Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Blazing Sevens

It’s no wonder why Blazing Sevens has enjoyed success running long on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The stretch-running Champagne S. (G1) winner, who subsequently finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and third in the Blue Grass (G1), has a strong pedigree for handling classic distances.

Kentucky Derby (G1) fans likely remember Blazing Sevens' sire, Good Magic. A son of Preakness S. (G1) winner and two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, Good Magic ran second behind Triple Crown winner Justify in the 2018 Kentucky Derby.

Good Magic always had the breeding to shine running long and earned champion two-year-old male honors after nabbing the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) early in his career. Later, the talented chestnut added the Haskell S. (G1) and Blue Grass S. (G2) to his decorated resume.

Good Magic showed talent from an early age, and his progeny are following suit. In addition to Blazing Sevens, Good Magic is the sire of Curly Jack, winner of the Iroquois S. (G3) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

The bottom half of Blazing Sevens’ pedigree is a bit less familiar to the casual racing fan, though it still holds promise for the Kentucky Derby. Blazing Sevens’ dam is Trophy Girl, winner of a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight and one-mile allowance optional claimer over the synthetic track at Turfway Park. Clearly Trophy Girl had no difficulty negotiating two-turn distances even though her sire, Warrior's Reward, achieved his signature victory in the Carter H. (G1) sprinting seven furlongs.

But Warrior’s Reward was far from a one-dimensional sprinter. He placed in the Jim Dandy S. (G2), Dwyer S. (G2), and Northern Dancer S. (G3) running 1 1/16 miles or farther. Furthermore, Warrior’s Reward passes on a respectable amount of stamina at stud, with his best runners including Indiana Derby (G3) winner and Pennsylvania Derby (G1) runner-up Axelrod, Wood Memorial (G1) runner-up and Kentucky Derby participant Tencendur, and Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H. (G3) winner Night Ops.

Warrior’s Reward’s budding record as a broodmare sire is trending in a similar direction. In addition to Blazing Sevens, Warrior’s Reward’s daughters have foaled Blue Grass S. (G2) runner-up and Kentucky Derby starter Highly Motivated and Silverbulletday S. winner Charlie’s Penny.

This isn't surprising when you examine Warrior's Reward's own pedigree. He's a son of the three-time Grade 1-winning route racer Medaglia d'Oro, a source of stamina at stud best known for siring Horse of the Year and Preakness S. (G1) winner Rachel Alexandra. And Warrior's Reward's dam is For All You Do, a daughter of Super Derby (G1) winner and Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) runner-up Seeking the Gold.

Three decades have passed since Sea Hero became the last Champagne winner to nab the Kentucky Derby, completing the double in 1992-93. Blazing Sevens has to conquer 30 years of history if he wants to wear the roses on the first Saturday in May, but at least we can be confident his pedigree (blending the stamina of Good Magic with the deceptively stout miler speed of Warrior’s Reward) is well-suited to Derby success.