City Zip - Jilted by Runaway Groom

We currently do not know whether Run Away and Hide is destined to be the next Raise a Native or Danzig.  Like those two legendary Chef-de-Race sires, Run Away and Hide was unbeaten and unchallenged in three starts at two.  Run Away and Hide raced racing against top competition at Churchill Downs, Keeneland & Saratoga in those three starts.

Run Away and Hide broke his maiden in first asking at the historic Keeneland Race Course, soundly defeating G3 winner and Breeders’ Cup performer Silent Valor by 3 ¼ lengths. Just 13 days after that maiden win, run Away and Hide romped in the Kentucky S. (G3) at Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week.

Time is going to tell whether he is destined to be the next Chef-de-Race with a short but brilliant race career.  It has happened in the past and it can certainly happen again with Run Away and Hide.  Breeding to this extremely fast and precocious impressive runner

Run Away and Hide was an impressive winner of the Saratoga Special (G2), defeating Nashua (G3) winner Break Water Edison in 1:15.67 for 6 ½ furlongs, a new Stakes-Record.

Pedigree Analysis - The Excellent Sire Line

Just look at those sire lines in this pedigree and you can easily see where Run Away and Hide got his speed and precocity from as a such a high class racing performer.  The first clue as to all the speed is the dosage profile as follows:  DP = 13-5-6-0-0 (24) DI = 7.00.  So here is where the tremendous speed and precocity comes from and yet there are all the implications that horses sired by Run Away and Hide will also get a distance of ground as well.  So look carefully and examine the siring ability of males in the pedigree of Run Away and HIde.

The Sire Line of City Zip - Carson City - Mr. Prospector - Raise A Naive reads as follows:

City Zip - Grade One winnner as a two year old and an outstanding sprinter at two and three.  Carson City is a Brilliant - Intermediate Chef-de-Race and was a stakes winner at two and three in sprint races.  Carson City is the broodmare sire of Barbaro.  Mr. Prospector, an outstanding sprinter is the greatest extension of the Native Dancer sire line, and the most influential dirt track sire of all time. Along with Danzig, he has created the American agency for the great Spearmint, and his offspring include Gone West, Gulch, Forty-Niner, Miswaki, and Seeking The Gold. Mr. Prospector is the broodmare sire of Mineshaft and Rock Hard Ten and a perennial leader in the broodmare sire rankings . With the above mentioned sons, he has also stamped himself as a sire of sires. Raise a Native was an outstanding undefeated two year old and a remarkably fast sprinter.  He is the sire of more than 70 stakes winners including Majestic Prince (1969 Derby, Preakness) and Alydar and also the leaders of the general sire's list in various years with his stallions Mr. Prospector, and Exclusive Native as well as Alydar.  Native Dancer was a remarkable two year old including 4 wins as a two year old in stakes races at Saratoga.  The stud book as we know it today would not exist without Native Dancer.

The broodmare sire line of City Zip is associated with speed as well.  Relaunch, In Reality and Tri Jet are all associated with speed.  Relaunch is the sire of Skywalker, Honour and Glory, Waquoit, With Anticipation, Launch a Pegasus, and One Dreamer all major Grade One winners.  He is also the broodmare sire of City Zip's half brother, Horse of the Year Ghostzapper (also extremely fast).  In Reality was a fast horse who himself was precocious and to his siring credits, he was the 1977 Leading Sire of 2 Year Olds and is the sire of Proper Reality (who won by his debut in about 15 lengths), Smile, Eclipse Award Champion Sprinter of 1986, Known Fact, Champion 3 Year Old colt in England and Relaunch, a  Champion sire.  Tri Jet was another horse who was a reasonably good tow year old who is known for speed as well.  The Fred Hooper bred foundation sire is responsible for more  than $26,900,000 in progeny earnings including Copelan, Tri to Watch, Try for Size (Champagne stakesG1 at two), Family Enterprise (Spinaway Stakes-G1 at two) and Verset's Jet., all grade one winners.

On the distaff side of Run Away and Hide's pedigree, we begin with his broodmare sire Runaway Groom, Canadian Champion and Travers Stakes-G1 winner.  Runaway Groom is the sire of Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Cherokee Run, Wekiva Springs, The Groom is Red (Champagne Stakes), millionaire Down the Aisle all Grade One winners and there are several other grade one winners to add to his siring credits.  Runaway Groom is a son of Blushing Groom one of the most influential sires of the 20th Century.  Multiple Group One winner Blushing Groom is a Chef-de-race. Led world in stakes winners 1985. His greatest runners include Nashwan, Rainbow Quest, Blushing John and Arazi. His greatest sons at stud include: Rainbow Quest (led England sire list 4 times); Rahy (Serena’s Song and 2 time Horse of World Fantastic Light); Candy Stripes (sire of Horse of the World Invasor, El Expresivo GI winner and sire in Argentina; broodmare sire of superhorse Candy Ride); and of course Runaway Groom (sire of Cherokee Run & Wekiva Springs).

The second dam of Run Away and Hide is Stalwart, himself and outstanding two year old.  Stalwart's sire, Hoist the Flag was a two year old champion and the Leading Juvenile Sire of 1981 and Leading Broodmare Sire of 1987. He was known for his outstanding speed. Hoist the Flag is the sire to dual Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe-G1 winner Alleged, Two Year Old Champion Filly Sensational, Linkage, Flying Partner, May Day Eighty, and Delta Flag all grade one winners sired by him in a brief stud career.

there is no mystery as to what made Run Away and Hide.  Sire sire power is present in the pedigree and it really came through on the track for Run Away and Hide.  He is surely a solid possibility to make a powerful presence as a great sire of precocious racehorses who will be multi-dimensional in their racing careers. 

Breeding to Run Away and Hide:

Although I am personally not a big fan of inbreeding to Mr. Prospector other than through the Fappiano line, it must be noted that Bustin Stones, a Grade One winner by City Zip is inbreed to Mr. Prospector through the Crafty Prospector line.  Suzy Zip, another stakes winner by City Zip is inbred to Mr. Prospector and to Blushing Groom.  Also, inbreeding to Raise a Native has been good also for City Zip so I must conclude that there is a unique nature to City Zip and he seems to suit a great many sire lines. 

So let us focus on the concept that the best chance to get a multi-dimensional runner would be to pay attention to the Dosage Index and simply mate for an under 4.00 dosage.  Frankly, when breeding to City Zip, the dosage of his progeny is more than 4.00 in the case of many of his stakes quality horses.

In conclusion, there are a great many nicks that will work well with the City Zip line.  Mares that possess the Northern Dancer sire line horses that are classic in nature might just be the best way to get the stamina that will give you the classic horse who will also be blessed with speed.  That is a strong consideration when selecting a mating for Run Away and Hide.

In looking at the female family of Run Away and Hide, we see that the cross with Hoist the Flag in this distaff line produced Grade One winner Firery Ensign and the cross with the Fappiano line produced the good earner Like a Gem (who is by Tactical Cat out of a Rubiano mare).

A double inbreed to Hoist the Flag and Mr. Prospector (through Fappiano) produced the highly versatile and tough Breeders' Cup Classic-G1 winner Volponi so let me assert that the duplication of that double inbreed of Hoist the Flag and Mr. Prospector (through Fappiano) would make mares by Crytoclearance up very high on my selection list for Run Away and Hide.

In general, run Away and Hide suits a great many mares and is an easy and desirable horse to breed to with hope of getting a runner who will come out of the box ready to run early and ready to run fast.