Pedigree notebook: Still more to come from Arrogate’s last crop

This Saturday’s Pegasus World Cup (G1) brings back memories of champion Arrogate, who blasted to a new track record in the 2017 edition at Gulfstream Park. It’s been five years already since the Hall of Famer passed away at a tragically young age, leaving just three crops to carry on his legacy.

Yet each crop featured high-profile winners. Among his initial foals of 2019 were Kentucky Oaks (G1) heroine Secret Oath and La Brea (G1) vixen Fun to Dream. 

Champion Arcangelo, who turned the Belmont (G1)/Travers (G1) double in 2023, topped his second crop that also included the ill-fated Cave Rock. Hollywood Gold Cup (G2) winner Mr Fisk is another of his 2020 foals who could have achieved much more if his career hadn’t been cut short in his prime.

Arrogate maintained that standard with his final offerings who arrived posthumously in 2021. Seize the Grey gave him another classic victory in last year’s Preakness (G1) and added the Pennsylvania Derby (G1). Although Seize the Grey has retired to stud, there are more “last Arrogates” worth mentioning. 

Finishing third as the favorite in the Penn Derby was another Arrogate, Juddmonte’s homebred Dragoon Guard. The Brad Cox trainee had won four straight, including the Indiana Derby (G3) and West Virginia Derby (G3), by weaponizing his early speed. Dragoon Guard held his fire early at Parx, where he raced off the pace, and arguably didn’t have his best chance.

Fellow Juddmonte homebred Sidamara was a little unlucky not to earn a graded laurel last season. The 7-10 favorite in her stakes debut in the Delaware Oaks (G3), the Bill Mott filly missed in a photo to the more experienced Power Squeeze, who went on to win the Alabama (G1). Neither landed a blow behind Horse of the Year candidate Thorpedo Anna in the Cotillion (G1), with Power Squeeze seventh and Sidamara a similarly subpar eighth. But Power Squeeze has since bounced back to form, and she’ll try her luck versus males in the Pegasus itself. 

The Ian Wilkes-trained Just Basking, a closing second in Sidamara’s Keeneland maiden score, appears to be a graded winner in waiting herself. Graduating impressively over 1 1/4 miles at Churchill, Just Basking later rolled in the Iowa Oaks and stayed on for a close third in the Alabama. She’s back on the worktab at Palm Meadows. 

Also limbering up at Palm Meadows is Neon Icon, who was seventh in the Alabama. Although she has yet to garner black-type, the Rusty Arnold filly almost got up for third in the Nov. 28 Falls City (G3) in her sophomore finale. Neon Icon is another eligible to improve in 2025, and she’ll kick off her campaign in a Tapeta handicap on the Pegasus World Cup undercard.  

Perhaps the Arrogate poised to make more of an immediate splash is Liberal Arts, a prime player in Saturday’s Fifth Season S. at Oaklawn Park. 

Liberal Arts raised hopes early on the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) trail when capturing the Street Sense (G3) at Churchill Downs, but he regressed through the spring. Switched to Cox, Liberal Arts scored in a Nov. 6 Churchill allowance and moved forward second off the layoff to romp at Fair Grounds by 11 3/4 lengths. Now he will try to make it a hat trick on the step back up into stakes company.

Pandagate was a prominent sophomore of 2024 as well. The Christophe Clement trainee crushed fellow New York-breds in the Gander S. in a manner warranting a class hike. Proving himself at a higher level when third to Japanese star Forever Young in the UAE Derby (G2), he returned to beat state-breds again in the New York Derby and Albany S. That likely puts him in pole position for divisional honors in the Empire State.

Still, Pandagate has the vibe of a horse with scope to improve, and we’ll get to test that hypothesis in 2025. Assistant trainer Miguel Clement reports that Pandagate is enjoying his winter vacation at a Kentucky farm before getting back to work for a four-year-old campaign. 

Don’t forget Victory Avenue either. Debuting on 2024 Pegasus World Cup Day for Gustavo Delgado, he sparked hopes of following in the hoofsteps of 2023 Derby hero Mage for their shared connections. Victory Avenue was unable to make lightning strike twice, finishing a good second at Gulfstream that day to Speak Easy before heading to the sidelines. But Victory Avenue is training forwardly for a comeback, and if he can stay healthy, there’s no telling how far he might go. 

Winterfell didn’t catch on until the second half of his three-year-old season. Maturity, and a change of scenery from Bob Baffert to Brittany Russell, helped him to find himself. Winterfell dominated all three of his starts in the Mid-Atlantic, culminating in the City of Laurel S. Earning a ticket back to the Baffert barn, Winterfell was a creditable fifth in the Dec. 26 Malibu (G1) at Santa Anita.

Stablemate Taif, who commanded $1.45 million as a two-year-old in training at OBS April in 2023, finally made it to the races on Dec. 8. Trying a mile down the long Los Alamitos stretch wasn’t the easiest way to start off, so his runner-up effort was solid.

Finally, over in Japan, I persevere in the hope that Assurbanipal can develop into an elite performer. The $1.05 million full brother to Cave Rock won four of his first five starts, all on the Tokyo dirt, before flopping at Nakayama on Jan. 12. Assurbanipal is in good hands with Hiroyasu Tanaka, trainer of two-time Japanese dirt champion Lemon Pop as well as Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) runner-up Rousham Park.