Tapit Sires Fourth Belmont Winner in Essential Quality

In 1878, Duke of Magenta captured the Belmont Stakes. In doing so, he became the fourth son of the magnificent racehorse and sire, Lexington, to take that race. The feat of siring four individual winners of a single Triple Crown event remained unique until this weekend, when Essential Quality overcame a stubborn Hot Rod Charlie to follow Tonalist, Creator, and Tapwrit as the fourth Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) winner to represent his sire Tapit, the quartet all scoring within a period of eight years. Oddly enough, given his success in the Belmont, Tapit has yet to be responsible for a winner of either of the other two Triple Crown events, although it could be argued that Essential Quality was unfortunate in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), as although he finished fourth, he was beaten little more than a length despite covering 68 feet more that of the first across the line, Medina Spirit, and 16 feet more than Mandaloun who finished a half-length back in second. The Kentucky Derby is the sole defeat to date for Essential Quality, who earned a championship at 2, going 3-for-3 with wins in a Churchill Downs maiden special weight, Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1), and the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1). This term, prior to his Derby loss, Essential Quality took his first two starts, the Southwest Stakes (G3) and Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2). There was a time in the not too distant past where champion 2-year-old males like Essential Quality had an exceptional record in Triple Crown events. In the eight years from 197-78, champion 2-year-olds Riva Ridge, Secretariat, Foolish Pleasure, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, and Spectacular Bid all captured at least one classic contest, with Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed all capturing the Triple Crown. There was then an extended fairly blank period, broken only by Easy Goer's Belmont Stakes triumph in 1989. However, in the last 15 years the ranks of champion juvenile colts have yielded classic winners Street Sense, Lookin At Lucky, American Pharoah, Nyquist, and now Essential Quality Seattle Slew took the Triple Crown in 1977, but the branch of his sire line that leads to Tapit has endured more than its share of vicissitudes as far as the classics are concerned. Tapit's grandsire, A.P. Indy, was second favorite for the Kentucky Derby in 1992, but was scratched on the morning of the race with a bone bruise that also caused him to miss the Preakness Stakes (G1), although he was able to return to take the Belmont Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), and earn a title as champion 3-year-old male and Horse of the Year. Although twice leading sire, and an outstanding sire of classic-distance runners, A.P. Indy was only represented by one U.S. classic-winning colt, that being Preakness Stakes scorer Bernardini (although his daughter, Rags to Riches, defeated Curlin to win the Belmont Stakes in 2007). A.P. Indy's son Pulpit, the sire of Tapit, came into the Derby with a record of four wins in his five starts, including a dominating score in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) on his most recent outing, but suffered a career-ending injury to his left hind leg while finishing fourth to Silver Charm. Tapit himself was an extremely impressive juvenile in taking the Laurel Futurity (G3) on the second of two starts at 2. Unplaced in the Florida Derby (G1) on his 3-year-old debut, Tapit was found to be suffering from a lung infection. He rebounded to take the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) although still far from 100%. Third favorite for the Kentucky Derby, he could do no better than ninth. A return of the lung infection sidelined Tapit until the Pennsylvania Derby (G2), when he finished off the board, and in truth he probably never really recovered from his effort in the Wood Memorial. At stud Tapit has been one of the outstanding sires of his era heading the leading sires table in 2014, 2015, and 2016. He's sired 144 individual stakes winners, 90 graded, and 27 grade 1 winners. In addition to his Belmont Stakes-winning quartet his best include champion 3-year-old filly Untapable; champion 2-year-old filly Stardom Bound; champion 2-year-old male Hansen; champion sprint female and champion older dirt female Unique Bella; as well as such top-level winners as Frosted, Constitution, Cupid, Testa Matta, Ring Weekend, and Tapitsfly. The winner of Tapit's Kentucky Derby was Smarty Jones, so it's somewhat ironic that a son of Tapit should supply a measure of Belmont atonement for Smarty Jones's narrow defeat by Birdstone after a Belmont Stakes effort that brought him heartbreakingly close to a Triple Crown. That's because Essential Quality's dam, Delightful Quality, is very similarly-bred to Smarty Jones. Both are by Elusive Quality, and Smarty Jones' dam, I'll Get Along, is by a son of In Reality out of a daughter of the mare Stolen Base, while Delightful Quality's third dam, Basie, is by In Reality of out Stolen Base. A multiple stakes-placed performer in the Wheatley Stable colors, Stolen Base was bred in the U.S. but owned a very European flavored pedigree, as she was by the imported Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) victor, Herbager, out of stakes winner Bases Full, who was by another French horse, Ambiorix—leading sire in the U.S. in 1961. In turn, Bases Full was out of Striking, stakes winner and Broodmare of the Year, and a sister to Busher, who earned honors as Horse of the Year, champion 2-year-old filly, champion 3-year-old filly, and champion older mare. Although by the Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, Striking and Busher were granddaughters of La Troienne, who was foaled in France, but was imported to the U.S. when carrying her first foal. Basie herself was a high-class performer and heroine of the Delaware Handicap (G1), and as a Frances Genter-owned daughter of In Reality, it's not exactly a shock to find that she produced her best runner, Jeano—successful in five black-type events including the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (G3) and Shirley Jones Handicap (G3)—to the cover of Fappiano. The highly successful Fappiano/In Reality combination gives a double of Rough'n Tumble through his most important son, the immortal Dr. Fager, and his most important daughter, champion 2-year-old filly My Dear Girl. It also gives linebreeding to La Troienne through Dr. Fager's broodmare sire, Better Self, who is by La Troienne's son, Bimelech, out of a mare by War Admiral, and thus a reverse cross to Striking (by War Admiral out of a daughter of La Troienne). It's probably no coincidence that the Fappiano/In Reality combination is also present in Tapit through his dam, Tap Your Heels, who is by Fappiano's son, Unbridled (who also carries a cross of In Reality) with a second dam by In Realty. Jeano never produced a stakes winner, but four of her daughters did, among them, Never a No Hitter, whose Tiznow daughter Tizahit took the Demoiselle Stakes (G2) and subsequently became dam of the Ketel One Ballerina Stakes (G1) heroine, Come Dancing (by the A.P. Indy line stallion Malibu Moon). Another daughter of Jeano to visit Tiznow—an In Reality line stallion—with positive results was the unraced Storm Cat daughter, Contrive. Her Tiznow daughter, Folklore, earned a victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and a title of champion 2-year-old filly. Folklore has been a disappointing broodmare as far as the deeds of her offspring at the track, but her Unbridled's Song daughter, Rhodochrosite, is dam of Contrail (JPN), champion Japanese 2-year-old male of 2019 and champion 3-year-old male and Japan Triple Crown victor in 2020. It's the mating of Elusive Quality and Contrive that produce Essential Quality's dam, the seven-times stakes-placed Delightful Quality. We mentioned that Essential Quality traces tail-female to La Troienne, and he has a total of 10 crosses of that mare in his pedigree, six through the sisters/three-quarters sisters Striking, Busher, Searching, and Busanda, and three through their reverse relative Better Self. He is also rated A++ by TrueNicks, on the Tapit/Essential Quality cross, a variant of the broader cross with Gone West mares that has produced six Tapit graded stakes winners, including another grade 1 winner in Zazu.