Alan Porter’s 2020 Breeding Analysis for Cloud Computing

A winner on his only start at two, at three Cloud Computing captured the Preakness Stakes (G1) defeating Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and Champion Two-Year-Old Colt Classic Empire. Cloud Computing is from the first crop of Maclean’s Music, a spectacular son of Leading Sire Distorted Humor. His dam, a graded stakes performer, is by A.P. Indy out of grade one winner Halo America.

Maclean’s Music is sire of another grade one winner in Complexity, successful in the 2018 Champagne Stakes (G1), and he is out of a mare by Yes It’s True, sire of Proud Accolade and Yesbyjimminy (out of a mare by Pentelicus, a three-quarters brother to Unbridled, who is in the pedigree of Maclean’s Music).

Maclean’s Music is also sire of graded-winning sprinter, Classic Rock, out of a mare by High Yield, a Storm Cat son who gives inbreeding to Maclean’s Music’s grandsire, Forty Niner. From another branch of the Storm Cat, Maclean’s Music has stakes winner Tamborera out of a mare by Harlan’s Holiday, who is by Harlan, and who is sire of Into Mischief, Majesticperfection and Shanghai Bobby. Other versions of the cross of Distorted Humor line stallions with Storm Cat line mares has produced grade one winners out of mares by Giant’s Causeway and his son, Shamardal; and graded winners out of mares by Bernstein; Storm Boot; and Henny Hughes (by Hennessy, whose son, Johannesburg is broodmare sire of a Distorted Humor line stakes winner, and is also sire of Scat Daddy); and stakes winners out of mares by Forest Wildcat (sire of Wildcat Heir and D’Wildcat); and Stormy Atlantic.

Sources of Giant’s Causeway include Aragorn, Cowboy Cal, Creative Cause, Eskendereya, Fairbanks, First Samurai, Frost Giant, Giant Gizmo, Giant Oak, Heatseeker, Hold Me Back (giving inbreeding to Unbridled’s Song), Noble Causeway and Red Giant. It would also be possible to bring in Hennessy through Cactus Ridge and Wiseman’s Ferry. Other Storm Cat line broodmare sires that could be considered are After Market – bred on the same cross as Giant’s Causeway – Bluegrass Cat (who would give a well-placed double of A.P. Indy); Cat Thief; Catienus; Forestry (sire of Discreet Cat and Shackleford); Freud (a brother to Giant’s Causeway); Grand Reward (bred on the same cross as Giant’s Causeway); Pure Prize; Sir Cat; Storm Creek; Tabasco Cat; Tale of the Cat (sire of Lion Heart and Take of Ekati); and Yankee Gentleman. There is also a Maclean’s Music stakes winner out of a mare by Royal Academy, a close relative to Storm Cat.

The dam of Cloud Computing is bred on a Seattle Slew/Relaunch cross, which is the reverse of Tiznow, and Maclean’s Music has two-year-old stakes winner Made Me Shiver out of a mare by that horse and other out of a mare by his son, Colonel John. Other sons of Tiznow include Gemologist, Morning Line (who would give a well-placed inbreeding to A.P. Indy), Tiz Wonderful and Tizway. It would also be possible to bring in Relaunch, the grandsire of Tiznow, through Honour and Glory (sire of Put It Back) and Bertrando (sire of Officer, another Relaunch/Seattle Slew cross, the reverse of the dam of Cloud Computing).

Cloud Computing is out of a mare by A.P. Indy, and Maclean’s Music has also sired two-year-old stakes winner Mister Banjoman out of a mare by A.P. Indy grandson, Sky Mesa. Distorted Humor, the grandsire of Cloud Computing, is good with A. P. Indy and his sire, Seattle Slew, and it could be worth breeding mares from this line under Cloud Computing. Sky Mesa is by Pulpit, also sire of Tapit (who himself is sire of Trappe Shot, Hansen and Tapizar), Stroll and Parading. Other sons of A. P. Indy that are broodmare sires of Distorted Humor stakes winners are Bernardini, Malibu Moon and Flatter (a brother to Congrats), and mares by Mineshaft and sons, such as Dialed In and Discreetly Mine should also work.

Maclean’s Music has sired stakes winner Honolulu out of a mare by Malabar Gold, a close relative to Unbridled’s Song, a mating that gives inbreeding to Unbridled. Unbridled’s Song is sire Songandaprayer, Even The Score, Rockport Harbor, Half Ours, Old Fashioned, Zensational, Noonmark (broodmare sire of a Distorted Humor line graded stakes winner) as well as Dunkirk, Midshipman and First Defence (who all give inbreeding to Seattle Slew). Distorted Humor and sons have enjoyed success with other branches of Unbridled, notably Grindstone (sire of Birdstone) and Saarland, which also suggests daughters of Empire Maker (sire of Pioneerof the Nile and Bodemeister) and Broken Vow. It would also be possible to introduce Fappiano through Cryptoclearance, who is sire of Victory Gallop, and grandsire of Candy Ride, and Quiet American (grandsire of Midnight Lute).

Fappiano is a grandson of Mr. Prospector, and Maclean’s Music, also has a stakes winner out of a mare by Mr. Prospector son, Two Punch (sire of Smoke Glaken). Other Mr. Prospector line horses to appear as broodmares sires of Distorted Humor line stakes winners include Street Cry (sire of Street Sense and Street Boss), Mining and Thunder Gulch and his son, Point Given.

Distorted Humor has also done extremely well when crossed over mares descending from Damascus through Personal Flag and his sire, Private Account (available through Private Terms, Corporate Report, Secret Hello, Unaccounted For (broodmare sire of Distorted Humor line grade one winner Hoppertunity), Valley Crossing and Afternoon Deelites. and there is also a stakes winner by Maclean’s Music out of a mare by Damascus line stallion Gilded Time.