By Alan Porter
The beautifully-bred Congrats was the Champion Freshman Sire of 2010 in the U.S. With his first crop, he has already sired 12 stakes horses, and four grade one performers, including the grade one winning two-year-olds Turbulent Descent and Wickedly Perfect.
A son of Horse of the Year and Champion Sire, A.P. Indy, out of a mare by Mr. Prospector, Congrats is bred on the same cross as Pulpit, Malibu Moon and Mineshaft the leading sire sons of A.P. Indy. A.P. Indy has enjoyed tremendous success with mares by Mr. Prospector, and Pulpit and Malibu Moon have both already sired grade one winners when bred back over Mr. Prospector line mares. We can note that Congrats is already sire of a grade one placed two-year-old out of a mare by Thunder Gulch (by Gulch). Flatter, a brother to Congrats is sire of a graded stakes winner out of a mare by Unbridled, the sire of Unbridled’s Song.
Other Mr. Prospector line horses that are broodmare sires of stakes winners by A.P. Indy include Seeking the Gold (sire of Secret Savings, Lujain and Dubawai), and Machiavellian (sire of Street Cry and Vettori). Look also for mares by stallions bred on the Mr. Prospector/Northern Dancer cross, sources including Kingmambo (sire of King’s Best and Dubai Destination), Fusaichi Pegasus, Elusive Quality (who looks particularly interesting here), Grand Slam, Zafonic (and his son Xaar), and Woodman (sire of Timber Country).
A.P. Indy has also done extremely well over mares descending from the other great sire line of the current era, that of Northern Dancer. Congrats already has two grade one winners out of mares descending from that line through Storm Cat, who can be found in Australia through Hennessy (and his son Johannesburg), Tale of the Cat, Giant’s Causeway (and his son, Shamardal), High Yield, Catrail, Van Nistelrooy, Black Minnaloushe, and Statue of Liberty (who would be intriguing, as he is out of a three-parts-sister to A.P. Indy). Congrats may also be suited by mares descending from Northern Dancer through Danzig (there is already a graded stakes winner by a son of A.P. Indy out of a mare by Danehill, and Danehill appears intriguing here, as he is a genetic relative to the granddam of Congrats. Flying Spur might be a particularly interesting cross. Anabaa is another Danzig strain that would appeal), Deputy Minister (sire of Dehere), Nijinsky II (who could be brought in through Royal Academy, a close relative to Storm Cat), Lyphard, Nureyev, and El Gran Senor (which suggests trying Last Tycoon, who is by Try My Best a brother to El Gran Senor).
The A.P. Indy line is beginning to work well with Roberto line mares, including stakes winners out of mares by Red Ransom (who could be brought in through daughters of Charge Forward, Domesday, and Sri Pekan), Kris S. (sire of Prized and Brocco) and Dynaformer. Other sources of Roberto including At Talaq and Touching Wood.
