By ICECAPADE (1969). Stakes winner of $256,468, William du Pont, Jr. H.-G2, etc. Among the leading sires, sire of 15 crops of racing age, 583 foals, 511 starters, 69 stakes winners, 393 winners of 1869 races and earning $28,847,543 in N.A./U.S., including Izvestia [G2] ($2,702,527, Canadian Triple Crown), Kingsbridge ($234,924, Breeders' S.-LR, etc.), Ice Cool (Premio Tevere-G2, etc.), and of Wild Again-G1 ($2,204,829), Wonders Delight [G2] ($481,521), Clever Trick ($419,787), Fatih [G2].
1st dam
BUSHEL-N-PECK, by *Khaled. 8 wins at 3 and 4, $98,550, Cinema H., Honeymoon S., 2nd Hollywood Oaks, Milady H., Olympia H., 3rd Hollywood Derby. Sister to FREE COPY ($82,600), Times Ace, Eight Ball. Dam of 13 registered foals, 13 of racing age, 9 to race, 8 winners, including--
WILD AGAIN (c. by Icecapade). Stakes winner, see record.
Coed (f. by *Ribot). 3 wins at 3 and 4, $19,855, 2nd Camilla Urso S. Dam of--
BLACKSMITH (g. by Cannonade). 12 wins, 3 to 8, $82,532, Long Haul S. (TRM, $16,800)-ntr.
Sentimental Girl (f. by *Antonio Canale). Winner at 3, $3,350. Dam of--
JUST A MEMORY (f. by Olden Times). 8 wins, $94,233, Clasico Aniversario El Comandante, 2nd Clasico Manuel Alcaraz Gonzalo, 3rd Clasico Eduardo Cautino Insua, Antonio R. Barcelo, etc. Producer.
Sentimental Times (f. by Olden Times). 7 wins, 2 to 4, $75,800.
Caitland (f. by Key to the Kingdom). Placed 2 to 4, $14,950. Dam of--
LANCE (c. by Raise a Man). 10 wins, 2 to 6, $284,306, Omaha Gold Cup S. [G3], Board of Governors' H. [G3], King's S. (AKS, $16,410), 2nd President's Cup S. [L] (AKS, $10,000), 3rd Harrison E. Johnson Memorial H. [L] (LRL, $8,250), J. Edgar Hoover H. (LRL, $4,782), etc.
MR. DECATUR (c. by Banker's Gold). 3 wins to 3, 2003, $159,375, Borderland Derby [L] (SUN, $62,460), 2nd Jean Lafitte S. [L] (DED, $15,000).
BUILDING CODE (c. by Drouilly (FR)). 9 wins, $132,321, Klondike H. (NP, $15,750(CAN)), Calgary Maturity H. (STP, $12,600(CAN)), etc.
Kombat Kate (f. by Fit to Fight). 4 wins at 3 and 4, $76,450, 2nd New Era S. (MTH, $7,000). Dam of KATY KAT (f. by Forest Wildcat, 4 wins, $210,788, Bayou Breeders' Cup H. [L] (FG, $90,000), etc.), Kombat Kat (c. by Future Storm, $234,794, 2nd Flamingo S. [G3], etc.).
Oakmont (c. by Star Way). Winner at 3 in Australia, 3rd Carbine Club S.
Wild Again (born 1980) is a thoroughbredrace horse by Icecapade out of Bushel-N-Peck (by Khaled). Bred by Paule Little and owned by Black Chip Stables, he was most famous for winning the inaugural Breeders' Cup Classic in 1984 over Slew o'Gold and Gate Dancer in a famous stretch run that cemented the Classic as the premier season-ending event of the year.
The dark brown colt ran in 28 races in his four-year career, winning 8, placing 7 times, and coming in third on four occasions. Over the course of his racing career, Wild Again won $2,204,829.
