Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Getaway Car

A brief glance at the pedigree of Sunland Park Derby winner Getaway Car might lead to the conclusion he’s bred to shine racing classic distances.

Surely the 1 1/4-mile journey of the Kentucky Derby (G1) is within reach? After all, Getaway Car is a son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), Dubai World Cup (G1), and two editions of the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) racing 1 1/4 miles, in addition to the Preakness (G1) over 1 3/16 miles.

Curlin is a strong source of stamina at stud, with his progeny winning at an average distance of 7.6 furlongs. Many of Curlin’s sons have recorded top-three finishes in Triple Crown races. There’s Exaggerator, winner of the Preakness and runner-up in the Kentucky Derby; Good Magic, second in the Kentucky Derby; Palace Malice, winner of the 1 1/2-mile Belmont (G1); Ride On Curlin, second in the Preakness; Irish War Cry, runner-up in the Belmont; Tenfold, third in the Preakness; and Keen Ice, third in the Belmont.

Other long-winded sons and daughters of Curlin include the champions Vino Rosso, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Gold Cup at Santa Anita (G1) racing 1 1/4 miles; Idiomatic, winner of the 1 1/8-mile Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) and a bevy of other Grade 1 races; Malathaat, a Breeders’ Cup Distaff conqueror who won racing as far as 1 1/4 miles; and Nest, winner of the 1 1/4-mile Alabama (G1).

Curlin has also sired Global Campaign, Highland Falls, Bright Future, and Idol, all Grade 1 winners racing 1 1/4 miles.

And yet, once in a while, Curlin sires elite horses who are at their best racing one mile or less. Two recent examples are 2023 Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish, a two-time winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), and Elite Power, a two-time champion male sprinter who twice won the six-furlong Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).

There’s a distinct possibility that Getaway Car is cut from the same cloth as Cody’s Wish and Elite Power. Getaway Car’s biggest win has come in the six-furlong Best Pal (G3), and while he’s performed admirably over 1 1/16 miles—winning the Sunland Park Derby and recording top-four finishes in the American Pharoah (G1), Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), and Los Alamitos Futurity (G2)—he gives the impression 1 1/16 miles might be the upper end of his distance capabilities.

At best, Getaway Car has held his ground down the homestretch of his 1 1/16-mile races. In the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Los Alamitos Futurity, he lost ground through the final furlong.

The argument that Getaway Car will prove best racing 1 1/16 miles or less is supported by the bottom half of his pedigree. He’s the first foal produced by Landaluce S. winner Surrender Now, a pure sprinter who scored all five of her victories dashing 5 1/2 furlongs or less.

Surrender Now, in turn, is a daughter of Morning Line out of Surrender. As a son of two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Tiznow out of a mare by Belmont winner and legendary stamina influence A.P. Indy, Morning Line was bred to shine over 1 1/4 miles. But his longest win came in the 1 1/8-mile Pennsylvania Derby (G2), and his signature triumph came sprinting seven furlongs in the Carter H. (G1).

At stud, the progeny of Morning Line have compiled a speed-oriented average winning distance of 6.8 furlongs. The best of them include Stubbins, winner of the 5 1/2-furlong Woodford (G2); Seven Trumpets, victorious in the 6 1/2-furlong Good Lord S. and runner-up in the seven-furlong H. Allen Jerkens (G1); and Rowdy Yates, a four-time stakes winner over distances from six furlongs to one mile.

As for Surrender, she failed to win in two starts, but she’s enjoyed noteworthy success as a broodmare. Her best foal is Red Flag, a runaway winner of the seven-furlong Bob Hope (G3).

Perhaps Curlin’s tendency to sire long-winded classic types will come through and sustain Getaway Car over 1 1/4 miles in the Kentucky Derby. But since the dam side of Getaway Car’s pedigree is all about speed, there’s a strong chance Getaway Car will instead follow the examples of Cody’s Wish and Elite Power and thrive racing 1 1/16 miles or shorter.