1984 Fappiano - Naval Orange by Hoist the Flag

Cryptoclearance Racing Profile

Cryptoclearance was foaled in Kentucky from Fappiano's second crop, the same crop year in which he also sired Tappiano, Lil Fappi, and Pentelicus. Consigned into the 1985 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Cryptoclearance was brought a final bid of $190,000, thus confirming that he was a colt of exceptional appearance.

In 1986 he broke his maiden in easy gate-to-wire fashion by an eye-popping 12¼ lengths at Saratoga. He won the seven furlong maiden event in 1:23 4/5 defeating eventual multiple graded stakes winner It's Acedemic. He also won at Belmont in his juvenile year, victorious in a mile allowance race defeating future Grade 1 winner Gone West.

As a three Cryptoclearance was trained to conserved his speed and was trained to be a come from behind stretch runner.  This drastically changed his style from front-runner and stalker, to that of a closer which would characterize Cryptoclearance for the remainder of his career.

At three, he made five starts in Florida prior to the Kentucky Derby, and placed either first or second in all of them. The best of these showings was his victory in the prestigious G1 Florida Derby. Winning that race was no small feat as he had run extremely wide throughout, including 6 wide on the final turn and 8 wide in the stretch.  He won by a head in this monumental effort which saw him defeat Talinum, Avie's Copy, Bet Twice, and others.

Cryptoclearance ran in all three legs of the American Triple Crown, closing through traffic to finish 4th in the Kentucky Derby, 3rd in the Preakness Stakes, and 2nd in the Belmont Stakes. In the classics, he defeated Gulch, Leo Castelli, Candi's Gold, Capote, Alysheba, Demons Begone, Avie's Copy, Gone West, and many others. At the age of three he contested the Breeders' Cup Classic at Hollywood Park and ran a creditable 5th of the 12 runners. Of course, he came up from last place. Although he could not reach Ferdinand, Alysheba and the other leaders, he passed such excellent runners as Nostalgia's Star, Gulch, Afleet, and Skywalker.

At the age of four, he reappeared better than ever. His first 6 starts that year were all in-the-money efforts, including an 8½ length romp in a Gulfstream Park allowance, and a narrow nose decision in the G1 Gulfstream Park Handicap. He finished second in the G2 Nassau County Handicap in his next start.  That same year he won the G2 Budweiser Hawthorne Gold Cup by 10 lengths, and the G2 Paterson Handicap in one of the fastest ever timings of that race. He competed once again in the Breeders'Cup Classic, and as before, came with a rush to finish 5th. Although failing to overhaul Alysheba and Seeking The Gold, he got the better of Personal Flag, Cutlass Reality, Lively One and Slew City Slew.Then an unusual experiment was undertaken in May of 1988 which saw him try the turf in the Red Smith Handicap at Belmont Park. 

The durable Cryptoclearance was back again at age 5, and in his first start back, he won the G1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park. He also won the G1 Widener Handicap that spring, and earned a repeat victory in the Hawthorne Gold Cup that summer. His second-to-last start was in the 1½ mile G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont in October of 1989 versus Easy Goer. It was a brave performance on the part of Cryptoclearance who chased winner Easy Goer all the way up the stretch, not letting him get away. It was some 20 lengths back to the other horses. Cryptoclearance bowed out of competition with a final try in the Breeders' Cup Classic. But that race was not meant to be his apparently, for while Sunday Silence and Easy Goer battled for the finish line and the headlines, Cryptoclearance was coming up from last place, to finish -- you guessed it -- 5th in one of the world's greatest races for the third consecutive year.

He ended his racing career with the respect and admiration of all horsemen. He was a runner of great durability and consistency.
 