Aside from winning the first Breeders' Cup Classic, he won the Grade IMeadowlands Cup Handicap, the Grade II Oaklawn Handicap, and the Grade II New Orleans Handicap.
When he retired from racing, Wild Again stood at stud at Three Chimneys Farm proving a fine sire. He retired from stud duties in October of 2004.
Among his sons and daughters there are a number of exceptional names: Wilderness Song, the champion older mare in Canada, Milwaukee Brew, who won the Santa Anita Handicap twice, Sarava who won the Belmont Stakes, Oflee Wild, who bested Funny Cide more than once, except in the Kentucky Derby, Born Wild, champion three-year-old in Austria, and a host of others who were stakes winners and champions in Japan, the Dominican Republic, New Zealand, and elsewhere
Belmont Winner's Pedigree: Tribute to Sire Wild Again
Wild Again romps in his paddock at Three Chimneys Farm.Photo: Barbara D. Livingston
Published in the June 15 issue of The Blood-Horse
Solid. Consistent. Hard-knocking. Those terms have been used time and time again by breeders and owners to describe Wild Again's runners. Now it's time to add classic-winning to the list.
Sarava, a son of Wild Again, captured the June 8 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) at 1 1/2 miles to end the Triple Crown bid of War Emblem. His time, 2:29.71, wasn't overpowering, but his stretch drive left no doubt who was boss in only his sixth start since arriving from Europe.
Wild Again, who became a bit of a hero after surviving repeated bumping in the final furlong to win the inaugural Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) in 1984, has been siring quality runners since entering stud in 1986. He currently holds court at Robert N. Clay's Three Chimneys Farm near Midway, Ky.
"He gets (here we go again) consistent, hard-knocking runners," said Ed Anthony, Three Chimneys pedigree consultant. "He never has a bad year and gets enough runners and winners every year to pay the bills. He sometimes jumps up and gets a big one. Like this year."
Anthony wasn't referring to Sarava's Belmont victory, but to an earlier grade I win by Wild Again's son Milwaukee Brew. Five-year-old Milwaukee Brew became the latest of Wild Again's millionaires by winning the March 2 Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I) at 1 1/4 miles.
Score One for Icecapade
The Nearctic male line has been represented by several Belmont winners tracing through the stallion's mightiest son, Northern Dancer, but Sarava is the first tracing to Nearctic's son Icecapade. In fact, Sarava is the first to represent Icecapade, sire of Wild Again, in male line in the win column in any U.S. classic.
Northern Dancer and Icecapade not only were sired by Nearctic, but each was produced from a Native Dancer mare. Northern Dancer, foaled eight years before Icecapade, appears in Sarava's fourth generation as the great-grandsire of the Belmont winner's dam, Rhythm of Life (by Deputy Minister).
Bred and raced by Canadian horseman E.P. Taylor, Northern Dancer won the 1964 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, but found the Belmont a little too far for his liking and finished third. That slight lack of stamina didn't stop Northern Dancer from authoring a sire line responsible for Belmont winners Danzig Connection and Bet Twice in the 1980s, plus Go and Go, Tabasco Cat, and Touch Gold (by Deputy Minister) in the '90s. (As an added attraction, Northern Dancer's grandson, High Chaparral, by Sadler's Wells, captured the 1 1/2-mile Vodafone Epsom Derby, Eng-I, the same day as the Belmont.)
Icecapade initially raced as a homebred for the Locust Hill Farm of Stuart S. Janney Jr. and his wife, Barbara. The couple campaigned him several seasons before selling him privately, reportedly for more than $450,000 to Mrs. D.A. McVarish.
A sprinter/miler, Icecapade set a track mark of 1:08 flat for six furlongs at Monmonth Park and won seven stakes, including the William du Pont Jr. (gr. II) and Nassau County (gr. III) Handicaps. His half-
sister, Ruffian, took sprinting and distance running to an extreme by winning her first 10 races before breaking down in a famous match race with Foolish Pleasure. The quality of the female family also was underlined by half-brother Buckfinder, a grade II winner.
