Kentucky Derby 2014 - Midnight Hawk Pedigree Profile

January 16, 2014 12:36pm
Kentucky Derby 2014 - Midnight Hawk Pedigree Profile
Photo: Zoe Metz/Eclipse Sportswire
 
This year’s edition of the Grade 3 Sham Stakes was little more than a match race.  Six colts were entered, but only four entered the starting gate.  The winner, Midnight Hawk, was slightly fractious before the gates opened, broke a step inward, but quickly joined the leader Kristo.  The two took turns on the lead, neither more than half a length in front of the other. In mid-stretch under slight encouragement by jockey Mike Smith,  Midnight Hawk put away Kristo to win by an easy 1 ¾ lengths. Kristo was 3 ¼ lengths ahead of Ontology while I’ll Wrap It Up, rank early on, was  9-plus lengths back.  The final time of 1:36.48 for the mile was about two seconds slower than the stakes record set by Out of Bounds in 2012 and an eye blink faster than Goldencents’ 1:36.58 victory last year.  The Sham was cut back to a mile in 2012.  Midnight Hawk is now a perfect 2 -2 and has earned $87,000.  The colt earned ten qualifying points towards the 2014 Kentucky Derby and is in a six-way tie for fourth in the standings.
 
 

 
 
MIDNIGHT HAWK (Midnight Lute - Miss Wineshine, by Wolf Power (SAF)) was bred by and is owned in a partnership of football coach Mike Tice and hockey coach Joel Quenneville, Hill and Dale Holdings and Mike Pegram. Like his sire, Midnight Lute, his second sire Real Quiet and Miss Winehine before him,  Midnight Hawk carries Pegram’s familiar yellow and red silks. Bob Baffert has the unique distinction of having trained Midnight Hawk, his sire, second sire and dam.  
 
 
SIRE:
Midnight Hawk’s  sire Midnight Lute  holds second place on the Second-crop Sire list. The 17 hands high stallion was bred for distance, but  breathing issues prevented him from running long.  Instead, the talented horse made his mark as a Champion Sprinter, winning the Breeders’ Cup Sprint twice and set a stakes record for 1:07 in the race.  He also set a new track record at Keeneland for seven furlongs in 1:24.38 over the Polytrack in the Perryville Stakes (G-3). 
 
 
MIDNIGHT LUTE (Real Quiet - Candytuft, by Dehere)
Race record: 13-6-3-1 ($2,690,600)
2007 Champion Sprinter
 
Career highlights:
1st – Breeders' Cup Sprint (G-1) (2007 - '08) 6F
1st – Forego Stakes (G-1) 7F
1st - Perryville Stakes (G-3) 7F
2nd – Cigar Mile (G-1)
2nd - San Fernando Stakes (G-2)  1 1/16 miles
3rd – Malibu Stakes (G-1) 7F
 
 
 
Midnight Lute retired to stud at Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Kentucky for a fee of $20K.   Typical of a first year stallion, his fee was dropped to $15K after his initial season, but has been raised to $25K. There was great demand for the good looking stallion and Midnight Lute sired 121 foals in his first crop.  In two crops of racing age, he’s sired five graded stakes winners, nine stakes winners and nine stakes placed runners.  His offspring win over all surfaces, but are particularly adept over dirt and Polytrack.  He has two stakes winners at sprint distances, but his babies are beat at a mile and longer.  Although he has no stakes winners at classic distances over dirt, His son  Midnight Aria won the 1 ¼ mile Queen’s Plate Stakes over Polytrack. Read Midnight Lute’s pedigree profile here.
 
 
Female Family:
Miss Wineshine ran only five times in her career, but all except her maiden race was against stakes competition.  As a two year old, the pretty gray filly won the six furlong Silver Spur Stakes at Lone Star and placed in the Debutante (G-3) at Churchill.  She missed by a head in the Adirondack and was third in Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga.  
 
As a broodmare, Miss Wineshine has produced 12 foals, ten of racing age.  Out of eight runners, five are winners, including Midnight Hawk’s half brother Mayor Marv (by Distorted Humor), winner of the 1  1/16 mile Turf Paradise Derby. 
 
Miss Wineshine is a full sister to the multiple stakes winning veteran of over $400K, Delta Wolf. She’s a half sister to the stakes placed Southern Ending (by Ends Well), Unusual Lies (by World Appeal) and Mr. Mississippi (by Mister Greeley).  Midnight Hawk’s  female family 16-a is replicated through his third tail sire, Quiet American and fourth tail sire Fappiano.  All three horses descend from the blue hen Marguerite De Valois.
 
 
MISS WINESHINE (Wolf Power (SAF) - Miss Mississippi, by Cormorant)
Race record: 5-1-3-1 ($189,080)
 
Career Highlights:
1st - Silver Spur Stakes   6F
2nd -  Adirondack S. (G-2)  6 ½ F
2nd – Debutante S. (G-3) 5 ½ F
3rd - Spinaway S. (G-1) 7F
 
 
 
 
 
Damsire:
Midnight Hawk receives his iron-gray coat from his damsire South African Champion Wolf Power.  The stallion set four course records and tied eight others ranging in distance from seven furlongs to 1 ¼ miles.  The phenomenal runner was the first South African runner to race a mile under 1:34. He was proclaimed the best miler in the world and was sold to stand stud at Gainsway Farm for $3.5 Million dollars.  Wolf Power is the broodmare sire of 30 stakes winners, including last year’s Horse of the Year, Wise Dan and Santa Anita Handicap hero and sire, Milwaukee Brew.  
 
 
WOLF POWER (Flirting Around - Pandora, by Casabianca (GB)) 
 
Race record:  22-16-6-0    ($758,071R)
1981 Champion 2-year-old colt in South Africa
1983 Champion older horse in South Africa
1984 South African Horse of the Year
 
Career Highlights:
1st - Queen's Plate-. (Saf –Gr. 1)  (twice)
1st - Administrator's Champion Juvenile S. (Saf –Gr. 1)
1st - Metropolitan S.  (Saf –Gr. 1)
1st - Hawaii S. (Saf –Gr. 1) (twice)
 
 
Midnight Hawk’s second damsire is the multiple graded stakes winner Cormorant ( His Majesty - Song Sparrow, by Tudor Minstrel). The grandson of the legendary stallion Ribot won graded stakes at distances ranging from six to nine furlongs, including the Jersey Derby, Bayshore, Withers and Gotham Stakes.
 
Midnight Lute has sired five foals out of Wolf Power mares.  So far, two have started, both are winners and one is a stakes winner. 
 
 
Summary:
 
Midnight Hawk is a large, long-striding gray colt with the conformation of a route horse.  He has a smooth gait with no paddling.  Wearing blinkers in his debut,  Midnight Hawk broke slowly and rushed to the lead. He backed off into third under a snug hold for much of the race, but never looked comfortable.  His sheer talent earned him the win, but he drifted slightly and had his head cocked to the side.  Trainer Bob Baffert  removed the blinkers from the colt for the Sham and  Midnight Hawk looked much more relaxed although he again broke a step slow.  Other than slightly shifting towards the rail in deep stretch due to the noise of the crowd, he held a straight path in the Sham Stakes.  The colt will likely benefit by being in outside posts in future starts due to his long, loping stride.  His pedigree indicates that he should have no difficulty getting the 1 ¼ miles of the Kentucky Derby. Baffert is undecided about Midnight Hawk’s next start. A logical step would be the March 8 San Felipe held at 1 1/16 miles.  
 
 
 

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