Tapit Shoes
Tapit - Awesome Flower by Flower Alley
All Progeny Average Winning Distance: 7.62F
Betmix Angler Sire Stats
Progeny on Belmont dirt: 456 Starts, 73 Wins, 16%
Progeny at 10F/+: 397 Starts, 48 Wins, 12%
Best progeny finish at 12F/+: G1 Belmont Stakes winners Tonalist, Creator, Tapwrit, Essential Quality (12F/Dirt)
The first of two colts by Belmont Stakes king Tapit. It´s no secret that the great Tapit is the sire of a quartet of Belmont Stakes winners and Tapit Shoes is a also a half-brother to 2022 G1 Arkansas Derby and G1 Haskell Inv. (both at 9F) winner Cyberknife. His dam, Awesome Flower, was best up to a mile and is by the Distorted Humor son Flower Alley, a Travers winner whose best moment at stud came when his son I'll Have Another won the 2012 Kentucky Derby. Tapit Shoes gets another stamina boost from his second damsire, Awesome Again.
Tapit Trice
Tapit - Danzatrice by Dunkirk
All Progeny Average Winning Distance: 7.62F
Betmix Angler Sire Stats
Progeny on Belmont dirt: 456 Starts, 73 Wins, 16%
Progeny at 10F/+: 397 Starts, 48 Wins, 12%
Best progeny finish at 12F/+: G1 Belmont Stakes winners Tonalist, Creator and Tapwrit (12F/Dirt)
Blue Grass winner Tapit Trice cost $1.3 million yearling and will be a much lower price than Tapit Shoes to deliver his legendary sire a fifth Belmont Stakes winner. His dam, Danzatrice, was a 3x Stakes winner/G3-placed at 8.5F and is a half-sister to 2018 G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and Eclipse Award Champion Jaywalk. Danzatrice is a daughter of the well-bred Unbrided's Song son Dunkirk, runner-up to Summer Bird in the 2009 Belmont. Dunkirk is out of the Kentucky Oaks-winning A. P. Indy dam Secret Status so Tapit Trice´s pedigree shows duplications of both Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled (Tapit´s damsire) and A. P. Indy, the 1992 Belmont Stakes champion.
Arcangelo
Arrogate - Modeling by Tapit
All Progeny Average Winning Distance: NA
Betmix Angler Sire Stats
Progeny on Belmont dirt: 17 Starts, 6 Wins, 35.29%
Progeny at 10F/+: 20 starters, 2 Wins, 7.14%
Best progeny finish at 12F/+: Bold Looker, 2nd in 12F Allowance
As a son of the late, great Unbridled's Song son Arrogate out of a Tapit mare, Arcangelo also shows a duplication of Unbridled in his pedigree (Deputy Minister as well). Arrogate is best known for his stunning victories in the Travers, Breeders' Cup Classic and Dubai World Cup, all at 10F, and last year's G1 Kentucky Oaks heroine Secret Oath the headliner for his abbreviated stallion career. Arcangelo´s dam is by Tapit and she was sold at auction for $2.8 million even though she never made it to the races. Her hefty price tag is because she hails from one of the truly great female families in the stud book. Most relevant here is the fact that she's a granddaughter of Better Than Honor, dam of not one, but two Belmont winners - Jazil in 2006 and Rags To Riches, the filly who beat the boys in the following year.
National Treasure
Quality Road - Treasure by Medaglia d'Oro
All Progeny Average Winning Distance: 7.42F
Betmix Angler Sire Stats
Progeny on Belmont dirt: 222 Starts, 36 Wins, 16.22%
Progeny at 10F/+: 164 Starts, 21 Wins, 12.80%
Best progeny finish at 12F/+: Spring Quality, 3rd G1 Sword Dancer (12F, Turf)
The Preakness winner is by Quality Road, a great grandson of the speedy and gritty Woody Stephens trainee Gone West (6th in the 1987 Belmont to Bet Twice), who has emerged as one of the top stallions in North America. National Treasure is Quality Road's 15th Grade 1 winner from his first 9 crops and he's out a mare by the Sadler's Wells grandson Medaglia d'Oro. His second dam slants back toward speed as she's by the salty mid-80's sprinter Mt. Livermore, sire of a pair of Eclipse Champion sprinters (Housebuster and Orientate).
Il Miracolo
Gun Runner - Tapit's World by Tapit
All Progeny Average Winning Distance: 7.28F
Betmix Angler Sire Stats
Progeny on Belmont dirt: 19 Starts, 4 Wins, 21.05%
Progeny at 10F/+: 21 Starts, 1 Win, 4.76%
Best progeny finish at 12F/+: Red Run, 2nd Isaac Murphy S. (12F, Dirt)
Il Miracolo is one of two Belmont starters by young super sire Gun Runner, who ran 3rd to Nyquist and Exaggerator in the 2016 Derby before blossoming into a Horse of the Year, future Hall of Famer and earner of nearly $16 million (2nd only to Arrogate among North American-based runners). Gun Runner is already the sire 6 G1 winners, including a Classic winner in 2022 Preakness hero Early Voting. He has an exceptional record with Tapit mares too as 8 of his 23 starters on this cross have earned blacktype, a 34% strike rate. Those include 2022 G1 Cotillion winner Society and another Belmont hopeful in SW/MGSP Red Route One. Il Miracolo's dam, Tapit´s World was Graded-placed in her racing days, falling a neck short to Grade 1 winner Molly Morgan in the Gardenia S. (G3) going a flat mile. She in turn is a daughter of Higher Ground, winner of the Mazarine S. (G3) at 2 over 8.5F.
