A Deep Dive Leading up to Inglis Classic - by Jane Henning of Pedigree Dynamics
Have the auction houses made a mistake in largely passing over Cosmic Force for yearling sales this year? With only four in Book 1 at GC Magic Millions (3 sold, average $125k) and 9 in Book 2 (all sold, average $47,444), they sold well, despite the small selection.
I get that Cosmic Force’s stud fee was reduced to $11,000 in his third year, which seems to have given the sales companies the frights. Cosmic Force progeny I have seen however, are usually very nice types and given that his original stud fee was only $16,500, he has had some good sales results. Highlights were $250k paid at 2023 Classic for the colt now named Stay Focused (one of the fancied runners in the Blue Diamond Prelude); a colt which sold for $240k at 2023 GC Magic Millions (now named Beer Baron – stakes placed and running in this weekend’s Inglis Millennium); and a filly sold last month at Karaka for NZ$340k.
To-date there have been 20 Cosmic Force yearlings making $100k or more, from a total of 63 sold including online - not a bad return on a modest stud fee.
There are a mere eight listed in the Inglis Classic Sale catalogue selling from Sunday. The following analysis may give clues as to which of the Cosmic Forces being offered have the most potential for racetrack success.
Cosmic Force has many attractions from my point of view. On inspection, he was a very attractive stallion who showed obvious brilliance on the track, only curbed it appears, by an increasingly coltish attitude at the races.
Cosmic Force carries reinforcements of some powerful female families, most obviously the GOODY TWO SHOES family (represented in his pedigree by Fairy King and Northern Meteor via his wonderful sire, Deep Field) and the EIGHT CARAT branch of the Lady Josephine family via Deep Field’s tail female line and Commands, damsire of Cosmic Force. Deep Field’s third dam is a half sister to Commands.
With only one presence of Danehill in his pedigree via Commands, there is also scope for Danehill line mares to be included in Cosmic Force’s book.
I have kept a close eye on his progeny’s progress to see how his pedigree is working with mares. As well as the above assets, he is also responding well to sex balancing within the first five generations of the mating. Sex balancing is the duplication of an ancestor through opposite sex offspring. For instance, Cosmic Force has a son of Danehill which may respond well to a daughter of Danehill in a broodmare.
With only ten runners (five of which have only started once to-date), Cosmic Force has three winners. This is unremarkable, however some of his placegetters have shown great promise. Here I’ve outlined some of the key features in the matings of the most promising to-date.
Beer Baron (SP) – Narrow 2nd in the Listed Inglis Nursery & a runner in the Inglis Millennium:
His granddam repeats a cluster of ancestors common to Deep Field’s dam – namely Mr Prospector, Military Plume and Secretariat. Additionally, Beer Baron’s damsire Beautiful Crown carries a similar cluster of ancestors to Cosmic Force’s damsire Commands – Danzig, Petition and Buckpasser.
Full Force (SP) – Three starts for two 2nds and a 3rd in NZ, including a placing in the Karaka 2yo Million:
Sex balanced duplications of Elusive Quality and Danehill within four generations.
Stay Focused – Winner and fancied runner in the Blue Diamond Prelude:
Adds another line to GOODY TWO SHOES via his dam’s grandsire Sadler’s Wells; Danehill sex balanced; Rainbow Quest sex balanced.
Force Red – One start, running 5th in the Breeders’ Plate beaten 1.2 lengths:
Adds another line to GOODY TWO SHOES via Nureyev on dam’s third remove; second damsire Ne Coupez Pas bred on a Northern Dancer / Mr Prospector / Forli / Nantallah combination, emulating this pattern in Cosmic Force’s grandsire, Northern Meteor.
Devine Force – Two starts for two wins at Eagle Farm
Interestingly, like Beer Baron, Devine Force carries Beautiful Crown up close in her dam’s pedigree - he repeats a cluster pattern present in Cosmic Force’s damsire Commands; Mr Prospector is sex balanced; presence of GOODY TWO SHOES family members Nureyev and Val De Loir via Devine Force’s damsire Trusting.
COSMIC FORCE’S INGLIS CLASSIC YEARLINGS
All eight of the Cosmic Force yearlings in the catalogue have some assets contributed by their dams which complement Cosmic Force’s pedigree. A successful sire is very often one whose pedigree is versatile enough to nick with a wide variety of mares! There are however, a couple of standout lots:
Lot 144: Cosmic Force – Cabanga
Cabanga’s sire So You Think is a grandson of Sadler’s Wells who is joined by fellow GOODY TWO SHOES family members Lorenzaccio, Thatching and his sire Thatch in her pedigree to create a very strong boost to Northern Meteor and Fairy King in Cosmic Force.
Lot 156: Cosmic Force – Cash First
This is a classic example of linebreeding to an influential female who is proven to respond well to multiple lines in a mating. Deep Field’s granddam Announce appears 4f x 3f in this mating, supported by fellow EIGHT CARAT family member Commands in Cosmic Force. Rainbow Quest is also duplicated.
With both Beer Baron and Stay Focused racing in feature events this Saturday, it will be interesting to see if the Cosmic Force yearlings at Inglis Classic get more attention than initially anticipated. Regardless of whether they win or they don’t this weekend, my bet is that in less than a year, the Cosmic Forces will have more than earned the right to be better represented at next year’s sales.
* Jane Henning is an independent pedigree consultant with no affiliation with Cosmic Force’s connections.
