Dortmund with a dominating allowance win to go with a visually impressive maiden victory has entered December as the “Winter Book Favorite” for the 2015 Kentucky Derby. With a possible run coming next at Los Alamitos in the Futurity in December. Let’s examine the pedigree for some insights where this Brontosaurus size colt is getting that talent from.
Sire:
Dortmund is by Big Brown a dominating winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but who was soon retired after a win on the turf that fall at Monmouth. Big Brown finished with 7 wins in 8 starts, his only loss in the Belmont Stakes. Big Brown on the track used a combination of raw speed, quick turn of foot and intimidating presence on the track to literally run the competition into submission with victories in the Florida Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.
Big Brown had push button speed, and was capable of laying off the leaders and attack going into the turn, opening up the lead and was relentless down the stretch, never losing ground in the stretch on the dirt. His best weapon was stay close and put them away turning into the stretch. Big Brown was dominating but was not a need to lead front-runner he made his move staying close to the pace and putting them away coming out of the turn.
As a sire Big Brown has been a Big Disappointment. With five crops and 233 foals of racing age, Brown has produced 1 Graded Stakes winner and 11 stakes winners. In America Big Brown has really only developed 1 quality dirt distance runner in 3 crops of racing. (Ground Transport). Darwin and Brown Almighty have been modest runners to date.
Big Brown was by Boundary a lightly raced son of Danzig. Boundary did have some distance winners, but most of them were on the turf. The majority of them in Europe at long distances and a couple of stakes winners in Japan at 1 1/2 miles to 2 miles. Big Brown was the exception who was able to run on dirt in high-class races.
Female Family:
The female side of Dortmund may be even more barren of black type. The mare Our Josephina race record below:
Mare of Dortmund
A consistent runner with 3 wins in 14 starts and over 190K in earning on the racetrack she went to the breeding shed with modest expectations. The Ohio Valley listed stakes was her “15 minutes” of fame.
So far Our Josephina hasn’t been exactly lighting it up in the Mommy Department. With six foals, and 3 winners including Dortmund. Let’s examine them foal by foal to get a better look.
Evna: Never made a North American Start – 0 wins and 0 dollars in earnings.
Too Too Fulush: This Rajun Cajun made 11 starts, all in the great state of Louisiana. She finished with 2 wins, a maiden claimer at Evangeline Downs winning by 9 lengths in a Five furlong race. The 2nd career win was at 5 furlongs in a $3,500 claiming race at Evangeline.
Madre Terra: This was the 3rd foal of Our Josephina, she never raced.
Empress d’Oro: The fourth straight filly produced by Our Josephina and she raced 4 times, all at Philadelphia Park and never sniffed the winners circle.
Joseph the Catfish: The first colt and foal number 5 for Our Josephina. Joseph the Catfish has made 12 starts with 2 wins. Both at Mountaineer Park. Both wins were on the turf. One Mile in the Maiden race and 7 furlongs on the turf. He has not started since May of 2014 and not sure if he is still in training.
Dortmund is the 6th Foal of Our Josephina.
The 2nd mare Ropa Usada was unraced and produced only one other significant winner.
The 3rd mare is Lakeville Miss who finished her career with 7 wins in 14 starts and was a multiple Grade 1 stakes winner who produced Mogambo.
Rubiks Cube of Mystery:
Looking at Dortmund, so far visually what stands out is just how much bigger than he is than the competition, he is taller, has longer legs, carries more weight and wider than any other two year old he has raced against. But watching him run, he doesn’t lumber along, he looks like on his feet, and doesn’t land on his front legs more harshly than lighter framed colts. In comparison, American Pharoah is also rather large, but he races hard and lands hard and really covers the ground in his stride.
So Dortmund has some quality class from a Kentucky Derby winner. But so far out of 223 foals, only 1 major dirt router. The 2nd sire is known as a sire of turf horses and wasn’t exactly world-class. Big Brown was his best runner.
On the female side. The mare has thrown 5 foals, with 2 minor winners. Minor being Evangeline downs at 5 furlongs and a horse with 2 turf wins in 12 starts to date. Lakeville Miss does offer some Racing Class and Producing class in the 3rd generation. Dortmund had an amazing work in the Fasig Tipton sale which probably led to the 140K purchase price.
Remember this is the same connections who bought Bayern on the cheap by a sire who had produced nothing of note in America in stakes races and turned him into a Breeders Cup Classic winner. The female family was a lot stronger on Bayern and the sire line more potent than Big Brown.
Dortmund for his size runs light on his feet and just like Big Brown, does not need the lead, and has been able to run between horses and outside horses showing some unusual versatility early in his career. A win in the Los Al Futurity and you may see a 2 race prep campaign before the Triple Crown – planned for this Big Son of Big Brown.