Zandon
Zandon
One of the best-looking G1 winners from the A.P. Indy sire line
2019, Dark Bay , 16.3h | Entered Stud: 2024 | Nominated to: Breeders' Cup, KTDF
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“Zandon appeals strongly at $12,500…he looks a lot of horse for this kind of money.” –Chris McGrath, TDN 2024 Value Sires
A G1 winner of $2.2 million and top-class performer at 2, 3 & 4 from the prolific A.P. Indy sire line.
At 2: Won a Belmont MdSpWt on debut at 6 furlongs, and was runner-up by a nose to eventual classic winner Mo Donegal in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct in his next start.
At 3: Won the $1,000,000 BLUE GRASS (G1) at Keeneland, going away by 2 ½ lengths to become a favorite for the Kentucky Derby.
6 1/2 Ragozin in the Blue Grass – only leading sires Practical Joke (5 1/2 Ragozin) & Good Magic (5 3/4 Ragozin) were faster before the Derby among Chad Brown’s classic contenders to date.
Finished a close third in the 2022 Kentucky Derby (G1) behind Rich Strike and champion Epicenter.
On the board in some of America’s biggest 3yo races while facing the best: Kentucky Derby (G1), Travers (G1), Blue Grass (G1), Pennsylvania Derby (G1), Jim Dandy (G2), Risen Star (G2).
“Zandon is poetry in motion.” –Chad Brown
At 4: Won the $400,000 WOODWARD (G2) at Belmont at the Big A by 4 ¼ lengths, running 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.48 and earning a 104 Beyer.
Runner-up in two of the highest regarded races of 2023: the Met Mile (G1) to Cody’s Wish and the Whitney (G1) to White Abarrio.
Only off the board twice – finishing first or second 9 times – while facing the best in 13 graded stakes from his 14 career starts; Only one of his defeats was to a non-G1 winner.
Among the fastest performers every year he raced: 90 Beyer at 2, 105 Beyer at 3, 106 Beyer at 4.
4 ¾ Ragozin – only Cody’s Wish, Elite Power, White Abarrio, Gunite, New York Thunder and West Will Power ran a faster fig among top-class colts on dirt in 2023.
The best racehorse by popular sire UPSTART ($30,000 fee) – with a 27.51 Class Performance Index – and out of a half-sister to multiple GSW CAIRO MEMORIES.
Retired sound and participating in Spendthrift’s renowned Share The Upside program.
“He moved like a cheetah. For such a good-sized horse, you never heard him. His feet barely touched the ground. Just a spectacular horse in motion and he never missed a day of training. So sound. Zandon always had an incredible aura about him and gave you that extra special feel. It’s hard to describe it. Class, quality, consistency – he competed against the best of his generation at 2, 3 & 4 and always showed up.” –Mike Ryan
| Age | Starts | 1st (SW) | 2nd (SP) | 3rd (SP) | Earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 (1) | 0 | $99,500 |
| 3 | 7 | 1 (1) | 2 (2) | 3 (3) | $1,385,500 |
| 4 | 5 | 1 (1) | 3 (3) | 0 | $715,000 |
| Totals | 14 | 3 (2) | 6 (6) | 3 (3) | $2,200,000 |
Racing Highlights
Won at 2
- A maiden special weight race at Belmont (6 furlongs, by 1 1/2 lengths, defeating Matt Doyle, Sky and Sand, Chanceux, Piccadilly, R Boy Cheekum, etc.)
- Remsen S. at Aqueduct (G2, 9 furlongs, to Mo Donegal by a nose, defeating Midnight Chrome, Mr Jefferson, Eloquist, Who Hoo Thats Me, Fromanothamutha, etc.)
Won at 3
- Blue Grass S. at Keeneland (G1, 9 furlongs in 1:50.35, by 2 1/2 lengths, defeating Smile Happy, Emmanuel, Golden Glider, Trademark, Rattle N Roll, Ethereal Road, Commandperformance, Blackadder, Volcanic, Fenwick)
- Pennsylvania Derby at Parx (G1, 9 furlongs, to Taiba, defeating Cyberknife, Simplification, White Abarrio, B Dawk, Naval Aviator, We the People, Skippylongstocking, Tawny Port, etc.)
