NEWS
Olympic is 200th stakes winner for Danzig
Posted: Sunday, July 27, 2008 7:47 PM
DANZIG
Tony Leonard photo
Danzig joined his son Danehill as one of only three stallions to sire 200 stakes winners when Edmund Gann’s Olympic won the $50,000 Mataji Stakes on Saturday at Calder Race Course.
Danehill, who stood at Coolmore Stud in Ireland until his death in 2003, tops the exclusive list with 349 stakes winners, followed by Sadler’s Wells with 297. Sadler’s Wells stood at Coolmore until he was pensioned this year at age 27. Danzig is followed on the list by Mr. Prospector with 181 stakes winners, and Sunday Silence with 169. Both Mr. Prospector and Sunday Silence are deceased.
Danzig, who topped the general sire list three consecutive years from in 1991 through ’93, was euthanized in January 2006 at age 29 due to the infirmities of his advancing age. He was a pensioner since 2004 at the Hancock family’s Claiborne Farm, where he stood his entire career. The Northern Dancer horse out of Pas de Nom, by Admiral’s Voyage, ranked atop the freshman and juvenile sire lists in 1984 and was among the leading sires and broodmare sires in several other years.
Through Saturday, Danzig is the sire of 673 winners from 839 starters that have earned $112,467,711. His progeny include ten champions and 116 group/graded stakes winners in 24 crops.
In addition to Danehill, Danzig’s prominent offspring include champion and sire Chief’s Crown, English Horse of the Year and sire Dayjur, Canadian champion and sire Langfuhr. Other successful sons at stud include Anabaa, Belong to Me, War Chant, and others. His top runners include Canadian Horse of the Year and Eclipse Award winner Dance Smartly.
In addition to Olympic, Danzig has two other stakes winners this season: Suteki Shinsukekun in Japan and Astronomer Royal in Ireland.
Olympic, a full brother to Grade 1 winner and sire Brahms, pressed pacesetter Rachel’s Dancer for a half-mile, grabbed the lead on the backstretch, and cruised to a 4 ½-length romp under Javier Santiago. He completed the 1 ¼ miles in 2:07.62 on a track rated as good. Trained by Martin Wolfson, he has won five of 19 career starts and earned $139,045.
Out of 1991 champion older female Queena, by Mr. Prospector, Olympic was bought by Demi O’Byrne for $3.6-million, the second-highest price at the 2003 Keeneland September yearling sale. He made one start for Susan Magnier in Ireland before he joined Gann’s stable in the United States.
