In-depth Analysis

By Andrew Caufield

MALE LINE

When a son of Danehill retires to stud, breeders have every right to be excited, as Danehill’s dynasty looks destined to become the world’s best source of high-class turf runners.

Take a look at the combined 2006 statistics for Britain, Ireland and France and you will find that Danehill ranks first, with his sons Danehill Dancer and Dansili filling third and fourth places. It is a similar story in these three countries in 2007, with the top ten featuring Danehill, Danehill Dancer, Rock of Gibraltar and Cacique’s brother Dansili.

It was a similar story in Australia during the 2005/6 and 2006/7 seasons. Although Danehill’s lengthy sequence as leading sire came to an end in 2005/6, his successor was his son Redoute’s Choice, who also topped the sires of two-year-olds. With help from Desert King, Flying Spur, Commands and Lion Hunter, Danehill and his sons filled six of the top eight places on the general sires’ list. In 2006/7, the new champion sire was another son of Danehill, Flying Spur, who also headed the sires of two-year-olds.

Danehill’s admirable son Cacique, a winner of five Group races including two G1s, therefore has plenty to offer, especially in view of the achievements of his highly successful brother Dansili, France’s champion sire in 2006.

After getting two Group winners in a first crop sired at £8,000, Dansili hit the jackpot with his second crop, sired at a fee of £10,000. This 2003 crop has produced nine individual stakes winners, over most distances from five furlongs to 13 furlongs. The outstanding Rail Link leads the way, with the Grand Prix de Paris and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe among his sequence of five victories, and Price Tag also enjoyed G1 success in the Matriarch Stakes at Hollywood Park, having earlier been controversially demoted from first to third in the French 1,000 Guineas.

Dansili’s third crop is smaller, but has made a similar impact. This crop has produced four Group winners, comprising the Grand Prix de Paris winner Zambezi Sun and three Group-winning two-year-olds in Passage of Time (Gr.1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud), Strategic Prince (Gr.2 July Stakes, Gr.2 Vintage Stakes and third in the Gr.1 Dewhurst Stakes) and Thousand Words (Gr.3 Somerville Tattersall Stakes). Supposition, another winner from this crop, was third in the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes.

Dansili’s ability to sire two-year-old winners has also been underlined by his 2005 crop. Although this numbers only 60 foals, it had produced 17 winners by October 21 and two of them, Proviso and Sense of Joy, became Group winners in August. Runner-up in the G1 Fillies’ Mile, Proviso has retained her position as one of the favourites for the 1,000 Guineas.

The wide range of Dansili’s success suggests that Cacique too will be able to sire everything from Group-winning two-year-olds to high-class middle-distance stayers. After all, Cacique was fast enough to win two Group races over a mile in France, plus another over 9 furlongs, and he went on to show consistently high-class form from a mile to 11 furlongs in the USA.

In addition to pedigree and performance, Cacique is also an imposing physical specimen. Lord Grimthorpe’s description of him as a two-year-old read:  “Very nice colt, well balanced, a very good mover with an economical action.  Like nearly all of his close relations he will probably want good fast going.”

Cacique stands 16.1 hands and arguably has more quality than Dansili, with an attractive head and a bit more length. He also has a very relaxed, easy temperament.

RACING RECORD

Although he is a May foal, Cacique showed so much promise in the spring of his two-year-old season that he seemed likely to make his debut at Deauville in August. Unfortunately a bout of coughing in early summer set him back and the ground had turned soft by the time he was ready to race in October. As this family tends to prefer fast ground, the decision was taken to postpone his debut until 2004.

Hopes were still nurtured that Cacique would maintain the extraordinary record of Hasili’s progeny by contesting a Guineas race, as her first four foals had done. These hopes were kept alive when Cacique overcame his obvious inexperience to win a seven-furlong newcomers’ race at Saint Cloud on April 14, in the hands of Gary Stevens. But, with Juddmonte having another leading contender for the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, Cacique’s Gr.1 debut was delayed until June 8, when he tackled the Prix Jean Prat. By then Cacique had won his second start, over a mile at Longchamp, but he faced an enormous task at Chantilly, as his opponents included the unbeaten Bago, who had headed the 2003 juvenile classifications. Cacique was far from disgraced in finishing second to Bago, as he comfortably accounted for two previous Group winners.

Cacique’s rider, Gary Stevens, was duly impressed:“He is still a big baby who spent a lot of time looking around,” Stevens reported. “I was very pleased with his finish and he is a serious horse with a huge future. You’ve got to be happy with this run.”

