
Beren was campaigned for his owners/breeders Christopher Feifarek and Sue Quick’s St. Omer’s Farm by trainer Butch Reid from 2YO through 6YO. He won 12 of his 35 starts and earned just under a million dollars. Seven of Beren’s wins were in black-type events, from six furlongs to a mile-and-a-sixteenth. In addition to numerous stakes at Parx and Penn National, Beren also won two black-type events at Belmont Park, plus the historic Frank DeFrancis Dash at Laurel. Beren placed in 11 more races, of which nine were black-type stakes, including the Grade 3 General George. He won on fast and wet tracks and had loads of speed, but also won his longest race — the two-turn Crowd Pleaser — by 9-1/2 lengths “under wraps.” So in addition to his class and longevity, Beren also brings plenty of versatility to the table.
In this day and age where racehorses’ durability is constantly questioned, Beren had it in spades and came by it honestly — and has every right to pass it along at the same farm that’s already done this before with his sire, Weigelia.
Weigelia has been a stalwart of the Pennsylvania sire ranks since his retirement to WynOaks for the 2009 breeding season, following a six-year racing career (from 2YO through 7YO) that saw him go (48) 13-9-11 with wins in a pair of graded stakes races and earnings of over a million dollars.
Weigelia had to do things the hard way at stud. Supported at the outset almost exclusively by his owners at WynOaks Farm and their close relatives at St. Omer’s, Weigelia proved that he was capable of passing on something resembling his own ability and durability, rather than the much more limited qualities his own pedigree implied (by Safely’s Mark out of an Obligato mare). Now in the twilight of his career, he has sired a dozen black-type winners, 11 more who are black-type placed, and 35 additional six-figure earners. Those numbers are good for 5% black-type winners to foals, a total of 9.5% black-type horses to foals, and average earnings per starter of $97,592. His Average Earnings Index (AEI) stands at 1.35, which is outstanding when compared to his Comparable Index of 1.03.
Beren’s dam was no slouch, either: Silmaril (by the Phipps-bred Mr. Prospector son Diamond) won 16 of 36 starts and earned $1,032,973, with her twelve black-type victories encompassing the G3 Endine Handicap at six furlongs and the G3 Pimlico Distaff at a mile-and-a-sixteenth over Eclipse Champion Ashado and that season’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Pleasant Home. So she is yet another classy, durable and versatile individual, the loss of which type the industry now bemoans.
Beren combines these throwback-type parents into a physical package which is strong, well-balanced, and with more leg and scope than one would anticipate for a horse with the speed that he had. Physically, he should suit a wide range of mates given that there is nothing in his profile that a mare owner would need to try to breed away from.
Looking at his pedigree, Beren will also suit a wide range of mares. The only inbreeding that his pedigree features is Nearctic at 5x5x5, with Weigelia being inbred 3×3 to Northern Dancer and Silmaril’s granddam being a daughter of a horse called North Sea, who was bred on the identical Nearctic/Native Dancer cross as Northern Dancer. So Beren’s foals will have those two instances of Northern Dancer in their fifth generation, and Mr. Prospector will appear in their fourth — plenty far enough back not to be restrictive.
Other than Beren himself, Weigelia has had his greatest success when crossed with mares by Disco Rico, including four black-type winning full-siblings in Smooth B (also Grade 3-placed), Fat Kat, Fore Harp and Disco Ebo. Two more full-siblings to this quartet are black-type placed, specifically Disco Rose (Grade 2-placed) and Pink Princess, and another two full-siblings are six-figure earners (two additional winners round out the ten foals by Weigelia out of Katarica Disco, by Disco Rico). Weigelia also has a six-figure earner out of a different daughter of Disco Rico.
Disco Rico is a son of the former Maryland stallion Citidancer, who is the broodmare sire of one of Weigelia’s six-figure earners. Citidancer, in turn, is a son of the Maryland-bred Dixieland Band, whose Kentucky-based son Dixie Union is also the broodmare sire of a six-figure earner by Weigelia (another filly by Weigelia out of that Dixie Union mare brought $120,000 as a 2YO in-training, as well). Beren is free of Dixieland Band blood, and mares from this sire-line would be obvious candidates to send his way. In addition to those named above, other Dixieland Band-line stallions include Overanalyze and Union Rags (both by Dixie Union), and the latter’s son Catalina Cruiser, as well as Citidancer’s son Cherokee’s Boy, who stood at stud in Maryland.
