Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: First Resort

First Resort showed signs of talent sprinting on dirt and running long on turf, finishing second in the Saratoga Special (G2) and fourth in the Summer (G1).

But a pace-tracking 2 1/4-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby suggests running long on dirt is First Resort’s true strong suit. The Kentucky Jockey Club took place at Churchill Downs, host track of the Kentucky Derby (G1), and from a pedigree perspective First Resort is well-equipped to take aim at the 2025 Run for the Roses.

First Resort’s sire is Uncle Mo, voted champion two-year-old male of 2010 after winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and Champagne (G1). As a racehorse, Uncle Mo proved best as a miler, but his progeny have consistently excelled running long on dirt. His first crop of foals yielded 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, and subsequent crops have produced 1 1/2-mile Belmont (G1) winner Mo Donegal, 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic (G1) hero Arabian Knight, and a bevy of other Grade 1-winning dirt routers.

All told, the progeny of Uncle Mo win at an average distance of 7.5 furlongs, a stout metric indicative of a stallion primarily responsible for route racers.

That’s good news for First Resort since it counterbalances the bottom half of his pedigree, which is geared more toward speed than stamina, though stamina isn’t completely absent.

The speed starts with First Resort’s dam, Fair Maiden, who scored her signature victory sprinting seven furlongs in the La Brea (G1). That was the longest distance over which Fair Maiden managed to win, though she did finish third by a neck in the one-mile Natalma (G1).

Fair Maiden’s speed is surely inherited from her sire, Street Boss, a top-tier sprinter who won the Triple Bend H. (G1) and Bing Crosby H. (G1) in addition to placing second in the Ancient Title (G1) and third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1). The progeny of Street Boss win at an average distance of 6.7 furlongs, so it’s clear he passes on speed with regularity.

But regularly doesn’t mean exclusively. Some accomplished sons and daughters of Street Boss have performed just fine as route racers. Cathryn Sophia won the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks (G1). Danza won the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby (G1) and finished third in the 2014 Kentucky Derby. Anamoe won a trio of Group 1 races over 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) on turf in Australia. Rapper Dragon won the 2,000-meter Hong Kong Derby on grass.

To gain an understanding of how a pure sprinter like Street Boss can sire the occasional top-notch route racer, a look at his pedigree is worthwhile.

The sprinting speed of Street Boss likely comes from his dam, the stakes-placed sprinter Blushing Ogygian. She’s a daughter of Ogygian, winner of the seven-furlong Futurity (G1), one-mile Jerome H. (G1), and 1 1/8-mile Dwyer (G1). Even though Ogygian was bred to excel over classic distances, he was quick enough to shine as a sprinter/miler, and in addition to Street Boss he’s the dam sire of Johannesburg, the champion two-year-old male of 2007 and a four-time Grade/Group 1 winner over distances from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles.

In contrast, the ability of Street Boss to pass on stamina can be attributed to his sire, Street Cry. Winner of the 2,000-meter Dubai World Cup (G1) and 1 1/8-mile Stephen Foster H. (G1), Street Cry has sired the legendary mares Winx and Zenyatta (both elite route racers) as well as 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense. Street Cry’s progeny have compiled a stamina-oriented average winning distance of 8.0 furlongs.

Taking all of this together—the reputation of Uncle Mo for siring route racers, the speed of Street Boss, and the threads of stamina interlaced within Street Boss’s pedigree and stud record—it appears First Resort has a pedigree very similar to the above-mentioned Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. That son of Uncle Mo was produced by a daughter of Forestry, a Grade 1-winning sprinter whose progeny won at an average distance of 6.3 furlongs, but who nevertheless sired 1 3/16-mile Preakness (G1) winner Forestry.

If anything, the pedigree of First Resort is a bit stouter than that of Nyquist, which bodes well for his chances of success racing 1 1/4 miles in the Kentucky Derby.