Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Great White

Does Great White have the pedigree to excel racing 1 1/4 miles on dirt in the Kentucky Derby (G1)? That’s an important question to ask, because his racing record doesn’t reveal the answer.

So far, Great White has competed exclusively over the synthetic Tapeta track at Turfway Park, so he lacks experience on dirt. Also, he’s yet to race farther than 1 1/16 miles, the distance over which he held off late challengers to win the John Battaglia Memorial S. by a neck.

The good news is, there’s nothing in Great White’s pedigree to suggest he won’t be effective on dirt.

Consider the racing record of his sire, Volatile. He competed exclusively on dirt, winning five out of his six starts. He peaked with a gate-to-wire triumph in the six-furlong Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. (G1), in which he defeated future Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) winner Whitmore and multiple Grade 1 winner Mind Control in a strong performance.

Volatile, in turn, is a son of Violence out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Melody Lady. Violence scored his biggest win in the 1 1/16-mile CashCall Futurity (G1) on synthetic, but also won the one-mile Nashua (G2) on dirt. Melody Lady showcased dirt prowess when dominating the 6 1/2-furlong El Paso Times S., and Unbridled’s Song scored top-level wins in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby (G1) on dirt.

Volatile is passing on dirt ability at stud. His first foals reached the races in 2024, and they’ve included the classy dirt runners Speed King and Tip Top Thomas. Speed King won the 1 1/16-mile Southwest (G3) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, while Tip Top Thomas ran second in the one-mile Champagne (G1) on the Kentucky Derby trail before maturing to win the 1 1/16-mile Indiana Derby (G3) and 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones S.

The bottom half of Great White’s pedigree likewise contains dirt influences. He’s the first foal produced by Kelly Bag, who recorded her best finishes on dirt even though she failed to win in four starts.

Kelly Bag is a daughter of Uncle Mo out of the Elusive Quality mare Birkin Bag, and here we find an abundance of racing class. Uncle Mo earned champion two-year-old male honors after winning the Champagne and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Later on, he added the one-mile Kelso H. (G2) to his record.

Uncle Mo has sired some high-class turf horses, including Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) conqueror Golden Pal, but many of his best runners have starred on dirt. They include Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, 1 1/2-mile Belmont (G1) hero Mo Donegal, 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic (G1) winner Arabian Knight, 1 1/8-mile Stephen Foster (G1) victor Kingsbarns, and two-time 1 1/16-mile Clement L. Hirsch (G1) winner Adare Manor, to name only a few.

Daughters of Uncle Mo are proving similarly productive, foaling Horse of the Year and 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Thorpedo Anna, 1 3/16-mile Preakness (G1) conqueror Journalism, champion three-year-old filly and 1 1/4-mile Alabama (G1) winner Nitrogen, and 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby (G1) victor Muth.

Getting back to Birkin Bag, the dam of Kelly Bag, she performed best on turf, winning the Grande Premio Diana (G1) over 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) in her native Brazil. Her turf talent isn’t surprising since her sire, Elusive Quality, set a world record when dominating the one-mile Poker H. (G3) on grass in the blazing time of 1:31.63.

But Elusive Quality was also a capable dirt racer, finishing second by a nose in the seven-furlong King’s Bishop (G2), and at stud, he’s sired all types of runners. He’s best known for his son Smarty Jones, a Hall of Fame inductee who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness on dirt. But another son, Raven’s Pass, starred in grass miles and also won on synthetic when taking the 1 1/4-mile Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).

Elusive Quality’s versatility shows up in his record as a broodmare sire. His daughters have foaled numerous classy grass racers, including Guelph, a four-time Group 1 winner over distances from 1,400 meters (about seven furlongs) to 1,600 meters (about one mile) in Australia. But they’ve also produced two-time champion and Belmont winner Essential Quality, two-time champion and back-to-back Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Roy H, and 1 1/4-mile Alabama (G1) winner Randomized.

Another excellent runner produced from an Elusive Quality mare is Shamrock Rose. She won a couple of route races over synthetic tracks before switching to dirt to win the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) and Raven Run (G2) sprinting seven furlongs.

Clearly, there are plenty of dirt influences in Great White’s pedigree, so switching surfaces for the Kentucky Derby shouldn’t be an issue. Stretching out over 1 1/4 miles is the bigger question since Volatile was a sprinter, but his brief stud record suggests he’s capable of siring route racers. Furthermore, the presence of Uncle Mo and Elusive Quality (both sires of Kentucky Derby winners) in the bottom half of Great White’s pedigree offers hope for his chances of staying the Derby distance.