Conformation & Mating Recommendations
for ESKENDEREYA
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).
