Here's a great video/story about a determined woman who has been in horse racing all her life......her family (JP Mills) owned Devil's Bag. This is a must see whether you're a fan of Union Rags or not! Scroll down and the complete video is on the far right. TJ
http://www.trackpackpa.com/union-rags/
Union Rags
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vallygirl927
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Mood Swings
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Union Rags
Just on this story alone I have to put $20 across the board for him in the Derby!!
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Bill from WA
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Great story. Thanks so much for sharing. Makes you an instant fan. I have had a "crush" on Rag's sire Dixie Union for years. Here's an article I wrote for Pedigree Post a few years ago re: Dixie Union.
Dixie Union and a Tale of Two Sisters
by Bill Lathrop ©
Dixie Union is a looker. He’s the equine equivalent of Denzel Washington or Brad Pitt. A 16 hand deep chocolate colored horse, wearing three white socks and a dashing blaze down his handsome face. I would call him a “wow” horse. He’s reportedly a real nice guy, easy going with no vices. His muscles, sinew and bone are all hooked together for maximum performance, and he moves with the easy strength and grace of a world-class athlete, which, of course he was, being a Grade 1 stakes winner, and earner of nearly one and a quarter million dollars.
His first crop of babies will reach the track this year, and his yearlings are turning heads at the sales. He seems to be stamping his get with the beauty and quality that he himself possesses.
His pedigree intrigues me, and after delving into his lineage, I am struck by the maternal line influences of the family history. Bruce Lowe’s division of the thoroughbred into female families more than 100 years ago initiated a new tool to use in evaluating pedigree. His work has evolved through the expansions made by Bobinski and others into the female families that we know today. Dixie Union is a case in point where the female family thrusts itself into prominence. He is line-bred 4x5 to Native Dancer, but the significance of his pedigree, in my mind, lies in the fact that both Dixie Union’s sire and dam are from Bobinski family #4m.
If you look at a pedigree as a piece of mosaic art, with bits and pieces of color representing each female family, you will detect, in Dixie Union’s pedigree, two unbroken lines of the same color, one on his sire’s side, and one on his dam’s. These lines of color trace back 137 years to one of America’s great race-mares, that being Maggie B B (1867). Maggie B B, when bred to Leamington, produced the mare Jaconet, who in turn foaled the Belmont stakes winner Sir Dixon. When bred to Alarm (paternal grandsire of the great Domino), Maggie B B gave birth to the mare Sallie McClelland. Sallie McClelland was then bred to Sir Dixon in 1900, producing the mare Audience (winner of the Kentucky Oaks). The mating was repeated the following year, and produced the mare Martha Gorman. The sisters were inbred 3x3 to Maggie B B, family 4m to family 4m, intensifying that mare’s genetic influence.
This was the start of something big, because down through the years some amazing quality has flowed through these two sisters, each establishing their own branches of family 4m. Many noteworthy individuals abound, such as Broodmare of the Year Fall Aspen, through Audience, and the fine race-mare and matron, Kittiwake (dam of millionaire Miss Oceana), through Martha Gorman.
Dixie Union’s pedigree offers us an example of how optimum evaluation of female family can create fantastic results. His sire, Dixieland Band, traces tail female to Martha Gorman, while his dam, She’s Tops, traces tail female to Audience. She’s Tops has three instances of family 4m visible in her pedigree within 6 generations. In addition to her own tail female family through Audience, she has one (4m) through Bold Reasoning, who traces back to Maggie B B through Sir Dixon’s dam Jaconet, and one (4m) through Bald Eagle, who traces to Maggie B B through Sallie McClelland.
So, after 100 years, the coupling of family 4m to family 4m, and the reunion of the sisters Audience and Martha Gorman, has, in the case of Dixie Union, once more reaped rewards.
A further look at the production of quality runners and producers from this family has indicated a “nick”, so to speak, between family 4m, and family 6e. In the case of Dixie Union, you will find four instances of family 6e in the pedigree of his sire, Dixieland Band within 6 generations, which repeats that “nick”.
I feel that a close examination of the intermingling of the female families within a pedigree can lead to some very interesting revelations, Dixie Union being a prime example. It would be interesting to see what a mating of Dixie Union to a descendant of Kittiwake would produce. Anyone have the equine equivalent of Jennifer Aniston out there?
