Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Reincarnate

Arkansas Derby (G1) third Reincarnate has a pedigree suggesting he should shine racing classic distances during the spring of his sophomore year.

Reincarnate got into the Kentucky Derby (G1) field by way of third-place finishes in the two major Oaklawn Park prep races, the Arkansas Derby and the Rebel (G2) for trainer Tim Yakteen. It earned him 45 points on the Road to the 2023 Kentucky Derby table and he snuck into the top 20 due to his stakes-race earnings being higher than the other horses on 45 points.

The hardy gray colt was transferred to Yakteen after winning the Sham (G3) at Santa Anita from the stable of Bob Baffert. He was ineligible to earn points in the Sham as Baffert is suspended from competing in the 2023 Derby.

Reincarnate's performances continued a phenomenal Road to the Kentucky Derby season for his sire, 2017 champion two-year-old male Good Magic. Runner-up to Justify in the 2018 Kentucky Derby, Good Magic seems determined to make amends for his Run for the Roses defeat by siring a Derby winner. In addition to Reincarnate, Good Magic’s first crop of foals has produced Champagne (G1) winner Blazing Sevens, Remsen (G2) hero Dubyuhnell, and Iroquois (G3) victor Curly Jack, giving Good Magic four different winners on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

This isn’t surprising since Good Magic is a son of Preakness winner and two-time Horse of the Year Curlin out of a mare by Kentucky Derby runner-up Hard Spun. Curlin in particular has enjoyed strong success as a sire of Triple Crown types, with his best foals including Preakness winner Exaggerator, Belmont (G1) hero Palace Malice, and the classic-placed runners Ride On Curlin, Keen Ice, Irish War Cry, and Tenfold.

The favorable bloodlines of Good Magic alone might carry Reincarnate to success over classic distances, but he also has a promising female family in his corner. While his dam, Allanah, scored her signature victory in the Cincinnati Trophy S. sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs, it’s important to note Allanah is a daughter of Scat Daddy. Versatility was a hallmark of Scat Daddy’s all-too-brief stud career (he sired major winners over a remarkable variety of distances and surfaces), but Scat Daddy is best known for siring 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify.

Scat Daddy’s record as a broodmare sire is still developing, with Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) winner and Kentucky Derby starter Whitmore ranking as the best horse produced by Scat Daddy’s daughters. But the second-best is probably Curren Bouquetd’or, runner-up in the Yushun Himba (G1, Japanese Oaks) and Japan Cup (G1) racing 1 1/2 miles, so Scat Daddy is capable of passing on stamina in addition to speed.

The takeaway? There’s nothing in Reincarnate’s pedigree to suggest he won’t shine racing classic distances.

Further Analysis on Reincarnate

• SCULLY: Reincarnate - Kentucky Derby Context