Breeding


Pedigree Analysis Far Niente: Gives His History Another Reason To Celebrate
Far Niente won the 2014 Vessels Maturity(G1) at Los Alamitos Race Course.

© Scott Martinez
Pedigree Analysis Far Niente: Gives His History Another Reason To Celebrate

By Andrea Caudill

Q-RACING JOURNAL—JULY 8, 2014—On Sunday night, Far Niente took his second Grade 1 victory and earned his first ticket to the Champion of Champions (G1).

The gelding finished three-quarters of a length the best in the $163,300 Vessels Maturity (G1) for owners Atwood Ranches and Vessels Stallion Farm LLC. It is perhaps appropriate that the horse, who sports a gray coat inherited from his great-grandsire Beduino (TB), represented his history in this race.

The Vessels Maturity is named for the founding family of Los Alamitos Race Course and one of the greatest supporters in the history of sprint racing in California. Far Niente is not only owned in part by the farm, but he also carries the blood of two of its most famous sires.

Far Niente has won nine of 14 starts and earned $330,725 in his career.

Far Niente, then named TD Campbell B, was a $30,000 buyback from the 2011 Heritage Place Winter Mixed Sale. He was bred by Monica Williams’ Bielau Oaks of Wiemar, Texas. The gelding is sired by FDD Dynasty and is out of the Chicks Beduino mare Shahayla.

Of the three horses so far holding tickets to the Champion of Champions, two of them are sired by FDD Dynasty – Far Niente and Los Alamitos Winter Championship (G1) winner Nellie Delaney.

The 10-year-old FDD Dynasty was one of the best of his generation, a freshman and sophomore champion both years that he raced who was never worse than third in all 11 career starts. Bred by Vessels Stallion Farm in partnership with the Fakri family of Brazil, FDD Dynasty was sired by the farm’s great First Down Dash. An earner of $1,173,001 in his racing career, the stallion now is owned by a syndicate and stands at Bob Moore Farms at Norman, Oklahoma.

The sire of four crops to race, FDD Dynasty has gotten the earners of more than $6.5 million. They include 25 stakes winners and 161 winners from 256 starters (a 63 percent win percentage).

The stallion closed last year as the sport’s No. 2 third-year crop sire, with progeny including champion 2-year-old filly Kates Dynasty ($454,330) and other top runners like Vancouver Moon ($350,719), Terrific Synergy ($307,026), JR Dynasty Mountain ($186,357), Ill Stop The World ($173,258), Quick Dynasty ($171,029), Dynastys First Call ($170,971) and FDD Going Grand ($168,760).

Far Niente’s dam Shahayla died in 2011. The mare won or placed in 14 of 22 starts and earned $65,870. She won the 1997 Las Damas Handicap (G2) and 1998 QHBC Distaff Classic (G3).

She was a daughter of Chicks Beduino, himself a leading son of American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer Beduino, who also stood at Vessels. Bred by William Thompson DDS and owned at the time of her death by Bielau Oaks, Shahayla has produced 11 winners from 14 starters.

Her very first foal, born in 2000, was stakes runner Shell Ha (by Holland Ease, $50,584). She was quickly followed by stakes-placed runner Los Al Fly (by Strawfly Special, $21,729). Los Al Fly would go on to produce Grade 1 finalist Motorcity Madman ($84,999).

Her fourth foal was her biggest to date – Finding Nemo, a son of Fishers Dash and earner of $719,544. Finding Nemo was a runnin’ fool, winning the 2005 Governor’s Cup Futurity (RG1) and PCQHRA Breeders’ Futurity (G1); he placed in the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million and Los Alamitos Million futurities as well as the Golden State Derby (G1). He was also a finalist in the Kindergarten Futurity (G1) and Los Alamitos Super Derby (G1). Now at stud, Finding Nemo from 106 starters has sired the earners of nearly $900,000.

Shahayla is also the dam of Restricted Grade 1-placed Sheza Shy Shahayla (by First Down Dash, $67,140) and stakes winner Deepwater B (by Ocean Runaway, $30,723).

Her dam, Myrtles Band, was a daughter of Band Of Azure, and Shahayla was the most productive foal the mare produced.

Myrtles Band’s dam, Myrtle Bar, was a stakes-placed runner. The daughter of Camp Town Boy out of the Hard Twist mare Myrtle Twist, Myrtle Bar also produced stakes winner Oh K Scortchy (by Three Oh’s, $21,722). Her own dam, Myrtle Twist, was a Superior Race Horse with several stakes placings to her credit.

AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHARacing on Twitter, watch the AQHA Racing Newscast and visit www.aqharacing.com.