BARGAIN BRED RACING SERIES & BREEDING CORNER

Artax

Artax has been on my mind for a while. I was captivated by his display of speed when he was on top of his game. He broke Dr. Fager’s track record for seven furlongs in 1:20 flat. He equaled Mr. Propsector’s track record for six furlongs in 1:07 4/5 as well as establishing a new track record at Belmont for six furlongs in 1:07 3/5. 

Real Life- Artax is by Marquetry. His dam sire is Apalachee and his dam’s dam sire is Dr. Fager. His dosage index is 3.29 suggesting he has some stamina. He broke his maiden going a mile and a sixteenth. He was on the derby trail as a three year old winning the Santa Catalina and the San Felipe. He was third in the Santa Anita Derby and went on to finish way back in the Kentucky Derby. As a four year old he did nothing but sprint running fourteen times that year capping the year off with a victory in the Breeder’s Cup Sprint.

He was a good two year old but for whatever reason his first two crops of juveniles have not been what you might expect. There is still a lot of time left this year but he is off to a slow start. His best runner to date is the three-year-old filly Friendly Michelle and she is a grade I winner. I think his pedigree is speed through and through and even though he ran on the dirt he has a little turf influence hidden in his pedigree.

Sim Life – Artax has seventy-nine runners to date in the sim. Only eighteen two year olds so far. He has three stakes winners all on dirt. Dam sires range from different sire lines but Turn-To is present in several of his top runners through Cyane, and Hail to Reason. Secretariat is also present is several of his top runners pedigrees. His runners by huge percentages win on dirt in sprints. I think that is because he had all of his success on the dirt in sprints and people do not think to try his runners in routes or on the turf.

Surprisingly he has a couple of horses that have run well over a mile and more surprisingly he has produced three runners that have broken the 100 speed figure mark on turf. His two year olds so far look great in the sim. Five of the eighteen have already broken the 70-speed figure threshold. On the dirt his progeny’s dam sires were Mr. Prospector, Storm Cat and Dubai Millennium. On the turf were Kingmambo and Tomba (GB).

You can see simmers are pairing him up with top-notch dam sires but do not let that scare you away. When paired with mid priced and even bargain priced dam sires he is producing well.

Breeding Suggestions – Artax in my mind is a very versatile sire. If you pair him with stamina you could get a runner that likes to run over a mile. If you pair him some turf influence you could be pleasantly surprised with a solid turf miler. He has not had that one break through runner yet but this year’s two-year-old crop looks promising. There are no sire lines I would stay away from. Mr. Prospector will be in the fourth generation of Artax’s offspring meaning if you use a grandson of Mr. Prospector as dam sire you will get a 4X4 inbreeding to Mr. Prospector. Crossing with the Raise a Native line has worked in real life and has worked here in the sim but I like the way he will cross with Northern Dancer, Seattle Slew, Buckpasser and Secretariat line dam sires. You cannot ignore the fact the Turn-To line seems to mix well with Artax.  

At the end of the week Artax’s cost gets down into the mid eighties to low nineties so I will not have a bargain bred suggestion. Instead I will give you three suggestions.

Want a sprinter? Breed him to solid sprint connections. Look for dams that produce sprinters. (Artax X Phone Trick X Relaunch) Bold Ruckus and Clever Trick would also be solid choices.

How about a Derby contender? I think you will only need a little bit of stamina. Add too much and I do not think the offspring will run. (Artax X Unbridled X Halo)

Here is a future Breeder’s Bowl mile winner’s pedigree. Well maybe not but it is worth a shot. (Artax X Royal Academy X Mill Reef)

What to Expect – As you can see when paired with many different sires Artax looks good. His runners should do well as two year olds at least showing you they have talent. They should grow as three year olds and blossom at four. Try your Artax runner on the turf and definitely stretch him or her out just to see what happens. You may be surprised.