As mentioned above, Beren’s dam, Silmaril, is by the Mr. Prospector stallion Diamond, and another daughter of Diamond has produced Weigelia’s black-type placed Risque’s Diamond and two six-figure earning full-siblings to that one. Mr. Prospector’s son Woodman is the broodmare sire of Weigelia’s black-type winner Storm Advisory, while the black-type winner Delta Express, black-type placed Johnny Ritt, and another six-figure earner are among Weigelia’s offspring out of daughters of Attorney (who is by Seeking the Gold, a stallion bred on the identical Mr. Prospector/Buckpasser cross as Woodman and whose son Petionville stood locally). Seeking the Gold’s son Mutakddim is also the broodmare sire of a six-figure earner by Weigelia. Yet another son of Mr. Prospector, namely Pioneering, is the broodmare sire of Weigelia’s black-type placed Amandasromeo.
Among the other stallions from this sire-line whose daughters might be interesting with Beren are Maryland’s longtime leading sire Not For Love (whose dam’s broodmare sire is Buckpasser, and shockingly not a single one of his daughters was ever tried with Weigelia), the well-bred Kitalpha (out of champion Miesque, who is by Nureyev, a horse we will mention again shortly), as well as Two Punch and his son Smoke Glacken, and Smoke Glacken’s son More Smoke (broodmare sire of a six-figure earner by Weigelia). Great Notion took over from Not For Love as Maryland’s leading sire and he is a Mr. Prospector-line stallion via Gone West, as are Maryland’s up-and-coming Blofeld, Pennsylvania’s Uptowncharlybrown, and the Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones, who stands in Pennsylvania. Daughters of each of these could be tried with Beren.
Mr. Prospector’s son Forty Niner is the sire of Sunday Break (JPN), who is the broodmare sire of a six-figure earner by Beren, which would make mares tracing to Forty Niner’s son Distorted Humor worth trying with Beren. Distorted Humor’s sons and grandsons include the likes of Boisterous, Jimmy Creed (who is out of a Citidancer mare himself and thus doubly-intriguing with Beren) and Maclean’s Music, plus the latter’s son Cloud Computing, who is now a sire in Pennsylvania. Distorted Humor’s son Cal Nation also spent time at stud in both Maryland and Pennsylvania, and his daughters ought to work here, too.
The Fappiano branch of Mr. Prospector’s sire-line has had success with Weigelia, as two daughters of Crypto Star (by Fappiano’s son Cryptoclearance, who is the grandsire of Candy Ride, he the sire of Gun Runner and that one’s local son Fortune Ticket, as well as local stallion Red Vine) have produced six-figure earners by Weigelia, as has a mare by Real Quiet (by Fappiano’s son Quiet American). Fappiano is also responsible for the likes of Unbridled (whose representatives include Unbridled’s Song and that one’s formerly local sons Domestic Dispute and Rockport Harbor, while he also has the likes of Cross Traffic and Liam’s Map in Kentucky). Mares by these stallions would all be worth trying with Beren.
Weigelia’s first black-type winner, Brenda’s Way, is out of a mare by Malibu Moon, who is a son of A.P. Indy. There are two additional six-figure earners by Weigelia and out of Malibu Moon mares, and Weigelia has also produced the black-type placed Poker Partner out of a mare by Congrats (bred on the identical A.P. Indy/Mr. Prospector cross as Malibu Moon). Also bred on that specific A.P. Indy/Mr. Prospector cross is Pulpit, the sire of Oratory, who is the broodmare sire of a six-figure earner by Weigelia. A.P. Indy’s sire, Seattle Slew, is also the sire of Eastover Court, the broodmare sire of a six-figure earner by Weigelia.
