With the naming of Zenyatta’s dam, Vertigineux, as the “Broodmare of the Year” Wednesday at Keeneland, a strange thought popped into my mind. First I need to put a disclaimer out there that I know next to nothing about the topic of breeding thoroughbreds. What I’m about to propose is likely about as possible as the prospects of cloning Secretariat and sending him out to trounce the competition again in a renewed assault on the Triple Crown. Begging then for a momentary suspension of disbelief….why not push for the birth of “VertiCurl?” Think about it. Match up the Dam of the Year with the two time Horse of the Year and create a super horse, the likes of which the world hath not seen!
We all know the story of Curlin and his legendary rise to fame in ’07 and ’08. It’s a rise that has given hope to lightly raced contenders such as Dunkirk for the 2009 Kentucky Derby. Lesser known is the story of Vertigineux, and largely because, well, she only raced twice, and that was over a decade ago. As a broodmare she’s producing great runners like Zenyatta (the “slow cheetah” herself) and Balance.
And even if her bloodlines and those of Curlin are not a perfect match, so what? We’re Americans, after all. We love us some “hill folk.” Who amongst us didn’t love “banjo boy” in Deliverance?
Thinking of Vertigineux always reminds me of Vercingetorix of Gaulish fame. Who was Vercingetorix? Well he’s the man who coulda/woulda/shoulda won the battle of Alesia against none other than Julius Caesar, of course! And when I say “Gaulish”, I mean it in the truest of terms. Not in some Francic reference to Charles de Gaulle. What exactly does this have to do with Curlin or Vertigineux? Not a whole lot really, apart from the fact that both Vercingetorix and Vertigineux are both incredibly challenging names to type (in fact, I’m quiet certain I’ve misspelled them somewhere along the way in this posting), both begin with the always fascinating letter “v”, and both are outright rejected by whatever “spell check” mechanism I employ.
I’m not even entirely certain how to pronounce Vertigineux. As for Vercingetorix, I’ve heard it pronounced both “ver-sin-get-or-ex” and “ver-sin-gah-torr-ex.” Who know how it should really be. We can’t ask Vercingetorix as the Romans unfortunately captured and ultimately executed him following his defeat at Alesia.
Bloody Romans. I mean seriously, what have the Romans ever done for us??? They’ve bloody well taken everything from us, and from our fathers. And from our father’s fathers. And from our father’s father’s father’s.
All this talk of Roman imperial history makes my attention-deficit-disordered brain think of Imperial Council, who was sired by Empire Maker, which brings me to Pioneer of the Nile – you’re x-factor horse for the 2009 Kentucky Derby having never run on a true dirt surface. Back to the point at hand, however, and thinking of the ability to forge an empire (as denoted in the name “Empire Maker”), I’m back at the focal point of this post….the idea that the progeny of Curlin and Vertigineux would be an unstoppable force that those opposed to could only hope to contain. So who’s with me? I say “damn the torpedos”, and whether we’d make a banjo boy or not, it’s time we pair these two together in a moment of x-rated equine bliss.
Heck, we could even name the offspring VertiCurl! Which is arguably the coolest Curlin inspired name I’ve heard yet for his potential offspring. If anyone else has any better names, I’m all ears.
Happy Friday everyone. Enjoy this fine weekend and try to protect (or build upon) those bankrolls so that you’re still in the game come next weekend. It’s almost time. The 2 minutes we wait for all year are almost upon us.
I’m glad I’m not the only person who has the Vercingetorix problem with Vertigineux’s name. And at least they’ve stopped running that terrible ad for Empire Maker that drove me crazy – I would should at the TV ‘but Julius Caesar was never technically emperor!’ and I’m sure no one needed that.
Sounds like a dream combo to me. I think it’s pronounced ver ti gh i new
It’s harder to type pronunciations than I thought!
soft g sound almost like a j, as in bridge followed by soft i as in lip
Interesting post. I was at Hollywood Park yesterday and didn’t get much right but neither did the handicappers I read. Oddest race we saw was the third, where a gray named She’s Icy Hot was such a psycho in the paddock that we thought she’d be scratched, spinning and shoving her handler. Still spinning after Bejarano got on, and you guessed it, she won. Saw some two year olds too.
But we missed the seventh, where Joe Talamo had an amazing victory- you have to see the video on the Hollywood Park site. He’s quite the rider!
Ah so my ‘classics’ education bears ‘fruit’ here at betting/handicapping the ponies – Ha. Do not forget that this JULIUS also cut off the hands of ‘disloyal’ GAULS – could/should the same penalty be given to these so-called elite trainer’s who drug horses??? Sorry there would be too many ‘single-armed’ overseers of horses to run in the K-DERBY!!!
