The pedigree of the magnificent Baaeed, winner of ten of eleven starts (his heartbreaking third to Bay Bridge in the Group One Champion S. on October 15 strained credulity), most recently the Group One Juddmonte International, is, on the surface, the epitome of simplicity. It is based on the tried and true cross of sons and daughters of Northern Dancer, on sons and daughters of Mr. Prospector. Northern Dancer appears through Danzig, Nureyev, Sadler’s Wells, and Danseur Fabuleux, while Mr. Prospector appears through his breed altering granddaughter Urban Sea, his wonderful son Kingmambo, and Baaeed’s fourth dam, Bashayer, a daughter of Mr. Prospector. Baaeed is by Sea the Stars, who stands at Giilltown Stud for 150,000 Euros, and who creates a stone nick with mares by Kingmambo, to the tune of 9.06 AEI, while his AEI with other mares is 2.63, still pretty great, and Kingmambo mares in general have a rather surprising and paltry AEI of 1.66.

These numbers are a testament to the continuing power of the Northern Dancer/Mr. Prospector cross, certainly, but Shadwell is not a simple breeder, and what’s hidden in the rest of the pedigree is a wealth of mare power that is breathtaking. There has clearly been a determination to breed to these legends, Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector, on the zigzag, ensuring that the big heart gene that only the female can transmit to her offspring will come from both Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector. But that’s not all the consideration that crafty Shadwell has given to the mares in this pedigree.

Shadwell has put the full wealth of its mare power into the pedigree of Baaeed (making him a very attractive prospect at stud, perhaps as successful beginning in 2023 as his sire, Sea the Stars).  Starting with the sire line, one must begin with Sea the Stars’ third dam, Foreign Courier, a daughter of Sir Ivor and Courtly Dee (1968), one of the greatest mares of the twentieth century. First of all, Sir Ivor himself is a son of Sir Gaylord, by Turn-to, as well as a grandson of another of the greatest mares of the twentieth century, Somethingroyal (1952). Green Desert, Baaeed’s greatgrandsire, therefore provides the first powerful dose of Northern Dancer, through Danzig, and the two Blue Hen mares, Somethingroyal and Courtly Dee. This branch alone of Baaeed’s pedigree gives us our first glimpse of three other important elements, repeated over and over, of this pedigree: Princequillo, one of the greatest broodmare sires ever and the sire of Somethingroyal, the dam of American Triple Crown winner Secretariat, and from Sir Ivor’s dams’ side our first glimpse of Mahmoud through his son Mr. Trouble, and our first glimpse of Sir Gallahad III (Teddy x Plucky Liege), which will be repeated throughout the pedigree to good effect.

Courtly Dee adds her own dose of Sir Gallahad III, plus more powerful Teddy via La Troienne (1926), another of the great Blue Hen mares of the twentieth century. As well, Courtly Dee has two crosses, 7 x 5, of the now near-lost sire line of Ben Brush, also on the zigzag (the last representative of this sireline the now deceased Broad Brush, who stood at Gainesway in Kentucky). Thus, an examination of only one stallion in Baaeed’s pedigree, Green Desert, yields unexamined riches just out of the reach of the standard five cross pedigree.

     So we haven’t gotten any further than the sire line, and we’ve managed to collect both Secretariat’s immediate family and Green Desert, whose sire line thrives through Kingman, Magna Grecia, and Territories, and the best is yet to come, because the dam of Sea the Stars is the all-powerful Miswaki mare Urban Sea (1989), the dam of arguably the greatest sire of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Galileo. Given that his sons and grandsons still dominate as sires, the influence of Urban Sea cannot be overestimated. Her pedigree offers our first dose of Mr. Prospector, which will be reflected in the dams’ side in another great, Kingmambo, giving this pedigree both symmetry and strength. Miswaki was out of the Buckpasser mare Hopespringseternal, who therefore brings another glimpse of La Troienne, through one of her most powerful crosses, Buckpasser, and his second dam was by Princequilo.

    Baaeed’s dams’ side is just as chock-full of mare power, as the aforementioned Kingmambo is Baaeed’s broodmare sire, providing, as noted above, our second dose of Mr. Prospector, which I’m afraid is only secondary to the presence of Kingmambo’s Champion dam, the great Miesque (1984), whose Group One winnings include both the 1987 and 1988 Breeders’ Cup Mile, against the boys, and who went on to become a stellar broodmare. I must mention that I had the opportunity to see Miesque in the flesh when I worked for the great equine podiatrist, Dr. Ric Redden. Redden was the only man allowed to touch the queenly feet of Miesque in her dotage. I ran out to the barn’s surgery room, only to see the plainest brown mare ever, on the small side, not something you’d look at in a paddock twice, no noble head or look of eagles. But horse racing is not a beauty contest. Kingmambo is an exemplar of the happenings in the rest of Baaeed’s pedigree, as he demonstrates the all-powerful Mr. Prospector/Northern Dancer cross, as Miesque’s sire was Nureyev, by Northern Dancer, out of Special, whose grand dam is also one of the most important broodmares of the twentieth century, the great Rough Shod II (1944, by Gold Bridge, out of Dalmary by Blandford), whose influence continues to this day.

