CRAFTY C.T., Chestnut, 1996, Crafty Prospector-Andriana B. by Far North
Fee:$3,500.
Click For Crafty C.T. Stats

Popular Graded Stakes-Winning Sprinter/Miler CRAFTY C. T. was the picture of consistency hitting the board in 14 of his 18 starts in his racing career and retired with earnings of $832,652.

Four-length winner of the Grade II San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita Park. He placed in eight other stakes, seven of those Graded events, including the Grade I Santa Anita Derby (to POINT GIVEN), Grade I Metropolitan Handicap (to SWEPT OVERBOARD and ALDEBARAN), Grade I Cigar Mile and the Grade I Ancient Title Breeders’ Cup Handicap.

By CRAFTY PROSPECTOR, among the leading sires with 89 stakes winners, including six champions. Out of Adriana B., dam of eight foals to race, seven winners, including CARMEN’S BABY ($175,120). From the family of stakes winners PRIZE SPOT and SCREEN KING.

ELLEN PARKER PREFERRED LINES & CROSSES

• Crafty C. T. is tail-male to the Mr. Prospector branch of the *Sickle male line via Raise a Native. His sire, Crafty Prospector, is one of the few rather tough descendents of this male line and is a sire who has a reputation for having horses who “can all run at least a little bit” – kind of like Valid Appeal and Flying Paster and that type horse. Crafty Prospector is tail-female to the Adjournment sub-branch of Ellen Horne, the same family that accounted for Preakness winner Master Derby (Family 1-L).

• Crafty C. T. is tail-female to the Motto branch of Maxima (13-B). This is the immediate family of Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Cat Thief, Palace Music (sire of Cigar), top miler Labeeb, Mr. Trouble (broodmare sire of Sir Ivor), and the excellent broodmare Whakilyric (dam of Hernando and Johann Quatz).

Best Lines and Crosses

• As with Muqtarib, Seattle Slew and other Myrtlewood-line descendents stand out – horses like In Excess and Siberian Summer and when they get a bit older, daughters of Forestry.

• Inbreeding to In Reality is a very potent way to go. I’d concentrate on horses carrying a male line for balance – Relaunch, Valid Appeal, that type of thing.

• Damascus will like that close-in In Reality line. Whenever Damascus is crossed on In Reality, you get a treble of full siblings War Relic x2/Speed Boat, a double of Beaming Beauty (Bubbling Over/Bar Nothing and a double of Ballantrae (Balancoire II/Coeur A Coeur). It’s very potent. Michael’s Flyer also has a cross of Anchors Ahead, another full sister to War Relic, so if you have any of his daughters that are good physical fits, that’s a thought.

• In Reality’s tail-female line (*Clonaslee) is quite good: Some excellent family members to consider- Indian Charlie (who also doubles Myrtlewood); Prince Blessed, tail-male line of John Henry; Preakness winner Deputed Testamony and hard-to-find Dr. Carter.

• Holy Bull-line mares: This is a lovely cross for him, as Holy Bull’s sire, Great Above, is “inside-out” (mirror image) of his In Reality line. They also share Better Self, *Mahmouod and Questionnaire crosses.

• Silent Screen’s tail-female line is that of Idle Dell. This is the same family as Hildene, but it is best known for Sunday Evening which contains most recently Medaglia d’Oro (whose daughters will one day fit him as he is inbred to the family). Most of the best blood, however, is abroad. If you can find any, mares carrying Bluebird, Java Gold, Mujahid and Country Pine all are good fits. Horses carrying Hildene will be less potent, but consider First Landing, Hill Prince, etc.

• All that applies to The Minstrel in Muqtarib applies to Far North in Crafty C. T.:

1. In his case, mares with The Minstrel, Nijinsky II, El Gran Senor, etc. are all viable.
2. Mares with Indian Hemp and Great Nephew compliment Nearctic and
3. Victoria Park compliments Sharp Victor and Flying Victor’s Victorian Heiress Blood.
4. Naturally, Halo and Arctic Tern also compliment the tail-female line of Almahmoud, second dam of Northern Dancer.

• His double of Nashua is particularly attractive with Louis Quatorze, who is tail-female to Nashua’s full sister Stavroula. This works well, too, since Louis Quatorze is Northern Dancer line.

• As stated above, sire Crafty Prospector descends from the same family as Master Derby, so mares carrying Master Derby (I would think the most class would be via Generous mares) would work. And since his own tail-female line is Maxima, consider mares by Labeeb and Cat Thief and you might also want to note that once again Flying Victor and Sharp Victor are important as their dam, Elegant Victress is by Sir Ivor who is out of a mare by Mr. Trouble, who hails from Maxima’s line.

Comments: This is a nice little horse with lots of potential. His sire is a hard-knocker (rare for a Mr. Prospector) and has a good reputation for getting horses who can last awhile and who can all pay their way.