Courtesy of Blood-Horse
By Les Brinsfield

Back-to-back facile wins in major preps coupled with a special pedigree point the way to favoritism in Eskendereya’s next race: The Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). By Giant’s Causeway out of the Seattle Slew mare Aldebaran Light, this horse has a 4×4 cross of Northern Dancer via a son, Storm Bird, and a daughter, Stellar Odyssey, netting a double Natalma. Beyond that, things start coming thick and fast. First, half siblings Halo and Queen Sucree are 5×4 and thus double Cosmah, she a half to Natalma from Almahmoud, she by Mahmoud. Mahmoud sired Cohoes in Rahy (the broodmare sire of Giant’s Causeway), which gives a very important male line of Mahmoud. This alone would be reason enough to do the mating.

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