Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Admire Daytona

Japanese raider Admire Daytona displayed unwavering tenacity when taking his game on the road to the UAE Derby (G2) at Meydan in Dubai. Facing fierce homestretch challenges from a pair of rivals, Admire Daytona gamely held on along the inside to prevail by a nose.

Another international excursion is on the horizon for Admire Daytona. He’s the top points earner on the European/Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby, and the Kentucky Derby (G1) beckons. Admire Daytona has already proven himself racing 1,900 meters (about 1 3/16 miles) in the UAE Derby, and stretching out over 1 1/4 miles for the Kentucky Derby shouldn’t be an issue.

That might come as a surprise to bettors who take a brief glance at Admire Daytona’s pedigree. His sire, Drefong, was purely a sprinter. As a three-year-old in 2016, he won the six-furlong Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) and seven-furlong King’s Bishop (G1) on his way to earning the Eclipse Award for champion male sprinter. The following year, he added the seven-furlong Forego (G1) to his win tally.

But it’s important to note Drefong is not bred like a sprinter. His sire, Gio Ponti, was a three-time Eclipse Award winner who excelled running long on turf, winning seven Grade 1 races over distances from one mile to 1 3/8 miles. He also finished second in the 1 1/4-mile Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on synthetic.

Furthermore, Drefong’s dam is Eltimaas, a daughter of Horse of the Year and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Ghostzapper. Daughters of Ghostzapper have foaled standout route runners like 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify and champion turf male Up to the Mark.

Since Drefong never tried racing farther than seven furlongs, perhaps he would have handled longer distances just fine. His pedigree suggests stretching out wouldn’t have been an issue, and as a stallion in Japan, Drefong has proven capable of siring high-quality route racers.

Indeed, Drefong’s best runner to date—Geoglyph—became a Japanese classic winner when he took the Satsuki Sho (G1) racing 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) on turf. Geoglyph also won the 1,800-meter Sapporo Nisai (G3) and finished second in the 2,000-meter Sapporo Kinen (G2).

Other successful progeny of Drefong include Desierto, winner of the Chunichi Shimbun Hai (G3) and two other stakes racing 2,000 meters; Warp Speed, runner-up in the 3,200-meter (about two-mile) Melbourne Cup (G1); and Continuar and Consigliere, two winners of the 1,600-meter (about one-mile) Hyacinth S. on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Clearly there’s no reason to doubt Drefong’s ability to sire route racers. But Admire Daytona needn’t rely exclusively on his sire for stamina. The dam’s side of his pedigree also offers potential for success running long.

Admire Daytona was produced by Ice Pastel, a daughter of Shackleford out of Million Gift. Ice Pastel didn’t show much as a racehorse, but she’s fared better as a broodmare. One of her previous foals, Red la Glace, has won three times on dirt over distances from 1,700 meters (about 1 1/16 miles) to 1,800 meters.

As for Shackleford, U.S. Triple Crown fans surely remember him as the winner of the 2011 Preakness (G1) racing 1 3/16 miles. Speed was Shackleford’s greatest weapon, and he was versatile from a distance standpoint; in addition to the Preakness, he won the seven-furlong Churchill Downs (G2), one-mile Metropolitan H. (G1), and 1 1/8-mile Clark H. (G1).

That versatility has shown up in Shackleford’s stud record. He’s the sire of route racers like 1 1/4-mile Santa Anita H. (G1) winner Stilleto Boy and 1 1/16-mile Rebel (G2) hero Malagacy plus sprinters like seven-furlong H. Allen Jerkens (G1) conqueror Promises Fulfilled and Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) runner-up Yuugiri.

Digging deeper into the female family of Admire Daytona, Million Gift is a daughter of 1989 Horse of the Year Sunday Silence out of Maplejinsky, a daughter of British Triple Crown winner Nijinsky II. Sunday Silence won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Breeders’ Cup Classic before embarking on a legendary stud career in Japan, while Maplejinsky—winner of the 1 1/4-mile Alabama (G1) and 1 1/8-mile Monmouth Oaks (G1)—is the dam of Sky Beauty, a champion and Hall of Fame inductee who won nine Grade 1 races running as far as 1 1/4 miles.

With this deep female family backing up the surprising stamina contributions of Drefong, Admire Daytona is well suited to race 1 1/4 miles.