The Boss: Commanding respect with first U.S. two-year-olds

Multiple track record-breaker Street Boss is the most represented freshman sire at North America’s select two-year-old sales

In 2008, Street Cry's first-crop son Street Boss strode to elite status with wins in the G1 Triple Bend Invitational and the G1 Bing Crosby. He blazed a trail of five consecutive wins in a brilliant season; all told, he won six races with two close seconds and a third from nine starts. His lifetime earnings total US$831,800.

Street Boss’ veteran conditioner Bruce Headley calls him “the perfect horse.” He said: “He is so smart, so bright and so relaxed. I was stepping up to the mile with him - he was going to be a mile champion next.”

Fast forward four years later and you’ll find a group of individuals in the northern hemisphere that have evolved into, “Very athletic, well-balance racehorses that look as if they will excel sprinting and up to at least a mile”, commented Darley America Bloodstock/Marketing Coordinator Conor Foley following a recent trip to training centers in Ocala, Florida, where he was able to see a large group of Street Boss’ two-year-olds. He further stated, “If I had to say a sire that they are replicating is More Than Ready in America. They are exceeding expectations which is very exciting at this point in the year.”

Many of these horses are bound for North America’s upcoming select two-year-old sales at Fasig-Tipton, Ocala Breeders Sales Company and Barrett’s Sales Company. The popularity of Street Boss’ first crop can be seen by the fact that he is represented by more colts and fillies at these sales than any other first-year sire. And only leading sires Tapit, Medaglia d’Oro and Indian Charlie have more sale horses among all sires represented at these sales. This could be seen as a predictor that his foals should be getting to the races early on in their freshman season.

One such early foal was seen at the Eddie Woods Training Center, one of North America’s premier two-year-old nurseries. This particular colt, to be offered at Fasig-Tipton’s Palm Meadows sale on March 23, is a half-brother to Stakes winner and multiple Graded-placed Swingforthefences. Varnish’s second dam is the G2 winning Mr. Prospector mare, Gild, also the dam of multiple Stakes winner and G3-placed Poker Brad. Consignor Eddie Woods indicated that, “This colt is of the upmost quality and is one of the best horses I have this year. I expect him to show his class at the breeze show and sale.”

Major two-year-old consignor Nial Brennan, who has a Street Boss filly out of Special Grayce headed to the March OBS sale and a Street Boss colt out of Dream Out Loud entered for the Fasig-Tipton Palm Meadows sale, thinks highly of both individuals and likes the impression that most of the Street Bosses have made. The filly is out of a G3-placed, producing daughter of Smart Strike, with a catalogue page that shows the first four dams as black type horses/producers. The colt is a half-brother to 2012 G3-placed Dream and is out of a half-sister to G1 Man o’War Stakes winner and European champion Magistretti. On the colt, Brennan commented, “I’m taking him to the Fasig-Tipton sale and he is one of exceptional talent. I expect him to perform to very high expectations”.

It shouldn’t come as a great surprise that his first foals are developing into early, nice physical specimens. Trainer Headley had this to say about the first time he saw Street Boss as a nicely-developed yearling. “He was so, so into the way I like a horse to look. This great head and eye and this top line with all this power and correctness, the great bone, straight legs, flat knee, good sturdy bone, good feet. Everything that I think is good that is what I saw in him and the top line for brilliance.”

While in the southern hemisphere, his first-crop of yearlings have been received extremely well in the sale ring. Selling up to five-times his initial service, his yearlings have been purchased by many leading trainers.

Street Boss has four yearlings catalogued for the forthcoming Magic Millions Adelaide yearling sale which commences on March 13, while a further six yearlings have been catalogued for the two-day Inglis Autumn yearling sale which is set to commence on April 29.

From a pedigree perspective, Street Boss’ is three generations removed from Mr. Prospector and is an outcross to Northern Dancer himself. However, his paternal grandsire Machiavellian provides an opportunity to line-breed to Northern Dancer’s dam Natalma. Street Cry’s Grade One winners Street Sense, Whobegotyou, Majestic Roi and Tomcito all carry this cross.

He is out of Blushing Ogygian, who placed third in the Jersey Jumper Stakes as a two-year-old and has already previously produced Grade Two-placed Habiboo. Blushing Ogygian is sired by the very last foal born to Horse of the Year Damascus. One of the best of his generation, Ogygian won all three of his starts at two defeating eventual sprint champion Groovy in the G1 Belmont Futurity. An unfortunate kick while in the farm shed row extended his winter hiatus, though he made a comeback to win the Riva Ridge S., G1 Dwyer Stakes and G1 Jerome H. Ogygian is also the broodmare sire of Grade One winners Gygistar and juvenile champion Johannesburg.

Further information on Street Boss and any of his fellow first-crop sires - Authorized, New Approach or Teofilo, can be obtained from the Dazzling Sons website.