Scat Daddy leaves 'remarkable' legacy in Kentucky Derby 2018

While the late stallion Scat Daddy made his final career start in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, 11 years later, four of his sons will carry on the horse's legacy at Churchill Downs with each of Justify, Mendelssohn, Flameaway and Combatant contenders for the 2018 running.

Scat Daddy went off as the third choice behind Street Sense and Curlin in his Derby, suffering a tendon injury on his way to an 18th-place finish. A multiple Grade 1 winner, he proved just as able in the breeding shed once retired by owners James Scatuorchio and Coolmore.

“To have a have a son of one of its stallions running in the Derby is significant for any farm,” said Ashford Stud manager Dermot Ryan, “so to have four, all with very live chances, is remarkable. His progeny seem to have inherited his toughness and strong will to win. We are very proud to have stood a stallion of Scat Daddy’s caliber here at Ashford, and it is a huge shame, not just for us but for the whole industry to have lost him so young.”

Scat Daddy was 11 when he died suddenly leaving his paddock in December 2015. The stallion stood for $35,000 that season, his highest price yet. His fee for 2016 would have been $100,000.

Trainer Todd Pletcher helped campaign Scat Daddy to five wins in nine starts, including Grade 1 wins in the Champagne Stakes and the Florida Derby. 

“He’s one of my all-time favorites,” Pletcher said. “I guess my first reaction when you say (his name) is just how sad we are that we lost him as early as we did. The sire that he’s proven to be this year really shows you it’s a tremendous loss to the industry to lose a stallion like that who was just hitting his prime.”

Scat Daddy's final progeny are hitting the track this year as 2-year-olds.

“This crop is sort of the reflection of his success leading up to that — to start getting the quality of mares he was getting,” Pletcher said of Scat Daddy’s current 3 year olds. “It’s a shame we lost him when we did, but I’m proud of the fact that we bought him as a yearling, campaigned him and enjoyed his success.”

Among the four sons heading into the Derby, Flameaway was the first to debut and has wins over turf, dirt and sloppy tracks. While his early success came on turf and off-the-turf races, an upset win in the Sam F. Davis Stakes placed him on the Derby trail, followed by two runner-up finishes in the Tampa Bay Derby and the Blue Grass Stakes.

Flameaway’s trainer, Mark Casse, can attest to Scat Daddy’s success at stud. 

“They are really good,” Casse said of the horse's offspring. “I don’t know how else you can describe it. It’s unfortunate that he died at such a young age, but they’re versatile. They’re good racehorses. Coolmore did such a good job with him getting him to the right mares.

"I think Flameaway’s going to be a heck of a sire in the future as well, just with his attitude, his conformation, his physique — and so I wouldn’t mind seeing a little K-Y Derby behind his resume. That would help things.”

“They can do a little bit of anything,” Casse added “Just probably one of the best sires in the last 100 years.”

Racing in Coolmore’s silks, Mendelssohn debuted in Ireland in July, winning second time out. A half-brother to champion mare Beholder and successful stallion Into Mischief, Mendelssohn sold for $3 million as a yearling. He’s made almost two-thirds of that price tag back, with his first stakes win coming in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. He returned to Europe to win the Patton Stakes over synthetic before running away with the UAE Derby by 18 ½ lengths.

Combatant made his first start in September for trainer Steve Asmussen. Although he only holds one win from seven starts, his consistency earned him a spot in the Kentucky Derby after Quip’s connections opted to point toward the Preakness. Combatant picked up points as the runner-up in the Remington Springboard Mile, the Smarty Jones Stakes and the Southwest Stakes. He then ran third in the Rebel Stakes and fourth in the Arkansas Derby. 

The last to hit the racing scene was Justify. The Bob Baffert trainee did not make a start until this year and has a perfect record in three starts, topped by the Santa Anita Derby in which he beat Bolt d’Oro by three lengths. Justify is also the likely favorite for the Kentucky Derby.

Scat Daddy’s progeny have proven successful on both turf and dirt, with Grade/Group 1 winners over both surfaces. During Royal Ascot 2017, Scat Daddy had four winners, including Lady Aurelia and Caravaggio. Other Grade/Group 1 winners he sired include No Nay Never, Dacita, Celestine and Daddys Lil Darling, who was also second in the 2017 Kentucky Oaks. 

Although the presence of Scat Daddy is missed, some of his best progeny are already carrying his name at stud, and Coolmore is looking beyond the first Saturday in May.

“We are incredibly fortunate however to be standing two of his best sons in No Nay Never and Caravaggio at the farm in Ireland,” Ryan said, “and we look forward to welcoming Mendelssohn to the ranks, who is a hugely exciting prospect. With such a strong bunch of 2 year olds from his final crop having already won races at this early stage of the season and several more still to run we can’t wait to see what the future holds.”