ANALYSIS

Snake Mountain has just about the best pedigree you could ask for. It’s not surprising therefore that he cost 700,000 Irish punts (around $850,000) as a yearling. What is surprising is that he has been raced in Europe.

Snake Mountain’s pedigree just screams out for dirt. His sire, A.P. Indy was a dirt performer and has achieved most of his success at stud through the dirt exploits of his progeny. His dam was admittedly a turf runner but she was bred for dirt and her brother, Machiavellian, and half brother, Exit To Nowhere, do terrifically well as sires with their few dirt runners in Europe. Snake Mountain’s dam also has a sister that has won on dirt in the US.

I believe horses can do all sorts of things at two that they fail to do later on. I’m therefore not surprised Snake Mountain managed to run so well in a hot maiden on his only juvenile outing. Now that he has matured though he is clearly showing he is on the wrong continent. He ran a moderate fourth on his seasonal reappearance and now his owner seems inclined to sell.

At Ballydoyle they apparently believe that Snake Mountain is just a one-paced stayer, a slow plodder. That however is just how any European stayer would describe a typical dirt horse.

Skip Away for example was a great big lumbering oaf of a horse that European handlers wouldn’t have touched with a barge pole. Like most dirt runners he couldn’t run the fast final furlong that’s required to win on turf. I don’t think Snake Mountain can either. He is almost certainly a dirt horse that could improve dramatically over in America at a more suitable distance than the mile and a half he was recently asked to run. Given his pedigree, Snake Mountain would not have to succeed very much to be viable as a minor stallion. 

Yes, you’d be taking a risk buying Snake Mountain. But given his pedigree and smart form at two it certainly looks worth taking a shot that he’ll turn his form around on dirt in America.

SIRE

A.P. Indy won the Hollywood Futurity (1m 1/16^{th G1) at two. At three he won the San Rafael Stakes (1m G2), the Santa Anita Derby (1m 1/8 G1), the Peter Pan stakes (1m 1/8 G2), the Belmont (1 1/2m G1) and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He was voted horse of the year. He retired with earnings of $1.2 million from a total of 14 wins in 1993.}

Last year A. P. Indy became the champion sire in America (in terms of earnings). Even though he’s still a fairly new sire he has already produced nearly 100 stakes winners. The G1 scorers have been Golden Missile, Symboli Indy, Tomisue.s Delight, Stephen Got Even, Secret Status, Runup The Colors, A. P. Valentine and Royal Indy.

One of the most remarkable things about A. P. Indy is his astonishing lack of success with his European runners. In Britain and Ireland for example over the past five years his progeny have won just four races from 41 attempts, all of them minor contests

I’m pretty sure the reason A.P. Indy has flopped with his Euro runners is that they are not suited to conditions over there. In America turf races are invariably run on a firm surface. If it rains they are taken off the turf normally. In Europe soft going prevails a good deal of the time. My research suggests strongly that dirt horses (and A.P. Indy is essentially a dirt sire) can only handle soft turf very rarely.

In addition, A. P. Indy has shone in the US where distances rarely exceed a mile and an eighth. In Europe, a large percentage of races are run at trips beyond nine furlongs.

A.P. Indy’s poor record in Europe mirrors that of the European champion sire, Sadler’s Wells in America. Sadler’s Wells has been a totally dominant sire in Europe for a decade but has almost blanked with his runners in America (with the obvious exception of Barathea).

It seems that to become champion sire in America, a stallion has to produce horses that are uniquely well suited to US conditions. To become champion sire in Europe, a stallion has to produce progeny who are uniquely well suited to European conditions. This specialization all but excludes success in America for a champion European sire and vice versa.

DAM

Coup De Genie was one of the top 2YO’s in Europe in 1993, beating colts in the G1 Prix Morny over 6f and in the G1 Prix Salamandre over seven furlongs. At three she was beaten only half a length into third place in the G1 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Coup De Genie is out of the amazingly successful broodmare Coup De Folie. Coup De Folie has produced;

Machiavellian (1987 colt by Mr Prospector) - Champion European 2YO in 1989. Sister to Coup De Genie. Like her won G1 Prix Morny and G1 Prix de Salamadre, also lost Guineas (2000, this time, finishing second) (Amazing how closely his career mirrored that of his sister). Now a successful sire (his progeny have done well in Britain on dirt, winning 1.51 times as often as they have on turf)

Exit To Nowhere (1988 colt by Irish River) - won four Group races including G1 Prix Jaques Le Marois. Now a successful sire (his progeny do well on the dirt tracks in Britain where they have won more than twice as often as they have on turf)

Hydro Calido (1989 filly by Nureyev) won a G2 and a Listed race. Dam of a winner, Esperero who has scored in Listed company.

Salchow (1990 filly by Nijinsky) - unraced dam of G1 winner Way Of Light.

Coup De Genie (1991 filly by Mr Prospector) - see above

Houdini’s Honey (1996 filly by Mr Prospector) - won 3 races to date in USA

Ocean Of Wisdom (1997 colt by Mr Propsector) - won G3 and 3^{rd in G1 Grand Criterium}

Snake Mountain is Coup De Genie’s first foal.

EXTENDED PEDIGREE

SNAKE MOUNTAIN C, 1998 DP = 16-6-18-0-0 (40) DI = 3.44 CD = 0.95

SEATTLE BOLD BOLDNESIAN b. 1963 4-m

SLEW REASONING*

(USA)* dkb/br. REASON TO EARN b. 1963 1-k

dkb/br. 1968

1974 [BC] POKER b. 1963 1-s

MY CHARMER*

A.P. INDY* 17-14-2-0 b. 1969

dkb/br. $1,208,726 FAIR CHARMER ch. 1959 13-c

1989 SECRETARIAT dkb/br.

11-8-0-1 WEEKEND (USA) BOLD RULER 1954 8-d

$2,979,815 SURPRISE ch. 1970 (USA)* [BI]

(USA)* [IC] SOMETHINGROYAL**b. 1952 2-s

b. 1980 BUCKPASSER b. 1963

31-7-5-10 LASSIE (USA)* [C] 1-s

$402,892 DEAR* GAY MISSILE

SNAKE b. 1974 (USA) b. 1967 3-l

MOUNTAIN

1998 RAISE A NATIVE DANCER gr. 1950

MR. NATIVE (USA)* [IC] 5-f

PROSPECTOR (USA)*

(USA)* ch. 1961 RAISE YOU (USA)*ch. 1946 8-f

b. 1970 [B]

[BC] b. 1952

GOLD DIGGER NASHUA (USA)* [IC] 3-m

COUP DE 14-7-4-2 (USA)*

GENIE $112,171 b. 1962 SEQUENCE (USA) dkb/br. 13-c

1991 1946

HALO (USA)* HAIL TO REASON br. 1958 4-n

COUP DE dkb/br. (USA) [C]

FOLIE** 1969 [BC] COSMAH (USA)* b. 1953 2-d

b. 1982

7-4-0-2 RAISE THE HOIST THE FLAG b. 1968 5-i

$68,381 STANDARD (USA)* [BI]

b. 1978 NATALMA (USA)* b. 1957 2-d