Dr Post has not yet advanced to the ranks of the top colts of his generation, but his win in the Unbridled Stakes at Gulfstream on April 25 was notice that he has the potential to do just that. Overcoming his own greenness and a less than ideal trip to win with his ears pricked, the colt demonstrated that he can handle at least an extended mile and deserves a trial at longer distances with an eye to major races later in the year.
Sired by Quality Road, Dr Post is a great-great-grandson of 1984 Matron Stakes (USA-G1) winner Fiesta Lady, a Secretariat mare whose background was discussed in an earlier post ("Mares on Monday: A Graded Stakes Double Puts Coals on the Fire for Miss Newcastle," 9/30/2019). Rated just 2 pounds below champion Outstandingly on the Experimental Free Handicap for her year, Fiesta Lady did not race after her juvenile season and ended up being exported to Venezuela in 1993, disappointing results all around given the promise she showed at 2.
Of the five foals Fiesta Lady produced prior to export---all by top sires---three never even made it to the races and only one was a winner. That was the Seattle Slew filly Frontier Days, whose only foal, Frontera (by Hansel) was exported to Chile. Fiesta Lady's 1990 daughter by Slew o' Gold, Midnight Queen, also joined the exodus to South America---in her case to Brazil, where she became the dam of multiple listed stakes winner Prince Dodge (by Dodge) and Group 2-placed Midnight Lady (by Clackson).
That left just two daughters of Fiesta Lady to continue their dam's line in North America, and Festal (by Storm Bird) did quite a bit to rehabilitate her dam's legacy by producing Thorn Song (by Unbridled's Song), a multiple Grade 1 winner on the grass. However, only two of Festal's producing daughters have daughters of their own who are still young enough to have a good chance of becoming producers.
Social Rage, a full sister to Frontier Days, was more prolific than her sister and produced eight named foals, of which five won. One of those winners, Social Betty Ann (by Afleet) is the dam of Fleeta Dif (by Hadif), a multiple stakes winner on the Texas-Oklahoma circuit, but it is her non-winning half sister Crafty Emerald (by Crafty Prospector) who is the subject of interest here. From only two foals, Crafty Emerald managed to come up with 2007 Vinery Madison Stakes (USA-G2) winner Mary Delaney (by Hennessy), who in turn is the dam of Dr Post. Since producing Dr Post (her seventh foal), Mary Delaney has foaled a 2018 filly by Super Saver (a US$3,500 yearling at the 2019 Keeneland September sale) and a 2019 filly by Klimt.
Besides the issue of just how much talent Dr Post actually has, there is also a question as to how much distance he will want. While Quality Road was a multiple Grade 1 winner at 9 furlongs and was twice Grade 1-placed at a mile and a quarter, his stud record suggests that without a significant stamina influence close up on the dam's side, 9 furlongs seems to be about as much as his progeny care for. In Dr Post's case, that stamina buttressing appears to be lacking. Mary Delaney herself was best at 7 furlongs and showed nothing indicating that she would have welcomed much more distance, and both Hennessy and Crafty Prospector tended to transmit speed rather than stamina. Still, there are a lot of good races out there at 8 and 9 furlongs, and even if Dr Post's future development is not that of a possible Kentucky Derby or Travers colt, he could turn out to be a cause for a celebratory fiesta for both his connections and for those who follow the descendants of Secretariat's daughters.
Sired by Quality Road, Dr Post is a great-great-grandson of 1984 Matron Stakes (USA-G1) winner Fiesta Lady, a Secretariat mare whose background was discussed in an earlier post ("Mares on Monday: A Graded Stakes Double Puts Coals on the Fire for Miss Newcastle," 9/30/2019). Rated just 2 pounds below champion Outstandingly on the Experimental Free Handicap for her year, Fiesta Lady did not race after her juvenile season and ended up being exported to Venezuela in 1993, disappointing results all around given the promise she showed at 2.
Of the five foals Fiesta Lady produced prior to export---all by top sires---three never even made it to the races and only one was a winner. That was the Seattle Slew filly Frontier Days, whose only foal, Frontera (by Hansel) was exported to Chile. Fiesta Lady's 1990 daughter by Slew o' Gold, Midnight Queen, also joined the exodus to South America---in her case to Brazil, where she became the dam of multiple listed stakes winner Prince Dodge (by Dodge) and Group 2-placed Midnight Lady (by Clackson).
That left just two daughters of Fiesta Lady to continue their dam's line in North America, and Festal (by Storm Bird) did quite a bit to rehabilitate her dam's legacy by producing Thorn Song (by Unbridled's Song), a multiple Grade 1 winner on the grass. However, only two of Festal's producing daughters have daughters of their own who are still young enough to have a good chance of becoming producers.
Social Rage, a full sister to Frontier Days, was more prolific than her sister and produced eight named foals, of which five won. One of those winners, Social Betty Ann (by Afleet) is the dam of Fleeta Dif (by Hadif), a multiple stakes winner on the Texas-Oklahoma circuit, but it is her non-winning half sister Crafty Emerald (by Crafty Prospector) who is the subject of interest here. From only two foals, Crafty Emerald managed to come up with 2007 Vinery Madison Stakes (USA-G2) winner Mary Delaney (by Hennessy), who in turn is the dam of Dr Post. Since producing Dr Post (her seventh foal), Mary Delaney has foaled a 2018 filly by Super Saver (a US$3,500 yearling at the 2019 Keeneland September sale) and a 2019 filly by Klimt.
Besides the issue of just how much talent Dr Post actually has, there is also a question as to how much distance he will want. While Quality Road was a multiple Grade 1 winner at 9 furlongs and was twice Grade 1-placed at a mile and a quarter, his stud record suggests that without a significant stamina influence close up on the dam's side, 9 furlongs seems to be about as much as his progeny care for. In Dr Post's case, that stamina buttressing appears to be lacking. Mary Delaney herself was best at 7 furlongs and showed nothing indicating that she would have welcomed much more distance, and both Hennessy and Crafty Prospector tended to transmit speed rather than stamina. Still, there are a lot of good races out there at 8 and 9 furlongs, and even if Dr Post's future development is not that of a possible Kentucky Derby or Travers colt, he could turn out to be a cause for a celebratory fiesta for both his connections and for those who follow the descendants of Secretariat's daughters.
RSS Feed