- Jim Dandy S. at Saratoga (G2, 9 furlongs, to Epicenter, defeating Tawny Port, Early Voting)
3rd at 3
- Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs (G1, 10 furlongs, to Rich Strike and Epicenter, defeating Simplification, Mo Donegal, Barber Road, Tawny Port, Smile Happy, Tiz the Bomb, Zozos, Classic Causeway, Taiba, Crown Pride (Jpn), Happy Jack, Messier, White Abarrio, Charge It, Cyberknife, Pioneer of Medina and Summer Is Tomorrow)
- Travers S. at Saratoga (G1, 10 furlongs to Epicenter and Cyberknife, defeating Rich Strike, Gilded Age, Artorious, Ain't Life Grand, Early Voting)
- Risen Star S. at Saratoga (G2, 9 furlongs, to Epicenter and Smile Happy, defeating Pioneer of Medina, Tawny Port, Slow Down Andy, Trafalgar, Pappacap, Bodock, etc.)
Won at 4
- Woodward S. at Belmont at the Big A (G2, 9 furlongs in 1:48.48 by 4 1/4 lengths, defeating Film Star, Law Professor, Charge It, O'Connor, Tyson, Costa Terra, Pipeline)
- Metropolitan H. at Belmont (G1, 8 furlongs, to Cody's Wish, defeating White Abarrio, Charge It, Dr. Schivel, Slow Down Andy, Repo Rocks, Hoist the Gold, Doppelganger)
- Whitney H. at Saratoga (G1, 9 furlongs, to White Abarrio, defeating Cody's Wish, Charge It, Giant Game, Last Samurai)
- Westchester S. at Belmont (G3, 8 furlongs, to Repo Rocks, defeating Weyburn, Unbridled Bomber, Dr Ardito, Expressman, etc.)
Pedigree
Alan Porter’s 2024 Breeding Analysis for Zandon
A grade one and multiple graded stakes winner from one of the most successful branches of the A.P. Indy line, Zandon has top-class form at two, three and four, winning or placing in 11 graded stakes, six grade ones.
Zandon is out of a mare by a grandson of Storm Cat and should be well-suited by crossing back over Storm Cat line mares. Zandon’s sire, Upstart, has a stakes winner out of a mare by Harlan’s Holiday and a stakes winner out of a mare by Harlan’s Holiday son, Majesticperfection, which suggest others Harlan’s Holiday sons, such as Into Mischief (sire of Goldencents and Maximus Mischief) and Shanghai Bobby. Upstart also has stakes winners out of mares by Bernstein and Pure Prize. Flatter, the grandsire of Zandon also has a graded winner out of a mare by Storm Cat son, Black Minnaloushe. We could also consider Storm Cat through Hennessy (sire of Henny Hughes, Johannesburg and Cactus Ridge, and grandsire of Storm Cat), Forest Wildcat (sire of Wildcat Heir and D’Wildcat), Forestry (sire of Shackleford and Discreet Cat), Tale of the Cat (sire of Lion Heart; grandsire of Kantharos), Stormy Atlantic and Yankee Gentleman.
Storm Cat is a Northern Dancer line horse and Upstart and Flatter have also done well with the Danzig branch. Upstart has a stakes winner out of a mare by Lawyer Ron, and Flatter has a graded stakes winner by that horse’s sire, Langfuhr, a graded stakes winner out of a mare by Honor Grades and a graded stakes winner out of a mare by War Front (sire of Declaration of War, The Factor, Summer Front, Air Force Blue, Jack Milton and Hit it a Bomb). Other Danzig line options include Hard Spun, Boundary (sire of Big Brown), Belong to Me, War Chant and Exchange Rate.
From the Sadler’s Wells branch of Northern Dancer, there are two stakes winners by Flatter out of mares by El Prado (sire of Medaglia d’Oro, Kitten’s Joy and Artie Schiller; grandsire of Violence and Bolt d’Oro). Sadler’s Wells can also be brought in through Galileo (represented in the U.S. by Magician and Cape Blanco) and Powerscourt. Flatter grade one winner Taris is out of a mare by Theatrical, a son of Sadler’s Wells’ three-quarters brother Nureyev, who could also be found through Fasliyev and Spinning World.
Flatter also did very well with mares from the Deputy Minister branch of Northern Dancer with stakes winners out of mares by Awesome Again (sire of Ghostzapper, Paynter, Oxbow and Awesome of Course), French Deputy and Silver Deputy (also sire of Posse, Badge of Silver and Spring At Last; grandsire of Kodiak Kowboy).
From the Mr. Prospector line Upstart has grade two winning and grade one placed Prerequisite out of a mare by Smart Strike (sire of Curlin, English Channel, Lookin At Lucky, Dominus and Square Eddie). He also has graded stakes winner Masqueparade out of a mare by Any Given Saturday, while Flatter has graded stakes winning and grade one placed Favorable Outcome out of a mare by that horse’s sire, Distorted Humor (also sire of Maclean’s Music, Jimmy Creed, Alternation, Brethren and Khozan).
