Pedigree Profile: Politicallycorrect

The Bashford Manor Stakes winner is bred similarly 2022 Two-Year-Old Champion Forte

Politicallycorrect proved himself far superior to his competition in yesterday’s Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs, breaking a step slow and trailing down the back stretch before making a sweeping six wide move and drawing off to win by five lengths over Smoken Wicked. The two-year-old son of Violence is now two-for-two lifetime, having won a maiden special weight over the same track in gate-to-wire fashion on May 30th. The Christopher Davis trainee is owned by Walmac Farm, Five Fillies Stable LLC and Ryan C. Ritt, and has been ridden in both of his starts by Jose Ortiz.

Politicallycorrect brought just $9,500 as a yearling before selling for $195,000 at this year’s OBS March sale after breezing in 9.4. He is the fourth foal out of his dam Heron Watch, whose best effort in five career attempts at the maiden special weight level was a runner-up effort on debut. Despite her lackluster career, she has already produced three winners, although Politicallycorrect is her first of stakes quality. Heron Watch is a full sister to stakes placed Ride N Reel, who was second in the Sunday Silence Stakes going a mile on the turf at Louisiana Downs as a two-year-old. Both are by Candy Ride and out of the Japanese G3 winner Gaily Egret. Gaily Egret, a daughter of Storm Cat, was a half to two stakes winners, all out of Kentucky Oaks winner Lite Light.

In addition to being a multiple G1 winner, Lite Light is a member of female family 1x, tracing to Hall of Famer Searching as her fourth dam. Searching, in turn, is a granddaughter of La Troienne, who is also the tail-female ancestor of Violence’s highest earner, 2022 Two-Year-Old Champion Forte. In addition to Forte, Violence has produced multiple stakes winner Drew’s Gold, graded stakes placed Imonra, and stakes placed Twelve Volt Man from family 1x. Violence, as a member of family 1g, shares his mitochondrial haplotype with all members of family 1x.

Like Forte, whose second dam was by Storm Cat’s son Forestry, Politicallycorrect is also inbred to Storm Cat, and is his sire’s 11th stakes winner in 134 starters on the cross (8.2%). This is an improvement on the 6.3% stakes winners from all starters by Violence. Violence is also the sire of G1 winner No Parole out of a mare by Bluegrass Cat (who, incidentally, is also a member of family 1x). Politicallycorrect is the second stakes winner in 19 starters bred on the cross of Medaglia d’Oro with Candy Ride, joining Enticed’s Senorita Stakes winner Visually.

This colt has a pedigree that suggests to me that stretching out to two turns shouldn’t be an issue. Two of his three siblings were winners at a mile or greater, and he himself has shown the kind of versatility and maturity needed for a horse to stretch out in distance. Much of Violence’s greatest success as a sire has come with sprinters such as Dr. Schivel, Volatile, and No Parole, but there’s enough stamina on the bottom for me to think that a mile should be in Politicallycorrect’s range (although there are definitely question marks at distances beyond a mile).

There’s also quite a bit of turf influence in this pedigree, with one sibling owning a win over the turf and the dam being a half-sister to a horse who was stakes placed on the turf. Both Medaglia d’Oro and Candy Ride are known for the surface versatility of their offspring, so I wouldn’t be shocked to find that Politicallycorrect could handle the grass if he were to try it.

Overall, Politicallycorrect looks like a promising individual who has already shown the maturity and talent needed to overcome adversity, and as an April foal I think there should still be improvement to come. It will be interesting to see if he continues to hold that edge as he and his peers progress.