Kentucky Derby pedigrees: Tawny Port has sweet bloodlines
on Horse Racing Nation
Two weeks ago, the Brad Cox trainee closed for second place
in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) behind Tiz the Bomb.
Tawny Port was fifth in the Risen Star (G2) in his second race of the season.
Previously he won his debut and an allowance race at Turfway.
Tawny Port (Pioneerof
the Nile - Livi Makenzie, by Macho Uno) was bred by WinStar Farm and sold for
$430,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling sale to Peachtree Stable. The
dark bay colt has three wins and a second in five starts, with earnings of $427,000
and 60 Derby qualifying points.
Tawny Port's sire and dam descend from the same female line, Lowe family 21-a. When the sire and dam trace back to the same foundation mare (Wagtail), it is called a Formula One breeding pattern. How well does this work? Take a look at the pedigrees and careers of Man O'War, Quiet American, Numbered Account.
A late bloomer, Pioneerof the Nile (Empire Maker - Star of Goshen, by Lord At War (ARG)), gathered a four-race win-streak, sweeping the CashCall Futurity (G1), Robert B. Lewis (G2), San Felipe (G2), and Santa Anita Derby (G1). Pioneerof the Nile put in a strong effort in the Kentucky Derby, handing Zayat Racing Stable the first of their three second-place finishes in the Classic race.
After placing a discouraging 11th in the Preakness, Pioneerof the Nile was given time off. While preparing for a fall campaign, he sustained a soft tissue injury to his left foreleg and was retired. The dark bay colt ended his career with a 10: 5-1-1 ($1,634,200) record.
Before his shocking death in 2019 at the young age of 13, Pioneerof the Nile sired two champions: Triple Crown winner American Pharaoh and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Classic Empire. The stallion's legacy lives on in both sons.
Tawny Port is the fourth foal and first blacktype earner out of the stakes-winning sprinter Livi Makenzie (Macho Uno - Greta's Joy, by Joyeux Danseur). The hardy mare competed for four years, earning $354,069 in 29 starts. Besides a victory in the listed Saylorville Stakes at Prairie Meadows, Livi Makenzie's most significant accomplishment was a third-place finish in the Gardenia (G3).
None of Tawny Port's half-siblings have won beyond 1 1/16 miles, and Tawny Port is the only one who has placed at 1 1/8 miles.
Although Livi Makenzie's half-brother Clean Up Joy (Purge) is a Group 1 winner in Korea, the noteworthy blacktype in the family is owned by millionaire and multiple graded winner, Surf Cat (Sir Cat), a half-brother to Tawny Port's second dam Greta's Joy. Surf Cat won between seven furlongs and 1 1/8 miles.
As a broodmare sire, Macho Uno (Holy Bull - Primal Force, by Blushing Groom (FR)) gets winners up to 1 1/8 miles, although a couple of his international offspring have won at 1 1/4 miles.
Kentucky Derby contender or pretender?
2002 Proud Citizen was the last Lexington Stakes hero to hit the board in the Kentucky Derby. A few years earlier, in 1999, Charismatic pulled off the double.
Tawny Port's pedigree and off-the-pace running style indicate that he may handle 1 1/4 miles, although he has slightly high knee action. However, pedigree and running style aren't the only considerations for Kentucky Derby success. Tawny Port hasn't faced Grade 1 company, and he finished off the board in his only start beyond 1 1/6 miles and against Grade 2 class foes.