Her two best daughters in terms of production were Thong, the granddam of Nureyev, and Moccasin, and the two best daughters of Thong exist in this pedigree, Special, via Nureyev, and Fairy Bridge, via Sadler’s Wells, making Baaeed 7 x 12 Rough Shod II on his dams’ side. One might want to discredit these mares living so far back in Baaeed’s pedigree, but do so at your own peril. While stallions may have hundreds of offspring every year, diluting blue blood, the great mares (the ones lucky enough to have daughters) provide not only the huge heart gene which can only be transmitted through the females, but unique fundamental power,  no matter how far back they may appear in pedigrees; double or triple them, and you’ve got a factor which must be considered. Baaeed, with his sumptuous collection of daughters of Princequillo (here via Somethingroyal, Miesque’s second dam and Santa Quilla, doses of La Troienne, and doses of Rough Shod II is evidence, as are most of the pedigrees of the truly great race horses. It behooves me to point out that Miesque’s second broodmare sire was Graustark, by Ribot, perhaps the most important grass influence sire of all time.

        Baaeed’s second broodmare sire is Singspiel, by In the Wings (by Sadler’s Wells) out of Glorious Song, yet another important Blue Hen. As previously noted, Sadler’s Wells provides one of Baaeed’s doses of Rough Shod II, as well as another Northern Dancer sire line, and at this point we must note the presence, in all the doses of Northern Dancer, of his dam Natalma, a granddaughter of the ever-powerful Mahmoud through his daughter Almahmoud. We have multiple doses of Natalma through all the crosses of Northern Dancer in this pedigree, but it is through Glorious Song (1976), by Halo, that we get the essential second dose of Almahmoud that gives such strength to so many pedigrees, as Halo is by Cosmah, Natalma’s half sister, both out of Almahmoud. Glorious Song is a daughter of the influential mare Ballade (1972), dam of Devil’s Bag, a full brother to Glorious Song and Saint Ballado, but her genetic influence carries on in contemporary pedigrees via her sons, Rahy (by Blushing Groom, who will also appear in this pedigree) and Singspiel. Another twinning that can’t be ignored, and Ballade also adds more Mahmoud and La Troienne.

        No, we are not yet done with the wonders of this pedigree. Baaeed’s third broodmare sire is Arazi, one of the most spectacular winners of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile-G1, whose unforgettable run for the wire may have been all that he did on the race track worthy of note, but it remains etched in one’s memory. As noted above, Arazi was by Blushing Groom, and out of the mare Danseur Fabuleux, by Northern Dancer and out of a mare by another impressive grass influence, Le Fabuleux. Given the extensive and powerful grass heritage of Baaeed, one can understand why some fans are daunted by the possibility of the magnificent racehorse attempting the Breeders’ Cup Classic, on the dirt, this November, though anyone must admit it would be a thrill.

        Now, the coup de grace. Baaeed’s fourth dam Bashayer, is by Mr. Prospector, out of the mare Height of Fashion, whose dam is Hypericum, one of seven daughters (out of eight foals) of the wonderful Feola, also the tail female broodmare of such as Round Table, Deep Impact, Nashwan, Pebbles, and whose influence also appears in Pulpit, Tale of the Cat and Johannesburg. Feola, born in 1933, was by Friar Marcus, out of the mare Aloe, and when bred to Hyperion to create her stellar daughter Hypericum in 1943, both top and bottom of the pedigree offered double doses of Galopin. Feola, like La Troienne, was one of the lucky mares whose genetic foundation was to be carried on by her wealth of daughters (her one son, Kingstone, was a complete disappointment at stud, pointing out once again the importance of the huge heart gene passed on only through a mare).

Also of interest is the fact that Feola was owned by King George V, monarch of England, and passed on to his son, George VI (focus of the award-winning film “The King’s Speech”): the Duke of Edinburgh, by abdicating the throne, did not have the privilege of owning this great mare. So Baaeed, now racing, has the same tail female line as Round Table, foaled in 1954, proof that the influence of the great mares cannot be discounted because of the passing of time.

        So bravo, Shadwell, for this brilliant pedigree, collecting and adding up so many of the very best mares of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Though Baaeed’s final act was a mystifying disappointment, if he remains in the tradition of his female family, with the likes of Pulpit, Tale of the Cat, Nashwan and Deep Impact, his first foals will be much anticipated, and undoubtedly adored.

-- Roberta Smoodin