WinStar’s Constitution is a name to remember

IN a period when many stud fees for 2021 globally are reducing, there are some notable exceptions.

One such is a sire who stands at WinStar and has made an explosive start at stud. Constitution is not perhaps a stallion whose name you will be very familiar with, but you should remember him as his record to date would suggest he will become more prominent as time goes on.

A son of leading sire Tapit (Pulpit), Constitution was unraced at two. He was undefeated in his first three starts at three, winning a maiden and an allowance race before stepping up to contest, and win, the $1 million Grade 1 Florida Derby for trainer Todd Pletcher. On his first outing at four, over his favoured nine furlongs, he brought his winnings to more than a million dollars when he captured the Grade 1 Donn Handicap.

Retired to WinStar, he stood for $25,000 for his first three seasons, dropping to $15,000 as his first two-year-olds appeared. They made an impact, resulting in a fee hike this year to $40,000, but next spring breeders wishing to use him need to cough up $85,000. What has prompted this rapid rise in price?

Well, his first US crop included the Grade 1 winning juvenile Tiz The Law, successful last year in the Champagne Stakes and who this year added the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, Grade 1 Travers Stakes, Grade 1 Florida Derby – after his sire – and ran second in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. Tonight he tackles a quality field for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. That initial crop by Constitution includes Grade 2 winners Laura’s Light and Amalfi Sunrise, and Grade 3 winners Independence Hall and By Your Side.

WinStar has for a number of years developed a relationship with stud farms in South America and Constitution has been a regular shuttler to Chile where he stood at Haras Don Alberto. His first crop there produced a pair of stakes winners, but his second crop has provided him with two Group 1 winners.

Classic double

At the beginning of October he had a classic double when Alaskan Queen won the Group 1 Polla de Pontrancas in Santiago on just her second start, while Breakpoint remained unbeaten when landing the Group 1 Polla de Potrillos. At the weekend the pair gave their sire a 1-2 in the Group 1 Nacional Ricardo Lyon Stakes when Breakpoint extended his unbeaten streak to four. This was part of a magical weekend for Constitution as three-year-old Strongconstitution won a stakes at Del Mar and Stephen was a stakes winning juvenile at Woodbine in Canada.

Breakpoint is the third foal and winner for his dam, the Chilean Group 2 winner Safawi (Seeking The Dia), and her first two winners are daughters of Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer). Alaskan Queen has her roots in European racing. She is the best of four winning offspring from Alaskan Way (Giant’s Causeway), a winner at two in France.

Alaskan Way’s first winner was four-time French victress One And Only (Muhtathir), while in Chile she is also dam of Andriu (Dylan Thomas) and El Bendecido (Mastercraftsman), winners of 10 and four races respectively. This is the immediate family of Group/Grade 1 winners Arcangues (Sagace), Aquarelliste (Danehill), Artiste Royal (Danehill), Cape Verdi (Caerleon) and Angara (Alzao).