Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
By: Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
VICTORY FORMATION (USA) b. C, 2020 {26} was the defeated heavy favorite in this year’s Risien Star stakes. He won a maiden, won an allowance optional claimer, then won the Listed Smarty Jones, and then lost the Risen Star, coming in 9th place. A $1 bet was to yield $1.8. Still, it is fun to look at his pedigree for he has the blood of Silver Spoon, the Hall of Fame filly sired by Citation.
Victory Formation winning the Smarty Jones S. at Oaklawn Park (Photo by Coady Photography)
The sire of Victory Formation’s 3rd dam is METFIELD (USA) b. H, 1988 {A1}. Metfield’s dam was the multiple stakes winner INCA QUEEN (USA) b. M, 1968 {A1}, and Inca Queen’s dam is the hall of fame filly SILVER SPOON (USA) ch. M, 1956 {A1}. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame 1978. I wouldn’t say there is a lot of Metfield in pedigrees, but 162 horses have his blood and Storm Cat’s blood in 4 generations. There is (or was?) a horse MAGOO’S MAGIC (USA) dkb/br. H, 2002 {A1} that stood in Canada for $800 that was a son of a full sister to Metfield. He appears to have about 45 offspring.
Promotional/Fan video of Victory Formation
As for descendants of Silver Spoon and Inca Queen, you have CATINCA (USA) dkb/br. M, 1995 {A1}, winner of many stakes races including the Grade 1 Ruffian. One descendant, EXILE KING (USA) ch. H, 1980 {A1}, ended up being a sire in Brazil. One descendant, TALE OF THE QUEEN (USA) dkb/br. M, 2004 {A1}, was owned by Mary Whitney and bred to Birdstone a bunch of times. Silver Spoon had a descendant COINED SILVER (USA) dkb/br. H, 1974 {A1}, who won the Florida Derby and stood in Japan. Coined Silver produced the multiple stakes winner and stakes placed TETSUNO KACHIDOKI (JPN) b. H, 1980 {16-c}.
According to American Classic Pedigrees,” Inca Queen (by 1968, Hail to Reason), won the 1972 Top Flight Handicap. She is the dam of Grade 2 winners Exile King (by Exclusive Native; a successful sire in Brazil) and Hail Bold King (by Bold Bidder) and Grade 3 winner Metfield (by Seattle Slew). Inca Queen is also the second dam of five stakes winners including multiple German Group 1 winner Germany, 1999 Ruffian Handicap (USA-G1) winner Catinca and Grade 3 winner Manny’s Prospect and is the third dam of Grade 3 winner April Pride.”
Silver Spoon’s sire was CITATION (USA) b. H, 1945 {3-l} of the Teddy sire line. Citation is often considered one of the greatest horses of all time. Citation is definitely not one of those horses you find everywhere in pedigrees, but where you see AFLEET (CAN) ch. H, 1984 {1-h} or EXCEED AND EXCEL (AUS) b. H, 2000 {23-b} you can find him in pedigrees. Exceed and Excel is a top sire. BULLSBAY (USA) b. H, 2004 {13-c} is also a sire that has Citation, like Afleet through GREEN TICKET (USA) b. H, 1959 {4-m}. (I made some money on Bullsbay when I watched the Whitney with my Dad at the Spa.) Two-time Kennedy Road winning STACKED DECK (USA) dkb/br. G, 2011 {13-c} descends from the same family as Bullsbay. Interesting fact: according to pedigree query dot come, Green Ticket’s dam PICCALILLI (USA) b. M, 1954 {4-m} started only once and won that one race.
Video below: Bullsbay beats Commentator in the Whitney. A “chasm” separated Bullsbay from the rest of the field at the beginning of the race.
Sales video of Exceed and Excel
Citation also sired Preakness winner FABIUS (USA) br. H, 1953 {3-o}, a horse that I seldom if ever see in modern pedigrees. Fabius denied NEEDLES (USA) b. H, 1953 {5-e} his Triple Crown—Needles won the Kentucky Derby (as did his sire Ponder, and his sire Pensive), and won the Belmont, but was 2nd to Fabius in the Preakness. Incidentally, a similar thing happened to Pensive—he won the Kentucky Derby, won the Preakness, but was second on the Belmont.
