Pedigree

Gayego appears to have the genetic deck stacked against him, for his pedigree is not geared to success at 1 1/4 miles. He is by Gilded Time, the champion two-year-old male of 1992, who has primarily served as an influence for speed. Four-for-four in the course of his championship campaign, Gilded Time captured the six-furlong Sapling S. (G2) in a Monmouth track-record time of 1:07 4/5, the one-mile Arlington-Washington Futurity (G3) and the 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). The chestnut was sidelined for more than a year and returned to action in a very tough spot in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), where he finished a terrific third. Gilded Time was retired after just one more outing, an uncharacteristic sixth in the Malibu S. (G1) going seven furlongs. With such an abbreviated racing career, it is not entirely clear what his preferred distance may have been, but his stud record has provided ample clues. Gilded Time has sired progeny with an Average Winning Distance of only 6.5 furlongs, and his top performers have been sprinter-miler types. His millionaire daughters, Elloluv and Mandy's Gold, won graded stakes sprinting, and recorded their most prestigious scores in Grade 1 events at 1 1/16 miles. Elloluv's signature victories came in the Ashland S. (G1) and Hollywood Starlet S. (G1), and Mandy's Gold earned her Grade 1 laurel in the Ruffian H. (G1). Another daughter, Added Gold, stayed 1 1/8 miles well enough to garner the Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2), but she is the exception. Gilded Time's more representative offspring include Barely a Moment, who won three Australian Group 1 contests in the range of seven furlongs to one mile, and such classy sprinters as Clock Stopper, Crystal Castle, Time Limit, Early Flyer and Old Topper.

Gayego's dam, the Lost Code mare Devils Lake, is probably not imparting that much more appreciable stamina. She won eight of 32 starts, with five of those scores achieved at distances between one and 1 1/16 miles. Devils Lake has produced three winners in addition to Gayego. None of them has won beyond one mile. Her sire, multiple Grade 1 star and $2 million earner Lost Code, excelled at 1 1/8 miles. A son of 1980 Preakness S. (G1) hero Codex, he also placed a close second in the 1 3/16-mile Pimlico Special H. Lost Code has sired several notable fillies, including Canadian champion Magic Code, a three-time winner of the 1 1/8-mile Ballerina S. (Can-G3); multiple Grade 1-winning sprinter Kalookan Queen, who defeated males in the Ancient Title S. (G1); and Tricky Code, successful in the seven-furlong Santa Ynez S. (G2) and herself the dam of Japanese champion Hat Trick (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), a Grade/Group 1 victor at a mile. Lost Code's offspring have recorded an Average Winning Distance of 6.9 furlongs, and his daughters' most notable runners fit that profile. Lost Code is the broodmare sire of Squirtle Squirt, the champion sprinter of 2001; Fabulous Strike (Smart Strike), who romped in last year's Vosburgh S. (G1); Grade 2 queen Rite Moment (Vicar); and Grade 3-level speedsters Desert Code (E Dubai) and Semaphore Man (Formal Gold).

Devils Lake is a half-sister to multiple Grade 2 victress Diamond Duo (Badger Land), who won the 1 1/8-mile Monmouth Oaks (G2). They are out of the stakes-placed Diamonds 'n Dust, who also won at up to 1 1/8 miles. Diamonds 'n Dust is by Bob's Dusty, a two-time hero of the 1 1/8-mile Clark H. (G3) whose progeny have compiled an Average Winning Distance of 7.2 furlongs. The female line has not produced much of quality, and that lack of maternal depth does not boost Gayego's hopes of enduring the 1 1/4-mile trip. The one slender thread could be offered by Devils Lake, who sports an intriguing 4 x 4 inbreeding to the unbeaten European legend *Ribot, a vital source of classic stamina. It is a remote possibility that those genes could be expressed in Gayego, but that would be the equivalent of winning the genetic lottery.