When his good colt Nobiz Like Shobiz won the Remsen Stakes-G2 last year, Albert the Great hit the big time as a sire. The strapping Elizabeth Valando runner first caught everyone's attention breaking his maiden at Belmont, then running a very close second to Scat Daddy in the Champagne Stakes-G1 in his second start. Then came the Remsen Stakes. Now hot on the Kentucky Derby trail, Nobiz debuted this year with a big win in the Holy Bull Stakes-G3, and put in a solid effort coming in third in the Florida Derby-G1 behind Scat Daddy and Stormello.
The same November weekend as the Remsen win, Albert the Great's Puerto Rican-based two-year-old Albert The Gold won the Clasico Agustin Mercado Everon (PR-G1), giving his sire two G1 winners within 24 hours. Ten days later, his previously stakes-placed three-year-old filly My Great Love won the Prensa Hipica (PR-G1) in Puerto Rico, giving her sire three Graded stakes winners in less than two weeks.
Add to this the reliable Dr. Einstein, placed in two stakes at Golden Gate Fields in 2006, and Albert the Great has four stakes horses and three Graded stakes winners in his first two crops.
These runners and the others among his 50 total winners to date, gives us a good population to draw conclusions now about what bloodlines are working with Albert the Great and which might work with him in the future.
Obviously his best nick has to be the one that produced Nobiz Like Shobiz, whose dam is Nightstorm, by Storm Cat out of a Halo mare. This points to a nick with Storm Cat, his sire Storm Bird, and grandsire Northern Dancer. Albert the Great has sired eight winners so far from Northern Dancer-line mares, but only this one from the Storm Bird/Storm Cat branch, although Dr. Einstein's second dam is by Storm Bird.
Because Albert the Great has a cross of Northern Dancer's son Vice Regent in his second dam, any Northern Dancer strain results in linebreeding in the offspring. In Nobiz's case, it's 5x4. Perhaps more significant is the fact that Nobiz Like Shobiz's dam is linebred 5x4 to the important broodmare Almahmoud, through her grandsons Northern Dancer and Halo, and Nobiz Like Shobiz has three strains of Almahmoud all told. Adding Northern Dancer should continue to work, and we'd obviously like to see more Storm Cat daughters and granddaughters coming to visit. Forestry looks great since his dam is by Pleasant Colony, who sired Pleasant Tap out of the same mare that produced Albert The Great's sire Go For Gin. Tabasco Cat is similar, out of a mare by Sauce Boat (by Key to the Mint, by His Majesty's brother Graustark).
Albert The Great has three winners from Halo-line mares including two out of mares by Saint Ballado and one by his full brother Devil's Bag, so Halo looks like a significant bloodline affinity for him, as does the mare Ballade, dam of the brothers. Mares carrying Saint Ballado, Devil's Bag, and their sisters Glorious Song (dam of Rahy, Singspiel, and Rakeen) and Angelic Song (dam of Sligo Bay) or half brother Imperial Falcon might work as well. Giant's Causeway mares look great, since he's by Storm Cat out of a mare by Rahy. There is a fourth winner out of a mare by Prized (by Kris S. by Roberto), from the same Hail to Reason male line as Halo, but without the Almahmoud influence.
It's worth noting that Nobiz Like Showbiz is also doubled 5x4 to the classy race filly and good broodmare Swoon's Tune, his own fourth dam, and second dam of Cormorant (sire of Albert the Great's sire Go For Gin). This is an unusual linebreeding, and worth paying attention to. Does it mean he'll do well with other bloodlines carrying Swoon's Tune's sire, Swoon's Son, such as Chief's Crown and Bowman's Band?
Albert The Great's other stakes winners show different patterns. Albert The Gold is out of a mare by Crafty Prospector (by Mr. Prospector), second dam by Steve's Friend (by Stevward). The Mr. Prospector cross also creates linebreeding since Albert is out of a mare by Mr. Prospector's son Fappiano. In this case, Albert The Gold is 4x3 to Mr. Prospector. The stakes-placed Dr. Einstein is also out of a mare from this sireline, by Gone West (and also 4x3 Mr. Prospector).
