Thousand Words
Thousand Words
Pioneerof the Nile's Best-Bred Son At Stud
2017, Bay, 16.1½h | Entered Stud: 2021 | Nominated to: Breeders' Cup, KTDF
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2024 Racing: Top 5 First-Crop Sire, with 19 Winners already from his debut crop of 2-year-olds including 2 impressive Black Type Winners at Churchill Downs and Saratoga! Led by VODKA WITH A TWIST ($663,320), impressive 3-length winner of Churchill’s $225,000 Debutante S. and of a $120,000 MdSpWt at Churchill, and runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Del Mar Debutante (G1) [by a nose] & Sorrento S. (G3) at Del Mar; THE QUEENS M G ($284,380), romping 9-length winner of Saratoga’s $200,000 Adirondack S. (G3), decisive 2 3/4-length winner of Saratoga’s $175,000 Schuylerville S. and impressive debut winner of an $80,000 MdSpWt at Keeneland; CARIBBEAN GAL, winner of the Clasico Accion de Gracias (G1) in Puerto Rico; ANDREA, 7 3/4-length runaway winner of the one-mile Hallandale Beach S. at Gulfstream and 6 1/2-length debut MdSpWt winner at Gulfstream in her only other start; A Thousand Miles, runner-up in the Gottstein Futurity & third in the W.T.B.O.A. Lassie S.; Sol de Verano, a debut winner of a $111,000 MdSpWt at Woodbine; Empirical Mischief, 2 1/2-length winner of a $71,000 MdSpWt race at Ellis Park; Macho Man, a debut winner of a MdSpWt race at Horseshoe Indianapolis; etc.
2024 Sales: First-crop 2yos sold up to $300,000 at OBSAPR, $190,000 at F-T Midlantic, $150,000 at OBSMAR, with 9 juveniles breezing :10 flat or faster (incl. a 9.4) to date at the sales incl. 5 at OBSMAR – only Vekoma (8) and Complexity (6) had more among freshman sires; Three 9.4 bullet workers to date at OBS!
Strong pipeline: Covered 184 mares in his first book in 2021 – the 5th most popular first-season sire in North America – and covered 121 mares in his second book in 2022. Averaged over 120 mares bred in his first three seasons at stud.
Physicals you would expect from a million-dollar yearling himself: First yearlings in 2023 included fillies up to $250,000 and colts up to $170,000.
Undefeated G2 winner at 2: Won the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) for trainer Bob Baffert — just like his sire Pioneerof the Nile 11 years prior. Other recent Los Al Futurity winners incl. leading sires Into Mischief, Violence, etc.
Two-time Derby prep winner at 3: Began his career 3-for-3 after winning the Robert B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita in his 3yo debut — just like his sire Pioneerof the Nile 11 years prior.
“Big, beautiful horse. He’s got the pedigree, he’s got everything. I thought I was going to win the Derby with him.” —Bob Baffert
Defeated Honor A. P. and a leading cast of 3yos in the Shared Belief S. at Del Mar in California’s final Kentucky Derby prep race, becoming a top four choice in the Run for the Roses.
104 Beyer speed: The second-fastest 3-year-old on the Derby Trail behind Tiz the Law; faster than Authentic, Honor A. P., Art Collector, etc.
$1,000,000 Book 1 yearling at KEESEP: The first ever seven-figure yearling by Pioneerof the Nile to sell at public auction.
Won 6 1/2-furlong MdSpWt on debut at Santa Anita at two, instantly becoming one of the early winter book choices for the 2020 Kentucky Derby.
The best-bred son at stud by Empire Maker’s sire of sires PIONEEROF THE NILE: Out of multiple G2 winner & Saratoga G1-placed POMEROYS PISTOL ($574,678), who hails from the family of HARLAN, grandsire of INTO MISCHIEF.
Only Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and Breeders’ Cup winner Classic Empire won more stakes or graded stakes on dirt among sons of Pioneerof the Nile.
Earned $327,500 from 4 wins and a second in 9 starts — entered stud with a similar profile as another Los Al Futurity winner who became Spendthrift’s first stallion on the Share The Upside program, Into Mischief.
First crop are 2-year-olds in 2024.