Cryptoclearance at Stud

Cryptoclearance got off to a great start at stud, siring Strategic Maneuver in his first crop. This marvelous filly won the Spinaway Stakes-G1, the Matron Stakes-G1 (by a whopping 12¼ lengths), the  Demoiselle Stakes-G2, and the Schuyerville Stakes-G2 all at age 2. But she lost out in the voting for championship honors that year as the balloting swung in favor of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filly winner Phone Chatter. Also from his first crop came Ride The Rails who won the Foolish Pleasure Breeders Cup Stakes at two, and ran second to Holy Bull in the G1 Florida Derby at age 3. Ride the Rails also placed to Dehere and Go For Gin in the G3 Fountain of Youth Stakes. He won or placed in 10 of his 14 lifetime starts prior to being selected by Argentine interests as the first son of Cryptoclearance to take up stud duties.

Cryptoclearance's best offspring to date is Eclipse Champion Older Horse Victory Gallop an earner of $3,505,895 and a truly gutsy performer. A solid stakes winner at 2, Victory Gallop placed second in the Kentucky Derby, then second again the Preakness. Victory Gallop eventually prevailed in the thrilling 1998 Belmont Stakes in what has to be the most courageous effort ever in that event. His track record shattering victory in the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs, in which he defeated SILVER CHARM and others, will not be easily forgotten.  He also demonstrated his courage in defeating the durable Behrens in the Grade One Whitney en route to his championship.

Volponi startled the racing world with his record distance winning victory in the 2002 Breeders' Cup Classic-G1.  This versatile stakes winner at 2, 3 and 4 is scheduled to return to the races in 2003.  Other outstanding offspring by Cryptoclearance include: Champion Cryptocloser, and Millennium Wind, Crypto Star, Pinpoint Control, Cryptic Rascal, Traitor, Came Unwound, Laydown, Amos, Ontherightwicket, Acres, Man the Shipp and many others.  Daughters of Cryptoclearance are already becoming outstanding producers and he already taking his place among the leading broodmare sires.  In the month of January in 2003 daughters of Cryptoclearance were the producers of major stakes winners Elloluv and Valhol in a three day period.  Cryptoclearance is one of a very few stallions at stud to sire a Grade One winning two year old male (Traitor - Futurity Stakes) and female (Strategic Maneuver - Spinaway Stakes and Matron Stakes) in New York.

Victory Gallop winning the Belmont Stakes-G1

Volponi winning the Breeders' Cup Classic-G1

Bluegrass Stakes-G1 winner Millennium Wind a $1,200,000 sales yearling now at stud.

In eighteen crops, sixteen of racing age Cryptoclearance has 1174 named foals, 1121 of which have reached racing age, Cryptoclearance has sired the earners of more than $49,633,033 including 3 champions, 13 graded stakes winner, 42 stakes winners and 49 stakes placed horses and he is still going strong in 2008 with 60 current named two year olds.  He has bred more than 100 mares virtually every year he has been at stud until well into his twenties, which is a true testimonial to high regard that horsemen have for his to ability sire sound, versatile and top quality racehorses.  Cryptoclearance has proven to be an excellent sire of sires and a superb broodmare sire.  In 2008 he currently has running three stakes winners and three stakes placed runners.

The future should continue to be quite bright for Cryptoclearance. His pedigree contains many strengthening and balancing agents which will bring him into demand for mares already related to Northern Dancer and his sons. Cryptoclearance is a son fo the great Fappiano who has sired other great runner/sire combinations like Unbridled, Defensive Play, and Roy. One thing each of these stallions has in common, other than being sired by Fappiano, is that they are all free of Northern Dancer blood. This will be a quality much in demand in the future.  Additionally, Cryptoclearance is a sire that has proven he can produce quality runners that are inbred to Mr. Prospector.

His broodmare sire Hoist The Flag has been identified as possessing a large heart. Race record suggests that Cryptoclearance was an inheritor of this x-factor quality. Today, his daughters of  are becoming very desirable as broodmares and are exhibiting all the signs of be being excellent, sound producing mares. Hoist The Flag is also the broodmare sire of Broad Brush, Personal Flag, Personal Ensign, Sacahuista, Star Standard and others.

Cryptoclearance's female line has produced outstanding runners as Middle Brother, Boldnesian, Princessnesian, Alanesian, George Navanod, and Latin American. Just to illustrate that the quality of this family is deep-rooted, if one follows this same family back a great deal further, one would find Belmont and Travers winner Sir Dixon (1888), Travers winner Kentucky (1864) and English Derby and St Leger winner Iroquois (1881). Distance has apparently never troubled this family.

