Over the Kentucky Derby weekend, much was made of the fact that Secretariat appears in the pedigree of every horse that ran in this year’s Run for the Roses. (If that doesn’t torpedo the persistent myth of “Secretariat was a bust at stud,” I don’t know what will.) But, as with every important man, behind every important stallion is his mother, and this seems a very good time to review the influence of Secretariat’s dam, Somethingroyal—especially since she is the direct female-line ancestress of the final Classic winner of the weekend, Desert Flower, who triumphed in the One Thousand Guineas (ENG-G1) on May 5.
Even if she had never produced Secretariat (who was the 13th of her 18 named foals), Somethingroyal would still merit memory as a remarkable producer. One could say that as a daughter of eight-time American champion broodmare sire Princequillo and the blue hen mare Imperatrice, she was bred to be a broodmare, and she lived up to the best of that heritage.
She took a couple of stutter steps getting started, producing the unraced gelding Havildar (by Bryan G.) as her first foal and then coming up barren the following year. Cherryville, a tough but not particularly talented Correspondent filly, followed. Stakes-placed as a juvenile, she was not an outstanding producer, but her branch of the family includes Strategic News and The Verminator, Group 1 winners in South Africa and Australia, respectively, and Mor’edah, a two-time champion in Saudi Arabia.
Somethingroyal’s fourth foal was Sir Gaylord (by Turn-to), a top-flight colt who headed the Daily Racing Form’s Free Handicap for 3-year-old males of 1962. After devastating his competition in Florida (which included American co-champion juvenile male Ridan and eventual Kentucky Derby winner Decidedly), he cracked a sesamoid on the day before the Kentucky Derby, for which he would have been favorite. That ended his racing career, but he became a successful sire in the United States and France, getting 12.9 percent stakes winners from foals and siring several successful stallion sons. He was also a noteworthy sire of broodmares. His 1962 three-quarters brother First Family (by Turn-to’s champion son First Landing) won the 1966 Gulfstream Park Handicap and three other stakes races but was nowhere near his equal as a stallion.
Swansea, Somethingroyal’s 1963 foal, was a full sister to Sir Gaylord but was unable to win or place in 10 starts. Her son Chairman Walker (by Buckpasser) never made it to the track at all but had some success as a sire in Chile, while his full sister Buck the Tide produced Arbulus (by Liloy), who ended up in Brazil, There, she produced 2002 Gran Prêmio Zeila Gonzaga Peixoto de Castro (BRZ-G1) winner Aviación (by Know Heights), Brazilian Group 2 winner Cerutti (by Ghadeer), and Brazilian Group 3 winner Persane (by Tampero). Aviación, in turn, produced the aptly named Intercontinental (by Mark of Esteem), a champion stayer in Mauritius, before being imported to the United States, where she produced multiple Group 2 winner Promising Run (by Hard Spun), now the proud dam of Desert Flower (by Night of Thunder) and Group 3 winner Aablan (by Dubawi). Other top horses descended from Swansea include two-time Turkish champion Tiramisu, Chilean champions Paula’s Girl and Domaine, multiple Group 1 winner Chichicastenango, and 2002 Gran Criterium (ARG-G1) winner Eddington.
Secretariat had two older full sisters that made their own marks, and the elder, Syrian Sea, won the 1967 Selima Stakes (then a race of Grade 1 importance) and two other stakes races before producing multiple Grade 2 winner Alada (by Riva Ridge). Alada, in turn, became the granddam of 1992 American champion 3-year-old filly Saratoga Dew, herself the granddam of 2013 Japanese Horse of the Year and important sire Lord Kanaloa. Somethingroyal’s 1969 Bold Ruler filly, The Bride, showed none of the talent that had marked Syrian Sea, but she produced Argentine Group 2 winner At Ease (by Hoist the Flag) and stakes winner Heavenly Match (by Gallant Romeo. The Bride is the second dam of 1990 John A. Morris Handicap (USA-G2) winner Personal Business and the third dam of three-time Japanese champion filly Nishino Flower.
Somethingroyal’s level of production dropped off following Secretariat’s birth, with her final five foals yielding two stakes-placed runners. Nevertheless, those foals were not without significant merit: Somethingfabulous (by Northern Dancer), third in the 1975 Flamingo Stakes (USA-G1), became a useful regional sire in California, and Queen’s Colours (by Reviewer) is the third dam of multiple Australian Group 1 winner Typhoon Zed and Australian Group 3 winner Captain Bax,
Somethingroyal was pensioned from broodmare duty in 1978 after failing to produce a foal the previous year, but the incredible vitality that she had put into her foals still persisted. She lived on as a pensioner for another five years, dying in 1983 at the advanced age of 31. During her last years, she served as a babysitter for new broodmares who were just coming off the track, and it is pleasant to think that this venerable matriarch had a few choice words of equine wisdom regarding the art of motherhood to pass on before heading on to the greener pastures that she truly deserved.