Age | Starts | 1st (SW) | 2nd (SP) | 3rd (SP) | Earned |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 2 | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 | $151,000 |
3 | 7 | 2 (2) | 1 (1) | 0 | $176,500 |
Totals | 9 | 4 (3) | 1 (1) | 0 | $327,500 |
Racing Highlights
Won at 2
- Los Alamitos Futurity at Los Alamitos (G2, 8.5f in 1:43.19, defeating Anneau d'Or, High Velocity, Wrecking Crew)
- Maiden Special Weight at Santa Anita (6.5f in 1:16.77, defeating Thunder Code, Divine Armor, Friar's Road, Rushie, etc.)
Won at 3
- Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita (G3, 8.5f in 1:43.64, defeating Royal Act, High Velocity, Tizamagician, Encoder, Zimba Warrior)
- Shared Belief S. at Del Mar (8.5f in 1:43.85, defeating Honor A. P., Kiss Today Goodbye, Cezanne)
2nd at 3
- Los Alamitos Derby at Los Alamitos (G3, 9f, to Uncle Chuck, defeating Cosmo, Great Power)
Pedigree
Alan Porter’s 2024 Breeding Analysis for Thousand Words
A graded stakes winner at two and three, Thousand Words has a pedigree to match. He’s by Pioneerof the Nile – classic runner, classic sire and sire of sires – out of multiple graded stakes winner Pomeroys Pistol, who is also the granddam of current grade one winner Faiza, and from the immediate family of Harlan, the grandsire of Into Mischief.
Pioneerof the Nile has sired a Triple Crown winning Horse of the Year out of a mare by Yankee Gentleman and Champion Two-Year-Old Classic Empire out of a mare by Cat Thief, both sons of Storm Cat. We can also note a grade one winner by a son of Pioneerof the Nile out of a mare by Teton Forest and a graded winner out of a mare by Discreet Cat (both by Storm Cat son, Forestry, also sire of Shackleford). There are also graded stakes winners by Pioneerof the Nile and sons out of mares by Heatseeker, Shamardal and Eskendereya, all by Giant’s Causeway(also sire of Not This Time, First Samurai and himself already broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile graded stakes winner); Tale of the Cat, whose son Lion Heart is broodmare sire of two Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winners, and is also sire Kantharos and Uncaptured, with Tale of the Cat also available through Tale of Ekati, grandsire of Faiza from a half-sister to Thousand Words; Harlan’s Holiday, whose sire is from the family of Thousand Words, and who is sire of Into Mischief, Shanghai Bobby and Majesticperfection; and a stakes winners out of mares by Stormy Atlantic, Pure Prize, With Distinction, Van Nistelrooy and Scat Daddy (by Johannesburg, a son of Hennessy, also sire of Henny Hughes). Other Storm Cat sources include Forest Wildcat (sire of Wildcat Heir and D’Wildcat), Storm Boot, Tabasco Cat, Stormin Fever, Bernstein, Mountain Cat, Sir Cat, High Yield, Tactical Cat, Storm Creek, Sea of Secrets and Catienus (whose son, Talent Search is broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winner).
Storm Cat is a Northern Dancer line horse and from the Deputy Minister branch of that line a son of Pioneerof the Nile has Grade one winner with As Time Goes By out of a mare by Dehere (sire of Graeme Hall); there are graded stakes winners out of mares by Ghostzapper and Daaher (both by Awesome Again – himself broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winner, and also sire of Paynter, Oxbow and Awesome of Course) and a stakes winner out of a mare by Touch Gold.
From the Dixieland Band branch of Northern Dancer, Pioneerof the Nile is the sire of grade two winner Nolde out of a mare by Dixie Union (sire of Union Rags), and another son of Empire Maker – sire of Pioneerof the Nile – has a stakes winner out of the same horse.
From the Sadler’s Wells branch of Northern Dancer, there are Pioneerof the Nile Grade one winners out of mares by Sadler’s Wells himself, Galileo (sire in the U.S. of Magician and Capo Blanco) and Medaglia d’Oro (sire of Warrior’s Reward and Violence). Medaglia d’Oro is by El Prado (also sire of Artie Schiller and Kitten’s Joy). Pioneerof the Nile’s son, American Pharoah has European Champion Two-Year-Old Van Gogh out of a mare by Sadler’s Wells himself, and a grade two winner out of mare by his son Galileo (represented in the U.S. by Magician and Cape Blanco). Sadler’s Wells is three-quarters brother to Nureyev, and there is also a stakes winner by American Pharoah out of a mare by Strut the Stage, who is by the Nureyev son, Theatrical, with other Nureyev sources including Unusual Heat, Stravinsky, Fasliyev and Spinning World.