As a matter more of trivia than of importance, Cryptoclearance and Defensive Play also share another quality with their sire. They are Pure Breeding Bay stallions. A two-headed coin, so to speak. Having inherited a bay gene from both parents, these stallions will always transmit a bay gene to their offspring, and are therefore incapable of producing a chestnut foal. Other great sires who share this same trait are Danzig, Sadler's Wells, Seattle Slew, Bull Lea, and the immortal St Simon, to name a few.

Cryptoclearance has it all - an outstanding race record and production record at stud, dashing good looks, great pedigree, and he raced long and retired sound. With so much going for him, there are certainly more champions yet to come which will represent him with honor.

Racing Record:

 

Stakes Record and Two Year Old Wins:
 

at 2, 1986:

• won - 8f allowance at Belmont (by 4 lengths)
• won - 7f maiden race at Saratoga (by 12 1/4 lengths)

at 3, 1987:

• won - Florida Derby [G1] (9f, equal top weight, def. No More Flowers, Talinum, Bet Twice, etc.)
• won - Pegasus H. [G1] (9f, equal top weight)
• won - Everglades S. [G2] (9f)
• won - Biscayne Bay S. (6f, top weight)
• 2nd -  Belmont S. [G1] (12f, to Bet Twice, def. Alysheba, etc.)
• 2nd -  Travers S. [G1] (10f, to Java Gold)
• 2nd -  Flamingo S. [G1] (9f)
• 2nd -  Bahamas S. (7f)
• 3rd -   Preakness S. [G1] (9½f)
• 3rd -   Meadowlands S. [G1] (10f)
• 3rd -   Jim Dandy S. [G2] (9f)
• 5th -   Breeders' Cup Classic [G1] (10f)

at 4, 1988:

• won - Budweiser Hawthorne Gold Cup [G2] (10f, won by 10 lengths, def Cutlass Reality, etc.)
• won - Paterson H. [G2] (9f, top weight)
• 2nd -  Oaklawn H. [G1] (9f)
• 2nd -  Gulfstream Park H. [G1] (10f)
• 2nd -  Donn Handicap [G1] (9f)
• 2nd -  Nassau County H. [G2] (9f)
• 2nd -  Tropical Park H. (10f)
• 3rd -   Pimilico Special (9½f)
• 5th -   Breeders' Cup Classic [G1] (10f)

at 5, 1989:

• won - Widener H. [G1] (10f, top weight)
• won - Donn H. [G1] (9f, top weight)
• won - Budweiser Hawthorne Gold Cup [G2] (10f, top weight)
• 2nd -  Jockey Club Gold Cup [G1] (12f)
• 3rd -   Gulfstream Park H. [G1] (10f)
• 3rd -   Whitney H. [G1] (9f)
• 5th -   Breeders' Cup Classic [G1] (10f)

Cryptoclearance as a Sire of Sires and a Broodmare Sire

Victory Gallop, the Eclipse Champion Classic winning son is the sire of this year's million dollar Pennsylvania Derby winner in Anak Nakal. Additionally, perhaps the best horse in the world in 2003 was Candy Ride by Ride the Rails, a son of Cryptoclearance.  Candy Ride is among the leading Freshmen sires of 2008 and is deemed destined to be an important sire. Traitor, another son of Cryptoclearance had stakes winner in his first crop in Megoman.  Volponi, Millennium Wind and Crypto Star are also at stud.

Multiple Grade One Stakes winner Elloluv, is out of Cryptoclearance mare indicating that he is also on the road to being a wonderful broodmare sire. Cryptoclearance is already the broodmare sire of the earners of over $14,250,000.  Other excellent runners out of Cryptoclearance mares include Cat Fighter, Spite the Devil, Clearly a Queen and Ishiguru and Royal Code in Australia.

As a Broodmare Sire, Cryptoclearance is the sire of 283 dams of 953 foals, including 32 stakes winners worldwide.