These are two of seven winners by Albert The Great from Mr. Prospector-line mares - featuring two stakes horses - with five others from other sources of Mr. Prospector's sire Raise A Native. These include two out of mares by Affirmed, one by Raise a Native himself, one by Jacodra (by Highland Park), and one by Easy Goer (by Alydar).
Albert the Great's stakes winner My Great Love is out of a mare by Holy Bull, second dam by Key to the Mint. Holy Bull, by Great Above, represents the Minnesota Mac/Rough'n Tumble sireline, but he's the only winner thus far from that strain. The cross provides interesting duplications, though, since Albert's dam's sire Fappiano is out of a mare by Dr. Fager, also by Rough'n Tumble, and Dr. Fager is also a half-brother to Great Above's dam Ta Wee, so duplicating their dam Aspidistra, too. Albert might also do well with Housebuster, whose dam was by Great Above.
More Rough'n Tumble might work well with Albert. Fappiano's top son Quiet American is actually inbred to Dr. Fager, so look for more of the good Doctor strains. Cure The Blues has it, as does Forestry, Maudlin and his son Mecke. Rough'n Tumble's daughter My Dear Girl produced the important stallion In Reality who has worked with Albert The Great, in the dam's sire of four of his winners, and also appears in the dam of Crafty Prospector, mentioned above.
In Reality nicked well with Fappiano, so this is no surprise and should be encouraged. Try mares by Relaunch or his sons and grandsons like Honour and Glory, Cee's Tizzy and Tiznow, Skywalker and Bertrando and grandson Officer. Other In Reality strains include Valid Appeal and his sons like Successful Appeal and Valid Expectations; Proper Reality, Smile, Known Fact, and Taylor's Falls.
Key to the Mint is from the same male line as Albert himself, being by Graustark, a full brother to Cormorant's sire His Majesty. So this pedigree has linebreeding to their parents, Ribot and Flower Bowl, something that has been working well in the breed overall. Look for other sources of Graustark and even try doubling up His Majesty, whose son Pleasant Colony could be a home run since he sired Go For Gin's half-brother Pleasant Tap. The caution is that these can be later maturing types, so use this inbreeding with mares with a lot of precocious speed.
Majestic Light's pedigree is similar to Graustark and His Majesty with Ribot and the Boudoir II family combining, so he could also work well with Albert the Great. In fact, his great-grandson Monarchos has Northern Dancer, Roberto, and Graustark along his dam line, so is a really good cross for Albert. Mares by his sire Maria's Mon should also work well since Albert provides Graustark's full brother His Majesty instead.
Albert the Great has sired eight winners so far from Bold Ruler-line mares, including two from mares by Beau Genius (by Bold Ruckus), 1 by Seattle Slew, and 1 by Go Step (by Slew's sire Bold Reasoning), all tracing back to Bold Ruler's son Boldnesian. Stallions bred on the In Reality/Boldnesian nick should work well and would include Skywalker (Bertrando and Officer as well) and Smile. Another of these good Bold Ruler strains is through Secretariat, also found in the dams of Storm Cat, Gone West, and the dam's sire of two other Albert the Great winners. A.P. Indy, by Seattle Slew out of a Secretariat daughter, is a cross full of potential here, too.
He's also had two winners from mares by Grey Dawn II or his son Vigors; two from mares descending from The Axe II through Just a Tab (by Al Hattab) or Sawbones (by Hatchet Man). It's interesting that Grey Dawn II is bred on the same Herbager/Mahmoud cross as the broodmare Ballade, dam of Saint Ballado and Devil's Bag, who have already worked with Albert the Great. It's also interesting that Holy Bull (dam's sire of My Great Love) has the Axe II and Grey Dawn II in his pedigree.
To summarize, Albert the Great's best nicks are with Northern Dancer, Mr. Prospector, Halo and Bold Ruler-line mares. His stakes performers are out of mares by Storm Cat, Crafty Prospector, Holy Bull and Gone West.
Look for mares that carry close crosses of these sires, but also mares with close strains of Storm Bird, Northern Dancer, Mr. Prospector, Halo, Ballade, Almahmoud, Swoon's Son, Dr. Fager, In Reality, Boldnesian, Secretariat, Graustark or His Majesty, The Axe II, and Grey Dawn II.
By Anne Peters