Derby pedigrees?

Question

Recently, given as there are no more big races coming up for the Derby UNTIL the Derby, I have been looking up contender pedigrees. Who do you think has the best breeding?

Note: Personally, I think that it's no competition, in favor of Big Brown (for best pedigree, not the Derby).

Answer 1

Colonel John, hands down.  Tiznow with a Turkoman mare.  And that Turkoman mare goes back to Damascus, Northern Dancer, and Man O' War.

Tale of Ekati is a close second... Tale of the Cat by Storm Cat with a mare that was by Sunday Silence out of a Nijinsky mare that was by Mr. Prospector.

edit:

yes, I looked up just about all of the 3 year old derby contenders pedigrees in order to answer your question.  I don't know what you see in Big Brown's pedigree... Boundary and Mien?  really?  I mean there's Danzig and Damascus and Round Table back there... and back to Man O' War... but he's really kinda inbred... Northern Dancer, Damascus, and Round Table all show up twice once you get back to 3rd generation.  You honestly think that's a better pedigree than a sire line to Storm Cat (commonly touted as the best sire in the world over the last 20 years) and a mare by Sunday Silence who was not only one heck of a racehorse, but a pretty good sire if you look at how much $ the progeny have earned.  Sure Ekati is a little inbred too (they all are) but not until you get to the 4th and 5th generations.  I think we may have to agree to disagree on this.

edit 2:

I will agree with that... the others don't have amazing breeding.  There's some horses where you find a trace of good breeding.  Cool Coal Man is by Mineshaft (and any horse with AP Indy in the sire line has very good breeding), but his dam is nothing amazing.  Court Vision has decent breeding: by Gulch out of Weekend Storm who is by Storm Bird out of the Secretariat mare Weekend Surprise (AP Indy's dam).  But most of the others are weak.

edit 3: I may be biased a bit too... I gave Colonel John the edge because he's out of a Turkoman mare... I leased a gelded son of Turkoman for a while ;o)