Thousand Words is out of a mare from the Danzig line, and crossing him back over mares by Danzig son, War Front – a cross that produced graded stakes winner Turned Aside – appeals here, as would mares by sons of that horse such as The Factor, Summer Front, and Declaration of War. There are also Pioneerof the Nile stakes winners out of mares by Danzig stallions Hard Spun and Belong to Me, and five out of mares from the Danehill branch, four graded and one Grade one.
Grade one winner Harvey’s Lil Goil is by American Pharoah out of a mare by Tapit (sire of Constitution, Frosted,Trappe Shot, Tonalist, Tapiture and Tapizar), and there is also a Pioneerof the Nile graded stakes winner out of a mare by that horse’s sire, Pulpit. Tapit is bred on a similar A.P. Indy/Fappiano cross to Bernardini, and there are three stakes winners, including Grade one winner Matareya, by Pioneerof the Nile out of mares by that horse, and he could also be brought in through To Honor and Serve, broodmare sire of Pioneerof the Nile line grade one winner Angel of Empire. From other branches of the A.P. Indy line, Pioneerof the Nile and sons have sired a grade one winner out of a mare by Flatter (a brother to Congrats, himself broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winner) and stakes winners out of mares by Mineshaft (sire of Dialed In and Discreetly Mine), Jump Start, Friends Lake and Old Trieste.
In general, crossing Pioneerof the Nile – who comes from the Fappiano branch of Mr. Prospector line mares – back over Mr. Prospector has produced below opportunity results. There are some exceptions, including graded winner Jojo Warrior out of a mare by Carson City (sire of City Zip) and a graded winner out of a mare by Carson City son, Five Star Day. Pioneerof the Nile graded winner Insta Erma out of mare by Woodman (who gives the combination of the three-quarters related Seeking the Gold and Woodman). There are six stakes winners out of Gone West line mares, from daughters of Gone West himself, Muqtarib, El Corredor (by Mr. Greeley, also sire of Whywhwywhy), Limehouse (by Grand Slam), Munnings (by Speightstown, also sire of Central Banker) and Proud Citizen. Pioneerof the Nile son, American Pharoah, has graded winner Maven out of a mare by Any Given Saturday, a son of Distorted Humor (sire of Maclean’s Music, Jimmy Creed, Flower Alley, Drosselmeyer and Brethren). Distorted Humor is by Forty Niner, and there are also Empire Maker line stakes winners on this cross from daughters of Coronado’s Quest and End Sweep (sire of Trippi). There are two Pioneerof the Nile stakes winners, one graded, out of mares by Smart Strike (sire of Curlin – himself broodmare sire of two stakes winners by sons of Pioneerof the Nile – Lookin At Lucky and English Channel) and a stakes winner out of a mare by Street Cry (sire of Street Sense and Street Boss).
Empire Maker and sons have three stakes winners out of Cherokee Run line mare, including a stakes winner by Pioneerof the Nile out of a mare by that horse’s son, Yonaguska, making mares by Kafwain a possibility. Cherokee Run is by Blushing Groom, and there is also a stakes winner by Pioneerof the Nile out of a mare by that horse’s son Mt. Livermore (sire of Orientate and Housebuster).
The cross of Pioneerof the Nile and sons with mares by More Than Ready – giving the three-quarters related Seeking the Gold and Woodman – has produced three stakes winners, and could be brought in the through Ready’s Image, Verrazano and Daredevil.
There are two Pioneerof the Nile graded stakes winners out of a mares by In Excess and four graded stakes winners by Pioneerof the Nile and sons out of mares by that horse’s son, Indian Charlie. In Excess is also sire of Rocky Bar, Notional and Bring the Heat and Indian Charlie is sire of Uncle Mo (also broodmare sire of two Pioneerof the Nile of the line graded stakes winners, and sire of Nyquist, Laoban and Outadore), Adios Charlie, Bwana Charlie, Liaisonand Cinco Charlie.
