In an interesting piece of symmetry, the Virginia Derby—the most recent race on the Highway to the Kentucky Derby—went to a horse conditioned by a coach who is unquestionably the oldest on the present Kentucky Derby (G1) path, that being 89-year-old D. Wayne Lukas, who has despatched out 4 Derby winners, the primary, Successful Colours, again in 1988.
A $750,000 yearling, American Promise has been campaigned in typical Lukas vogue. Having debuted at Saratoga Race Course July 27, the chestnut was making his sixth begin of the yr when he gained his first win in an 1 1/16-mile Oaklawn Park maiden particular weight Dec. 29. Jumped into graded stakes firm for his first two begins this time period, American Promise completed sixth—demoted to seventh—within the Southwest Stakes (G3) and fifth, overwhelmed 13 lengths, within the Risen Star Stakes (G2).
At Colonial Downs, American Promise was away rapidly to have interaction the speedy Getaway Automotive , and after gaining the ascendency in that battle, rolled on to hit the wire 7 3/4 lengths to the great of Render Judgement, who coincidentally had overwhelmed American Promise into second in a Churchill Downs maiden again in October. Over an especially fast floor, American Promise not solely set a observe file for 1 1/8 miles—a distance that is not that incessantly contested at Colonial—but in addition clicked by a mile in 1:33.02, a sooner time than the official observe file for that distance.
American Promise is certainly one of 4 stakes winner to emerge so removed from the third Northern Hemisphere crop of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify , who was represented by 15 stakes winners in his first crop and 14 in his second. He already has a Derby winner to his title in final yr’s Epsom Derby (G1) hero, Metropolis of Troy —co-high weight on the Longines World’s Greatest Racehorse rankings for 2024—and he is moreover chargeable for 2023 champion 2-year-old fillies on two continents in Simply F Y I and Opera Singer , 2023 high-weighted French 2-year-old Ramatuelle , and different group and grade 1 winners Exhausting to Justify , Aspen Grove , and Arabian Lion .
American Promise is a half brother to a different Storm Cat-line standout within the form of Into Mischief ‘s daughter Hoosier Philly , profitable 5 occasions in black-type firm, most notably when taking the 2022 Golden Rod Stakes (G2). Their dam, the Tapit mare Tapella, was a maiden particular weight and allowance winner at Aqueduct Racetrack and ran fourth in an eight-horse area for the 2017 Comely Stakes (G3) on her solely attempt in opposition to black-type firm.Join BloodHorse Day by day
A half sister to the 2019 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) second, Ulele , Tapella is out of Princess Arabella , winner of the 2012 Sunland Park Oaks. The third dam, Tortuga Girl, received over six furlongs, however she is a daughter of the Lukas-trained 1995 Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch, and a full sister to Invisible Ink, a horse who by no means captured a black-type race, however did run second to Monarchos within the 2001 Kentucky Derby.
Conquistress, the dam of Tortuga Girl and Invisible Ink, is a half sister to the great European miler African Pleasure, however she has a stout United States traditional pedigree, as she is by 1982 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner, Conquistador Cielo, and her granddam is a half sister to Quadrangle, who captured the 1964 Belmont Stakes, with none apart from the Triple Crown-seeking Northern Dancer again in third. Along with Quadrangle, Conquistress’ third dam, Faucet Day, additionally produced the Native Dancer daughter Secret Step, a champion sprinter in England, and she or he’s ancestress of greater than 70 different stakes winners, additionally together with 2009 champion 2-year-old filly She Be Wild , and 2002 Prioress Stakes (G1) victress Carson Hole. Given this stamina-laden background, and that he’s by a Triple Crown winner out of a mare by a stallion who has sired 4 Belmont Stakes winners, the Kentucky Derby distance ought to maintain no fears for American Promise ought to he show ok.
American Promise follows the 2022 Nashua Stakes (G3) winner Champions Dream and grade 1-placed Only a Contact as certainly one of three stakes horses from 15 starters by Justify out of mares by Tapit. The cross provides a 4×3 duplication of Pulpit, and behind that the sisters Yarn (granddam of Justify’s grandsire Johannesburg) and Preach (dam of Pulpit) and in addition six crosses of Nijinsky II (sire of the second dam of Yarn and Preach) and two of the quite equally bred Storm Fowl.
That is additionally woven into some very advanced patterns. Scat Daddy, the sire of Justify is a Storm Fowl/Mr. Prospector cross, and his dam is a Mr. Prospector/Nijinsky II cross, as are Yarn and Preach, and Faucet Your Heels (dam of Tapit), whereas Thunder Gulch, the sire of Tortuga Girl, is a Mr. Prospector/Storm Fowl cross. As well as, Pulpit is an A.P. Indy/Mr. Prospector cross, and Any Given Saturday, the sire of the granddam of American Promise is a Mr. Prospector/A.P. Indy cross.
Lastly once we evaluate the pedigree of Tapit with that of Justify’s dam, Stage Magic , we discover each have Pulpit, each have inbreeding to Nijnsky II, and whereas Tapit has Moon Glitter as his third dam, Stage Magic has Moon Glitter’s brother, Relaunch (Tapit and Relaunch already seem in additional than 50 stakes winners, together with 2020 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Tiz the Legislation and twin champion Distinctive Bella ).