Icecapade enjoyed a remarkable career at stud at Gainesway Farm near Lexington, the nursery owned first by John R. Gaines, then by Graham J. Beck of South Africa. He is represented by 73 stakes winners, including another established sire, Clever Trick.
In the News
Much of Wild Again's success as a stallion stems from the fact that he matches well with a variety of mares. His 73 stakes winners have come from mares with a host of different sires. (At one point, his first 61 stakes winners came from mares sired by 59 different stallions.) Nonetheless, Anthony feels that certain cases of inbreeding work especially well.
"The first inbreeding that works well with Wild Again involves Northern Dancer," Anthony wrote several years ago. "There is inbreeding to Nearctic and Native Dancer whenever Wild Again and Northern Dancer are crossed in pedigrees. It seems that concentrating this nick has a very positive effect for Wild Again."
In addition to Sarava, the Wild Again/ Northern Dancer inbreeding has resulted in such other runners as grade I winners Vicar and Wild Event, plus major Canadian winner Wild Zone, Blue Grass Stakes (gr. II) victor Wild Syn, and other stakes winners Wildly Joyous and Wild Deputy.
Deeper in the Pedigree
Sarava boasts two Belmont winners in his fourth generation, and both of them, Native Dancer and Gallant Man, are two of the more celebrated winners. Both went on to become successful stallions.
Native Dancer, who started the 1953 Triple Crown with a head loss to Dark Star in the Kentucky Derby, took the Preakness over Jamie K., then beat that rival in a close finish in the Belmont. As the broodmare sire of Northern Dancer and sire of prominent stallion Raise a Native, he appears frequently in a number of Belmont pedigrees.
Gallant Man, who missed winning the 1957 Kentucky Derby because of a misjudged ride by Bill Shoemaker, had things his way the last part of the Belmont. Three furlongs from home, Shoemaker called over to Eddie Arcaro on Bold Ruler, "Hey, Eddie, look at the hold I've got on this horse." Sure enough, Shoemaker let him loose, and Gallant Man set an American record of 2:26 3/5 while winning by eight lengths.
Wild Ones
To this day, it is hard to say who was gutsier when looking back on the 1984 Breeders' Cup Classic--the owners or Wild Again himself. The three owners, William Allen, Terry Beall, and Ron Volkman, put up an unheard of $360,000 to supplement Wild Again to the race. Wild Again had shown promise by winning the Meadowlands Cup Handicap (gr. I) in a fine 2:00 3/5 for 1 1/4 miles in September, and went into the Classic after a third-place finish on grass at Bay Meadows.
Fast forward to the race itself, and there's 31-1 Wild Again on the inside being pushed in deep stretch inadvertently by Slew o' Gold, who was being shoved by an unruly Gate Dancer on the opposite side. Under Pat Day, Wild Again got to the wire a head in front of Gate Dancer, who was disqualified and placed third behind Slew o' Gold. Wild Again, who raced in the name of Black Chip Stable, rewarded the partners with a net return of $990,000.
Wild Again gained a new following after that effort, and a half-interest in the colt's breeding rights was bought early in 1985 by Calumet Farm, then managed by J.T. Lundy. Trained by Vincent Timphony, Wild Again raced only four times that year and was retired in the fall because of a recurrence of soreness in a shoulder. He had won eight of 28 starts and earned $2,204,829.
Wild Again entered stud at Shadowlawn Farm near Midway, Ky., owned by Lundy's friend Harry Ranier, and his wife, Phyllis. Wild Again's first 2-year-olds earned $386,156 in 1989. The next year, with just two crops racing, his progeny earnings shot up to $2.5 million. They increased to $3.6 million in 1991, good enough for 14th on the general sire list. In 1993, Clay bought 50% interest in Wild Again, who had been moved from bankruptcy-plagued Calumet to Three Chimneys in 1991. In 1997, Wild Again reached the No. 2 spot on the general sires list, with $7.6 million. Wild Again currently is owned 50-50 by Clay and Allen and stands for $50,000.
