Supergill's Promise Fulfilled With Malabar Man

Throughout much of the racing seasons of 1996 and 1997, interested trotting observers here in North America marveled at the evolution of the siring career of Supergill. Exported to Italy after only six seasons in the stud, Supergill has now risen through the ranks to become one of the top five trotting sires in the world.

This is a far cry from his early days, when there were clear questions about his siring ability. Supergill had entered the stud at Castleton Farm after a two-year career that many felt lacked the kind of quality that might carry over to a successful stallion life. Supergill won the Peter Haughton at the Meadowlands at two, and he was the fastest 3-year-old of his year with a 1:53.3 mark taken winning a heat of the Review Futurity at Springfield. But Supergill won only three times at three, and he was criticized as lacking the ability of his stablemate, the handsome Hambletonian winner Armbro Goal.

Supergill's racing career may be judged for what it was. He was a great-looking, grand-going colt with immense natural ability and potential. But he suffered from chronic foot problems throughout his career, and even after a long layoff after only six starts at two (five of them wins) he returned with the same problems at three. The fact that he raced with a chronic injury and still won more than $650,000 in only 22 lifetime starts should have given everyone a real barometer as to his innate class.

His first successful foals included the Valley Victory stake winner Promising Catch 2,1:58.1 and the fast Toss Out 3,1:54.1, a $400,000 winner in North America before his export. But ensuing seasons saw his production fade and there were major suspicions about his ability to produce a top champion colt or filly. His offspring seemed to lack the kind of speed necessary to compete these days in the upper echelons. Castleton Farm, who had stood Supergill in Kentucky for four years, moved him to their New Jersey stallion station, feeling the lucrative opportunities provided by the New Jersey Sire Stakes might jumpstart Supergill's career.

After moving to New Jersey, Supergill attracted bigger books of mares, and although he stood there for only two seasons before being exported to Italy, he found the success that had heretofore eluded him. From his last Kentucky crop came the Kentucky Futurity and Breeders Crown winner Running Sea 3,1:53.3; $774,392.

Then, in the summer of 1996 there appeared a colt that would forever change Supergill's reputation in world trotting. That colt was Malabar Man. Owned and bred by Malvern Burroughs, Malabar Man burst upon the racing scene at two, winning 13 of 15, and more than $460,000, including a sharp victory in the season-ending Breeders Crown. He was a grand-looking colt, balanced and reliable, and never he appeared to have an unsteady moment. Still, his 1:58.1 mark at two left many wondering if Malabar Man had the kind of speed necessary to win the big stakes.

At three, Malabar Man picked up where he left off at two, winging through the pre-Hambletonian tests with consummate ease. His Hambletonian victory, with owner-breeder-driver Burroughs, is likely one of the greatest stories ever in our industry. After that, he moved on to contest the World Trotting Derby, won in record style by Lord Stormont after a day-long, exhausting three-heat battle. For me, this was THE trotting race of the year.

While it will not be my pattern in "Curt's Corner" to pursue the breeding background of a horse no longer racing, Malabar Man's pedigree has always intrigued me. His sire, Supergill, is the result of mating Super Bowl with one of the very best trotting mares of all time, the brilliant world champion Winky's Gill 2,1:57; 3,1:55.2. Winky's Gill is by Bonefish, and is probably considered his best female offspring. Bonefish mares have enjoyed tremendous success in the industry, as we learned in our recent analysis of Moni Maker's background in this space. A number of top Bonefish mares fared particularly well with Speedy Crown, and not Super Bowl. Moni Maker and King Conch are just two fine examples of Speedy Crown's affinity for Bonefish mares. However, Winky's Gill never was sent to Speedy Crown. Five of her foals of racing age have been by Super Bowl, and one was by Armbro Goal, interestingly enough a son of Speedy Crown. That was the top filly Winky's Goal 3,1:54.4; $844,924. The other four matings with Super Bowl have produced three fillies and another colt, none of which have a record. Winky's Gill is now being bred to Pine Chip and has a current two-year-old filly by the world's fastest trotter.

Worthy Boy   Star's Pride   Stardrift   Super Bowl   Rodney   Pillow Talk   Beloved   Supergill   Nevele Pride   Bonefish   Exciting Speed   Winky's Gill   Speedy Scot   Lassie Blue Chip   Lady Jamie Malabar Man     Nevele Pride   Madison Avenue   Scenic Route   Meadow Road   Frances Nibs   Francessa   Petressa   Lady Love McBur   Speedy Scot   Speedy Crown   Missile Toe   Fickle Yankee   Hickory Pride   Yankee Flair   Playmate Hanover

The fascinating aspect of breeding Super Bowl to Winky's Gill is that it produced in Supergill a 2 x 4 generation cross to Star's Pride. Another son of Super Bowl with a somewhat similar 2 x 4 cross to Star's Pride is Hambletonian winner American Winner. And yet another is the international star Napoletano. This was clearly a successful formula for Super Bowl. In addition, Super Bowl is himself inbred to Volomite in that he is by Star's Pride, a grandson of Volomite, and his dam, Pillow Talk, is a daughter of the Volomite mare Bewitch. Winky's Gill is inbred to Speedster in that Bonefish has a Speedster dam and Winky's Gill is out of a mare by Speedy Scot, a son of Speedster.

On the female side of Malabar Man's pedigree, we see that his dam, Lady Love McBur is by Meadow Road with a second dam by Speedy Crown. Malabar Man's dam had a modest 2:07.3h mark and earned less than $10,000, but her dam was the world champion aged performer Fickle Yankee 1:57.4; $131,102, and the next dam was Yankee Flair by Hickory Pride. Remember that Supergill is linebred 2 x 4 to Star's Pride. Lady Love McBur is also linebred to Star's Pride in that she traces in her paternal line to Star's Pride, and the third dam, Yankee Flair, is by Hickory Pride, a son of Star's Pride. There is a 3x5x5x5 relationship to Star's Pride that is pretty unique. There is also a 4 x 4 relationship to Nevele Pride since Supergill's dam Winky's Gill is a grandaughter of Nevele Pride and Meadow Road is a grandson of the same horse.

Additionally, Meadow Road, the sire of Malabar Man's dam, is the result of breeding a Star's Pride line stallion with a popular European maternal line leading from the well-known Swedish matron Frances Bulwark. Meadow Road, an international star himself, is one of the better examples of blending a successful North American sire line with a distinguished European maternal family. Breeding of this kind clearly has great merit and potential.

Looking further back into Malabar Man's background, his fourth dam is the Hoot Mon mare Playmate Hanover, a full sister to the 1964 Elitlopp winner Pack Hanover 2:00. The next dam, Phyllis Mite, by Volomite, is a full sister to Mighty Phyllis, she the dam of Hambletonian heat winner Florlis 3,1:57.3.

Malabar Man was clearly the fulfillment of Supergill's promising potential. He is an attractive horse, very much in the mold of his sire, and he has come along at a time when his Star's Pride male line was in serious trouble. Bred to some of trotting's best females in his first year in the stud at Perretti Farms (his book includes three of the fastest trotting females of all time--Continentalvictory, Act Of Grace and Peace Corps) Malabar Man will have an amazing opportunity in the stud. Let us hope that his amazing story continues in the stud the way it began on the track.