Horse Racing Stories

Treasure Trove has a Treasure Trove of Triple Crown winners in his Pedigree

Published

March 11, 2023

Rinaldo Del Gallo, III

By: Rinaldo Del Gallo, III

The somewhat ironically named TREASURE TROVE (USA) ch. G, 2016 {9-f} has a pedigree that is a treasure trove of past Triple Crown winners. You have to like horses like Treasure Trove—a tough gelding who has started 50 times so far for his owner, earning $488,604 so far. DRF records indicate he was claimed 5 times. On March 7, 2023, Treasure Trove is the #3 horse in the $75,000 Washington’s Crossing Stakes at Parx.

https://www.pedigreequery.com/treasure+trove15

SEATTLE SLEW/WAR ADMIRAL/SECRETARIAT/COUNT FLEET-the common ones.

Let’ s start off with the Triple Crown winners common in pedigrees. Treasure Trove’s 5 sire in the sire line is SEATTLE SLEW (USA) dkb/br. H, 1974 {13-c}. In Seattle Slew alone, there are two appearances of WAR ADMIRAL (USA) br. H, 1934 {11-g}.

In addition to AP Indy, Storm Cat is in Treasure Trove’s pedigree. A.P. INDY (USA) dkb/br. H, 1989 {3-l} and STORM CAT (USA) dkb/br. H, 1983 {8-c} both have SECRETARIAT (USA) ch. H, 1970 {2-s} as a damsire—as such, because these were highly influential horses, it is much harder to find a horse without Secretariat than one with him, as the influential GONE WEST (USA) dkb/br. H, 1984 {2-f} must be missing.

MR PROSPECTOR (USA) b. H, 1970 {13-c} is common in pedigrees and is in Treasure Trove 5 sire x 6 sire x 4 dam x 5 dam. COUNT FLEET (USA) br. H, 1940 {6-a} is the sire of Mr. Prospector’s 2^nddam.

War Admiral

OMAHA/GALLANT FOX

It once was the case that few horses had Omaha, but with ever increasing prominence of NIJINSKY (CAN) b. H, 1967 {8-f} in pedigrees (and the Minstrel), fewer and fewer horses lack Omaha. Looking at Treasure Trove’s 2^nd sire, TAPIT (USA) gr/r. H, 2001 {3-o}, Tapit is 5 sire x 3 dam Nijinsky. The sire of Nijinky’s 3^rd dam is OMAHA (USA) ch. H, 1932 {17-b}, whose sire is the Triple Crown winner GALLANT FOX (USA) b. H, 1927 {4-n}. Nijinsky was the last British Triple Crown winner.

Omaha at ak-sar-ben (Nebraska spelled backwards) Racecourse

CITATION

Most of Citation in modern pedigrees is through Afleet and Exceed and Excel, though I just did an article with a horse having Silver Spoon via Metfield, “Love Seeing Hall Of Famer Silver Spoon Blood In Modern Pedigrees,” Horse Racing News.

Treasure Trove second dam was sired by AFLEET (CAN) ch. H, 1984 {1-h}. The sire of Afleet’s second dam is GREEN TICKET (USA) b. H, 1959 {4-m}, and Green Ticket’s damsire is CITATION (USA) b. H, 1945 {3-l}.

SIR BARTON

Treasure Trove’s sire is Breeder’s Cup Dirt mile winner TAPIZAR (USA) b. H, 2008 {8-d}. Tapizar’s 6^th dam EVENING SUN (USA) b. M, 1955 {8-d} was sired by FRITZ MAISEL (USA) b. H, 1945 {10-d} probably named after a baseball player who had 6 seasons playing third base in the Major Leagues from 1913 to 1918, but maybe I am wrong. Fritz Maisel’s second dam was sired by SIR BARTON (USA) ch. H, 1916 {9-g}

Thirteen horses have won the American Triple Crown, and Treasure Trove has 8 of them in his pedigree. It is unusual to see horses with Citation and Omaha/Gallant Fox and Sir Barton in their pedigrees and extremely unusual to see all these horses, but Treasure Trove has it.