©2004 Bill Lathrop
Dixie Union and a Tale of Two Sisters
by Bill Lathrop ©
Dixie Union is a looker. He’s the equine equivalent of Denzel Washington or Brad Pitt. A 16 hand deep chocolate colored horse, wearing three white socks and a dashing blaze down his handsome face. I would call him a “wow” horse. He’s reportedly a real nice guy, easy going with no vices. His muscles, sinew and bone are all hooked together for maximum performance, and he moves with the easy strength and grace of a world-class athlete, which, of course he was, being a Grade 1 stakes winner, and earner of nearly one and a quarter million dollars.
His first crop of babies will reach the track this year, and his yearlings are turning heads at the sales. He seems to be stamping his get with the beauty and quality that he himself possesses.
His pedigree intrigues me, and after delving into his lineage, I am struck by the maternal line influences of the family history. Bruce Lowe’s division of the thoroughbred into female families more than 100 years ago initiated a new tool to use in evaluating pedigree. His work has evolved through the expansions made by Bobinski and others into the female families that we know today. Dixie Union is a case in point where the female family thrusts itself into prominence. He is line-bred 4x5 to Native Dancer, but the significance of his pedigree, in my mind, lies in the fact that both Dixie Union’s sire and dam are from Bobinski family #4m.
If you look at a pedigree as a piece of mosaic art, with bits and pieces of color representing each female family, you will detect, in Dixie Union’s pedigree, two unbroken lines of the same color, one on his sire’s side, and one on his dam’s. These lines of color trace back 137 years to one of America’s great race-mares, that being Maggie B B (1867). Maggie B B, when bred to Leamington, produced the mare Jaconet, who in turn foaled the Belmont stakes winner Sir Dixon. When bred to Alarm (paternal grandsire of the great Domino), Maggie B B gave birth to the mare Sallie McClelland. Sallie McClelland was then bred to Sir Dixon in 1900, producing the mare Audience (winner of the Kentucky Oaks). The mating was repeated the following year, and produced the mare Martha Gorman. The sisters were inbred 3x3 to Maggie B B, family 4m to family 4m, intensifying that mare’s genetic influence.
This was the start of something big, because down through the years some amazing quality has flowed through these two sisters, each establishing their own branches of family 4m. Many noteworthy individuals abound, such as Broodmare of the Year Fall Aspen, through Audience, and the fine race-mare and matron, Kittiwake (dam of millionaire Miss Oceana), through Martha Gorman.
Dixie Union’s pedigree offers us an example of how optimum evaluation of female family can create fantastic results. His sire, Dixieland Band, traces tail female to Martha Gorman, while his dam, She’s Tops, traces tail female to Audience. She’s Tops has three instances of family 4m visible in her pedigree within 6 generations. In addition to her own tail female family through Audience, she has one (4m) through Bold Reasoning, who traces back to Maggie B B through Sir Dixon’s dam Jaconet, and one (4m) through Bald Eagle, who traces to Maggie B B through Sallie McClelland.
So, after 100 years, the coupling of family 4m to family 4m, and the reunion of the sisters Audience and Martha Gorman, has, in the case of Dixie Union, once more reaped rewards.
A further look at the production of quality runners and producers from this family has indicated a “nick”, so to speak, between family 4m, and family 6e. In the case of Dixie Union, you will find four instances of family 6e in the pedigree of his sire, Dixieland Band within 6 generations, which repeats that “nick”.
I feel that a close examination of the intermingling of the female families within a pedigree can lead to some very interesting revelations, Dixie Union being a prime example. It would be interesting to see what a mating of Dixie Union to a descendant of Kittiwake would produce. Anyone have the equine equivalent of Jennifer Aniston out there?
©2004 Bill Lathrop
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is like a broken winged bird that cannot fly.
Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
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Bill from WA
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[quote="Bill from WA"]Hi TJ
I had to throw him in. He just might take it all on class alone. Wonderful horse. If he does pull it off it will make for a great story.
Good luck to all.
Bill[/quote
Hi Bill,
caution: 1/2 of field,Whalebone,so take care.Union Rags (Eclipse)
gemologist =matchem,
Good Luck to All,
Siegy,
I had to throw him in. He just might take it all on class alone. Wonderful horse. If he does pull it off it will make for a great story.
Good luck to all.
Bill[/quote
Hi Bill,
caution: 1/2 of field,Whalebone,so take care.Union Rags (Eclipse)
gemologist =matchem,
Good Luck to All,
Siegy,
Flora is beginning of biology, chemistry is master.
