A SONG FOR DAMASCUS

(This is the final part of a six part series.)   

For a closer look at the career of Damascus, this writer once again recommends Lucy Heckman’s Damascus in the Thoroughbred Legends series (Eclipse Press, 2004). To get another perspective on the rivalry of Damascus and Dr. Fager, Steve Haskin’s Dr. Fager, in the same series (Eclipse Press, 2000), is also recommended.

The stud career of Damascus was prolific, and a detailed discussion is far beyond the scope of this blog. Only a limited number of his progeny are mentioned below. A more detailed account will be found in Heckman’s book.

PART SIX: AN ENDURING LEGACY

When Damascus arrived at A.B. Hancock’s Claiborne Farm, he would join a group of racing greats and standout stallions, including Buckpasser.

Damascus was syndicated for more than $2.5 million, comprised of 32 shares of $80,000 each. Several notable industry figures were shareholders, including Mrs. Edith Bancroft, the colt’s owner, who retained six shares.

The Sire

Damascus became an excellent sire, producing 71 stakes winners, including the following:

Honorable Miss – bay filly, b.1970

Honorable Miss, by Damascus, out of the Royal Vale (GB) stakes placed mare Court Circuit, made 62 starts in her career, and became a multiple stakes winner, among her victories the Fall Highweight Handicap twice over males, carrying 133 and 130 pounds in 1975 and 1976 respectively.

Bailjumper – bay colt, b.1974

Damascus, bred back to Court Circuit, produced Bailjumper. A five generation outcross, Bailjumper won the 1 1/8 mile Dwyer Handicap and one mile Saranac Stakes. Bailjumper later sired 16 stakes winners, including the bay colt Skip Trial, out of the Diplomat Way mare Ingot Way. Skip Trial was a multiple stakes winner, counting among his victories the 1 1/8 mile Haskell Invitational, Ohio and Pennsylvania Derbies at age three, duel victories in the 1 ¼ mile Gulfstream Park Handicap, at ages four and five, and placings in the Travers Stakes and two Donn Handicaps.  As a stallion, Skip Trial sired 26 stakes winners, including his greatest offspring, the Florida-bred Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and Horse of the Year Skip Away, whose career earnings were over $9,600,000.

A daughter of Bailjumper, the bay filly Cappucino Bay (b.1989), was a black-type winner from 24 starts. Cappucino Bay was bred to El Prado (Ire.), and from that cover, in April 1999, a dark bay/brown colt was foaled and given the name Medaglia d’Oro.

Damascus’ descendent, Medaglia d’Oro, a five generation outcross, was an exceptional racehorse. As a three-year-old, Medalgia d’Oro won the Travers Stakes, Jim Dandy, and San Felipe Stakes. At age four he captured the Strub Stakes, Oaklawn and Whitney Handicaps, and the following year the Donn Handicap. A horse with good stamina, Medaglia d’Oro counted among his second place efforts the Belmont Stakes, Pacific Classic, two Breeders’ Cup Classics, and the Dubai World Cup.

Medaglia d’Oro continues to excel as a stallion, with more than 30 stakes winners already to his credit, among them Champagne d’Oro, Gabby’s Golden Gal, and C.S. Silk, et al.

One of the mares Medaliga d’Oro was bred to was the lightly raced bay mare Lotta Kim, and in 2006 a dark bay/brown filly was born and given the name Rachel Alexandra, who became the super filly, divisional champion, three-time grade one conqueror of males, including older males, Horse of the Year, and one of the greatest American female racers of all time.

Private Account – bay colt, b.1976

Damascus was bred to the exceptional racer and Eclipse Champion Two-Year-Old Female Numbered Account, by Buckpasser, out of the Swaps mare Intriguing. In addition to her illustrious sire and damsire, Numbered Account had incredible inbreeding, 3Sx4Dx5D to War Admiral, 4Sx5D to the phenomenal mare La Troienne (Fr.), 5Sx5D Selene (GB), and like Damascus, had strong blood ties to Teddy (Fr.), with her line 5Sx5S. Throughout her five generations are champions. The chances of producing an exceptional offspring were excellent, and one result was Private Account.

The bay colt, Private Account, was foaled in 1976, and became a multiple stakes winner, annexing the 1 1/8 mile Jim Dandy Stakes, then at age four, the 1 ¼ mile Gulfstream Park and Widener Handicaps. As a stallion, Private Account did even better, becoming the sire of 61 stakes winners, with his notable progeny excelling in America and overseas, including Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner and Eclipse Champion Older Female Inside Information. Undoubtedly the best offspring of Private Account was the great champion filly Personal Ensign, who electrified the racing world with her come-from-behind victory over Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors in the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Distaff, to close out an undefeated career.

Highland Blade – dark bay/brown colt, b.1978

Highland Blade was the result of a mating between Damascus and the gray black-type winner Misty Byrn by Misty Flight. Highland Blade would go on to win the 1 ½ mile Pan American Handicap on the turf, and 1 ½ mile Brooklyn Handicap. He also won the 1 ¼ mile Marlboro Cup Handicap, defeating the eventual two-time Eclipse champion Slew o’Gold.

