Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Blackadder
Blackadder wins the El Camino Real Derby (Photo by Shane Micheli/Vassar Photography)
February 16th, 2022
It’s easy to peg Blackadder as a synthetic specialist following his stretch-running victory in the El Camino Real Derby over the Tapeta track at Golden Gate Fields. But such a conclusion might be premature.
Yes, Blackadder handles Tapeta just fine. But the talented three-year-old broke his maiden on dirt and has the pedigree of a dirt horse, so he’ll have no shortage of options for his spring campaign.
Consider Blackadder’s sire, Quality Road. A four-time Grade 1 winner over distances from one mile to 1 1/8 miles, Quality Road combined terrific speed with two-turn stamina, and he tends to pass on similar traits at stud. He’s sired early-maturing juvenile champions like Corniche and Caledonia Road. He’s sired top-notch sophomores like Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner and champion three-year-old filly Abel Tasman. And he’s sired elite older horses like Pegasus World Cup (G1) winner City of Light.
With major winners sprinting and routing on dirt, turf, and synthetic, the progeny of Quality Road are seemingly capable of handling any and all conditions. Victories in American classics have thus far proven elusive, but Dr Post ran second in the 2020 Belmont S. (G1), so it might be only a matter of time before a Quality Road claims top honors in a Triple Crown race.
Could Blackadder be the one? It’s not out of the question. Quality Road is a son of Elusive Quality, the sire of 2004 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness S. (G1) winner Smarty Jones. And Elusive Quality is a grandson of Mr. Prospector, whose male-line descendants have won 45 of the 96 American classics contested since 1990.
The bottom half of Blackadder’s pedigree is similarly promising. His dam, Chapel, failed to hit the board in four starts as a racehorse. But her record as a broodmare is exciting—her two foals to date are Blackadder and Gingham, with the latter ranking as a stakes-winning sprinter who stretched her speed sufficiently to finish second in the one-mile Las Virgenes S. (G2).
Blackadder Pedigree
| - | - | - | - |
|---|
Gone West, 1984 | |||
Elusive Quality, 1993 | |||
Touch of Greatness, 1986 | |||
Quality Road, 2006 | |||
Strawberry Road (AUS), 1979 | |||
Kobla, 1995 | |||
Winglet, 1988 | |||
Blackadder, 2019 | |||
A.P. Indy, 1989 | |||
Pulpit, 1994 | |||
Preach, 1989 | |||
Chapel, 2012 | |||
Harlan, 1989 | |||
Owsley, 1998 | |||
Insipid, 1989 |
Chapel, in turn, is a daughter of Pulpit, best known as the sire of Tapit. Fans of the Triple Crown need no introduction to Tapit; the three-time leading North American sire is responsible for Belmont winners Tonalist (2014), Creator (2016), Tapwrit (2017), and Essential Quality (2021). The abundance of stamina flowing through the Pulpit line isn’t surprising when you consider how Pulpit is a son of Belmont winner A.P. Indy, a renowned source of stamina.
Thanks to Tapit, Pulpit is often found in the male line of classic pedigrees, but his daughters have also made their mark. Indeed, Tapit ranks as the broodmare sire of such accomplished runners as Arlington Million (G1) winner Real Solution, Kentucky Oaks (G1) runner-up Land Over Sea, and the long-winded graded stakes winners War Story and Madefromlucky.
Combining the speed of Quality Road with the stamina of Pulpit seems like a recipe for success over classic distances on dirt, so don’t peg Blackadder as a synthetic specialist just yet.
