Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: East Avenue

A gate-to-wire victory by 5 1/4 lengths in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) launched East Avenue onto the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

The Godolphin homebred is known for his frontrunning style, but don’t conflate his abundant speed with stamina limitations. His pedigree suggests stretching out over 1 1/4 miles for the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) won’t be an obstacle.

Certainly the Derby distance wasn’t an issue for East Avenue’s sire, Medaglia d’Oro. He finished fourth in the 2002 Kentucky Derby, but that was before he reached his peak. His later exploits over 1 1/4 miles included a win in the Travers (G1) plus runner-up finishes in the Dubai World Cup (G1), Pacific Classic (G1), and two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). In addition, Medaglia d’Oro placed second in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont (G1).

Medaglia d’Oro has consistently passed on his stamina at stud. His progeny have compiled a lofty average winning distance of 7.7 furlongs. They include Horse of the Year and 1 3/16-mile Preakness (G1) winner Rachel Alexandra, two-time champion and 1 1/4-mile Alabama (G1) heroine Songbird, Canadian Horse of the Year and 1 1/4-mile Queen’s Plate S. winner Wonder Gadot, 1 1/2-mile Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) conqueror Talismanic, Alabama winner Elate, 1 1/4-mile Rodeo Drive (G1) winner Marketing Mix, Pacific Classic hero Higher Power, and 1 1/4-mile Belmont Oaks (G1) winner New Money Honey.

Medaglia d’Oro is also the sire of Golden Sixty, a 10-time Group 1 winner in Hong Kong over distances from 1,600 meters (about one mile) to 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles).

Since Medaglia d’Oro has proven time and time again that he’s capable of siring major winners over classic distances, the top half of East Avenue’s pedigree is well-suited to the Kentucky Derby. The bottom half is geared a bit more toward speed, but there’s still plenty of stamina in the mix, and it’s nice to see a blend of speed and stamina in the pedigree of a Kentucky Derby contender.

East Avenue is the first foaled produced by Dance Music, an unraced daughter of Ghostzapper out of Dance Card. Ghostzapper was a brilliant and versatile speedster who won Grade 1 races over distances from six furlongs to 1 1/4 miles, including the Breeders’ Cup Classic. At stud he’s proven similarly versatile, siring major winners over an incredibly wide variety of distances and surfaces. Some, like Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) heroines Goodnight Olive and Judy the Beauty, have been sprinters. Others, like Dubai World Cup conqueror Mystic Guide, Queen’s Plate winners Moira and Holy Helena, and Santa Anita H. (G1) hero Shaman Ghost, have done their best work over 1 1/4 miles.

Ghostzapper’s record as a broodmare sire has followed a similar path. On the one hand, his daughters have foaled champion male sprinter Drefong and the Grade 1-winning sprinters Book’em Danno and American Gal. On the other hand, daughters of Ghostzapper are also responsible for 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify and champion turf male Up to the Mark, a three-time Grade 1 winner racing as far as 1 1/4 miles.

As for Dance Card, she’s a daughter of Tapit (sire of Belmont winners Tonalist, Creator, Tapwrit, and Essential Quality) out of Belmont winner Editor’s Note. Dance Card counted the 1 1/8-mile Gazelle (G1) as her signature victory, but as a broodmare she’s passed on miler speed more than stamina. She’s the dam of two-time Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Cody’s Wish, a fantastic sprinter/miler voted 2023 Horse of the Year, and also Endorsed, a son of Medaglia d’Oro who won the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) and Fred W. Hooper (G3) racing one mile.

Taking all of these pedigree elements together, there’s no reason to believe East Avenue will struggle over 1 1/4 miles. To the contrary, he’s bred to thrive while stretching out over classic distances, a scary thought for his rivals given his dominant performance over 1 1/16 miles in the Breeders’ Futurity.