• Eclipse Award Finalist as a three-year-old
• "As good as horses get."--Todd Pletcher
• Highest rated three-year-old of 2010 on dirt (tied with Lookin At Lucky)
• Effortless winner of NYRA's "Race of the Year"
• Dominant and undefeated on dirt: 4 wins by 26 3/4 lengths – average victory margin 6 1/2 lengths
• 9 3/4-length winner of the $750,000 Wood Memorial (G1), becoming the KY Derby favorite
• Moved to the top of the 3yo division after 8 1/2-length romp in Fountain of Youth S. (G2)
• Highest Beyer Speed Figure for any 3-year-old of 2010 beyond a mile
• Earned a 2 3/4 Ragozin number in both his Fountain of Youth & Wood Memorial romps
• By two-time Champion Sire Giant's Causeway, from the direct family of Halo
• First three damsires are Seattle Slew, Alydar and Northern Dancer
  
• Bred to 137 mares in 2011 and 110 mares in 2012
• First in foal mares averaged $118,941 (17 sold) - first weanlings sold for $210,000, $130,000, etc.

• Matt O'Neil Pedigree Analysis for Eskendereya
The Egyptian city of Alexandria was home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, a magnificent 450-foot tall Lighthouse that surely awed all who saw it...


• Eskendereya - Shamardal six cross pedigree comparison
The pedigree and performance of Eskendereya is markedly similar to Giant’s Causeway’s best siring son, Shamardal.


• Suggested Broodmare Sires
provided by Alan Porter


• Sid Fernando Pedigree Analysis on ESKENDEREYA
Eskendereya, impressive winner of the G2 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Saturday, actually sold at Keeneland, for $250,000 as a yearling to Zayat Stable. High marks to the Zayat crew for another remarkable auction purchase, but the official breeder of the colt is...


• Profile Page at BloodHorse.com
A history of articles and information regarding Eskendereya's racing career.


• Progeny Summary for Sire, Giant's Causeway
equineline.com, opens in new window


• Edwin Anthony Pedigree Analysis on ESKENDEREYA
I wrote a series of eight pedigree profiles for horses on the “Triple Crown trail” starting about this time last year, and recent Fountain of Youth (G2) winner Eskendereya will serve as the first horse in our series...


• Printable Stallion Register Page
.pdf, opens in new window

Alan Porter - Standing 16.1 hands tall, Eskendereya is leading-sire Giant’s Causeway’s most exciting son to enter stud in North America. Eskendereya is a great combination of strength and balance with a radiant muscle definition that exhibits the athleticism he displayed on the racetrack. He has a masculine head, beautiful, long neck and is extremely well- balanced with a strong, laid-back shoulder. Deep girthed with a strong back that tapers into big, powerful hip and hind quarter, Eskendereya also possesses the ideal hind leg. He has short cannon bones with a great forearm and gaskin, outstanding feet, and a great quality and volume of bone as well. At a walk he is just slightly offset in the knees but glides over the ground as you would expect of a G1SW and the most dominant colt of his generation.

Eskendereya’s supreme physical characteristics will no doubt improve all mare types and physically match up well with any well conformed mare. We feel he will best suit mares of above average size that are correct and have a pretty head.

An impressive stakes winner at two, Eskendereya trained on to become a grade one winning three-year-old who ran the highest middle-distance Beyer of his crop, and who was the favorite for the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) until he suffered a career-ending injury.

He is by Storm Cat’s most important son, Giant’s Causeway, Champion racehorse and sire, and now an outstanding sire of sires with his sons Shamardal – already a classic sire on two continents – Footstepsinthesand and First Samurai all siring graded winners in their first crops. The distaff side of Eskendereya’s pedigree is no less impressive. He is out of a daughter of Seattle Slew, and his granddam is by Alydar out of Stellar Odyssey, a Northern Dancer half-sister to Kentucky Derby winner Cannonade. Stellar Odyssey is inbred 3 x 3 to Almahmoud, the granddam of Northern Dancer, and goes back to that great mare in tail- female line through Cosmah, the dam of Champion Sire Halo.

Recommended Crosses

Eskendereya is free of the strain that has proven to be the most prolific cross for Giant’s Causeway, that of Mr. Prospector. Giant’s Causeway and his sons already have stakes winners out of mares by Seeking the Gold; Miswaki; Kingmambo; Forty Niner (whose sons include Distorted Humor); Gone West and his son Zafonic (suggesting other Gone West sons such as Elusive Quality, Grand Slam and Mr. Greeley); Fappiano (and his sons, Rubiano and Defensive Play, and grandsons Unbridled’s Song, and Ride the Rails, himself sire of Candy Ride), Machiavellian (sire of Street Cry), Crafty Prospector, Lycius, Jade Hunter, Thunder Gulch (by Gulch) and Hansel (by Woodman). He also looks interesting with mares by Fusaichi Pegasus. Mr. Prospector is a son of Raise a Native, and Storm Cat line stallions have also done well with mares descending from that horse through Exclusive Native (and his son Affirmed).

