Kentucky Derby Pedigree Profile: Weyburn

During his brief racing career, the Chiefswood Stables homebred Weyburn has shown unwavering determination. Never was this more apparent than in the Gotham S. (G3) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, in which Weyburn dug deep down the stretch to prevail by a nose.

It isn’t difficult to trace the source of Weyburn’s talent and tenacity. Just check out his pedigree, which is stuffed to bursting with classic winners and elite sires. If Weyburn has inherited a fraction of the combined talent of his immediate ancestors, he’ll be a force to reckon with on the first Saturday in May.

Weyburn’s sire, Pioneerof the Nile, requires no introduction. A son of 2003 Belmont (G1) winner Empire Maker and a grandson of 1990 Kentucky Derby (G1) hero Unbridled, Pioneerof the Nile finished second in the 2009 Kentucky Derby and later achieved acclaimed as the sire of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. Pioneerof the Nile is also responsible for Classic Empire, the champion two-year-old male of 2016 and runner-up in the 2017 Preakness (G1).

The bottom half of Weyburn’s pedigree is equally stacked with stamina. His unraced dam, Sunday Affair, is a daughter of 1992 Horse of the Year and Belmont winner A.P. Indy, in turn a son of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and a reliable source of stamina in modern American pedigrees. A small sampling of A.P. Indy’s progeny is highlighted by 2007 Belmont winner Rags to Riches, 2006 Preakness hero Bernardini, and 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft.

A.P. Indy is also renowned as a “sire of sires,” with his sons establishing legacies of their own at stud. A.P. Indy’s male-line descendants include Kentucky Derby winners Orb (2013) and California Chrome (2014), Preakness winner California Chrome (2014), and Belmont winners Tonalist (2014), Creator (2016), Tapwrit (2017), and Tiz the Law (2020).

But wait—there’s more! Daughters of A.P. Indy have likewise been productive. His major runners as a broodmare sire include 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, 2017 Preakness winner Cloud Computing, 2009 Belmont runner-up Dunkirk, and 2011 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Plum Pretty, plus the long-winded champions Improbable, Royal Delta, Game Winner, and Wait a While.

Sunday Affair has already added luster to A.P. Indy’s record as a broodmare sire; in addition to Weyburn, she is the dam of the multiple stakes-placed router Nipigon and the two-time Bold Venture (G3) winner Yorkton, a versatile sprinter who also won the Charlie Barley S. racing one mile. Sunday Affair, in turn, was produced by Million Gift, a Japanese-bred daughter of 1989 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Sunday Silence.

All told, five of the seven male ancestors in the first three generations of Weyburn’s pedigree are American classic winners. Any way you slice it, Weyburn is bred to excel racing 1 1/4 miles (or even 1 1/2 miles) in the spring of his sophomore season.