Claiborne is running an eye-catching advertisement of her two young males War of Wills (War front) and Silver status (Spin hard) ties them to their famous Claiborne-based grandson Danzig, titled, “The Danzig Legacy Continues at Claiborne.”
What is really striking about this ad is that Danzig’s North American legacy is now limited to just two stallions, of Claiborne. War front and Darley’s Spin hard, and their sons. In contrast, the Danzig is a lineage that has great influence in Europe and Australia through various races, led by Danehill but also including the Green Desert (Danzig), such as the Cape Cross (Ire) ( Green Desert), Invincible Spirit (Ire) (Green Desert), Sea the Stars (Ire) (Cape Cross), King (GB) (Invincible Spirit), etc
Abroad, Danzig was as strong as the male line, again headed by Danehill, whose daughters had great success with Galileo (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) and other sons of Sadler’s Wells. .
The outstanding example of this cross is Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), from the breed Danehill (Ire). In fact, Galileo was the stallion of 58 black racehorses from Danehill mares – 18% of outstanding black racehorses for ponies – and many more were bred in this fashion when including Danehill’s niece or mares of other Danzig lines.
What’s also notable about this moniker is that it is a hybrid of the Northern Dancer, because both Danzig and Sadler’s Wells are his sons. Statistically, sire crosses – when the sire and cub are members of the same lineage – tend to be the most unsuccessful, but that was not the case when Danzig and Sadler’s Wells were involved.
Danzig was bred by Marshall Jenney’s Derry Meeting Farm and Lane’s End’s WS Farish, but stood in Claiborne, where it had a relationship with Sadler’s Wells. Bred by Swettenham Stud and partners of Robert Sangster, Sadler’s Wells dam, Fairy Bridge (Bold Reason), was bred by Claiborne, which also bred Sadler’s Wells’ three-quarter brother Nureyev, a man another outstanding child of the Northern Dancer. And speaking of the great Canadian stallion, Claiborne was also the Northern Dancer’s best racing son, Nijinsky II, who was an excellent stallion in his own right.
Today it is common to find crosses with the Northern Dancer in the pedigree, and this is the case for both War of Wills and Silver State. The first, non-Sadler’s Wells mares, had four strains (Danzig, Nijinsky, Sadler’s Wells, and Northfields), while the latter had three (Danzig, El Gran Senor and Dixieland Band).
Danzig is often a common subject of horses that have repeatedly crossed the Northern Dancer, and that may be because he injects more “superhuman” speed – Franco Varola calls it speed combined with other aptitudes – than any other Northern Dancer son. There are over 1,000 Class I/Group 1 winners, including Danzig with multiple Northern Dancer strains in their pedigree, and that proves the point, doesn’t it?
The puzzle, of course, is why Danzig, who started with three Class l winners in his first case, including Gl Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and 2-year-old Puppy Crown champion, and who led the general sire list in 1991, 1992 and 1993, never found the continued success of the North American male line he had overseas, until War front and Spin hard appeared late in his career.
And these two things, as Claiborne’s ad notes, could be the source for the rejuvenation of their grandchildren’s legacy on the continent.
War Front was the pony of 2002 and Hard Spun was born two years later – the year Danzig was given the reins after lining up the mare that spring. Both rose in rank after many of Danzig’s other stallions had fired their best shots, and although some of Danzig’s stallions have had consistent success here, none have come up against the bronzes. their careers abroad until these two arrived.
War Front, who was bred and raced by Joe Allen, is a special stallion. Coolmore quickly recognized his potential, and the Irish ranch sent him Galileo mares after the initial success their Galileo stallion enjoyed with Danehill. This reverse Danzig/Galileo crossover through the War Front was responsible for 11 black group winners (11% from ponies), including several Group 1 winners. Much of the success for the ending. This case comes from Europe, where grass is the main racing surface, which Danzigs is passionate about.
At first, War Front was quickly seen as a superior stallion, but just as his stallion was successful on North American soil, so did War Front, when the opportunity arose.
A good example is War of Wills. Raised by the European legal entity Flaxman Holdings, War of Will is from Visions of Clarity (Ire), the daughter of Sadler’s Wells, and she is a descendant of the green hen Broodmare of the Year Best in Show. On the surface reading its pedigree, War of Will was destined for success on the pitch. The War Front selected seven black = from Sadler’s Wells mares (21% for ponies), and all seven were grass bet winners, and one of them – Gl Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf wins Hit It a Bomb, at stud at Spendthrift – also an all-weather stake winner.
War of Will is the exception. Although he was ranked I on grass at age two, he won Gl Preakness S. by three points on grass, and at age four he won Gl Maker’s Mark Mile S. On the field. In total, he won 5 out of 18 startups and made $1.9 million, and his success in the movie Classic on the Dirt gives him all the credentials he needs. to succeed in North America. The same can be said of Omaha Beach, the senior son of the War Front, based on Spendthrift, who is also a dirt horse and multi-Rank winner.
The Hard Spun is a very good and reliable steed that costs about a third of the cost of War Front. He is also a better racehorse than War Front, and he shows the ability to get quality dirt horses, such as the winner of Class l Questing (GB) (a champion), Wicked Strong, Aloha West, Hard Aces, Spin to run (at stud at Gainesway), Zo Impression, Out for a Spin and Smooth Roller outside of Silver State.
Silver State was bred by Stonestreet, one of the best breeders in Kentucky; raced by Winchell Thoroughbreds, in partnership with Willis Horton; and trained by Steve Asmussen. Winchell and Asmussen combine to race Gunman, and now they’re behind the success of most of his 2-year-olds. Winchell is also behind Tapit. Stonestreet’s list of successful males begins with Curlin but also extended to a number of others, including Music by Maclean and Kantharos.
Silver State is of the black type winner and the supreme mare is housed at Empire Maker from the family of Gl Kentucky Derby Monarchos winners. He’s the winner of seven of 14 starts and $1.9 million, including the Gl Metropolitan H., which has long been considered a hybrid race.
Claiborne, therefore, has two first place laureates from the Danzig line, as Danzig’s two eldest sons are currently attending college in North America, and both are highly regarded.
These two ponies place Claiborne very much in the position to continue Danzig’s legacy in North America.
Sid Fernando is the president and chief executive officer of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., the founder of Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.