Victory Formation is one of those somewhat rare opportunities to see Silver Spoon blood.
One of Citations winners was WATCH YOUR STEP (USA) ch. H, 1956 {6-a}, who won the Saplings stakes at age 2. His name was a bit of an omen—according to pedigree query dot come, he died in 1975 when he was struck by lightning at Hobeau Farm on July 11th. Watch Your Step had a multiple stakes winning daughter GLADIOLUS (USA) ch. M, 1974 {23-b}, who is the second dam to Exceed and Excel.
Fillies don’t often run in the Kentucky Derby, but Silver Spoon gave it a go. According to American Classic Pedigree, “Silver Spoon was the first filly to start in the Kentucky Derby since Misstep in 1945. While she finished fifth, she was only beaten two heads for the show spot and about 2½ lengths for everything.”
1959 Kentucky Derby
Silver Spoon ran in the 1959 Kentucky Derby, run on May 2, 1959. According to the Daily Racing Form, she came in 5th and lost by 3 ¼ lengths. The horse that won that 1959 was TOMY LEE (GB) b. H, 1956 {1-n}, who was the second foreign born horse to win the Kentucky Derby. Tomy Lee was sub fertile and returned to racing and was subpar on his return. Pedigree query dot come attributes 6 foals to him. The first foreign born horse to win the Kentucky Derby was OMAR KHAYYAM (GB) ch. H, 1914 {9-h}.
According to one source, “Being that the Triple Crown was not recognized at this point in history, the Preakness Stakes was run on the same day as the Kentucky Derby. Omar Khayyam had not been nominated for the Belmont Stakes so he did not run there either and the race was instead won by another foreign colt named Hourless soon a rivalry between the two colts would begin.” Canadian bred NORTHERN DANCER (CAN) b. H, 1961 {2-d} won the Kentucky and Preakness and was 3rd in the Belmont and may be one of if not the most famous stallions of the 20th Century. SUNNY’S HALO (CAN) ch. H, 1980 {4-m} also was a Canadian bred that won the Kentucky Derby. If there was a horse other than these four that were foreign born and won the Kentucky Derby, please let me know—I think the list is complete though.
Back to Silver Spoon, the story is different from today. First, the Kentucky Derby did not pay way more than the Santa Anita Derby—a race that Silver Spoon won. The Santa Anita Derby was run on March 7, 1959 and had a purse of 147K. The Kentucky Derby had a purse of 163K… Certainly more, but not the incredible ratio that it is today. When Silver Spoon won the Santa Anita Derby, that was her 6th win in 6 starts. Of course today, a horse would just rest for the Kentucky Derby. But the philosophy back then was you had to stay sharp. Silver Spoon was entered in a 7 furlong Allowance Race for 5,000 on April 25, 1959 at Churchill Downs—yes, that was just 7 days’ rest. Silver Spoon was third in that allowance race—Hall of Famer Sword Dancer won the race, and the Florida Derby and Fountain of Youth winner EASY SPUR (USA) b. G, 1956 {23-b} was second: Silver Spoon suffered her first defeat.
Silverspoon wins the Santa Anita Derby
According to the Racing Hall of Fame, “Silver Spoon then became the only filly between 1945 and 1980 to compete in the Kentucky Derby.” In 1980, the filly Genuine Risk won the Kentucky Derby. The YouTube video of Genuine Risk’s Kentucky Derby that originally aired mentioned Silver Spoon’s efforts. Silver Spoon is one of three horses to win the Santa Anita Derby. CIENCIA (USA) br. M, 1936 {4-m} won in 1939, and the sire of her second dam was the aforementioned Omar Khayyam—she was from the Orby sire line as it was petering out. The other filly to win the Santa Anita Derby also won the Kentucky Derby—WINNING COLORS (USA) gr. M, 1985 {23-b}.
It is interesting and frankly just plain fun to see Silver Spoon in the pedigree of VICTORY FORMATION. I can’t say I never see Silver Spoon in pedigrees, but it is very rare.
