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| Staff Writer |
There are few names, human or equine, that can claim as much success in Dubai World Cup history as the mighty sire Danzig.
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The late resident of Claiborne Farm’s influence reaches back to the inaugural Dubai World Cup card in 1996, up to this year’s event through his sons, grandsons, and beyond. Danzig and his direct male sire line have accounted for over 20 winners of seven different races tied to the world-class meeting.
The link starts with Danzig himself, when his son Lost Soldier won the first two editions of what’s known today as the Godolphin Mile, which became a signature race at the former Nad Al Sheba in 1994 and 1995 prior to its inclusion on the Dubai World Cup card.
Danzig then made his presence known on the inaugural Dubai World Cup night when his grandson Key Of Luck, by Chief’s Crown, won the first edition of the Dubai Turf, then known as the Dubai Duty Free, by an astounding 20 lengths.
Danzig’s sons have kept the fire burning for their sire in Dubai, led by Danehill, who sired 2005 Dubai Turf winner ELVSTROEM, and shows up in the sire lines for the winners of 11 other races on World Cup night.
One of those is Thunder Snow, one of the greatest competitors in the history of the World Cup card, who won the UAE Derby in 2017, then won the Dubai World Cup itself in 2018 and 2019. He is the only two-time winner of the Dubai World Cup, and the only horse to win both the UAE Derby and the main event over the course of his career.
Thunder Snow is a son of the multiple Australian Group 1 winner Helmet, who is himself by Australian champion sprinter and world-class sire Exceed And Excel. His sire is Danehill, by Danzig.
At Claiborne Farm, the Danzig line lives on through War Front, one of the world’s leading sires on the racetrack and in the auction ring. War Front added his own lot to DANZIG’s Dubai legacy with Lines Of Battle, who fought gamely to win the 2013 UAE Derby by 1 ½ lengths and punch a ticket to that year’s Kentucky Derby.
War Front also has two sons that stand beside him at Claiborne Farm, each paternal Grandsons of Danzig.
Danzig’s sire line has proven itself able to win Dubai World Cup night races over both dirt and turf, and WAR FRONT extended that versatility to his son, the young Claiborne stallion WAR OF WILL.
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War Of Will won the 2019 G1 Preakness Stakes over the main track at Pimlico, and he won the Gr.1 Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes over the Keeneland turf a year later. His first foals are 2-year-olds of 2024.
Annapolis debuts at stud at Claiborne Farm in 2024 after an on-track career that saw him beat some of the best in the world while setting a stakes record in the Coolmore Turf Mile (Gr.1) at Keeneland.
Out of a multiple graded black type earner in the Unbridled’s Song mare My Miss Sophia, Annapolis is a masterful blend of class and performance.
The Danzig line is also carried on at Claiborne by Silver State, a paternal grandson of Danzig through his sire, HARD SPUN.
Silver State earned nearly $2 million during his on-track career, highlighted by a victory over Horse of the Year KNICKS GO in the G1 Met Mile. His first foals are yearlings of 2024.
A Danzig-line racehorse can take you anywhere in the world, and Claiborne Farm offers you the ticket.