Flatter has enjoyed remarkable success with mares from the Fappiano branch of Mr. Prospector. His grade one winner Search Results is out of a mare by Candy Ride (sire of Twirling Candy and Gun Runner), from the Cryptoclearance branch which also supplied Victory Gallop, broodmare sire of Flatter graded stakes winner Ami’s Flatter. Flatter multiple graded stakes winner Avie’s Flater is out of a mare by Empire Maker (sire of Pioneerof the Nile and Cairo Prince, grandsire of American Pharoah and Classic Empire). Empire Maker is a son of Unbridled, himself broodmare sire of Flatter graded stakes winner Apart. Unbridled’s son, Unbridled’s Song is broodmare sire of Flatter grade two winner Flatlined, and he could be introduced through Liam’s Map, Cross Traffic, Rockport Harbor, First Defence, Songandaprayer, Midshipman, Even the Score, Half Ours and Old Fashioned. There is also a Flatter stakes winner out of a mare by Unbridled son, Grindstone, the sire of Birdstone, and Unbridled is also responsible for Broken Vow.
Flatter has no less than four stakes winners out of mares by Fappiano son, Quiet American, who is grandsire of Midnight Lute. Fappiano is also sire of Rubiano (sire of Too Much Bling and Burning Roma).
There is also an Upstart stakes winner out of a mare by Mr. Prospector line stallion Two Punch (sire of Smoke Glacken), and there are further Flatter graded stakes winners out of mares from this line by Street Sense (by Street Cry, also sire of Street Boss) and Aldebaran, and stakes winners out of mares Seeking the Gold (sire of Cape Town, Mutakddim and Petionville), Proud Citizen (by Gone West, sire of Speightstown, Mr. Greeley, Elusive Quality and Grand Slam, and grandsire of Quality Road, Smarty Jones, El Corredor and Munnings).
Upstart sired the multiple graded stakes winning Kathleen O out of a mare by Blame, who is by Arch (broodmare sire of a stakes winner by Flatter), from the Kris S. branch of Roberto. Roberto is also represented by Red Ransom (broodmare sire of a Flatter stakes winner) and Dynaformer (sire of Brilliant Speed, Point of Entry and Temple City). From the same Hail To Reason male line as Roberto, Flatter has two stakes winners out of Halo grandson, More Than Ready (sire of Daredevil, Verrazano and Ready’s Image).
Flatter sired champion West Coast out of a mare by Honour and Glory (sire of Put It Back), from the Relaunch line that can also be brought in through Tiznow (sire of Tiz Wonderful, Colonel John, Gemologist, Morning Line and Tizway) and Bertrando, broodmare sire of a Flatter stakes winner, and sire of Officer. Relaunch is an In Reality line horse and there is also a Flatter graded stakes winner from the Valid Appeal branch, which can be brought in through Successful Appeal, Valid Expectations and Valid Wager.
Alan Porter’s 2024 Breeding Analysis for Zandon
A grade one and multiple graded stakes winner from one of the most successful branches of the A.P. Indy line, Zandon has top-class form at two, three and four, winning or placing in 11 graded stakes, six grade ones.
Zandon is out of a mare by a grandson of Storm Cat and should be well-suited by crossing back over Storm Cat line mares. Zandon’s sire, Upstart, has a stakes winner out of a mare by Harlan’s Holiday and a stakes winner out of a mare by Harlan’s Holiday son, Majesticperfection, which suggest others Harlan’s Holiday sons, such as Into Mischief (sire of Goldencents and Maximus Mischief) and Shanghai Bobby. Upstart also has stakes winners out of mares by Bernstein and Pure Prize. Flatter, the grandsire of Zandon also has a graded winner out of a mare by Storm Cat son, Black Minnaloushe. We could also consider Storm Cat through Hennessy (sire of Henny Hughes, Johannesburg and Cactus Ridge, and grandsire of Storm Cat), Forest Wildcat (sire of Wildcat Heir and D’Wildcat), Forestry (sire of Shackleford and Discreet Cat), Tale of the Cat (sire of Lion Heart; grandsire of Kantharos), Stormy Atlantic and Yankee Gentleman.
