Alan Porter Breeding Analysis for Line of David

Line of David is by Lion Heart, grade one winner of 5 races, $1,390,800, including the Hollywood Futurity (gr. I), Haskell Invitational Stakes (gr. I), Hollywood Prevue Stakes (gr. III), Long Branch Breeders’ Cup Stakes (gr. III), second Kentucky Derby (gr. I), Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I), etc. With his first two crops, Lion Heart has already sired 12 stakes winners, including grade one winner Line of David and graded winners Azul Leon, Soul Warrior, Heart Ashley, Pretty Prolific, Silent Valor, etc.

Line of David is out of the winning and multiple stakes-producing Emma’s Dilemma, a half-sister to stakes winner Lil’s Boy. His granddam, Kentucky Lil, is a three-parts-sister to Champion Sire Mr. Prospector. Kentucky Lil is also a half-sister to the dams of graded stakes winner and multiple grade one sire Slew Gin Fizz, and multiple graded winner Igotrhythm.

Line of David stems from the most brilliant branch of the Storm Cat sire line. Sire Lion Heart was an undefeated juvenile and the most spectacular two-year-old of his crop, winning the Hollywood Prevue Stakes (gr. III) in 1:20.63, then adding a 3½-length win in the Hollywood Futurity (gr. I). Lion Heart trained on at three to win the Haskell Invitational Stakes (gr. I) and run second in both the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Blue Grass S. (gr. I). Line of David’s grandsire, Tale of the Cat – quite possibly the fastest son of Storm Cat – produced an unforgettable performance to take the King’s Bishop Stakes (gr. II) at Saratoga by 5½ lengths in 1:21.71. Champion Juvenile Sire with his second crop to race, Tale of the Cat is now the sire of 67 stakes winners, 30 graded winners, and seven grade one winners.

Brilliance is also evident in the distaff side of Line of David’s pedigree. His dam is by Seattle Slew’s only U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old son, Capote. Like Tale of the Cat, Capote was also Champion Juvenile Sire; thus both of Line of David’s grandsires have earned that distinction. Line of David’s second dam, Kentucky Lil, is by Champion Two-Year-Old Raise a Native, and is a three-parts-sister to the breed-shaping stallion Mr. Prospector, one of the most important sires of the second half of the 20th century. Kentucky Lil is also a half-sister to Slew Princess (by Seattle Slew, and therefore closely related to the dam of Line of David), whose son Slew Gin Fizz has been an outstanding grade one sire in Argentina. The third dam,

Lillian Russell, is a stakes winner by Prince John (sire of two U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Colts), and is from the same Myrtlewood branch of the famed Frizette family that produced not only Mr. Prospector, but also Seattle Slew.

Line of David’s own career reflected the brilliance of his heritage. He led throughout in each of his victories, and in the $1,000,000 Arkansas Derby (gr. I) he produced a remarkable performance that demonstrated not only exceptional speed, but also extreme courage and will-to-win. After setting fractions of :22.65, :46.26, and 1:10.75, Line of David dug deep to turn back the challenges of Super Saver – winner of the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) in his next start – and grade one winner Dublin, with the beaten field also including grade one winner Noble’s Promise, stakes winner Uh Oh Bango, and Norfolk Stakes (gr. I) runner-up Pulsion.

Line of David has an intriguing pedigree from the standpoint of his prospects as a stallion. He is a four generation outcross for Mr. Prospector and Northern Dancer (meaning his foals will be free of Mr. Prospector and Northern Dancer for four generations on the sire’s side of the pedigree). In addition, his own pedigree is an outcross at five generations, but is backed by powerful linebreeding to the family of the renowned tap-root mare Frizette.

The nearest linebreeding in Line of David’s pedigree is to Gold Digger, who is from the Myrtlewood branch of the Frizette family, and who appears 5 x 4 through the three-parts-brother and sister Mr. Prospector and Kentucky Lil (Line of David’s second dam). Line Heart’s dam is by Mr. Leader, who is out of a mare by Djeddah (inbred to the Frizette family), and she has Mr. Leader and his three-quarter relative, Bold Reason (also out of a Djeddah mare) 1 x 3 in her pedigree.

Overall, Lion Heart’s pedigree has several elements in common with Distorted Humor, a Mr. Prospector line stallion whose dam is a Northern Dancer/Mr. Leader cross (as is Lion Heart). There are also pedigree similarities to the background of Medaglia d’Oro, a grandson of Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer over Bold Reason, Hail to Reason/ Djeddah cross, like Mr. Leader), with a broodmare sire who brings in additional Frizette (and from the same branch of the Frizette family that is supplied by Line of David’s broodmare sire).

The distaff side of Line of David’s pedigree compliments this background. Broodmare sire Capote is by Seattle Slew, who is from the same Myrtlewood branch of Frizette as Mr. Prospector, and whose granddam is inbred to Frizette. Capote adds a third cross of this

important strain, and as we have noted, Line of David also traces directly to the Myrtlewood branch of Frizette through Gold Digger, the dam of Mr. Prospector.