ALAN PORTER
MATINGS ANALYSIS

NOTE!! ** MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE OUR NEW STALLION, DEPUTY COMMANDER, IN PERSON....HE IS AWESOME !! ***

DEPUTY COMMANDER is one of the most accomplished runners and sires to stand in California in recent years. Winner of the Travers Stakes (G1) and Super Derby (G1), and runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), DEPUTY COMMANDER earned almost $2,000,000 at the track. At stud he has already sired the earners of approaching $15,000,000. To date, he is responsible for 15 stakes winners, including Ten Most Wanted, who emulated his sire with victories in the Travers Stakes (G1) and Super Derby (G2); Grab Your Heart, a multiple graded winner of over $2,400,000; and the 2006 Ohio Derby (G2) and Tampa Bay Derby (G3) winner, Deputy Glitters.

DEPUTY COMMANDER has done extremely well with Raise a Native line mare mares. The Alydar branch of Raise a Native has been particularly good. His grade one winner, Ten Most Wanted is one of two stakes winners out of mares by Alydar’s son, Criminal Type, and he also has a stakes winner out of a mare by Alydar himself, and a grade one placed horse out of a mare by Alysheba. It could also be worth trying mares by other Alydar sons, Turkoman, Saratoga Six, Strike the Gold, Easy Goer and Benchmark.

Raise a Native through Mr. Prospector has also worked well for DEPUTY COMMANDER, and he has stakes winners out of mares by Fappiano, Strike Gold, Miswaki and Unreal Zeal. Other Mr. Prospector line sires who are broodmare sires of Deputy Minister line stakes winners, including Afleet, Conquistador Cielo, Crafty Prospector, Forty Niner (and his son End Sweep), Gone West (whose son, Grand Slam, would give linebreeding to the great family of Best in Show), Mining, Northern Prospect (and his son Fortunate Prospect), Tank’s Prospect and Woodman. Deputy Commander’s multiple graded winner, Grab your Heart, is out of a mare by Raise a Native’s son, Highland Park.

Deputy Minister and his sons have done well with Blushing Groom line mares, DEPUTY COMMANDER has sired stakes winner River Mountain Rd. out of a mare by Blushing Groom’s son, Mt. Livermore. Other Blushing Groom line sires who could be considered include Rahy and Runaway Groom and his son, Cherokee Run.

Blushing Groom is a Nasrullah line stallion, and DEPUTY COMMANDER has also worked with the sire line of Nasrullah’s son, Bold Ruler, siring two time 2006 graded stakes winner and classic competitor, Deputy Glitters, is out of a mare by Bold Ruler’s son, Glitterman. Other branches of the Bold Ruler line which have been good with Deputy Minister, include Bold Ruckus, Seattle Slew, Secretariat, Spectacular Bid and What a Pleasure. DEPUTY COMMANDER has sired 2006 two-year-old stakes winner Roman Commander, out of a mare by Roman Diplomat, a son of Roberto, and he also has a stakes winner out of a mare by Roberto’s son, Royal Roberto. From the same Hail to Reason line as Roberto, DEPUTY COMMANDER might do well with mares carrying Halo or Stop the Music.

There are several other potential strains to consider here. DEPUTY COMMANDERhas a stakes winner out of a mare by Waquoit (by Relaunch), suggesting other Relaunch line stallions such as Skywalker and his son, Bertrando, and Cee’s Tizzy. We can also note that Relaunch’s sire, In Reality, appears elsewhere in the pedigrees of Deputy Commander’s grade one winning son, and other sources could include Valid Appeal and Believe It. Ten Most Wanted, in his graded winner Deputy Glitters, and in his stakes winner, Little Abner. Prince John is a strain which has, historically, been good with Deputy Minister, particularly via Stage Door Johnny, and Speak John (sire of Hold Your Peace, who is in a DEPUTY COMMANDER graded winner, and grandsire of Meadowlake. Ribot, who has some similar strains to Prince John’s sire, Princequillo, has done well with Deputy Minister, particularly through Hoist the Flag (including via his sons Alleged and Pirate’s Bounty). DEPUTY COMMANDER also has a stakes winner out of a mare by Spend a Buck (from the Buckpasser line), and Deputy Minister line stallions have done well over mares descending from Buckpasser’s great rival, Damascus, particularly through Timeless Moment (sire of Gilded Time), Private Account and Time For a Change.

ALAN PORTER has been professionally involved with Thoroughbreds for over 30 years. He has been a writer on racing and breeding for more than 25 years, and has been planning matings for over 20 years. He is Publisher of Owner-Breeder International and is author of "Patterns of Greatness, Volume I" and is co-author of "Patterns of Greatness, Volume II: The Americans." His matings work has resulted in more than 100 stakes winners, including champions and classic winners in at least ten countries.