Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
By: Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
If you look at the pedigree of NATIONAL TREASURE (USA) b. C, 2020 {4-c}, you can see he descends from a famous branch of the 4-c female family (under the Bruce Lowe number system). National Treasure’s 10th dam is MASDA (USA) ch. M, 1915 {4-c}, a full sister to Man O’War. National Treasure’s 8th dam is IGUAL (USA) ch. M, 1937 {4-c}, the Spanish word for “equal.” Igual is the dam of Triple Crown winner ASSAULT (USA) ch. H, 1943 {4-c}, who unfortunately ended up infertile.
Igual had another daughter, ON YOUR OWN (USA) ch. M, 1951 {4-c}, who won the 1954 Gazelle at Belmont. She had another daughter, POSTILLION (USA) ch. H, 1950 {4-c} who won the 1956 Premier’s British Columbia Champion (now a G3 at Hastings, British Columbia.) Even an Italian 2,000 Guineas (PREMIO PARIOLI ) winner GIOVANE IMPERATORE (GB) b. H, 1998 {4-c} descends from Masda (and Igual). There are also innumerable minor stakes winners such as FLASH BURN (USA) b. H, 1943 {4-c}( Omnibus H., Diamond State S., Gittings H) that descend from Masda—way too many to layout.
Quality Road himself has 25 offspring from female family 4-c, such as PARK AVENUE (USA) b. F, 2018 {4-c} winner of the 2022 OUIJA BOARD HANDICAP or CARMEL ROAD (USA) b. C, 2020 {4-c}, second in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity. Looking at multiple leading sire Into Mischief, he has 35 offspring from the 4-c line—it’s a thriving line. First Plug stakes winner HOME RUN MAKER (USA) b. G, 2015 {4-c} by Into Mischief comes from this line. This year’s 2023 Busanda stakes winner OCCULT (USA) dkb/br. F, 2020 {4-c} sired by Into Mischief descends from Masda. The larger point I am trying to make out is that Masda has a thriving female line going strong today.
Other descendants of Masda, Man O’War’s full sister include PROVE OUT (USA) ch. H, 1969 {4-c} who won the Woodward against Secretariat and also won the Jockey Club Gold Cup. STAY THIRSTY (USA) dkb/br. H, 2008 {4-c}, winner of the Jim Dandy, Travers at 3 and the Cigar Mile at age 4 descends from Masda. Breeders Cup Dirt Mile winner and UAE Godolphin Mile winner TAMARKUZ (USA) ch. H, 2010 {4-c} descends from Masda. VULCAN’S FORGE (USA) ch. H, 1945 {4-c}, winner of the Champagne at age 2, the Withers at age 3 as well as second in the Preakness, and at age 4 winner of the Santa Anita Handicap and the Suburban Handicap descends from Masda. PUNCTILIOUS (GB) b. M, 2001 {4-c}, winner of the 2005 Yorkshire Oaks (seemingly the only “oaks” race not restricted to three year olds) descends from Masda.
Masda was Mahubah’s first offspring. Mahubah was only ever mated to Fair Play. According to American Classic Pedigrees, “Masda (1915, by Fair Play) was a minor stakes winner in spite of inheriting a disposition that combined Mahubah’s nervousness with the difficult temper of her paternal grandsire, Hastings. As a broodmare for Harry Payne Whitney, she produced 1925 Aqueduct Handicap winner Dazzler (by Whisk Broom II), 1939 Huron Handicap winner Maeda (by Pennant), multiple minor stakes winner Brilliant (by Broomstick) and claiming stakes winner Incandescent (by Chicle). Incandescent, in turn, produced stakes winners Fuego (by Bim Bam) and Flash Burn (by Brazado) and is the second dam of 1946 American Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year Assault, 1954 Gazelle Stakes winner On Your Own and three other stakes winners.”
Mahubah also was the dam of MY PLAY (USA) b. H, 1919 {4-c}, winner of the Aqueduct Handicap and Jockey Gold Cup, and found in a number of pedigrees. HEAD PLAY (USA) ch. H, 1930 {1-k}, winner of the Preakness and second in a famous “fighting finish” Kentucky Derby had an impressive race record and is in pedigrees was sired by My Play. One horse that was a son of Mahubah, PLAYFELLOW (USA) b. H, 1918 {4-c}, was the subject of litigation as being unsound. According to pedigree query.com, “Purchased by Rancocas Stable for Quincy Stable for the sum of $115,000 which later resulted in a legal suit because Hildreth claimed “Fellow” was unsound. A jury in the Brooklyn Supreme Court decided that Hildreth & Sinclair, were entitled to recover $100,000 of what they paid to James F. Johnson of Quincy Stables for Playfellow.”
Below: Caption from New York Times:
PLAYFELLOW CASE MAY GO TO COURTS; Hildreth Says He Will Take Legal Action Unless Purchase Price Is Returned.
Mahubah had a daughter MIRABELLE (USA) ch. M, 1920 {4-c}. Mirabelle was the fifth dam to IN FIJAR (USA) dkb/br. H, 1977 {4-c} winner of the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (FR-G1, 1600m), or the “French 2,000 Guineas” as it is colloquially called.
Of course, every registered thoroughbred alive today has some Man O’War, despite his connections not picking the best of mates for the master horse. Man O’ War appears in National Treasure’s pedigree over and over again—which is true of almost all modern race registered thoroughbreds. But Mahubah has a female family alive today through Man O’War’s full sister Masda, descending into Preakness winner National Treasure.
Masda did win a stakes race—she won the 1919 White Plains Handicap at Empire City Racetrack, a race that had many prestigious winners. The race was first won by EL RIO REY (USA) ch. H, 1887 {A17}, a tail male descendent of Lexington who was undefeated, winning 7 times in his 7 starts as a two year old. El Rio Ray was a full brother to Hall of Famer EMPEROR OF NORFOLK (USA) b. H, 1885 {A17}.
ELUSIVE QUALITY
Some brief sentiments on the grandsire ELUSIVE QUALITY (USA) b. H, 1993 {13-c}. Elusive Quality Is an example of a good race horse turned into a great sire. Elusive Quality won two Grade 3 races, the Poker and the Jaipur. One of his first Group/Grade 1 winners was ELUSIVE CITY (USA) b. H, 2000 {16-h}, who won the Prix Morny, who himself turned out to be a good sire. And there is DANON GOOD (JPN) b. H, 2012 {9-f} who won the Gold Sprint this year in Japan. CE CE (USA) ch. M, 2016 {12-c} was Elusive Quality’s get in his last crops.
But there are two numbers that really stick out—$3,500 versus $200,000. Smarty Jones stood for $3,500 in 2019. Quality Road, sire of National Treasure, currently stands for $200,000. Of course, one could easily write an article on Quality Road as a stallion, but it just goes to show, you never know who will be the stallion that will catapult the sire line.
QUALITY ROAD
