ESKENDEREYA
An impressive stakes winner at two, Eskendereya trained on to become a grade one winning
three-year-old who ran the highest middle-distance Beyer of his crop, and who was favorite
for the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) until he suffered a career-ending injury.
Eskendereya is by Storm Cat’s most important son, Giant’s Causeway. A European
Champion racehorse and at three-time Leading Sire, Giant’s Causeway is now an outstanding
sire of sires with five grade one siring sons, including Shamardal, a classic sire on two
continents. The distaff side of Eskendereya’s pedigree is no less impressive. He is out of a
daughter of Seattle Slew, and his granddam is by Alydar out of Stellar Odyssey, a Northern
Dancer half-sister to Kentucky Derby winner Cannonade. Stellar Odyssey is inbred 3 x 3 to
Almahmoud, the granddam of Northern Dancer, and goes back to that great mare in tailfemale line through Cosmah, the dam of Champion Sire Halo.
Eskendereya is free of the strain that has proved to the most prolific cross for Giant’s
Causeway, that of Mr. Prospector. Giant’s Causeway and his sons have already enjoyed
success with mares by Seeking the Gold (sire of Mutakddim, Petionville and Cape Town);
Miswaki; Kingmambo (broodmare sire of three Giant’s Causeway line grade one winners,
and sire of Lemon Drop Kid); Forty Niner and sons Distorted Humor and Roar, with this
strain also being available through Coronado’s Quest, Editor’s Note, End Sweep, Trippi,
Gold Fever, Gold Case and Twining); Gone West and his sons Zafonic, Elusive Quality,
Grand Slam and Mr. Greeley (suggesting also trying Speightstown, who is out of mare by
Eskendereya’s grandsire, Storm Cat); Carson City (sire of City Zip, Lord Carson, Good and
Tough, Cuvee, Five Star Day and Pollard’s Vision); Machiavellian and his son, Street Cry
(sire of Street Sense); as well as Crafty Prospector, Lycius, Jade Hunter, Thunder Gulch (by
Gulch), Woodman and his son Hansel, and Fusaich Pegasus. The Fappiano branch of Mr.
Prospector has been particularly successful under Giant’s Causeway, including through
Rubiano, Defensive Play, Cryptoclearance and sons Victory Gallop and Ride the Rails (sire
of Candy Ride); Quiet American (grandsire of Midnight Lute); and Unbridled and his sons,
Unbridled’s Song and Grindstone (sire of Birdstone). Unbridled is also available through
Broken Vow and Empire Maker, and Unbridled’s Song through Songandaprayer, Dunkirk,
Rockport Harbor, First Defence and Old Fashioned. Mr. Prospector is a son of Raise a
Native, and Storm Cat line stallions have also done well with mares descending from that
horse through Exclusive Native (and his son Affirmed).
The offspring Eskendereya will be free of Northern Dancer at four generation on the sire’s
side of the pedigree, and given the concentration of Almahmoud in his female line,
reintroducing Northern Dancer appeals here. Giant’s Causeway has enjoyed considerable
Pedigree Consultants are able to help you in all facets of your thoroughbred investment. Not
only are we able to proven mating advice but we are also able to advise on mare selection,
management and promotion of stallions, and selection and purchase of racing and breeding
stock. For more information on the services visit www.pedigreeconsultants.com, email
[email protected] or call +1 859 285 0431.
success when crossed back over Northern Dancer line mares with grade one winners out of
mares by Dixieland Band (sire of Dixie Union), and Danehill and Anabaa (sons of Danzig,
who also appears in the broodmare sire line of stakes winners by Giant’s Causeway and sons
via Chief’s Crown, Belong to Me and Green Desert, and who could also be introduced
though Boundary, Dayjur, War Chant, Hard Spun and War Front); and a classic winner of a
mare by Alzao (by Lyphard); From the Deputy Minister branch of Northern Dancer there
are graded stakes winners by Giant’s Causeway and his sons out of a mares by Awesome
Again (sire of Ghostzapper), Dehere, Silver Deputy and French Deputy (by Deputy
Minister); there are graded stakes winners out of mares by Theatrical, Fasliyev and Peintre
Celebre (by Nureyev, who would also work here through Atticus); Giant’s Causeway have
also enjoyed success with Sadler’s Wells (sire of El Prado, and grandsire of Medaglia d’Oro,
Kitten’s Joy and Artie Schiller); and Priolo (by Sovereign Dancer, also sire of Louis
Quatorze).
Northern Dancer’s fellow Almahmoud grandson, Halo, is also well worth introducing,
particularly through Devil’s Bag and Saint Ballado (brothers to Champion Glorious Song,
who is in the pedigree of Giant’s Causeway, through her son, Rahy) who are both already
broodmare sires of Giant’s Causeway line stakes winners. Halo would also be interesting
through Southern Halo (broodmare sire of two Giant’s Causeway line graded stakes
winners) and his son More Than Ready. Halo is a Hail to Reason line horse, and from the
Roberto branch of that line Giant’s Causeway has a stakes winner out of mare by You and I,
and a grade one winner out of a mare by that horse’s sire, Kris S. (also sire of Arch, Kissin
Kris, Prized and Rock Hard Ten), and there are also Giant’s Causeway line stakes winners out
of mares by Red Ransom, Lear Fan and Sunshine Forever (a very close relative to
Dynaformer). The strain of Hail to Reason grandson, Cure the Blues (sire of American
Chance), has also been very successful under Storm Cat line stallions.
Pedigree Consultants are able to help you in all facets of your thoroughbred investment. Not
only are we able to proven mating advice but we are also able to advise on mare selection,
management and promotion of stallions, and selection and purchase of racing and breeding
stock. For more information on the services visit www.pedigreeconsultants.com, email
[email protected] or call +1 859 285 0431.