Bloodlines Presented By Walmac Farm: "Powerful" Jeff Ruby Winner Endlessly Puts Sire Oscar Performance In The Spotlight

When Endlessly (by Oscar Performance) went four-wide on the turn to take command of Turfway Park’s Kentucky Derby prep, the track announcer yelled that the dark bay colt was “winning powerfully,” and that is a significant comment to understand the colt’s success.

Power is overused in most commentary on racing performance, and it can mean different things. Functionally, power is derived from hindquarter leverage and muscle power that allow a racehorse to finish.

Horses with excellent power are frequently unable to use much of their power at the end of a dirt race because the nature of dirt is to break away from a very strong push; dirt performers tend to do better with good early pace and a steady mid-race and ending-race pace. The winner is usually the horse who is slowing down the least.

In contrast, both turf and synthetic surfaces are much more responsive to the finish potential of highly powered animals. Horses with great power can sometimes race effectively on dirt, especially if their stride rhythm and other qualities allow them to get into an effective stride early enough to pass or even lead their opponents fairly early in a race (think American Pharoah, for instance).

Trainer Michael McCarthy and owner Amerman Racing LLC are apparently estimating their colt’s turf/synthetic potential well and are reportedly pointing him to the Grade 2 American Turf, rather than the “most exciting two minutes in sports.”

Endlessly raced like a “turf horse” at Turfway, coming from well back and finishing with a final three-eighths that was faster than the first three-eights, and the progressive colt certainly has the performances (a winner in five of his six starts over turf or synthetic) and the pedigree to be very effective on turf. A son of the Amermans’ highly regarded turf star Oscar Performance (Kitten’s Joy) and out of mare by Langfuhr, Endlessly has both a very turf conscious pedigree, as well as some legendary dirt performers farther back.

A four-time G1 winner who earned $2.3 million, Oscar Performance won at the top level as a juvenile, 3-year-old, and 4-year-old. That is testament to a high level of athletic ability, and “there was significant interest in this horse from overseas, especially from Japan,” Headley Bell said.

“We were fortunate, because of our nearly 20-year relationship with the Amermans,” Bell recalled, “and we approached them about standing the horse here at Mill Ridge. We suggested that they retain half the horse and we would attempt to syndicate the other half.

“They were willing to do that. With that, we were then fortunate to find an illustrious group of shareholders, including Eclipse breeders of the year George Strawbridge and the Gunthers, to breed to Oscar Performance and work with us.

“Despite significant interest from Japan, this horse was never going to Japan, and it bodes well for our American breed to have breeders and owners racing like them. There was even another significant offer from Japan before his first crop had ever raced, and the offer just wasn’t of interest.

“That’s how much the Amermans believe in this horse and how much this horse means to them.”

The breeders and owners of Oscar Performance took a refreshing attitude toward sending to stud a colt who was naturally viewed as a “turf horse,” a designation that is virtually synonymous with “noncommercial.”

Despite that, some of the sire’s stock found a good response in the commercial market, such as his first-crop star Red Carpet Ready, who was a $180,000 Saratoga select yearling purchase by Bo Bromagen. The multiple graded stakes winner returned on March 8 at Gulfstream to win the G3 Hurricane Bertie Stakes and push her overall record to five victories from eight starts.

A homebred for the Amermans, Endlessly is out of Dream Fuhrever, one of three producers of stakes winners out of Society Dream, one of the few stakes winners by European G1 winner Akarad (Labus), a long-lived stallion who is not often found in American pedigrees.

Society Dream, however, is Jerry Amerman’s foundation mare, and “Jerry is a breeder of champion German shepherds,” Bell said. “After becoming fascinated with Thoroughbreds, Jerry has applied that passion to the breeding of horses.”

The three stakes-producing daughters of Society Dream have all found success on turf. Miss Chapin (Royal Academy) produced G1 Just a Game winner Coffee Clique (Medaglia d’Oro) and Admission Office (Point of Entry), winner of the G3 Louisville and G3 Arlington Stakes on turf. Post Script (Quality Road) produced Act a Fool from the first crop by Oscar Performance, and he won the Hawthorne Derby on turf.

Clearly, this family has found a functional affinity with the son of Kitten’s Joy, and it is working well for all. The female line goes back through successful producers and racers by Blushing Groom and Mr. Prospector to fifth dam Sleek Belle (Vaguely Noble), the dam of four stakes winners, and thence back to 10^th dam Nectarine, a full sister to nothing less Bull Lea, the five-time leading national sire and source of multiple champions and classic winners, including Horses of the Year Twilight Tear, Armed, and Citation.

These latter champions did not race on turf, mostly because there was nearly no significant turf racing at the time, but they were racehorses of the highest order and laid a foundation of soundness and athleticism for the future.

While Jerry Amerman is focusing her attention and skills on breeding the best from Oscar Performance, John Amerman, former chairman of Mattel Inc., is racing manager for the stable. 

Bell concluded, “We went against the trend, and it looks like that might be the right way to go. For the owners, for the shareholders, and for the breed, this horse is an important animal. Maybe he’s a turning point.”

Oscar Performance looks ready for center stage.