Forte
Violence - Queen Caroline by Blame
All Progeny Average Winning Distance: 6.65F
Betmix Angler Sire Stats
Progeny on Belmont dirt: 92 Starts, 14 Wins, 15.22%
Progeny at 10F/+: 22 Starts, 2 Wins, 9.09%
Best progeny finish:at 12F/+: Rumor of Violence, 1st Maiden Special (12F, Turf)
Likely favorite Forte is by the Hill ´n´Dale Farms stallion Violence, a precocious son of Medaglia d'Oro. Violence was a 2YO debut winner going 6F at Saratoga, with future Derby champ Orb back in 3rd. He remained unbeaten that season with subsequent wins in the G2 Nashua S. going a mile and the G1 CashCall Futurity at 8.5F. One of the early faves for the 2013 Classics, Violence started only once at 3, a runner-up showing to none other than Orb in the G2 Fountain of Youth. Forte is his 4th G1 winner and first around 2 turns We can also see from his below 7F progeny Average Winning Distance that 12F is especially rare territory for the Violence runners. Forte´s dam, Queen Caroline, was a 4x Stakes winner on turf at 8 and 8.5F and earned over $400,000. Her sire, Blame, is best known for handing Zenyatta her lone career defeat in the 2010 G1 Breeders´ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. He hails from the distance-oriented sire line of Roberto, through Kris S. and Arch, and is considered one of the rising young broodmare sires.
Hit Show
Candy Ride - Actress - Tapit
All Progeny Average Winning Distance: 7.08F
Betmix Angler Sire Stats
Progeny on Belmont dirt: 237 Starts, 51 Wins, 21.52%
Progeny at 10F/+: 170 Starts, 20 Wins, 11.76%
Best progeny finish:at 12F/+: Texting, G3 La Prevoyante (12F, Turf)
Before he developed into one of North America´s leading sires, the unbeaten Candy Ride was a champion miler in his native Argentina before an abbreviated but brilliant 3-race campaign in North America culminating with a sensational victory in the 10F G1 Pacific Classic over Medaglia d´Oro. Hit Show is among Candy Ride´s 5 SWs from just 25 starters out of mares by Tapit, a 20% strike rate. His dam, Actress, was a graded SW at 7F who also captured the G2 8.5F Black-Eyed Susan. Her dam was a champion in Canada while also placing in the 10F Queen's Plate (vs. males) and in the G1 10F Alabama.
Angel of Empire
Classic Empire - Armony´s Angel by To Honor and Serve
All Progeny Average Winning Distance: 6.82
Betmix Angler Sire Stats
Progeny on Belmont dirt: 27 Starts, 7 Wins, 25.93%
Progeny at 10F/+: 6 Starts, 0 Wins
Best progeny finish at 10F/+: 0 Starts
Angel of Empire hails from the second crop by Classic Empire, a son Pioneerof the Nile, who is best known as the sire of 2015 Triple Crown hero American Pharoah. Angel of Empire's dam, Armory´s Angel, was winless in 8 starts and is a half-sister to GSW miler Conquest Big E. Armory´s Angel is a daughter of the Bernardini son To Honor and Serve, a failed sire who whose signature victory on track came in the 2012 G1 Woodward at 9F over Mucho Macho Man. Angel of Empire's pedigree shows duplications of 1978 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew (5x5) and Miswaki at 4x5. The latter pattern is showing up in more and more in top class European pedigrees, including on the page of last year's G1 12F Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Alpinista.
Red Route One
Gun Runner - Red House by Tapit
All Progeny Average Winning Distance: 7.42F
Betmix Angler Sire Stats
Progeny on Belmont dirt: 19 Starts, 4 Wins, 21.05%
Progeny at 10F/+: 21 Starts, 1 Win, 4.76%
Best progeny finish at 12F/+: Red Run, 2nd Isaac Murphy S. (12F, Dirt)
The second son of Gun Runner in this year's Test of the Champion is more accomplished on the track and his pedigree is more proven at the 12F distance. He´s a full brother to Red Run, who will try to improve on his runner-up finish in the 12F Isaac Murphy S. in the 12F Brooklyn S. (G2) on the Belmont undercard. Their dam, the unraced Red House, is not only by Tapit but she's out of a daughter of the Kris S. son Prized, who beat Sunday Silence on dirt before springing the upset in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf at 12F (and subsequently winning the G1 San Juan Capistrano at 14F).