"Every year he's always up there near the top of the sire list," Anthony said. "It's amazing, all that consistency and versatility."
Accompanying all those big figures have been some good runners. Millionaire Elmhurst won the 1997 Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I), and Wild Rush, also a millionaire, took the 1998 Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I). Two fillies, A Wild Ride and Shine Again, were grade I winners in New York, and a son, Wild Escapade, captured Saratoga's Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) for 2-year-olds. Another daughter, millionaire Wilderness Song, was a Canadian champion and a U.S. grade I winner. Her accomplishments helped pave the way for the mating of Wild Again to Rhythm of Life that resulted in Sarava.
Rhythm of Life, who was unraced, is a half-sister to Wilderness Song, so it made sense to send the mare to Wild Again. Rhythm of Life's first offspring, a Wild Again colt, was bred by Martin and Pam Wygod of California and foaled in 1998 at Fred Seitz' Brookdale Farm near Versailles, Ky. The Wygods had bought Rhythm of Life as a weanling for $130,000 at the 1994 Keeneland November breeding stock sale from her breeder, John Gaines. The colt, Wild Rocket, has earned $39,080.
Rhythm of Life was bred back to Wild Again and consigned to the 1998 Keeneland November mixed sale by Seitz for the Wygods. Central Kentucky horseman Jeffry Morris, acting for William Entenmann's Timber Bay Farm, bought the mare for $180,000. Sent to Morris' Highclere near Lexington, Rhythm of Life produced Sarava on March 2, 1999, for Timber Bay Farm.
Rhythm of Life has produced two other offspring and is in foal to Tactical Cat for 2003.
Sarava's second and third dams, Nalee's Rhythm and Lady Rhythm, respectively, contributed some stakes quality to the Belmont winner's pedigree. Each was a stakes winner and multiple stakes producer. In addition to Wilderness Song, Nalee's Rhythm produced stakes winner Sound the Fanfare. Lady Rhythm is the dam of five stakes winners, including Canadian champion Dance to Market.
Wild Again won a "classic" Breeders' Cup Classic. Now, with Sarava denying War Emblem a Triple Crown, he is the sire of a "classic" classic winner.
Age / Starts / 1st / 2nd / 3rd / Earned2 / 7 / 2 / 3(1) / 0 / $33,700
3 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / $0
4 / 16 / 6(4) / 1 / 4(2) / $2,054,409
5 / 4 / 0 / 3(1) / 0 / $116,720
Totals / 28 / 8(4) / 7(2) / 4(2) / $2,204,829
At 4, 1984
Won /
Breeders' Cup Classic-G1
Meadowlands Cup-G1
Oaklawn H.-G2
New Orleans H.-G2
3rd /
Suburban H.-G1
Cornhusker H.-G2
At 5, 1985
2nd /
Meadowlands Cup-G1
Wild Again Mating Recommendations
The hallmark of a great sire is that he matches well with mares from a variety of sire lines. Wild Again is the sire of 61 stakes winners from 59 different mares—that’s 59 different broodmare sires! Stallions just don’t come any more versatile than that.
So, what kind of mare should a breeder send to Wild Again? The record shows that it doesn’t seem to make much difference, as he works with virtually anything. That said, there are two forms of inbreeding that have enjoyed repeated success with Wild Again, as well as a couple of crosses that seem to work especially well.
The first inbreeding that works well with Wild Again involves Northern Dancer. Wild Again is a son of Icecapade, who is bred on the same Nearctic/Native Dancer nick that produced Northern Dancer. Thus, there is inbreeding to Nearctic (through two sons) and Native Dancer (through two daughters) whenever Wild Again and Northern Dancer are crossed in pedigrees. It seems that concentrating this nick has a very positive effect for Wild Again, as he has sired several graded stakes winners on the Northern Dancer cross, including Wild Zone (Can-1, $509,000, The Minstrel mare), Wild Event (G2, $641,000, Northfields mare), Wild Syn (G2, $358,000, Sovereign Dancer mare), Wildly Joyous (G3, $364,000, Nureyev mare), and Wild Deputy (stakes winner of $202,000).
