Kentucky Derby 2014 - Cairo Prince Pedigree Profile

Cairo Prince ruled the Holy Bull Stakes by 5 ¾ lengths on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.  His final time for the 1 1/16 mile event was 1:42.16, just a tick off of the track record set by River Seven this past December. His time was comparable to last year’s Holy Bull Stakes end time of 1:41.81 set by Itsmyluckyday, which was then a new stakes and track record.  Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile - Holy Bubbette, by Holy Bull) is a whisker away from being undefeated and owns a 4-3-1-0 ($512,000) race record. He’s tied for first place on the 2014 Kentucky Derby leaderboard with Havana and Honor Code with 14 points.

 

The son of second-crop sire Pioneer of the Nile was bred by Richard & Katherine Elam.  He sold as a short yearling in the 2012 Keeneland January sale for $200,000 to Vinery Bloodstock & Whisper Hill Farm. The pretty gray colt was pinhooked eight months later in the 2012 Keeneland September Sale and sold for  $250,000 to  Namcook Stables, Paul Braverman,  Harvey Clarke, and  Craig Robertson III.  They sent the young Cairo Prince to Kiaran  McLaughlin for training.

 

Cairo Prince’s sire Pioneerof The Nile gave notice as a colt to watch on the Kentucky Derby trail with a determined nose victory in the 20008 CashCall Futurity over I Want Revenge.  The following year, the son of Empire Maker swept the California prep races, earning victories in the Robert B. Lewis, San Felipe and Santa Anita Derby.  Sent to the post of the Kentucky Derby at odds of 6-1, Pioneerof The Nile looked like a winner at the top of the stretch, but was passed on the inside by Mine That Bird.  The game colt held on for second by a nose over Musket Man on the tiring, sloppy track.  Pioneerof The Nile was again 6-1 in the Preakness, but was eased during the race and finished eleventh.  He suffered a tendon injury and was retired in July of 2009.

 

Pioneerof The Nile stands at WinStar for $20,000.  Only 36 of his 158 foals of racing age have started. Of those, 13 have won.  He has sired one graded stakes winner and one graded stakes placed runner.  Due to the exploits of Cairo Prince, Pioneerof The Nile is ranked #2 on the Second Crop Sire List in terms of earnings.  His offspring are proficient over dirt, turf and Polytrack and will develop their talent with age.

 

PIONEEROF THE NILE (Empire Maker - Star of Goshen, by Lord At War (ARG))

Race Record: 10-5-1-0 ($1,634,200)

 

1^st – Santa Anita Derby (G-1) 1 1/8 miles

1^st – Cash Call Futurity (G-1) 1 1/16 miles

1^st – Robert B. Lewis S. (G-2) 1 1/16 miles

1^st – San Felipe S. (G-2) 1 1/16 miles

2^nd –  Kentucky Derby (G-1) 1 ¼ miles

3^rd – Breeders’ Futurity S.  (G-1) 1 1/16 miles

 

 

On the racetrack, Cairo Prince’s dam Holy Bubbette was a multiple stakes winning sprinter at six furlongs. She also placed in graded stakes company at seven furlongs.   Upon retirement, the gray mare set about producing winners. All four of her foals made it to the track and are winners.  Besides Cairo Prince, she bore his ¾ sister Nona Mia (by Empire Maker), who placed in the Frizette (G-1) and Tempted Stakes (G-3) at age two and the Loudonville Stakes at Saratoga as a three year old. Cairo Prince’s Ghostzapper half brother Holdin Bullets was third in the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint.

 

Holy Bubbette is a half sister to Sum Runner (by Summing), winner of the Forward Gal (G-2) and Old Hat Stakes and she’s also a half sister to Oak Leaf Stakes (G-1) placed Ms. Louisett (by Siphon).  Cairo Prince’s second dam Juliac (by Sarnac and Withers Stakes winner Accipiter) was unplaced in her only start.  An interesting note to pedigree buffs is that the 1997 Holy Bull victor Arthur L is a distant relative of Cairo Prince, as they share the same fourth dam Hop N Skip (by Native Dancer). 

 

HOLY BUBETTE (Holy Bull - Juliac, by Accipiter)

Race Record: 13-6-2-0 ($240,995)

 

1^st –  Dixie Miss Stakes  6 furlongs

1^st – Whimsical Stakes  6 furlongs

2^nd –  Chaposa Springs Handicap (G-3)  7 furlongs

 

 

 

It’s fitting that Cairo Prince won the race named in honor of his damsire in such spectacular fashion.  In 1994, HOLY BULL earned honors as Champion Three Year Old and Horse of the Year after a stellar campaign that included victories in the Florida Derby, Met Mile, Haskell Invitational, Travers and Woodward Stakes.  His only off the board finishes that year were a last place finish in the Fountain of Youth after setting a quick early pace and a twelfth place finish in the Kentucky Derby over a sloppy track.  The son of Great Above was favored in both races.  A fan favorite, Holy Bull was inducted into Racing’s Hall of Fame in 2001. In all, Holy Bull was successful at distances ranging from 5 ½ furlongs to 1 ¼ miles.

 

As a broodmare sire, Holy Bull has ranked in the top 75 since 2009. He’s currently ranked #15 in terms of earnings on the leading broodmare sire list. His daughters have produced 33 stakes winners worldwide and include Madison Stakes (G-1) heroine Dr Zic, Puerto Rican Group 1 winner My Great Love, plus Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint runner-up Judy the Beauty, Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship Stakes winner and new sire Munnings, and El Cajon Stakes winner Holy Lute.  So far, none of the offspring of Holy Bull’s daughters have won a stakes beyond 1 1/8 miles on any surface.  As a sire, Holy Bull has one stakes winner a 1 ¼ miles, the Kentucky Derby long-shot winner Giacomo.  

 

 

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.