Just as with Minnesota Mafia going to Include, when our newest client asked for a mating recommendation for his other mare — again with the intention to breed-to-race — we went right back to our list of proven “Value Sires” to see what might work for Annapolis Harbor, and we quickly landed on another veteran sire of a high percentage of runners, winners and stakes winners in Langfuhr.
Annapolis Harbor won a pair of races during her own time on the track, and is a half-sister to the three-time stakes winner of over $300,000 Scary Bob. Scary Bob is by Lucky Roberto, a son of the Danzig stallion Belong To Me, and as we’ve mentioned before, our standard tactic in seeking out potential mates for mares is to see what has worked for her family in the past. So in this case, with her being a half-sister to a Danzig-line stakes winner, Langfuhr seemed like a strong possible match for Annapolis Harbor right off the bat, as he is a highly-accomplished and affordable son of that long-time Claiborne luminary.
When one factors in the fact that Annapolis Harbor is by Rockport Harbor, a son of Unbridled’s Song, and knowing that Unbridled’s Song’s daughters have achieved excellent results when mated to Danzig’s sons War Front and Hard Spun (three Graded stakes winners, all in the last three years), that really made Langfuhr a perfect mate for her. And while there are only two runners by Langfuhr out of Unbridled’s Song mares — which is perhaps not quite as surprising as it initially seems, given that Langfuhr had already lapsed into “value sire” territory by the time Unbridled’s Song really hit his stride as a broodmare sire — Langfuhr does have a pair of stakes winners out of mares with Fappiano close-up in their female families.
Additionally, Langfuhr — who is inbred 3×3 to Northern Dancer’s sire Nearctic — has sired no fewer than eighteen stakes winners out of mares with an additional cross of that son of Nearco, including Grade 1 winners Jambalya and Interpratation. The foal from this mating will be inbred to Nearctic 4x4x5, as Annapolis Harbor carries another strain of him via his son Icecapade.
One final interesting note to recommend this match is that Langfuhr has sired a pair of Graded stakes winners already with Naskra close-up in their female families, and Annapolis Harbor’s dam is out of a mare by Naskra’s son Star de Naskra.
Much like Include, Langfuhr has plenty to recommend him as a sire, independent of the merits of this particular cross.
Langfuhr won nine of 23 starts from 3- through 5-years-old, with his victories including the G1 Met Mile, G1 Carter and G1 Vosburgh. Though he was a Champion Sprinter in Canada (where he’s a member of the racing hall of fame), he also placed in the nine-furlong Plate Trial Stakes as a sophomore. As a sire, he has been a model of consistency and versatility, and his best runners have not been limited in their distance or surface capabilities. He has sired no fewer than 75 stakes winners (Northern and Southern Hemisphere), including Canadian Triple Crown winner Wando, Eclipse Champion Lawyer Ron, Grade 1 winner Imperial Gesture, additional Canadian Champions Mobil and Kimchi, and other Grade/Group 1 winners Apollo Kentucky, Jambalaya, Interpratation, Euroears and Lang Field. His stakes-winning total is good for 5% of his foals, and his 1.41 AEI is higher than his 1.34 CI, so he moves his mares up – both among the most important qualifications for us in recommending Langfuhr as a mate for a breeder looking to race a homebred.
Langfuhr wins the G1 Vosburgh
Langfuhr wins the G1 Met Mile
Langfuhr’s son Lawyer Ron wins the G1 Whitney
Langfuhr’s son Wando wins the Queens Plate on his way to taking the Canadian Triple Crown
Langfuhr’s son Apollo Kentucky wins the G1 Tokyo Daishoten in Japan (with a race call in English)
Langfuhr commercial from Lane’s End