly ticks all the boxes, we are going to be battling with every breeder known to man. Typically, we like to see them tick two or three boxes. With Princess Ash, she was a good physical, Indian Charlie is a good broodmare sire, and I liked Normandy Invasion, so her race record didn't play into that decision."

Princess Ash was first bred to Awesome Again, but that mating did not produce a foal. Next she went to WinStar's hallmark sire Distorted Humor , which produced Quip.

Walden said the mating to Distorted Humor worked in several ways. 

First, the son of Forty Niner has crossed well with mares carrying lines of Seattle Slew and in particular with broodmare sires tracing tail-male back to Seattle Slew's son Capote. Princess Ash's dam, Boston Lady, is by Boston Harbor, who is a son of Capote. Distorted Humor crossed with Seattle Slew mares has produced 19% black-type winners from foals of racing age, while mares by Capote have produced 12% black-type winners from foals. 

Second, Walden said matings with Indian Charlie mares and Distorted Humor had been showing promise as well. The cross between Distorted Humor and Indian Charlie daughters has produced four foals of racing age to date, of which three are winners and Quip is the sole black-type winner.

Quip was never offered at auction as a yearling because he was a late-maturing colt that likely would not have commanded a price at auction equal to his actual value, according to Walden.

"Sometimes the Distorted Humors come on a little later in life, and with him being the first foal out of a mare, we thought he would do better with time, and so we raced him," Walden said. 

Quip was successful at 2, winning two of his three starts and running a decent race in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2), though he finished seventh. 

"The Kentucky Jockey Club was his only blemish in his otherwise solid 2-year-old form, so we were excited about him coming into his 3-year-old year," Walden said. "He didn't surprise us, but at the same time we were very satisfied with his win in the (Lambholm South) Tampa Bay Derby (G2) because we had believed in him. To be (19-1) and do what he did with a young trainer in (Rodolphe) Brisset."

The colt went on to seal his place in the Kentucky Derby starting gate by finishing second in the Arkansas Derby (G1) to Magnum Moon.

Among the three WinStar-bred contenders, Walden said Bolt d'Oro would be his top pick to take the Derby.

"He is very consistent at a high level and is arguably the best bred of the three, being by Medaglia d'Oro out of an A.P. Indy mare," he said. "I do think all three are live and have earned their way there. Noble Indy was a very good-looking yearling; I liked him quite a bit. David Hanley and I both liked him enough that we wanted at least $50,000 for him, and we bought him back at $45,000. We felt that was a fair assessment and decided to keep him."

Besides its homebreds, WinStar will be represented in the Derby starting gate as a co-owner of two other horses: Audible, a son of Into Mischief  who won the Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1); and Justify, an undefeated son of Scat Daddy who won the Santa Anita Derby (G1).

WinStar has already bred two Kentucky Derby winners in Funny Cide (2003) and Super Saver (2010). To face the prospect of a third Derby winner bred and raised on the farm is unimaginable, said Walden.

"I don't know what to make of it," he said. "We have a great team and a great owner who puts in the resources and is committed to the business in a big way—that is a key ingredient to the success we have had. Then we have the people who work hard day in and day out and really care about the horses."