Malibu Moon’s son Freedom Child stood at stud locally, as did Pulpit’s sons Corinthian, El Padrino, Bandbox and Super Ninety Nine — their daughters ought to work with Beren. Tapit is a son of Pulpit and has numerous stallion sons whose daughters could fit here, including Tight Ten, Winchill, Divining Rod, Flashback, Normandy Invasion and El Padrino. A.P. Indy’s sons Friesan Fire,Rock Slide and Scipion all stood locally and have daughters who could work with Beren, while his son Jump Start led the sire lists in Pennsylvania for years. Jump Start’s daughters would be intriguing with Beren given that he is out of a Storm Cat mare, and that one’s sons have worked very well as broodmare sires with Weigelia.
Specifically, Weigelia has sired the black-type placed Tudox Dahlia out of a mare by With Distinction, and the black-type placed Traders Luck out of a mare by Lion Hearted, both sons of Storm Cat. Storm Cat’s son Weather Warning is the broodmare sire of three six-figure earning full-siblings, and his son Pure Prize is the broodmare sire of another six-figure earner. Other stallions from the Storm Cat sire-line whose daughters would be worth trying with Beren include his sons Cat Thief and Freud, his grandsons Fairbanks, Talent Search, Imagining, Brody’s Cause and Etched, and his great-grandsons Wiseman’s Ferry, Bourbon Courage, Command Post and Into Mischief (this last-named being the sire himself of stallions Goldencents, Maximus Michief and Engage). Mares by these Storm Cat-line stallions are worth trying with Beren.
Wayne County (IRE), by Sadler’s Wells, is the broodmare sire of black-type winner Barracuda Wayne by Weigelia, plus three six-figure earning full-siblings to that one, while Private Interview, a son of Sadler’s Wells’s close relative Nureyev, is the broodmare sire of Weigelia’s black-type winner Ninetypercentmaddie and that one’s black-type placed full-sibling Ninetypercentbrynn. The Sadler’s Wells sire-line is most prevalent currently through his sons Galileo, whose son Seville (GER) stood in Maryland and has daughters who would work with Beren, and El Prado, the sire of Kitten’s Joy and Medaglia d’Oro, the latter of which is represented by local sires Warrior’s Reward (out of a Seeking the Gold mare and thus doubly-interesting), Enticed, Endorsedand Golden Lad. Mares from this sire-line make sense to try with Beren, especially given that inbreeding to Northern Dancer (sire of Sadler’s Wells and Nureyev) is omnipresent and successful, and has worked well for Weigelia (who is also the sire of a six-figure earner by Northern Dancer’s son Rakeen.)
A mare by Mizzen Mast produced black-type winner Gamboling Ghost, black-type placed Shoshanah and another six-figure earning full-sibling to that pair by Weigelia. Mizzen Mast’s daughters should therefore suit Beren, and Mizzen Mast is a grandson of Caro, which sire-line is also responsible for Uncle Mo, and thus his sons like Mo Town, Outwork, Laoban and Name Changer — which suggests that mares by these horses could also be successful with Beren.
Weigelia sired black-type winner Organized Chaos out of a mare by Subordination, a son of Mt. Livermore from the Blushing Groom sire-line, which has also worked via Housebuster (another son of Mt. Livermore and broodmare sire of a six-figure earner by Weigelia) and Animal Kingdom (a great-grandson of Blushing Groom and the broodmare sire of a six-figure earner by Weigelia). This would make daughters of the locally-based Orientate, Bop and During (all from this sire-line) worth a shot with Beren.
The remaining Weigelia black-type winner, Chippewawhitechief, is out of a mare by Alleged, a son of Hoist the Flag, whose sire-line has otherwise died out but can be found elsewhere in pedigrees and would be interesting to try with Beren.
One final suggestion that could produce interesting results for Beren would be to send him mares whose pedigrees contain the long-time local stallion Partner’s Hero. Such a pairing would produce Rasmussen Factor inbreeding to the mare Safely Home, who is the dam of both Partner’s Hero and of Eclipse Champion Sprinter Safely Kept, who is the dam of Weigelia’s sire Safely’s Mark. Making this even more intriguing is that both Safely’s Mark and Weigelia are sons of Danzig, so they’re quite closely related. Weigelia produced no foals out of mares by Partner’s Hero or with Partner’s Hero as their broodmare sire, but this is a pattern that we would love to see attempted with Beren as Rasmussen Factor inbreeding has been known to produce superior individuals.