The 2nd inbreeding that has worked repeatedly for Wild Again involes Khaled, Wild Again’s broodmare sire. Khaled, a son of Hyperion, sired Horse of the Year Swaps as well as the useful sire New Policy. So, when Wild Again is bred to a mare carrying a cross of Swaps or New Policy, there is balanced inbreeding (through a son and a daughter) to Khaled. Runners like La Rosa (G2, $267,000, Cox’s Ridge mare), Madame Pandit (G3, $394,000, 2nd dam by New Policy), Omi (G3, $319,000, Private Account mare), and Power Lunch (G3, $238,000, Best Turn mare) all carry this balanced inbreeding to Khaled.
The Wild Again/Raise a Native cross involves balanced inbreeding to the great stallion Native Dancer. This same balanced inbreeding has worked very well for Northern Dancer, who also has the Nearctic/Native Dancer nick, as was mentioned above. Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) winner Elmhurst (millionaire) is by Wild Again and out of a Raise a Native mare. Other horses bred on this cross include Anklet (G3, $342,000, Alysheba mare), Wild Bluster (Jpn-3, millionaire, Alydar mare), Fairlee Wild (stakes winner of $237,000, Mr. Prospector mare), Wild Gambler (stakes winner of $200,000, Strike Gold mare), Wild Royal (stakes winner of $115,000, Raise a Cup mare), and Barfighter (stakes winner, Raise a Man mare).
Mares from the Ribot line have worked well with Wild Again. He has sired several top runners on this cross, including Wild Rush (G1, millionaire, Plugged Nickle mare), Cinnamon Sugar (G2, $412,000, Key to the Mint mare), and Extrovert (stakes winner, His Majesty mare). A Wild Ride (G1, $775,000) has a 2nd dam by Prince Royal II, while Omi (G3, $319,000) has a 2nd dam by Key to the Mint.
The Bold Ruler cross has been rewarding for Wild Again as well. Runners like Blizzard (Japanese champion, Irish Tower mare), Wild Escapade (G1, $342,000, Ramahorn mare), Burbank (stakes winner of $478,000, Exuberant mare), Nines Wild (stakes winner of $408,000, Honest Pleasure mare), Born Wild (stakes winner of $199,000, Secretariat mare), Prince Wild (stakes winner of $166,000, Cornish Prince mare) are all bred on the Wild Again/Bold Ruler cross.
Beyond these pedigree hints, use your best judgement with regard to physical matching and stamina and you’re likely to be rewarded. Wild Again is a prolific sire of stakes winners, and he certainly gets more than his share of solid, consistent campaigners.
LEADING RUNNERS.Following is a semi-annual list of the leading runners sired by Wild Again. For a week by week report on his offspring since then, please click here.
WILDERNESS SONG (dam by Nalees Man). Champion Older Mare in Canada, $1,482,033, Spinster S.-G1, Princess Elizabeth S.-G1, Belle Mahone S.-G1, etc.
FREE AT LAST (Faraway Son). Champion 2-year-old in Canada, $411,004, Summer S.-G3, Foreunner S.-G3, Hill Prince S.-G3, 2nd Laurel Futurity-G3, etc. Sire.
BORN WILD (Secretariat). Champion at 3 in Austria (11- 14f), $259,505 in U.S. and Austria, Fair Grounds Breeders' Cup, Woodchopper S. (T). Sire.
BLIZZARD (IrishTower, 3x4 Nearctic). Champion older horse in Dominican Republic, Clasico Kalil Hache-G1, Clasico dia de Navidad-G1, etc.