2014 Withers Stakes (Derby Prep)

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Thrilling!

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1. Kentucky Derby 2014 - Samraat Pedigree Profile

Samraat is a leggy, lightly built colt with a slightly upright shoulder. He holds good muscle in his hindquarters. His gait is smooth, of average extension without superfluous movement. Undoubtedly the most skillful three year old in New York at this point. Take nothing away from his victories, Samraat is undeniably talented. However, despite his gritty Withers win over a lightly raced New York bred, Samraat hasn’t faced true graded stakes competition. His pedigree indicates that the farther he goes, the more vulnerable Samraat will become.

Samraat’s trainer Rick Violette, Jr. stated after the Withers, "This was a tough race. We might wait for the Wood Memorial [April 5]. We're in a good spot now. If he's kind of kicking the walls down he can certainly come back for the Gotham [March 1] or we can wait for the Wood or the Louisiana Derby [March 29]. There are a lot of options." Hopefully for race fans, Samraat and Uncle Sigh will meet up again before the Kentucky Derby.

http://www.horseracingnation.com/blogs/pedigree_power/Kentucky_Derby_2014_Samraat_Pedigree_Profile_123#

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2. Just for fun: Kentucky Derby 2014 - Cairo Prince Pedigree Profile

Pioneerof The Nile’s babies look remarkably like their sire and Cairo Prince is no exception. They are leggy horses with good scope with well-angled shoulders. They aren’t overly muscular, but are filling out with age. Cairo Prince has a smooth gait without any wasted movement.

The question on everyone’s lips is – does Cairo Prince have what it takes to win the Kentucky Derby? His pedigree is borderline for 1 ¼ miles. Now, before you start madly pounding away at your keyboard to make comments, hear me out. Cairo Prince’s sire failed in his only attempt at ten furlongs. Granted, we don’t know how far his babies will run. I expect, given Pioneerof The Nile’s pedigree, that he will get winners at classic distances. However, the majority of Kentucky Derby winners all have one thing in common – their damsires have previous winners at 1 ¼ miles. None of the offspring of Holy Bull’s daughters have won or placed in a stakes race at 1 ¼ miles or farther.

Could Cairo Prince be the first? Anything is possible. His running style, conformation and temperament will have a lot of sway in the matter. Cairo Prince fought valiantly in the Remsen Stakes and may have learned a valuable lesson that day. He demolished a promising field in the Holy Bull and will likely head to the February 22 Fountain of Youth Stakes as the deserving favorite. In any regard, he’s certainly a colt to keep at the top of your early Kentucky Derby lists.

http://www.horseracingnation.com/blogs/pedigree_power/Kentucky_Derby_2014_Cairo_Prince_Pedigree_Profile_123