Pedigree Query

what does everyone think of volponi and essence of dubai. i have a filly out of them, just wondering what everyone thought about there potential as a sire and there potential in the sales ring.


volponi/ awesome for sure
essence of dubai/ flag the mint down

Odd, but I also have an Essence of Dubai filly and a colt from Volponi. The EoD is pretty fiery...that may be the Pulpit coming out. She is rangy and looks as if distance may be her game. She's 2 so we'll see soon. The Volponi is plain looking, correct, and sort of what you'd expect a Cryptoclearance to look like. He has a great attitude, and is not afriad of anything. He's a yearling. I wouldn't hold too much hope in the sales ring, even though they both have decent bottom lines. But...I have good feelings about both from a racing viewpoint.

Willy old Phil Johnson trained Volponi. Johnson ran Volponi at 6f, 1-1/8 miles, grass, 1 1/4 miles, etc. I live in NY and saw Volponi on the track a few times. Johnson would race Volponi in any race he fit conditions regardless of surface or track or competition. Volponi was a good race horse and sound. If your yearling takes after him, he'll be bringing home the bacon on track.

If you haven't read the book The Big Horse by Joe McGuinnes it will be interesting, especially since you have one of the few Volponi foals we will see racing in the US.

In the book, Johnson admitted that he lost millions in the sale of Volponi because he stubbornly raced Volponi several times AFTER he won the BCC and Volponi lost. Johnson admits Volponi was tired from long campaign and the horse should have had a long rest. Johnson died before the book came out or just after.


The Big Horse
by Joe McGinniss

About this title:" Joe McGinniss - journalist, investigative reporter, and horse racing obsessive - recounts the heartwarming story of veteran trainer P. G. Johnson who, in sixty years as a leading trainer at all three New York tracks, had never had a "big horse." Then, in his seventies, he bought a mare, bred her, and produced Volponi, who won the Breeder's Cup Classic in 2002."