Pedigree Look: Flower Alley

Note: Four posts this week will be about the winning sire and dam of the Kentucky Oaks and Derby. Today's post is about the Derby winning sire, Flower Alley.


Name: Flower Alley
Year Born: 2002
Sex: Stallion
Color: chestnut
Sire: Distorted Humor
Dam: Princess Olivia
Broodmare Sire: Lycius

Profile: You could say that Flower Alley up until this past Saturday, was overlooked at his own farm that he was standing at. Three Chimneys is mourning the death of the longtime and beloved stallion Dynaformer, and getting ready to gear up for the first crop of Lewis Michael and Big Brown. That all changed when Santa Anita Derby winner I'll Have Another surprised everyone by taking home the roses in the Kentucky Derby.

Flower Alley wasn't a bad racehorse himself, with 5 wins out 14 starts with earnings of $2,533,910. He won the Lane's End, Jim Dandy, and Travers as a 3yo in 2005. He finished 2nd in the Breeders' Cup Classic to Saint Liam the same year. However, Preakness and Belmont winner Afleet Alex was named the Eclipse 3yo Champion Male. The next year, Alley wasn't the same horse that he was a 3yo. However, he won the Salvatore Mile. In the shed, he has had some success. Other then I'll Have Another, he has G3 winner Bouquet Booth, stakes winner Zucchini Flower, stakes placed Sassy's Dream, and G1 winner Lilacs and Lace. Here is Alley winning the Travers (Note: If you view this on YouTube, it does say Bellamy Road, that's because this is from WinStar's YouTube account and that's where the Travers runner up stands. However it works in this case, because Alley's sire also stands at WinStar):



His sire Distorted Humor (Forty Niner), is a multiple G2 winner with his best finish in a G1 in his career finalie in the Cigar Mile. While didn't enter the breeding shed with much fanfare, he has taken full advantage. He was named the 2002 Champion Freshman Sire for North America after a horse in Europe was DQ'ed forcing the original champ, Elusive Quality to second. That year he had a G1 winner by the name of Awesome Humor. In 2003, that would be when he took off when his son Funny Cide became the first gelding since Clyde Van Dusen and the first New York bred ever to win the Kentucky Derby. Of course he would win the Preakness and finish third to Empire Maker in the Belmont (EM's son Bodemeister was second to I'll Have Another). Along with those two, DH is also the sire of Belmont and BCC winner Drosselmeyer, G1 winner in Australia Rinky Dink and G1 placed Sharp Humor. His dam, Danzig's Beauty (Danzig) is a G2 winner and finished 2nd in the 1990 Acorn. Other then DH, she is the dam to stakes winner Dancing Gulch (Gulch). Her dam, Sweetest Chant (Mr. Leader) is a multiple G2 winner and won 12 out of 40 times. Other then Danzig's Beauty, Sweetest Chant is the dam to stakes placed Miss Importance (Forty Niner).

Flower Alley's dam is Princess Olivia (Lycius), who won 3 times out of 24 races primarily in claiming and allowance company. Alley is her best foal to date and has since been sold to Japan. However, her son Speilberg (JPN) (Deep Impact (JPN)), won the Principal Stakes last weekend to earn his spot in the Japanese Derby (which is the second leg of the JPN Triple Crown). Her dam, Dance Image (IRE) (Saddlers Wells) was unraced in her career. Her highest earner was Gore (A.P. Indy). Dance Image's dam, Diamond Spring (Vaguely Noble (IRE)) was unsuccessful on the track as well with 1 win in 9 starts. She does however, have a stakes placed filly in France by the name of Didwana (Nijinsky).

For the 2012 season, he stood for $7,500. With the success that Flower Alley has had so far, I wouldn't be so surprised if he shoots up the stallion rankings. Here's to more success to him! Special Thanks to Kate Hunter (@keibakate on Twitter), for the information on Speilberg. She does an awesome job keeping up with the Japanese racing and keeps everyone up to date on Flower Alley's former stallionmate the 1997 Derby and Preakness winner Silver Charm.