Desert Wine – bay colt, b.1980

Damascus’ son, Desert Wine, was out of the Never Bend mare Anne Campbell. At age two, Desert Wine won the six furlong Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes, and at three, the one mile San Rafael. He was elevated to first in the 1 1/16 mile San Felipe Handicap, with the disqualification of Naevus, who was dropped to second. Desert Wine also finished second in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Jerome Handicap. As a four-year-old, the colt captured the 1 ¼ mile Strub Stakes and Hollywood Gold Cup.

Time for a Change – chestnut colt, b.1981

Damascus met the stakes winning mare Resolver, who was sired by Reviewer, the same stallion, who in the 1970s, produced the legendary filly Ruffian. From Damascus’ cover, Time for a Change was foaled. Three years later, Time for a Change won the 1 1/8 mile Everglades Stakes and defeated the juvenile champion Devil’s Bag in the 1 1/8 mile Flamingo Stakes, coming within a few fifths of the track record.

Time for a Change’s career was brief but he later sired the multiple stakes winner and Eclipse Champion Two-Year-Old Male Fly So Free, who won in succession the Champagne Stakes, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Hutcheson Stakes, Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby, until his streak was snapped with a second place effort in the Blue Grass Stakes.  Fly So Free apparently inherited his grandsire’s weight carrying ability, and toward the end of his career, won the six furlong Fall Highweight Handicap under 135 pounds.

Ogygian – bay colt, b.1983

Damascus, bred to the Francis S., mare Gonfalon, produced the Florida-bred Ogygian, a multiple grade 1 winner from ten starts. His victories included the seven furlong Futurity, and at age three the 1 1/16 mile Dwyer, one mile Jerome Handicap, and Riva Ridge Stakes. As a stallion, Ogygian sired 23 stakes winners, including  the Pat O’Brien and Palos Verdes Handicap winner D’Hallevant, Withers Stakes victor Dice Dancer, and Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes winner Ramblin Guy. Ogygian was the broodmare sire of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and Eclipse Two-Year-Old Champion Male Johannesburg, and grade one winner Street Boss.

The Broodmare Sire

Approximately 155 stakes winners were foaled through the daughters of Damascus. Four will be mentioned here.

Shadeed – bay colt, b.1982

Sired by English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky II, out of the Damascus mare Continual, Shadeed, an English champion, won only four of seven starts, but among these wins were the Two Thousand Guineas and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. He also finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 1985, and eventually became a sire of champions.

Boundary – bay colt, b.1990

Boundary, by the legendary sire Danzig, out of the stakes winning mare Edge, by Damascus, was a stakes winning or placed racer from eight starts. Boundary would later be bred to the mare Mien and in 2005 a bay colt was foaled and given the name Big Brown, who excelled on turf and dirt, and became a Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes winner, and Eclipse Champion Three-Year-Old Male.

Big Brown is inbred to Damascus 3Sx4D. In addition to the Damascus relation through Boundary, Big Brown is a tail-female descendent of Damascus through his third dam, Syrian Circle. Retired and standing at Three Chimneys Farm, Big Brown’s first crop of two-year-olds began racing in 2012, among them stakes winner Brown Almighty.

Coronado’s Quest – chestnut colt, b.1995

The son of champion Forty Niner, out of the unraced mare Laughing Look, by Damascus, Coronado’s Quest was a multiple stakes winner, among his wins the Remsen, Cowdin, Nashua Stakes, Wood Memorial, Haskell Invitational, Riva Ridge and Travers Stakes, and Dwyer Handicap. Coronado’s Quest later became a stallion in Japan, until his death. Among his offspring was the excellent bay Society Selection, a multiple stakes winning or placed filly and runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Chilukki – bay filly, b.1997

The brilliant racer Chilukki, by champion Cherokee Run, out of the Damascus mare Song of Syria, won her first six races, including a decisive win over males in her second juvenile start, the 5 ½ furlong Kentucky Breeders’ Cup Stakes at Churchill Downs. Chilukki’s streak was finally snapped when she finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Named Eclipse Champion Two-Year-Old Filly, Chulukki raced for two more campaigns, earning just over $1.2 million.

A full life

With age and gradual infertility, Damascus was eventually pensioned to live out his days at Claiborne. He had been blessed with racing success, fame, wonderful offspring, and a long, comfortable life. That storied life finally reached its end peacefully in 1995, when the grand horse was thirty-one years old.

Damascus was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1974, joining his illustrious archrival Dr. Fager, already inducted in 1971, and the great Buckpasser, an inductee in 1970.

In tribute

This narrative has been a tribute, in the form of one blogger’s voice singing the praises of the great champion, who was called Damascus. With the aid of many outside sources, the song developed its own unique lyric, as an expression of the writer’s tender affection for an extraordinary horse, and a reaffirmation of a remarkable story. It is hoped that the spirit of Damascus is pleased.

Bibliography

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A.P., “Damascus Syndicated For $2.5 Million,” The Morning Record, November 23, 1968, p. 9, col. 3.

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Copyright 2012 by John Califano