Quality Road

Quality Road (foaled March 23, 2006, in Virginia) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse.

Quality Road
SireElusive Quality
GrandsireGone West
DamKobla
DamsireStrawberry Road
SexStallion
Foaled2006
CountryUnited States
ColourBay
BreederEdward P. Evans
OwnerEdward P. Evans
Trainer1) James A. Jerkens
2) Todd A. Pletcher
Record13: 8-3-1
EarningsUS$2,232,830
Major wins
Fountain of Youth Stakes (2009)
Florida Derby (2009)
Amsterdam Stakes (2009)
Hal's Hope Stakes (2010)
Donn Handicap (2010)
Metropolitan Handicap (2010)
Woodward Stakes (2010)

Background

Quality Road was bred and owned by Edward P. Evans. He was sired by Elusive Quality, who also sired 2004 Kentucky Derby/Preakness Stakes winner Smarty Jones and 2008 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Raven's Pass. His dam is Kobla, a daughter of 1983 Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year Strawberry Road.

At maturity, he reached 16.3 hands (67 inches, 170 cm) high.[1]

Racing career

2009: three-year-old season

Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, Quality Road raced in Florida in early 2009, where his wins in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Grade 1 Florida Derby made him a favorite for the Kentucky Derby. However, he suffered two injuries. The first was a quarter crack on his right hind foot the day he won the Florida Derby. In April, he suffered a second quarter crack on his right front foot. As a result, he missed all three legs of the U.S. Triple Crown series.

In mid June, owner Edward Evans transferred the colt to the care of trainer Todd Pletcher. On August 3, 2009, Quality Road made his first start since his injury, winning the Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in a track record time of 1:13.74 for six and a half furlongs.[2]

On August 29, 2009, Quality Road finished third to Summer Bird in the Travers Stakes. He followed that with a second to Summer Bird in the October 10 Jockey Gold Cup. Later that month, Quality Road was pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup Classic, in the hopes that his running style would be well-suited to the polytrack at Santa Anita Park.

On November 7, 2009, Quality Road became the first horse to scratch at the gate in the Breeders' Cup Classic. After he refused to load into the starting gate, kicking with his hind legs on two or three occasions, the track crew blindfolded him and he kicked wildly, scraping his hocks on the gate and forcing the scratch.

2010: four-year-old season

On January 3, Quality Road made his 4-year-old debut in the Grade III Hal's Hope Stakes as the odds-on favorite. He won by ​2 3⁄4 lengths.

On February 6, he broke his own track record when he won the Donn Handicap with John Velazquez riding. Quality Road finished the race in 1:47.49 to break the record of 1:47.72, which he set when he won the 2009 Florida Derby. He took control of the race at the stretch and began to pull away at the eighth pole. Dry Martini, the 2009 Suburban Handicap winner, was second.

In an interview with the Thoroughbred Times after the race, Pletcher said he would point the colt for the Metropolitan Handicap and the "big races" at Saratoga Race Course "before the Breeders' Cup Classic" in fall 2010. He also complimented Quality Road's performance, saying, “He’s got a very high cruising speed and can go :46 and 1:09 and still keep going. Not many horses can do that and he was spotting weight to all those horses, six pounds or more.[3]

Quality Road earned a 121 Beyer Speed Figure in the Donn Handicap, then the highest speed figure awarded for a race over one mile since 2005.

In the May 31 Metropolitan Handicap , Quality Road was installed as favorite and held off Musket Man to win in a very fast time of 1:33.11. On August 7, 2010, he ran 2nd in the Whitney Handicap, beaten a head by eventual Breeders' Cup Classic winner Blame. On September 4, 2010, he won the Woodward Stakes by ​4 3⁄4 lengths.

Quality Road ran only once more. On November 6, 2010, he started in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. Breaking from the 1 post, he remained on the rail throughout the race and finished 12th and last behind Blame. After the race, it was determined that the horse had an abscess and that was the reason he was pulled up.

Stud record

Quality Road was then retired to Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. His stud fee for 2011 was $35,000. His first crop raced in 2014, most notable runners were 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hootenanny, multiple graded stakes winner Blofeld, and stakes winner Overprepared. He was the leading first crop sire by earnings in 2014.[4]

He was not as successful with his second crop that started racing in 2015, but in 2016 he rebounded by leading the third crop sire list. His outstanding runner of 2016 was Abel Tasman,[5] who went on to win the 2017 Kentucky Oaks.[6]

Quality Road's top progeny includes[7]-

Racing record
Finish Race Distance Jockey Time Grade Runner up/Winner Track
12th Breeders' Cup Classic ​1 1⁄4 mi John Velazquez 2:02.28 I Blame (1st) Churchill Downs
1st Woodward Stakes ​1 1⁄8 mi John Velazquez 1:50.00 I Mythical Power Saratoga Race Track
2nd Whitney Handicap ​1 1⁄8 mi John Velazquez 1:48.88 I Blame (1st) Saratoga Race Track
1st Metropolitan Handicap 1 mi John Velazquez 1:33.11 I Musket Man Belmont Park
1st Donn Handicap ​1 1⁄8 mi John Velazquez 1:47.49 I Dry Martini Gulfstream Park
1st Hal's Hope Handicap 1 mi John Velazquez 1:36.33 III You and I Forever Gulfstream Park
2nd Jockey Club Gold Cup ​1 1⁄4 mi John Velazquez 2:02.51 I Summer Bird (1st) Belmont Park
3rd Travers Stakes ​1 1⁄4 mi John Velazquez 2:02.83 I Summer Bird (1st) Saratoga Race Track
1st Amsterdam Stakes ​6 1⁄2 fur John Velazquez 1:13.45 II Capt. Candyman Can Saratoga Race Track
1st Florida Derby ​1 1⁄8 mi John Velazquez 1:47.41 I Dunkirk Gulfstream Park
1st Fountain of Youth Stakes 1 mi John Velazquez 1:35.01 II Theregoesjojo Gulfstream Park
2nd Allowance 7 fur Alan Garcia 1:22.23 None Theregoesjojo (1st) Gulfstream Park
1st Maiden ​6 1⁄2 fur Alan Garcia 1:16.11 None Toulouse Lautec Aqueduct Race Track

Pedigree
Pedigree of Quality Road
Sire
Elusive Quality		 Gone West Mr. Prospector Raise a Native
Gold Digger
Secrettame Secretariat
Tamerett
Touch of Greatness Hero's Honor Northern Dancer
Glowing Tribute
Ivory Wand Sir Ivor
Natashka
Dam
Kobla		 Strawberry Road Whiskey Road Nijinsky
Bowl of Flowers
Giftisa Rich Gift
Wahkeena
Winglet Alydar Raise a Native
Sweet Tooth
Highest Trump Bold Bidder
Dear April
gollark: Wait, no.
gollark: `journalctl -u unifi`
gollark: That looks like systemd, though. I'm sure there's a way to fetch a particular program's logs with that. If only I could remember it.
gollark: `sudo -i` and do whatever it is?
gollark: Racks are for putting multiple things in.

References
  1. "Pedigree Analysis: Is Bigger Always Better?". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  2. "Quality Road Smashes Record in Amsterdam". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  3. Quality Road Destroys Competition in Runaway Donn | Thoroughbred Times
  4. Sparkman, John P. "Quality Road back on track with solid 2016". Daily Racing Form. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. Porter, Alan. "Abel Tasman a Comeback for Quality Road". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  6. "Plenty 'Abel' in Kentucky Oaks". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  7. "Quality Road on Stallion Register Online". Stallion Register Online. Retrieved 2017-06-15.
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