Margaux Stud recently got the proven stallion Petionville (Seeking the Gold – Vana Turns, by Wavering Monarch) from Crestwood Farm and the timing couldn’t have been better! As you probably know by now, Petionville’s 4-year-old son Two Step Salsa (click here to view pedigree) danced into the winner’s circle of the G2 Godolphin Mile at Nad Al Sheba racetrack in Dubai Saturday in very impressive fashion. With a record now of 10-6-2-1 and more than a million in earnings, Two Step Salsa led almost the entire way in the Godolphin Mile and won pretty easily from Gayego – another good horse.
Last year, if you recall, Two Step Salsa led almost the entire way in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and finished 3rd, only 1¾ lengths behind Albertus Maximus. From what I’ve read, it appears that he’s going to start next in the G1 Metropolitan Handicap, and judging by his race in Dubai he ought to have a great shot because he’s on the improve. Now a G2 and multiple G3 winner, I think he’ll his G1 before the year is out.
Petionville has sired 27 SWs through his first 9 crops (not including 2yos of 2009), including multiple G1 winner and $2 million earner Island Fashion ; G2 winners Runway Model ($725,598), Publication ($582,694) Caught in the Rain ($455,034), and Two Step Salsa; and G3 winners Voodoo ($686,194), True Passion ($442,812), and Sailors Sunset ($388,383). Very impressive considering he stands for only $10,000!
Like Two Step Salsa, most of these, as well as other runners by Petionville, are generally fast, sprinter types, although Island Fashion won the G1 Alabama over a distance of ground, a few of his others have won stakes on turf at around a mile, and others have been good 2-year-olds. Petionville (click here to view pedigree), who is inbred 3×4 to Buckpasser, was a good 3-year-old colt who won the G2 Ohio Derby at 1 1/8 miles and the G3 Louisiana Derby at 1 1/16 miles, BUT – and this is important – he also won a G3 on the turf and a sprint stakes at Santa Anita over 6F in 1:09.16! He also broke his maiden at 2 in 1:09.09! So, you can say he was an unusually versatile runner, so his ability to get different types of runners is not necessarily notable.
But here’s a very notable part of Petionville’s success, and it’s directly related to a powerful nick that he’s enjoyed success with: Seattle Slew-line mares.
Two Step Salsa? He’s out of the Seattle Slew mare Two to Waltz. His other unrestricted SWs bred this way? Take a look: G2 winner Runway Model (Houston), G3 winner Voodoo (Slewacide), G3 winner True Passion (Capote), SW Harbor Blues (Seattle Song), and SW She Sings (Fast Play). That’s 6 unrestricted SWs. Now, throw in the restricted SW Look Deep (Seattle Slew), and that’s an incredible 7 of 27 SWs, or a whopping 26 percent of his SWs! (click here to view these 7 pedigrees)
The Petionville/Seattle Slew nick has, not surprisingly, a Werk Nick Rating of A++, and is a continuation of the Seeking the Gold/Seattle Slew nick that produced 12 SWs, including G1 winner Cape Town (Seattle Slew), G1 winner Seeking the Pearl (Seattle Slew), G2 winner Enthused (Seattle Slew), G2 winner Golden Spikes (A.P. Indy), etc.
It’s notable, too, that Seeking the Gold has had only a handful of successful sons at stud and one of them is Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm’s SW Mutakddim, who’s had success both here and in Argentina. His broodmare sire? You guessed it, Seattle Slew!