Pedigree fun facts: 2025 Belmont Stakes

Jun 04, 2025 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Baeza eyes a history-making win for mother Puca (Photo by Susie Raisher/Coglianese Photos)

The pedigree angles for Saturday’s 157th Belmont (G1) conjure up memories of the 2007 running, when Hall of Famer Curlin was just outdueled by champion filly Rags to Riches. Curlin is the sire of two Belmont contenders, notably the early favorite Journalism.

Rags to Riches was emulating her half-brother, 2006 Belmont hero Jazil. Their mother, Better Than Honour, thereby became the only mare so far to produce back-to-back Belmont winners. (She is also the great-grandmother of 2023 Belmont champion Arcangelo.)

On Saturday, Belmont contender Baeza hopes to emulate his half-brother, Dornoch, who won last year’s renewal at Saratoga. Both are out of Broodmare of the Year Puca.

But the historical stakes are even higher for Baeza. If he scores, Puca would achieve an unprecedented feat of producing three U.S. classic winners. Before Dornoch and Baeza came along, Puca was famous for foaling Mage, the 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) upsetter.

It would be an ironic twist if Puca furnishes two Belmont winners because her sire, champion Big Brown, suffered his lone career loss when going for the Triple Crown in the 2008 running. The imperious winner of the Derby and Preakness (G1), Big Brown, was pulled up as the odds-on favorite in the Belmont.

Thrilled for BIG BROWN’s daughter PUCA, who was named @KYTbred Broodmare of the Year! She's the dam of @KentuckyDerby winner Mage, @BelmontStakes winner Dornoch,& Derby hopeful Baeza. Congrats to breeders Jerry Crawford & the late Paul Pompa, Jr., & to @jstewartrr's @resracingky! pic.twitter.com/fg4roeTJN9

— Old Friends (@Oldfriendsfarm) April 17, 2025

Baeza is from the first crop of McKinzie, a son of champion Street Sense, who beat Curlin in the 2007 Derby. Curlin turned the tables on Street Sense next time in the Preakness. Street Sense did not contest the third jewel.

Although Curlin was just foiled in the Belmont, he wasted no time in siring a Belmont winner in his first crop, Palace Malice (2013). If Journalism wins, or longshot Uncaged springs a monumental upset, Curlin would join the club of stallions responsible for two or more Belmont winners.

Both Journalism and Uncaged are out of graded stakes-winning mares by sires who themselves furnished Belmont victors. Journalism’s mother, Mopotism, is by Uncle Mo, sire of Mo Donegal (2022). Uncaged is out of Dark Nile, whose sire Pioneerof the Nile gave us Triple Crown sweeper American Pharoah (2015).

The most recent Triple Crown champion, Justify (2018), has an up-and-coming hopeful in Crudo. Justify is the only sire with a shot at Saturday’s Epsom Derby (G1)/Belmont double; his son Ruling Court is among the leading chances in the Epsom classic that morning.

Congratulations to Justify at all of his connections for his 2018 Belmont Stakes Victory which made him the 13th Triple Crown Winner! #TC18 #BelmontStakes150 pic.twitter.com/uDB6kbUYhE

— BloodHorse (@BloodHorse) June 9, 2018

If Crudo can step up, he would lift Justify into the company of Triple Crown winners who sired Belmont winners. Gallant Fox (1930) sired Triple Crown successor Omaha (1935) along with Granville (1936); Count Fleet (1943) sired Counterpoint (1951) and One Count (1952); Secretariat (1973) supplied Risen Star (1988); and Seattle Slew (1977) got Swale (1984) and A.P. Indy (1992) (in turn the sire of Rags to Riches, who was a third-generation Belmont winner).

Interestingly, Crudo is out of a mare by Deputy Minister, the sire of Better Than Honour. Deputy Minister is also the maternal grandfather of Curlin, so the epic 2007 Belmont was fought out between his grandson and granddaughter Rags to Riches.

Deputy Minister has two other Belmont-winning grandchildren – Sarava (2002) is out of a Deputy Minister mare, and Sir Winston (2019) is by the Deputy Minister stallion Awesome Again. Note that Awesome Again appears in the pedigree of Justify too, giving Crudo’s pedigree a duplication of Deputy Minister.

Justify’s sire, Scat Daddy, features prominently as the maternal grandfather of British shipper Heart of Honor. His mother is the Scat Daddy mare Ruby Love, a Chilean Group 1 scorer.

Heart of Honor is the only entrant from the sire line of A.P. Indy, via his champion son Honor Code and grandson Honor A. P. But another champion son of A.P. Indy, Bernardini, factors in the maternal pedigrees of one-third of the field.

Throwing it back to almost 27 years ago when A.P. Indy surged to victory in the 1992 Belmont Stakes! Fast forward to 2019, A.P. Indy is 'thriving' at the age of 30 @LanesEndFarms @BloodHorse https://t.co/AMrhiYxLcb pic.twitter.com/r16AraednY

— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) January 10, 2019

Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty is out of a Bernardini mare. Both Journalism and Uncaged can claim Bernardini as the sire of their maternal grandmothers.

Sovereignty aims to become the first Belmont winner for perennial leading sire Into Mischief. Rodriguez represents the same sire line, being by Authentic, Into Mischief’s first Derby-winning son and the Horse of the Year in 2020.

Both Sovereignty and Rodriguez have Belmont connections on their mothers’ side. Sovereignty’s grandmother, Grade 1-winning millionaire Mushka, is by 2003 Belmont hero Empire Maker. Rodriguez’s grandmother is by Touch Gold, who denied Silver Charm the Triple Crown in the 1997 Belmont.

Hill Road, by Quality Road, is a three-quarter brother to $5.6 million-earner City of Light, whose signature wins came in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and 2019 Pegasus World Cup (G1). But Hill Road promises to have more stamina since his mother is by champion Lemon Drop Kid, the 1999 Belmont winner. Tracing the family much further back, this is the same female line responsible for Belmont scorers Granville and *Cavan (1958).

Baeza’s half-brother Dornoch is the fourth Belmont winner hailing from their extended family, including Twenty Grand (1931), Avatar (1975), and Afleet Alex (2005).

Sovereignty and Heart of Honor come from another very productive family of four Belmont winners. Their tribe has yielded Bold Forbes (1976), Coastal (1979), Creme Fraiche (1985), and Bet Twice (1987).

Journalism belongs to the family of Tapwrit (2017), while Uncaged shares a distant ancestress with Stage Door Johnny (1968). Crudo comes from the matrilineal tribe of Shut Out (1942), and Rodriguez descends from a full sister to Gallant Fox.