Derby Horses

Dixie Union--Tempo, by Gone West

Prep Race History

PDF Download Past Performances
Date Race Grade Distance Finish Chart Replay
Mar 31 2012 Florida Derby Gulfstream Park I 1 1/8 Miles 3
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 REPLAY
Feb 26 2012 Fountain of Youth Gulfstream Park II 1 1/16 Miles 1
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Nov 5 2011 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Churchill Downs I 1 1/16 Miles 2
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 REPLAY
Oct 8 2011 Champagne Belmont Park I 1 Mile 1
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 REPLAY
Aug 15 2011 Three Chimneys Saratoga Special Saratoga II 6 1/2 Furlongs 1
application/pdf iconSaratoga Special.pdf
 REPLAY

Connections

Michael Matz

Trainer

Michael Matz stepped into the national spotlight of horse racing as the trainer of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. Throughout the triumph and tragedy of that year he recognized the great effect Barbaro had on the racing industry and it's fans. He is an accomplished equestrian and rode on the USA Olympic Team earning team and individual medals, and had the honor of carrying the American Flag in the closing ceremonies of the Atlanta Olympic Games.

Julien Leparoux

Jockey

Leparoux is a two time Eclipse champion jockey and only the fourth to win the honor for top apprentice (2006) as well as journeyman rider (2009). He won the Shoemaker award in 2009 in recognition of his three Breeder's Cup wins that year. He is a five time Breeder's Cup winner.He grew up around racing in Chantilly, France and knew at a young age he wanted to be a jockey. Father Robert was a jockey and assistant trainer. Julien came to North American in 2003 and began working for trainer and fellow Frenchman Patrick Biancone galloping horses.

Chadds Ford Stable

Owner

Phyllis Wyeth grew up in a horse racing family that founded the famed Hickory Tree Farm which campaigned such stars as Devils Bag and Gone West. She is an accomplished equestrian and rode steeplechase horses from 1958-1961 . She worked for John F Kennedy before and during his presidency. After being injured in an automobile accident in 1962, she became a strong proponent for making buildings accessible for the disabled. She bred Union Rags, sold him, then bought him back for subsequently more after having a dream that he would go on to do great things.

  • Photo: Reed Palmer Photography/Churchill Downs

  • Photo: NYRA/Adam Coglianese

  • Photo: NYRA/Adam Coglianese

  • Photo: NYRA/Adam Coglianese

  • Photo: NYRA/Adam Coglianese

  • Photo: NYRA/Adam Coglianese

  • Photo: Adam Coglianese

Pedigree

An unlucky second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile after blowout wins in the Champagne and Saratoga Special, Union Rags enters the classic season with a high reputation. A strong pedigree enhances the argument that he will be a major force so long as he remains on the Kentucky Derby trail.

Union Rags is a Northern Dancer line-bred, meaning he descends from the 1964 Derby winner and breed-changing stallion from both sides of his family tree. That influential bloodline should come in handy in the event the colt ever tries turf. In the meantime, his own record of achievement on dirt should have come as no surprise.

Union Rags is by Dixie Union, a son of Dixieland Band who was precocious enough to win the six-furlong Hollywood Juvenile Championship in only his second start. Though he later captured the Norfolk and Best Pal, he was unable to compete in the 2000 classics. However, he did go on to win the Haskell Invitational over nine furlongs and concluded his career winning the Malibu at seven furlongs. His lone attempt over 1 1/4 miles resulted in a distant fourth-place finish in the Travers.

Dixie's Unions best runners thus far have also been most effective at nine furlongs or less. They include the top juveniles Hot Dixie Chick and Dixie Chatter, Pennsylvania Derby hero Gone Astray, and the Grade 2 winners Justwhistledixie and Dixie City.

Union Rags is a son of the winning Gone West mare Tempo, and is the most accomplished member of his immediate family. His second dam was the Grade 2 winner Terpsichorist, a long-distance turf specialist who won the 1 1/4-mile Sheepshead Bay Handicap and 1 1/2-mile Long Island Handicap, among other stakes. Her descendants include the Grade 3-winning turf mare Pratella and the Grade 2 sprinter Satans Quick Chick. Terpsichorist was produced by the Irish champion and classic winner Glad Rags II, a member of a family that ultimately yielded 1993 Belmont hero Colonial Affair.

The daughters of Gone West, a top miler who also stretched out to nine panels to take the Peter Pan, have produced offspring capable at all distances and surfaces. Among the notables are Epsom Derby winner Motivator, champion filly Awesome Feather, and Grade 1 winners Healthy Addiction, Frost Giant and Brilliant Speed. All of the aforementioned were major winners at nine furlongs and beyond.

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