Two short early races under a horses belt does not make a superstar, however, when those 2 short races end up being won by a combined 20 1/4 lengths, you have to take notice. When the two races are only 5f and 6f and the winner grabs 10 lengths at the end of each, this definitely points to a superstar in the making.
This 1.2 million dollar beauty with his good looks and semi-quirky chart looked the part as Hip #77 back in March at the Gulfstream sale. He breezed at 10 seconds flat.
On June 28th he debuted as the bet down favorite at Los Alamitos and he entered the gate with only 5 other opponents. On the surface, going up against this short field may not seem all that impressive, however, four out those five entries inherited serious speed for the distance at hand. At 5f, Instagrand could have easily been considered at a disadvantage.
His opponents: No Treble (4.33) - Pullfromtheclouds (3.44) - Mr. Bingley (3.89) - and Cairo Prince's son Dark Prince (4.00) all equiped with enough speed for the task at hand. As far as what they inherited from the males in their charts, which surpassed the inherited speed of the eventual winner, Instagrand not only beat the speed he was up against, he demolished it.
On August 11, Instagrand wired the 6f track against another short field that did not pose as much of a threat as his maiden. He instantly put the only speed competition, Owning, completely to bed at the top of the stretch and left him in the dust.
Chefs Profile = 0-1-1-0-0 (2) DI = 3.00 CD = 0.50
Starting with the males, Instagrand has only ONE chef in the first four generations of his chart. The only one is Danzig, positioned in the far 4th generation who offers him only one point in his Intermediate category (7-9f) and one point in his Classic (10-12f). That is it. Looking deeper, there are 3 prominent non-chefs also in Instagrand's first 4 generations. Harlans Holiday and Storm Cat both (could) offer more speed and Langfur who (could) contribute more stamina. Only having one definite chef coupled with only 3 probable contributors is usually a tough spot for a little race called the Kentucky Derby but in Instagrand's case, he was surely blessed with the females in his family.
Mare Profile = 5-8-5-11-3 Speed = 13 Stamina = 14 Index = 1.05 Triads = 18-24-19
The triads say it all. That is the epitome of a spectacular arrangement for the Kentucky Derby when coupled with a chef index of 3.00 and over. Moreover, the 8 in the Intermediate slot of the mares profile slams him with more speed which he needed to counteract that 3.00 chef index. That 8 in the Intermediate slot gave him everything he needed to beat the speed in his maiden. The importance of reading across, top and bottom in the numbers is so imperative in order to gauge what a horse has inherited. Isolating one set does not do the job.
As of late, 3.50 and over for the Derby is desirable and it must be matched with enough mare stamina to sustain it. Gaining the 8 in the Intermediate category of that mare profile was exactly what he needed for a boost in the speed department. It adds to that 3.00 chef index and the configuration of the triads allows him to sustain it much further than most.
The 1.05 mare index is slightly higher than ideal, however this will come in handy when competing on the trail. With the minimal chefs aside, the mares will be responsible for getting him the 10f distance. Just like his half brother Audible from the last edition of the Derby, the last lengths of the stretch will be a nail-biter on a clean fast track, but no worries for a sloppy track.
The distance of 10f is within his reach and that 24 in the Classic Slot of his triads will be extremely hard to match come Derby day. Rain or shine, Instagrand has a severe advantage for the Kentucky Derby. Derby Futures are a must here, especially since Mother Nature loves to rain on that post parade. His numbers will undoubtedly be hard to match. The extreme low points (2) of his chefs, (only one chef to pull from) is also a difficulty, but being under that 12 point cut-off has not been a major factor as of late.
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