Grade one winner Midnight Storm is by Pioneerof the Nile out of a mare by Bertrando (sire of Officer), from the Relaunch line that can also be brought in through Tiznow, the broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winner, and sire of Tiz Wonderful – also broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winner – Colonel John, Gemologist, Morning Line and Tizway. Honour and Glory (sire of Put It Back, the broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winner). From a mare by Holy Bull (sire of Macho Uno), Pioneerof the Nile has grade two winner, Cairo Prince.
Alan Porter’s 2024 Breeding Analysis for Thousand Words
A graded stakes winner at two and three, Thousand Words has a pedigree to match. He’s by Pioneerof the Nile – classic runner, classic sire and sire of sires – out of multiple graded stakes winner Pomeroys Pistol, who is also the granddam of current grade one winner Faiza, and from the immediate family of Harlan, the grandsire of Into Mischief.
Pioneerof the Nile has sired a Triple Crown winning Horse of the Year out of a mare by Yankee Gentleman and Champion Two-Year-Old Classic Empire out of a mare by Cat Thief, both sons of Storm Cat. We can also note a grade one winner by a son of Pioneerof the Nile out of a mare by Teton Forest and a graded winner out of a mare by Discreet Cat (both by Storm Cat son, Forestry, also sire of Shackleford). There are also graded stakes winners by Pioneerof the Nile and sons out of mares by Heatseeker, Shamardal and Eskendereya, all by Giant’s Causeway(also sire of Not This Time, First Samurai and himself already broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile graded stakes winner); Tale of the Cat, whose son Lion Heart is broodmare sire of two Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winners, and is also sire Kantharos and Uncaptured, with Tale of the Cat also available through Tale of Ekati, grandsire of Faiza from a half-sister to Thousand Words; Harlan’s Holiday, whose sire is from the family of Thousand Words, and who is sire of Into Mischief, Shanghai Bobby and Majesticperfection; and a stakes winners out of mares by Stormy Atlantic, Pure Prize, With Distinction, Van Nistelrooy and Scat Daddy (by Johannesburg, a son of Hennessy, also sire of Henny Hughes). Other Storm Cat sources include Forest Wildcat (sire of Wildcat Heir and D’Wildcat), Storm Boot, Tabasco Cat, Stormin Fever, Bernstein, Mountain Cat, Sir Cat, High Yield, Tactical Cat, Storm Creek, Sea of Secrets and Catienus (whose son, Talent Search is broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winner).
Storm Cat is a Northern Dancer line horse and from the Deputy Minister branch of that line a son of Pioneerof the Nile has Grade one winner with As Time Goes By out of a mare by Dehere (sire of Graeme Hall); there are graded stakes winners out of mares by Ghostzapper and Daaher (both by Awesome Again – himself broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winner, and also sire of Paynter, Oxbow and Awesome of Course) and a stakes winner out of a mare by Touch Gold.
From the Dixieland Band branch of Northern Dancer, Pioneerof the Nile is the sire of grade two winner Nolde out of a mare by Dixie Union (sire of Union Rags), and another son of Empire Maker – sire of Pioneerof the Nile – has a stakes winner out of the same horse.
From the Sadler’s Wells branch of Northern Dancer, there are Pioneerof the Nile Grade one winners out of mares by Sadler’s Wells himself, Galileo (sire in the U.S. of Magician and Capo Blanco) and Medaglia d’Oro (sire of Warrior’s Reward and Violence). Medaglia d’Oro is by El Prado (also sire of Artie Schiller and Kitten’s Joy). Pioneerof the Nile’s son, American Pharoah has European Champion Two-Year-Old Van Gogh out of a mare by Sadler’s Wells himself, and a grade two winner out of mare by his son Galileo (represented in the U.S. by Magician and Cape Blanco). Sadler’s Wells is three-quarters brother to Nureyev, and there is also a stakes winner by American Pharoah out of a mare by Strut the Stage, who is by the Nureyev son, Theatrical, with other Nureyev sources including Unusual Heat, Stravinsky, Fasliyev and Spinning World.
