Have you ever wondered as to why the pedigree (Sire/Dam) of a particular runner is conspicuously printed on the race card? Breeding of a horse is not a subject of chance but a study of choice.

Let’s take an example. Super Saver descends from Native Dancer not through Mr. Prospector but through another grandson—1969 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Majestic Prince.

Majestic Prince was the first grandson of Native Dancer to win a Triple Crown race, and was, in effect, the horse who announced that his sire, Native Dancer’s son Raise a Native, would be a major force on the American breeding scene. Though he sired 14.1% stakes winners from foals in a too-brief and frankly underutilized (because he stood in Maryland rather than Kentucky) Stud career, Native Dancer was widely considered a slightly disappointing stallion when he died at Sagamore Farm in 1967. That was partly because the three best horses from his first five crops— the crops that, then as now, pretty much set breeders’ attitudes in stone—all raced in Europe. His first-crop son Dan Cupid, second behind the great “Herbager” in the 1959 Prix du Jockey-Club (French Derby), and champion fifth-crop daughter Hula Dancer both were bred and owned by Gertie Widener, who raced almost exclusively in France. WinStar Farm co-owner Bill Casner knows just how rare it is to get a horse on the Triple Crown trail much less end up in the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.

That is one reason he continues to relish Super Saver’s impressive Kentucky Derby victory on May 1 at the historic Louisville track. “It’s just an elusive race to win,” Casner said.

That’s why reading the register of broodmares/stallions or even auction catalogue gives you the insight of each and every runner.

Let’s move to the latest happenings. A pair of Canadian champions will square off against five challengers in the 150,000 Vigil Stakes (Can-G3) on Sunday at Woodbine.

Field Commission won last year’s seven-furlong Vigil and Nearctic Stakes (Can-G2) en route to being named that country’s champion sprinter.

The five year-old Service Stripe horse, trained by co-owner Daniel Vella, opened his 2010 season on April 11 with a runner-up finish behind Vigil entrant Hollywood Hit in the six-furlong Jacques Cartier Stakes at the Toronto track Calvin Borel’s signature rail-hugging ride aboard Super Saver garnered the Louisiana native a third Kentucky Derby victory in the past four years, propelling him to the top of the list of leading North American jockeys by earnings for the week ended May 4.

Borel, nicknamed “Bo-rail” for positioning his mounts next to the fence, earned $1,821,238 during the period, of which $1,425,000 came from his victory in the first leg of the Triple Crown.

The 43 year-old Louisville resident, who also is the regular rider for Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, won the 2007 Kentucky Derby aboard Street Sense and the 2009 edition aboard long shot Mine That Bird. Through Tuesday, Borel ranked third nationally among jockeys by earnings with $4,056,761, behind Rafael Bejarano and Ramon Dominguez.

North American leading jockeys by earnings
(April 28 - May 4, 2010)

There are four classic preparatory races in England and Ireland in the next few days, and owner Saed Suhail and trainer Sir Michael Stoute have two under consideration for their promising maiden winner Desert Myth and Smart Strike who will try to cement credentials for the Investec Epsom Derby (Eng-G1) on June 5. The pair of the Suhail and Stoute enjoyed classic success in the 2003 Derby with lightly raced Kris Kin. Desert Myth carried Suhail’s blue and yellow silks to a clear victory in a 1¼-mile maiden race at Newmarket on April 14 in his career debut. The Virginia-bred Smart Strike colt raced off the early pace and showed an impressive turn of foot to seize command inside the final furlong and win by 1¼ length. Desert Myth, a $500,000 purchase from the consignment of Lane’s End, agent, at the 2008 Keeneland September yearling sale, could follow Kris Kin’s path to classic success by attempting to win the 1¼-mile Addleshaw Goddard Dee Stakes (Eng-G3) at Chester on Friday. He also is being considered for the Totesport.com Derby Trial Stakes (Eng-G3) at 17/16 miles at Lingfield on Saturday.

Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michael Rodd has been fined $750 for another breach of the whip rules. Rodd pleaded guilty on Friday via a telephone link with Racing NSW Stewards to a charge of having struck Vision and Power in a forehand manner with the whip on seven occasions prior to the 100m mark in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 24.

Stewards took into account that it was the eighth breach of this section of the whip rules by Rodd, who won the 2007 Melbourne Cup on Efficient, and also that it occurred in a Group One race when determining the penalty.

Do we really need the whips to make the horse go?