Even if she had never produced Secretariat (who was the 13th of her 18 named foals), Somethingroyal would still merit memory as a remarkable producer. One could say that as a daughter of eight-time American champion broodmare sire Princequillo and the blue hen mare Imperatrice, she was bred to be a broodmare, and she lived up to the best of that heritage.
She took a couple of stutter steps getting started, producing the unraced gelding Havildar (by Bryan G.) as her first foal and then coming up barren the following year. Cherryville, a tough but not particularly talented Correspondent filly, followed. Stakes-placed as a juvenile, she was not an outstanding producer, but her branch of the family includes Strategic News and The Verminator, Group 1 winners in South Africa and Australia, respectively, and Mor’edah, a two-time champion in Saudi Arabia.
Somethingroyal’s fourth foal was Sir Gaylord (by Turn-to), a top-flight colt who headed the Daily Racing Form’s Free Handicap for 3-year-old males of 1962. After devastating his competition in Florida (which included American co-champion juvenile male Ridan and eventual Kentucky Derby winner Decidedly), he cracked a sesamoid on the day before the Kentucky Derby, for which he would have been favorite. That ended his racing career, but he became a successful sire in the United States and France, getting 12.9 percent stakes winners from foals and siring several successful stallion sons. He was also a noteworthy sire of broodmares. His 1962 three-quarters brother First Family (by Turn-to’s champion son First Landing) won the 1966 Gulfstream Park Handicap and three other stakes races but was nowhere near his equal as a stallion.
Swansea, Somethingroyal’s 1963 foal, was a full sister to Sir Gaylord but was unable to win or place in 10 starts. Her son Chairman Walker (by Buckpasser) never made it to the track at all but had some success as a sire in Chile, while his full sister Buck the Tide produced Arbulus (by Liloy), who ended up in Brazil, There, she produced 2002 Gran Prêmio Zeila Gonzaga Peixoto de Castro (BRZ-G1) winner Aviación (by Know Heights), Brazilian Group 2 winner Cerutti (by Ghadeer), and Brazilian Group 3 winner Persane (by Tampero). Aviación, in turn, produced the aptly named Intercontinental (by Mark of Esteem), a champion stayer in Mauritius, before being imported to the United States, where she produced multiple Group 2 winner Promising Run (by Hard Spun), now the proud dam of Desert Flower (by Night of Thunder) and Group 3 winner Aablan (by Dubawi). Other top horses descended from Swansea include two-time Turkish champion Tiramisu, Chilean champions Paula’s Girl and Domaine, multiple Group 1 winner Chichicastenango, and 2002 Gran Criterium (ARG-G1) winner Eddington.
Secretariat had two older full sisters that made their own marks, and the elder, Syrian Sea, won the 1967 Selima Stakes (then a race of Grade 1 importance) and two other stakes races before producing multiple Grade 2 winner Alada (by Riva Ridge). Alada, in turn, became the granddam of 1992 American champion 3-year-old filly Saratoga Dew, herself the granddam of 2013 Japanese Horse of the Year and important sire Lord Kanaloa. Somethingroyal’s 1969 Bold Ruler filly, The Bride, showed none of the talent that had marked Syrian Sea, but she produced Argentine Group 2 winner At Ease (by Hoist the Flag) and stakes winner Heavenly Match (by Gallant Romeo. The Bride is the second dam of 1990 John A. Morris Handicap (USA-G2) winner Personal Business and the third dam of three-time Japanese champion filly Nishino Flower.
Somethingroyal’s level of production dropped off following Secretariat’s birth, with her final five foals yielding two stakes-placed runners. Nevertheless, those foals were not without significant merit: Somethingfabulous (by Northern Dancer), third in the 1975 Flamingo Stakes (USA-G1), became a useful regional sire in California, and Queen’s Colours (by Reviewer) is the third dam of multiple Australian Group 1 winner Typhoon Zed and Australian Group 3 winner Captain Bax,
Somethingroyal was pensioned from broodmare duty in 1978 after failing to produce a foal the previous year, but the incredible vitality that she had put into her foals still persisted. She lived on as a pensioner for another five years, dying in 1983 at the advanced age of 31. During her last years, she served as a babysitter for new broodmares who were just coming off the track, and it is pleasant to think that this venerable matriarch had a few choice words of equine wisdom regarding the art of motherhood to pass on before heading on to the greener pastures that she truly deserved.
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