At the end of his racing career, a stallion will go from a backside barn with regular gallops to the wide-open paddocks of a farm where he will trade those gallops for another job: making babies. The sport of kings is built on both the hope of finding the finish line first and the faith that pairing the right stallion with the right mare will produce something special. William Woodward found that with Sir Gallahad III and Marguerite: together they produced multiple stakes winners like Gallant Fox and Foxbrough. If a breeder is truly lucky, those kinds of names appear in pedigrees for years to come, signalling that the match between sire and dam is one of value.
Each week, I will profile a horse with a Belair Stud connetion in either their career or their pedigree. The relationship might not be obvious, but, with some detective work, I’m sure you could guess who the horse is. With that in mind, here is the first installment.
Who Am I?
This undefeated stallion had a Hall of Fame trainer, but no stakes wins to his name. His pedigree boasts classic winners, yet this stallion never made it into the starting gate for any them. His pedigree has a Belair connection, but probably not the one you might be thinking of. This stallion stood at one of America’s most famous breeding farms, where he was able to sire horses of both sexes that won classics in more than one country.
- Who is this stallion?
- How is he connected to Belair Stud?
I will publish the answers on Friday! Until then, what is your guess?
Danzig
That’s right!
Is it Danzig? He was trained by a Hall of Fame trainer, was undefeated, never ran in a stakes race, and was a descendant of Fighting Fox, the full brother of Gallant Fox.
That’s right! Great job!