The promise of this display was confirmed when Cacique renewed rivalry with Bago in the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris three weeks later. This time Cacique led before the straight and kept on so strongly that Bago managed to catch him only close home, to win by half a length.

“Cacique ran a very, very good race and there was no disgrace in going under to Bago,” was Gary Stevens’ verdict.

Although the Grand Prix de Paris was over a mile and a quarter, Cacique had no problems dropping back to shorter distances later in the season. He was impressive in the Gr.3 Prix Daphnis over nine furlongs at the end of July, leading all the way and winning easing up by 1½ lengths. And he demonstrated his versatility – and amenability – in the Gr.2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein over a mile at the Arc meeting. Ridden for the first time by Christophe Soumillon, Cacique was held up this time, before coming with a powerful surge which took him from eighth to first in the short straight.

This impressive display had trainer Andre Fabre wondering whether he had been right to race Cacique over a mile and a quarter: “I probably made a mistake trying to go further with him,” Fabre conceded. “Although he’s laid back, he’s probably a miler like the rest of his family.”

Cacique had given the impression that a strongly-run mile and a quarter was beyond him at this stage of his career when fourth of nine to Sulamani in the Juddmonte International in between his Group successes.

Cacique tweaked his back after stumbling at the start of the Prix du Muguet on his seasonal debut at four and possibly still needed the race when third in the Gr.1 Prix d’Ispahan three weeks later. However, he was in peak condition for the Gr.3 Prix du Chemin de Fer du Nord over a mile in June. Although set to concede weight to opponents of the class of Whipper and Special Kaldoun, he won impressively after leading throughout.

“Like all the family he thrives on fastish ground,” Soumillon reported. “He’s fairly lazy at home and in all his races. He was 80% of his best today and next time he will be spot on.”

The Sussex Stakes was scheduled to be Cacique’s next start, in which he was going to bid to better Dansili’s second to Giant’s Causeway. Unfortunately a short-lived problem with a hock put him on the sidelines at the crucial time.

With his sister Intercontinental emulating the success of their sister Banks Hill in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare, a move to America became the obvious course for Cacique. He joined Bobby Frankel’s yard in mid-November and was given a few months to acclimatise.

It is no exaggeration to say that, with a little more luck, Cacique could have won most of his first six starts in the USA – every one of them in Gr.1 company. His American debut came in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap in March. Starting favourite in a 13-horse field, Cacique was a strong-finishing fourth, beaten only half a length, after meeting all sorts of trouble.

“He just had a brutal trip,” reported his rider Pat Valenzuela, who said he was pushed out on the turn by another horse. “It took me about ten wide, so I lost a lot of ground there, but he still ran a great race. He was the best horse. He’s a real nice horse. He should have won.”

Half a length was again the margin of defeat when Cacique stepped up to 9 furlongs in the Woodland Reserve Turf Classic Stakes on Kentucky Derby day. After briefly lacking room turning into the straight, Cacique had to work his way to the outside and was closing well at the finish.

Fortune finally favoured Cacique when he travelled to Belmont Park for the Manhattan Handicap over a mile and a quarter. Leading throughout, Cacique’s rider Edgar Prado kept enough in reserve to repel the challenges of the Gr.1 winners Relaxed Gesture, Grey Swallow and English Channel.

“He’s a real fighter,” Frankel said, while at the same time paying tribute to Cacique’s extraordinary dam Hasili. Cacique is the third foal out of Hasili to have won a Gr.1 for Frankel.

It was English Channel’s turn to win when he and Cacique clashed again in the United Nations Stakes. This time Cacique gave the impression that the 11-furlong trip was testing his stamina and he went down by half a length. Another second followed in the ten-runner Arlington Million, in which Prado – and all the other jockeys – were arguably guilty of allowing the free-running The Tin Man too much leeway.

Prado made ample amends when Cacique tried 11 furlongs again in the historic Man o’War Stakes at Belmont Park in September. Displaying more patience than in the United Nations Stakes, Prado didn’t ask Cacique for his effort until they had rounded the final turn. Cacique then responded instantly and forged away to win decisively. The next two across the line – Go Deputy and Showing Up – were both recent Gr.1 winners.

Although he stayed a mile and a quarter in Europe and 11 furlongs in America, Cacique showed that a mile and a half was beyond him in a strongly-run Breeders’ Cup Turf.

For full details of Cacique’s female line, see the notes on Dansili.