Storm Cat is a Northern Dancer line horse and Upstart and Flatter have also done well with the Danzig branch. Upstart has a stakes winner out of a mare by Lawyer Ron, and Flatter has a graded stakes winner by that horse’s sire, Langfuhr, a graded stakes winner out of a mare by Honor Grades and a graded stakes winner out of a mare by War Front (sire of Declaration of War, The Factor, Summer Front, Air Force Blue, Jack Milton and Hit it a Bomb). Other Danzig line options include Hard Spun, Boundary (sire of Big Brown), Belong to Me, War Chant and Exchange Rate.
From the Sadler’s Wells branch of Northern Dancer, there are two stakes winners by Flatter out of mares by El Prado (sire of Medaglia d’Oro, Kitten’s Joy and Artie Schiller; grandsire of Violence and Bolt d’Oro). Sadler’s Wells can also be brought in through Galileo (represented in the U.S. by Magician and Cape Blanco) and Powerscourt. Flatter grade one winner Taris is out of a mare by Theatrical, a son of Sadler’s Wells’ three-quarters brother Nureyev, who could also be found through Fasliyev and Spinning World.
Flatter also did very well with mares from the Deputy Minister branch of Northern Dancer with stakes winners out of mares by Awesome Again (sire of Ghostzapper, Paynter, Oxbow and Awesome of Course), French Deputy and Silver Deputy (also sire of Posse, Badge of Silver and Spring At Last; grandsire of Kodiak Kowboy).
From the Mr. Prospector line Upstart has grade two winning and grade one placed Prerequisite out of a mare by Smart Strike (sire of Curlin, English Channel, Lookin At Lucky, Dominus and Square Eddie). He also has graded stakes winner Masqueparade out of a mare by Any Given Saturday, while Flatter has graded stakes winning and grade one placed Favorable Outcome out of a mare by that horse’s sire, Distorted Humor (also sire of Maclean’s Music, Jimmy Creed, Alternation, Brethren and Khozan).
Flatter has enjoyed remarkable success with mares from the Fappiano branch of Mr. Prospector. His grade one winner Search Results is out of a mare by Candy Ride (sire of Twirling Candy and Gun Runner), from the Cryptoclearance branch which also supplied Victory Gallop, broodmare sire of Flatter graded stakes winner Ami’s Flatter. Flatter multiple graded stakes winner Avie’s Flater is out of a mare by Empire Maker (sire of Pioneerof the Nile and Cairo Prince, grandsire of American Pharoah and Classic Empire). Empire Maker is a son of Unbridled, himself broodmare sire of Flatter graded stakes winner Apart. Unbridled’s son, Unbridled’s Song is broodmare sire of Flatter grade two winner Flatlined, and he could be introduced through Liam’s Map, Cross Traffic, Rockport Harbor, First Defence, Songandaprayer, Midshipman, Even the Score, Half Ours and Old Fashioned. There is also a Flatter stakes winner out of a mare by Unbridled son, Grindstone, the sire of Birdstone, and Unbridled is also responsible for Broken Vow.
Flatter has no less than four stakes winners out of mares by Fappiano son, Quiet American, who is grandsire of Midnight Lute. Fappiano is also sire of Rubiano (sire of Too Much Bling and Burning Roma).
There is also an Upstart stakes winner out of a mare by Mr. Prospector line stallion Two Punch (sire of Smoke Glacken), and there are further Flatter graded stakes winners out of mares from this line by Street Sense (by Street Cry, also sire of Street Boss) and Aldebaran, and stakes winners out of mares Seeking the Gold (sire of Cape Town, Mutakddim and Petionville), Proud Citizen (by Gone West, sire of Speightstown, Mr. Greeley, Elusive Quality and Grand Slam, and grandsire of Quality Road, Smarty Jones, El Corredor and Munnings).
Upstart sired the multiple graded stakes winning Kathleen O out of a mare by Blame, who is by Arch (broodmare sire of a stakes winner by Flatter), from the Kris S. branch of Roberto. Roberto is also represented by Red Ransom (broodmare sire of a Flatter stakes winner) and Dynaformer (sire of Brilliant Speed, Point of Entry and Temple City). From the same Hail To Reason male line as Roberto, Flatter has two stakes winners out of Halo grandson, More Than Ready (sire of Daredevil, Verrazano and Ready’s Image).
Flatter sired champion West Coast out of a mare by Honour and Glory (sire of Put It Back), from the Relaunch line that can also be brought in through Tiznow (sire of Tiz Wonderful, Colonel John, Gemologist, Morning Line and Tizway) and Bertrando, broodmare sire of a Flatter stakes winner, and sire of Officer. Relaunch is an In Reality line horse and there is also a Flatter graded stakes winner from the Valid Appeal branch, which can be brought in through Successful Appeal, Valid Expectations and Valid Wager.
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