Super
Saver (Maria's Mon – Supercharger, by A.P. Indy) held off the desperate charge of
Ice Box to give jockey Calvin Borel
his second consecutive Kentucky Derby
win and third victory in four years. The last jockey to pull off the rare Derby double feat was
fellow Cajun rider, Eddie Delahoussaye in 1982 – 1983 with Gato Del Sol
and Sunny’s Halo. The final time of
2:04.45 for Kentucky Derby 136 was the slowest recorded time since Sunday
Silence won over a sloppy track at almost a full second slower in 1989,
stopping the clock in 2:05.
Super Saver undoubtedly
benefited from having Calvin Borel on his back. Last year, Borel became the
fourth rider to eclipse 900 victories at Churchill Downs. With a current 961
wins, he’s second in the all time standings to the legendary Pat Day, who recorded
2,482 wins at Churchill Downs before hanging up his saddle for good in 2005.
Unlike Day, who was victorious only once in the Kentucky Derby with the
longshot Lil E. Tee, Borel has ridden in the Derby eight times and
won three times.
Immediately after the Kentucky Derby, Calvin Borel
emotionally exclaimed that he would win the Triple Crown with Super Saver. Was it excited heat of the moment gushing or
is there weight behind his words? It takes a very special horse to win the
Triple Crown and we are overdue for a winner. We only had to wait 25 years for Secretariat
but it’s been 32 years since Affirmed.
Super Saver gave a clue to his demeanor when he
crossed under the finish line in front. One ear was cocked back, listening to
either his jockey’s words of encouragement or listening for the sound of
rivals. The other ear was pricked straight forward. This body language
indicated that he had more left in the tank and was waiting to see if his rider
would call upon him for more speed. That
was a good sign with the Preakness only two weeks away.
The chestnut colt’s pedigree hints that on paper, a
sweep of the Triple Crown races isn’t so far-fetched. His sire Maria’s Mon
already produced Monarchos, the
second-fastest Kentucky Derby winner and the 2006 Champion Filly Wait a While.
Maria’s Mon joins Alydar and Halo as the only stallions that have produced two
Kentucky Derby winners since 1980. Maria’s Mon never sired a winner at 1 ½
miles, but his son Expansion won the Red Smith (G-2) at 1 3/8 miles (11
furlongs).
Super Saver’s damsire A.P. Indy
won the Belmont Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic. He was voted Three Year Old
Champion and Horse of the Year in 1992. At stud he's continued his champion
ways is one of the best sires in the world, known for getting long winded
runners. He was designated an Intermediate/Classic Chef-de-Race in January, 2008.
Besides Super Saver, the bloodline cross of
Maria’s Mon and A.P. Indy has produced Wait a While,
the Champion Three Year Old filly of 2006 and Paris Vegas, a listed stakes
winner in France.
Super
Saver’s distaff family is pure class. His dam Supercharger is a Phipps-family bred full
sister to multiple graded stakes winner Daydreaming, Jerome Handicap (G-2)
winner Girolamo and Grade 3 winner Accelerator. Another unraced full sister
produced Bluegrass Cat who was second in the Tampa Bay Derby and Kentucky
Derby. Bluegrass Cat is now standing at stud and his first crop is already
continuing their sire’s winning ways.
Additionally, Supercharger has a half brother
Harborage (by Monarchos) who is a Canadian stakes winner and sire.
Super Saver’s second dam Get Lucky won the
Affectionately (G-3). His third dam
Dance Number didn’t win a stakes race, but she did equal the track record at
Aqueduct for 6 ½ furlongs and another at Belmont for 8 ½ furlongs. Super
Saver’s fourth dam Numbered Account was the Champion 2 Year-Old Filly of 1971 and became
a blue hen (superior female) in the breeding shed, while his fifth dam Intriguing
was stakes placed and also a blue hen.
One of the strongest female families is the Lowe
Family number 1-x, which traces back to LaTroienne. This mare’s influence on
the thoroughbred breed was so great that she received her own family number and
branch in 2000. Super Saver traces
directly back to LaTroienne through his dam and also thorough Buckpasser who is
found top and bottom in his pedigree. One other instance of this family is
found through Poker, the damsire of Seattle Slew. Seattle
Slew is the sire of A.P. Indy, Super Saver’s damsire. Additionally, Super Saver’s dam Supercharger
has Rasmussen Factor inbreeding, (inbred to a superior mare within five
generations), to Glamour, a great-granddaughter of LaTroienne.
Super Saver’s jockey Calvin Borel successfully
taught the Kentucky Derby winner to rate off the lead. With his new running
style in place and distance-oriented pedigree, Super Saver should have a good
shot at winning the next two legs of the Triple Crown.
Find more great Pedigree Analysis and Derby coverage at Iron Maidens Thoroughbreds.