The offspring of Eskendereya will be free of Northern Dancer at four generations on the sire’s side of the pedigree, and given the concentration of Almahmoud in his female line, reintroducing Northern Dancer appeals here. Giant’s Causeway has enjoyed considerable success when crossed back over Northern Dancer line mares, with grade one winners out of mares by Dixieland Band and Danehill (a son of Danzig); a classic winner out of a mare by Alzao (by Lyphard); graded stakes winners out of mares by Dehere and French Deputy, (by Deputy Minister); and graded stakes winners out of mares by Theatrical and Fasliyev (by Nureyev); Sadler’s Wells (sire of El Prado); Shareef Dancer; and Priolo (by Sovereign Dancer).

Northern Dancer’s fellow Almahmoud grandson, Halo, is also well worth introducing, particularly through Devil’s Bag and Saint Ballado (brothers to Champion Glorious Song, who is in the pedigree of Giant’s Causeway, through her son, Rahy). Halo would also be interesting through Southern Halo and his son More Than Ready. Halo is a Hail to Reason line horse, and from the Roberto branch of that line Giant’s Causeway has a grade one winner out of a mare by Kris S. The strain of Hail to Reason’s grandson, Cure the Blues, has also been very successful under Storm Cat line stallions.

The cross of Storm Cat and sons over Damascus line mares has been a successful one. Giant’s Causeway is sire of a graded stakes winner out of a mare by Time For A Change, and a stakes winner out of a mare by Private Account, and other branches of this line worth considering include Ogygian, Timeless Moment/Gilded Time, Eastern Echo and Bailjumper.

Giant’s Causeway also has stakes winners out of mares by Alleged, Shirley Heights (by Mill Reef); Chief Singer (a Bold Ruler line horse); Olympio (by Naskra); Lord At War; Bertrando (from the Relaunch branch of In Reality); Day is Done (a grandson of Round Table); Lord at War; and Buckaroo (by Buckpasser).

GIANTS CAUSEWAY (USA) ch. 1997 [C]		STORM CAT (USA) br. 1983		STORM BIRD (CAN) b. 1978		NORTHERN DANCER (CAN)		b. 1961 [BC]
						SOUTH OCEAN (CAN)		b. 1967 *
				TERLINGUA (USA) ch. 1976		SECRETARIAT (USA)		ch. 1970 [IC]
						CRIMSON SAINT (USA)		ch. 1969 *
		MARIAH'S STORM (USA) b. 1991		RAHY (USA) ch. 1985		BLUSHING GROOM (FR)		ch. 1974 [BC]
						GLORIOUS SONG (CAN)		b. 1976
				IMMENSE (USA) b. 1979		ROBERTO (USA)		b. 1969 [C]
						IMSODEAR (USA)		b. 1967 *
ALDEBARAN LIGHT (USA) b. 1996		SEATTLE SLEW (USA) br. 1974 [BC]		BOLD REASONING (USA) dkb/br. 1968		BOLDNESIAN (USA)		b. 1963
						REASON TO EARN (USA)		b. 1963
				MY CHARMER (USA)* b. 1969		POKER (USA)		b. 1963
						FAIR CHARMER (USA)		ch. 1959
		ALTAIR (USA) b. 1991		ALYDAR (USA) ch. 1975 [C]		RAISE A NATIVE (USA)		ch. 1961 [B]
						SWEET TOOTH (USA)		b. 1965 *
				STELLAR ODYSSEY (USA) b. 1984		NORTHERN DANCER (CAN)		b. 1961 [BC]
						QUEEN SUCREE (USA)		b. 1966 *

Age	Starts	1st	2nd	3rd	Earned
2	3	1 (1)	1	0	$103,500
3	3	3 (2)	0	0	$622,200
Totals	6	4 (3)	1	0	$725,700

Won at 2

• Pilgrim S. (L)
  (BEL, $93,300) Broke his maiden in $152,000 stakes by 7 1/4 lengths in dirt debut, earning a 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

2nd at 2

• MSW
  (at Saratoga).

Won at 3

• Wood Memorial S. (G1)
  (AQU, $450,000) Effortless 9 3/4-length win to become the prohibitive favorite for the Kentucky Derby, earning a 109 Beyer - easily the fastest by a 3yo through the first half of 2010. He also earned his second straight 2 3/4 Ragozin number.
• Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. (G2)
  (GP, $150,000) Became the leading 3yo in the country with an 8 1/2-length romp, earning a 106 Beyer and 2 3/4 Ragozin number.
• ALW (GP)
  Led every step of the way to win his seasonal debut, running a mile in 1:36 3/5.