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Strategic Maneuver
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Bill from WA wrote:Hi TJ
I had to throw him in. He just might take it all on class alone. Wonderful horse. If he does pull it off it will make for a great story.
Good luck to all.
Bill
Hi Bill,
Not only a great story, but an amazing training feat if he pulls this off. I saw him training quite a few times at Palm Meadows and I could see Matz and Brette (who Matz rely's on quite a bit) were training him for stamina as well as to keep him fresh for his Triple Crown campaign. His works were never too flashy (fast) at PM, but they were designed as such. What many didn't realize was...Rags would two minute lick no less than 1/2 a mile before getting to the pole to work.....then continue on after the wire galloping out strong when the timed work was over. Therefore his works wouldn't be as fast, yet he would get plenty air in his lungs to aide what may be inherently lacking in Rags to go 1 1/4 miles. Now that it's show time, you may have noticed, his last two works in KY. have been eye opening. Masterful preparation by Matz and Brette.....if he gets beat it isn't for lack of conditioning. TJ
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Bill from WA
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TJ wrote:Hi All,
Glad to see you're all enjoying this video as much as I did. Bill, very nice article on Dixie Union, thanks for posting it. I hope Rags can prove that Dixie Union's progeny are capable of going 1 1/4 miles. TJ
Thought I'd bump this up after Matz was able to get his Dixie Union colt to win going a mile and a half...it is a great video to watch in the shadow of his Belmont win for those of you who missed it...but I also had to reflect on why I think Rags got beat in the Derby.
I was all in favor of the way Matz trained him at Palm Meadows, for three reasons...one Matz was looking to win the Triple Crown....not just the Derby so Rags was not 100% fit going in. Two his sire isn't known to produce 1 1/4 mile horses and three the stamina building training program Matz put him through might just induce him to go longer than his bloodlines suggested.
One thing I know about this business is you will always learn something new everyday. Now in the aftermath of the TC events I reflect on what I saw and knew to be when I first laid eyes on Union Rags at Palm Meadows. Matz was training him to win the TC not just the Derby and that is why he was a bit dull coming out of the gate in the Derby. If the Derby was his main objective...he would have most likely won that race....but it wasn't, he was trying to win without being 100% fit and razor sharp...so he would have a horse reaching top form at the end of the TC....not at the beginning of it. If you ever saw his stride close up...you knew he would be able to go a distance of ground....this was also why he was trained the way he was....to induce more stamina in him than many believed was bred into him. But his appearance, conformation, determination and stride combined with a great job of training to induce that needed stamina that possibly wasn't inherently bred into him prevailed when the objective was just a single race, the Belmont Stakes. A Dixie Union winning going 1 1/2 miles is quite a feat. Union Rags was a horse thought by many to be just a good miler, due to his breeding and now winning going a mile and a half. Thanks in no small part to the foundation Matz put into this horse at Palm Meadows. But that same foundation compromised his chance to win the Derby....he was so stamina laden via his training that he was dull leaving the gate in the Derby and it cost him. I believe he will be a most sought after stallion...as he will fill the void and possibly turn the tide in breeding in America due to his versatility.....a miler that can be trained to win going a mile and a half, the possibilities are endless and a welcome addition to the stallion ranks. He will be especially sought after when he wins the Eclipse Award at the end of the year....Eclipse Champion 3YO With The Worst Racing Luck Ever:>) TJ
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ratherrapid
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nice rendition, although declining to buy it. 
If u're training for the TC, do u have to win the Derby first?
what plausible explanation is there for UR Derby strategy? Rags is way too big to manuever in traffic, and, although Palm Meadows may have been a decent training job, that horse was anything but strong in the Derby.
infamous Matz quote a couple of weeks before the Derby "he's fit and ready". Generally famous last words.
why would Dixie Union, a most perfectly conformed animal from that one stallion photo, be unable to sire a distance horse? Where's Louis?
If u're training for the TC, do u have to win the Derby first?
what plausible explanation is there for UR Derby strategy? Rags is way too big to manuever in traffic, and, although Palm Meadows may have been a decent training job, that horse was anything but strong in the Derby.
infamous Matz quote a couple of weeks before the Derby "he's fit and ready". Generally famous last words.
why would Dixie Union, a most perfectly conformed animal from that one stallion photo, be unable to sire a distance horse? Where's Louis?