By: Blood Horse

Photo Credit: Sarah Andrew – TDN

Lexitonian Mirrors Sire Speightstown – BloodHorse

Porter on Pedigrees

The spotlight was very much on the sprint division this weekend with the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, and the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) and Amsterdam Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course.

The Amsterdam, restricted for 3-year-olds, resulted in a blowout win for Jackie’s Warrior , who tallied by 7 1/4 lengths from his fellow Maclean’s Music   son, Drain the Clock , reversing the result of the June 5 Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Nassau County Industrial Development Agency (G1).

A 3-year-old also took the Bing Crosby, last year’s Runhappy Del Mar Futurity (G1) victor, Dr. Schivel . The son of Violence   narrowly defeated his elders, Eight Rings  and C Z Rocket , in a game effort. Meanwhile at Saratoga, the Vanderbilt was upset by the veteran, Lexitonian , who hit a new career high to prevail by a half-length over a stellar field that included the 2020 champion male sprinter Whitmore  and grade 1 winners Mischevious Alex  and Firenze Fire .

A 5-year-old son of Speightstown  , Lexitonian broke his maiden in the first of three starts at 2. He added the Chick Lang Stakes (G3) and Concern Stakes at 3. Last year he added a grade 1 second to his résumé, missing by just a nose to Collusion Illusion  in the Bing Crosby, and was runner-up again at that level this year in the Churchill Downs Stakes Presented by Ford (G1), on Kentucky Derby Day falling a head shy of Flagstaff .

Like Lexitonian, Speightstown came good as an older horse—his early career having been disrupted by a series of injuries—earning a title as the champion sprinter of 2004, as a 6-year-old. Over a long stud career Speightstown has consistently been a leading sire, and he’s also been a remarkably versatile one, his offspring winning group or graded stakes on dirt and turf, and from sprint distances up to 15 furlongs. This year, in addition to Lexitionian, he’s also been represented by six other graded stakes winners, including the previously mentioned Flagstaff, and Souper Stonehenge , successful in another graded sprint, the Vigil Stakes (G3) at Woodbine this weekend, as well as Charlatan , runner-up in the Saudi Cup this year, and winner of the Arkansas Derby (G1) and Runhappy Malibu Stakes (G1) last year. We should also mention that Speightstown’s successful sire son, Munnings  , was represented by Munnyfor Ro , winner of the Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser this weekend.

Lexitonian is a homebred for Calumet Farm, who bought his dam, Riviera Romper, carrying Lexitonian—her first foal—for $310,000 from the Denali Stud consignment at the 2015 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. The distaff pedigree offers not one, but two examples of the phenomenon know as ‘generation skip.’ A daughter of Tapit  , Riviera Romper won a maiden event at Laurel Park as a 2-year-old, which made her one of just three minor winners from the first seven live foals of her dam Swap Fliparoo (who also has a 2-year-old filly by Classic Empire   named Landed Gentry, a yearling colt by Honor Code  , and a colt foal by Ransom the Moon  ). This disappointing produce record is made all the more so, when one considers Swap Fliparoo ‘s race record. She won or placed in 10 graded events, with her most notable performance a two-length victory over a very strong field in the Darley Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga.

A daughter of Exchange Rate out of the Buckaroo mare, Fliparoo, and inbred 5×3 to Buckpasser, Swap Fliparoo was the only runner of real note for her dam. We’ve mentioned that the family offers two examples of the ‘generation skip’ and that’s because Fliparoo is out of the talented New York-bred Flip’s Pleasure, whose successes included the Top Flight Handicap (G1), Barbara Fritchie Handicap (G3), and Next Move Handicap (G3). Flip’s Pleasure is dam of six winners from seven starters, but nothing that as much as placed in black-type events. Thus, Lexitonian has a second and fourth dam who were grade 1 winners that could not produce a black-type horse themselves, yet are second dams of grade 1 winners.

Flip’s Pleasure was a full sister to B. C. Sal and What a Flip, both stakes winners in restricted New York-bred company, but although it has produced its’ share of stakes, this is a lesser branch of a famous family. If we go back 10 generations in the direct female line, we come to the remarkable Tailor Maid. Bred by August Belmont II, Tailor Maid was among the highest-earning mares of her crop, making no less than 141 starts, of which she won 20, including the Queen’s Hotel Cup at 5, the Tijuana Christmas Handicap at 6, and the Tijuana New Year’s Handicap at 7. By Fair Play out of the Rock Sand mare Toggery—the same Fair Play/Rock Sand nick that produced Man o’ War among several other important individuals—Tailor Maid was a full sister to a pair of very important foundation mares in Mlle Dazie and Cri De Coeur. The trio were not only bred one of the most famous nicks in history, but had a top-class pedigree on the dam’s side as Toggery was half sister to the high-class siblings Dick Welles and Ort Wells (unofficially regarded as the best 3-year-old of his crop).

Toggery is also ancestress of such as the Jockey Club Gold Cup victor, Gusto; Hoop Jr. who carried Fred Hooper’s colors to a Kentucky Derby victory in 1945; and Jamestown (a very close relative to Lexitonian’s ninth dam), champion 2-year-old male and sire of Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Johnstown; Mt. Livermore; the great Australian horse, Northerly, the Vodafone Epsom Derby (G1) winner Benny the Dip; and Grecian Queen, successful in the Coaching Club American Oaks. As with the branch that produced Lexitonian, the family was frequently developed through crosses with Man o’ War’s sire, Fair Play, who descends from this same G2a Achilli haplotype, found almost exclusively via the Bruce Lowe family #9.