Fernando Evaluates Queen's Plate Pedigrees

The pick here for the Queen's Plate is the Sadler's Wells trifecta of Majestic Sunset, We Miss Artie, and Lexie Lou. Sadler's Wells represents the stamina branch of Canadian-bred Northern Dancer that has dominated the 12-furlong classics in Europe for years, most recently through his sons Galileo and Montjeu. It's the branch whose main expression has been on turf over distance, and for this very reason it hasn't been the same force in North America where most racing is conducted on dirt at sprint distances. But the Sadler's Wells stallion El Prado, imported by Frank Stronach to stand in Kentucky in the early 1990s, was the breakthrough sire for the line on this side of the Atlantic, and Majestic Sunset and We Miss Artie trace to him through their sire Artie Schiller.

Artie Schiller is one of three successful sire sons for El Prado so far; the others are Medaglia d'Oro and Kitten's Joy. The former is the sire of iconic Rachel Alexandra, among others, and stands for $100,000; the latter was the leading sire in North America in 2013 and also stands for $100,000. Artie Schiller, not quite as well known or as accomplished as the other two, stands for just $15,000, at WinStar in Kentucky, but his stock is on the rise. Getting the winner of the Queen's Plate would bolster his value, and he has two excellent shots with Majestic Sunset and We Miss Artie.

To read the full story, prepared by Sid Fernando for QueensPlate.com, click here: http://weg.bz/1qFTj5t