Thousand Words is out of a mare from the Danzig line, and crossing him back over mares by Danzig son, War Front – a cross that produced graded stakes winner Turned Aside – appeals here, as would mares by sons of that horse such as The Factor, Summer Front, and Declaration of War. There are also Pioneerof the Nile stakes winners out of mares by Danzig stallions Hard Spun and Belong to Me, and five out of mares from the Danehill branch, four graded and one Grade one.
Grade one winner Harvey’s Lil Goil is by American Pharoah out of a mare by Tapit (sire of Constitution, Frosted,Trappe Shot, Tonalist, Tapiture and Tapizar), and there is also a Pioneerof the Nile graded stakes winner out of a mare by that horse’s sire, Pulpit. Tapit is bred on a similar A.P. Indy/Fappiano cross to Bernardini, and there are three stakes winners, including Grade one winner Matareya, by Pioneerof the Nile out of mares by that horse, and he could also be brought in through To Honor and Serve, broodmare sire of Pioneerof the Nile line grade one winner Angel of Empire. From other branches of the A.P. Indy line, Pioneerof the Nile and sons have sired a grade one winner out of a mare by Flatter (a brother to Congrats, himself broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winner) and stakes winners out of mares by Mineshaft (sire of Dialed In and Discreetly Mine), Jump Start, Friends Lake and Old Trieste.
In general, crossing Pioneerof the Nile – who comes from the Fappiano branch of Mr. Prospector line mares – back over Mr. Prospector has produced below opportunity results. There are some exceptions, including graded winner Jojo Warrior out of a mare by Carson City (sire of City Zip) and a graded winner out of a mare by Carson City son, Five Star Day. Pioneerof the Nile graded winner Insta Erma out of mare by Woodman (who gives the combination of the three-quarters related Seeking the Gold and Woodman). There are six stakes winners out of Gone West line mares, from daughters of Gone West himself, Muqtarib, El Corredor (by Mr. Greeley, also sire of Whywhwywhy), Limehouse (by Grand Slam), Munnings (by Speightstown, also sire of Central Banker) and Proud Citizen. Pioneerof the Nile son, American Pharoah, has graded winner Maven out of a mare by Any Given Saturday, a son of Distorted Humor (sire of Maclean’s Music, Jimmy Creed, Flower Alley, Drosselmeyer and Brethren). Distorted Humor is by Forty Niner, and there are also Empire Maker line stakes winners on this cross from daughters of Coronado’s Quest and End Sweep (sire of Trippi). There are two Pioneerof the Nile stakes winners, one graded, out of mares by Smart Strike (sire of Curlin – himself broodmare sire of two stakes winners by sons of Pioneerof the Nile – Lookin At Lucky and English Channel) and a stakes winner out of a mare by Street Cry (sire of Street Sense and Street Boss).
Empire Maker and sons have three stakes winners out of Cherokee Run line mare, including a stakes winner by Pioneerof the Nile out of a mare by that horse’s son, Yonaguska, making mares by Kafwain a possibility. Cherokee Run is by Blushing Groom, and there is also a stakes winner by Pioneerof the Nile out of a mare by that horse’s son Mt. Livermore (sire of Orientate and Housebuster).
The cross of Pioneerof the Nile and sons with mares by More Than Ready – giving the three-quarters related Seeking the Gold and Woodman – has produced three stakes winners, and could be brought in the through Ready’s Image, Verrazano and Daredevil.
There are two Pioneerof the Nile graded stakes winners out of a mares by In Excess and four graded stakes winners by Pioneerof the Nile and sons out of mares by that horse’s son, Indian Charlie. In Excess is also sire of Rocky Bar, Notional and Bring the Heat and Indian Charlie is sire of Uncle Mo (also broodmare sire of two Pioneerof the Nile of the line graded stakes winners, and sire of Nyquist, Laoban and Outadore), Adios Charlie, Bwana Charlie, Liaisonand Cinco Charlie.
Grade one winner Midnight Storm is by Pioneerof the Nile out of a mare by Bertrando (sire of Officer), from the Relaunch line that can also be brought in through Tiznow, the broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winner, and sire of Tiz Wonderful – also broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winner – Colonel John, Gemologist, Morning Line and Tizway. Honour and Glory (sire of Put It Back, the broodmare sire of a Pioneerof the Nile line stakes winner). From a mare by Holy Bull (sire of Macho Uno), Pioneerof the Nile has grade two winner, Cairo Prince.