I like watching Joe Talamo, he was an apprentice when Kevin taught me how to handicap! I guess I am nostalgic but I am hoping he wins the Derby.
Amy, I’m hoping he wins too. He is so darn cute!
Yuck – Sally and Amy, what’s with the Talamo fetish going on here in the comments? Amy, you probably outweigh the guy bye about 20 pounds!
I’m kidding, of course. He’s always been one of my favorites as well. I know the “Jockeys” series made him look more than a bit dangerous at times, but such is the life of a young jockey, I suppose.
Superfecta – I knew if there was one person out there who would understand the Vertigineux/Vercingetorix connection, it would be you.
Zyskander – Ah, a student of the classics? That explains much. You always come across as a very well read individual. I love all of the subtle references you sprinkle throughout your comments. Very enjoyable. Whenever I see your comments elsewhere on the net, I think “yup, that’s our beloved Zyskander!” (I’ve always thought that name sounds like a superhero as well….I could picture a SciFi movie surrounding it, where a group of helpless villagers are saved from a debacle by the arrival of the heroic Zyskander).
Amy, he’s following me on Twitter. I’m going to faint I swear!
Way to go Sally!
I just got a notice that Chris Berman from ESPN was following me. The Boomer! I grew up listening to him do highlights (“back,back,back,back – GONE!”, and of course, “nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.”
Pretty amazing. You’re left thinking : “really, following little ole me? But…you’re famous!”
THANK YOU…Seriously if i might – Zyskandar is a derivation of that ISKANDER known in the Greek as ALEXANDROS – or as ISKANDRA AHKBAR in the Perisan — or to us monolingual Amerikans (according to PREZ BARRY-the-bowler-OBAMA) as ALEXANDER-the-GREAT. ALEX quite a horseman with famed BUCEPHALUS – would probably be amazed that we can now ‘view’ morning ‘works’ on YOUTUBE. A VERY GOOD IDEA FOR THIS SITE – KUDOS. Think the ‘penalty’ given to MULLINS[trainer of 'I WANT REVENGE'] is a joke only after the K-DERBY. HOW MANY OF THESE ‘TOP’ TRAINERS HAVE BEEN CAUGHT DRUGGING THEIR HORSES??? Ah will watch and try and absorb the ‘goings-on’ this week and make my selections accordingly. THANKS AGAIN FOR THE KIND MENTION.
@ Z yskandar – Ah, then the name and thus my description of a heroic Zyskander saving a native populace are confirmed! To the Bactrians! We must “free” greater Bactria!
@ All – By Geroge, I think I’ve got it! Curlingetorix! Yes!!! YEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! Mwahahahahaha.
Anyone else watching the draft today? I want my Rams to trade down. We need picks and we need to conserve signing money. This team is unhealthy from a cap perspective, even after cutting Pace and Holt (two moves that don’t sit well in all corners of Ramdom.).
Need to trade back to the middle of Round 1, grab 3-4 picks, and start taking a slew of “best player availables” to build around. It’s a new year. Blow up the foundation and start over.
To me that means linebacker in the 1st round, about midway through. Curry will be gone, but if you can get your hands on one of the USC ‘backers, you’ve just hit the lottery.
Ideal pick? R. Maualuga – MLB USC.
$10 they blow it and take one of the OT. Bleh.
This is why I love reading your blog Kevin: Aside from very informative/entertaining picks, you throw great random stuff in like this!! I love the Curlingetorix!! Sounds like an evil wizard from Harry Potter!
‘Bestust’ names i ever heard were HASDRUBAL brother of HANNIBAL of Carthage fame and their father HAMMILCAR BARCA!!! Go JETS with MARK SANCHEZ and i think drafting STAFFORD-the-thrower #1 in the NFL draft for the woeful DETROIT LIONS won’t help them a lick – there are as impotent as once mighty GM[now Government Motors] and CHRYSLER – both soon to be on the junkheaps of histoire!!!
Agreed. Stafford needs a year to develop and learn the playbook if you ask me, and is not ready to start and pull a Matt Ryan or a Joe Flacco. Those guys had running games, at least, and Flacco had a solid D behid him. Stafford (while he does have the coolest last name in the draft, hehehe) has neither of those things….though he did get a nice TE later in the round.
For my Rams, I’m sweating out whether Maualuga or Hakim Nicks will be there in Round 2. I’m enamored with both those guys.
[...] say, “private” matter…Last week we tossed around the notion half-jokingly that Curlin ought to be bred to Zenyatta’s mother, Vertigineux, and that the offspring might be named “Verticurl.” At some point after that posting, [...]