Stallion Review - Ponder
Ponder
Stats as of the 21st September 2014
BREEDING
Ponder 1:49h, 1:48.1 ($1,686,134) is by The Panderosa from Empty Feeling by Abercrombie from Evergreen Sandy by Most Happy Fella from Evergreen Dot
The Panderosa ($1,452,418) is probably one of the most underrated sons of Western Hanover in the world. With only 22 starts lifetime The Panderosa won 10 including the $1,000,000 North American Cup and the $1,000,000 Meadowlands Pace for total stakes of $1,452,418.
He won the Meadowlands Pace in 1:49.3 parked out the entire trip and won easy against a tremendous field. In fact 8 of the 10 runners are well known stallions at stud throughout the world today.
Besides The Panderosa, ($1,452,418 - $250,000 yearling), they include Grinfromeartoear ($1,746,009 - $100,000 yearling), Badlands Hanover ($754,772 - $105,000 yearling), Blissfull Hall ($1,468,648 - $47,000 yearling), Washington VC ($569,540 - $65,000 yearling), Sign Of Success ($483,525 - $85,000 yearling), Mystical Shark ($338,401 - $12,000 yearling), Arts Conquest ($880,576 - not sold), Goliath Bayama ($1,509,163 - not sold),
The Panderosa - North American statistics
Eligible to race - 1162
Winners - 784
$1,000,000+ - 7
$750,000+ - 14
$500,000+ - 40
$250,000+ - 100
$100,000+ - 287
Sub 1:50 - 45
Average earnings per starter $110,257
Average earnings per eligible horse - $87,769
Total earnings to date $101,987,722
COMMENT
With statistics like that, it is hard to understand how The Panderosa is so badly underrated. He really paid the price for a three-year-old season that went horribly wrong as the fans expected so much of him especially after his dazzling Meadowlands Pace victory.
The perception of the breeders is that he does not leave many great two and three-year-olds but he certainly makes up for that with durable racehorses that just kept earning and earning.
Besides Ponder, ($1,686,134) his richest son, The Panderosa now has left the 2013 boom two-year-old sire Shadow Play 1:47.4 ($1,559,822). Shadow Play should really help to put The Panderosa right up there now as a sire of sires. Shadow Play finished sixth on the North American two-year-old sires list in 2013 and was number one in Canada. Shadow Play bred 385 mares in Australia in the 2013/2014 breeding season
Excerpt from Dean Hoffman's "Quest For Excellence" on The Panderosa
Rarely, however, is there a yearling that rises far about his contemporaries in conformation and that intangible quality of presence. In 1997, Hanover Shoe Farms had such a colt in Dead Eye Hanover. He was a son of Western Hanover and the first foal from the Coal Harbor mare, Daisy Harbor.
Coal Harbor is not a name usually found in uptown pedigrees. He was a competitive Grand Circuit type during his years on the track, but as a stallion in Ontario he had little opportunity to prove his mettle.
His daughter Daisy Harbor was well remembered by horsemen. When they saw her son, they stopped in their tracks and let their eyes savour every aspect of this exceptional individual. Dead Eye Hanover was a showstopper.
Many owners and trainers coveted the colt, and anyone who wanted to join in the bidding would need a strong seat belt and an ever stronger checking account. The bidding was sure to be fast and furious. Dead Eye Hanover walked into the sales ring and the onlookers lined the walls of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Arena, as often happens when a special horse sells.
The pedigree reader touched on the highlights of the colt's pedigree while the colt stood majestically in the ring. Then the bidding exploded. As expected, it show past $100,000 quickly and headed for $200,000. It passed that mark and kept going. It didn't stop until a bid of $250,000 discouraged all others.
The winning bidder was Bob Glazer of Pepper Pike, Ohio. Doing business under the name of Peter Pan Stable, Glazer had become a major player in the sport during the 1990's, using a variety of trainers to condition his extensive array of colts and raceway stock.
Glazer's father Sam was a successful businessman, perfecting and then marketing the popular Mr. Coffee appliance that was found in millions of American homes and offices. He profited handsomely when he sold the business. Son Bob cultivated an interest in harness racing while in college, and began building his own racing stable when he was in his 20s.
Continuing his stable policy, Glazer gave Dead Eye Hanover a new name, selecting The Panderosa as a play on the name of the western ranch (The Ponderosa)
featured on the TV series, Bonanza.
The Panderosa didn't make his racing debut as a two-year-old until early August, but he quickly demonstrated that his beauty was far more then skin deep. He was a high priced baby that lived up – and exceeded – expectations.
The Panderosa won in 1:51.3 at Lexington in his fifth purse start as a juvenile and was just beaten by a nose by Island Fantasy in the $600,000 Governor's Cup at Garden State Park in late November.
Bob Glazer has every reason to be optimistic about the Panderosa's chances as a three-year-old., but he was experienced enough to understand that success as a two-year-old is no guarantee of the same as a sophomore. In this case, however, The Panderosa turned promise into performance.
In June, the son of Western Hanover dazzled racing aficionados in Ontario when he swept the $1 million North America Cup with a 1:49.4 effort that was really no effort at all.
He completely dominated the Meadowlands Pace, winning from post 10 in 1:49.3 despite racing outside the entire mile. Now pundits were beginning to talk of The Panderosa as one of the greatest ever, a colt worthy of discussion in the same breath with Bret Hanover, Niatross, and Albatross.
They anxiously waited to see what further triumphs would come his way, and the folks from Hanover hoped that he would come their way when his racing days were done.
Everything had gone smoothly in the first half of the season for The Panderosa, but thereafter the 1999 season was a bumpy ride.
On Hambletonian Day in 1999, many people wanted to see just what The Panderosa could do on a hot afternoon in a division of the Oliver Wendell Holmes at the Meadowlands. The large crowd bet him down to 1-5, and fans were eager to see the superstar buzz a mile well below 1:50.
Driver John Campbell eased the colt away from the gate and let the field settle down. The Panderosa was gliding around the first turn. Suddenly he broke stride. Broke stride? That was totally out of character for a colt that had been perfect to that point in the season. As the high-powered field of pacers rocketed down the backstretch, The Panderosa cantered in the middle of the track, falling hopelessly behind the pack. Campbell knew it was futile to give chase and wisely allowed The Panderosa to finish the mile on his own.
That race was the beginning of a frustrating period that saw the colt break stride in the Cane Pace at Freehold and in the Little Brown Jug at Delaware. The Western Hanover colt rebounded to win impressively at the Red Mile, but he performed poorly in his final start in the Breeders Crown at Mohawk Raceway.
In October of 1999, owner Bob Glazer and his mother had dinner with Jim Simpson and Murray Brown. Earlier in the year, Hanover had been interested in The Panderosa as a stallion, but the $10 million price tag hanging from his halter was a bit too dear.
Now the situation had changed considerably. One thing that hadn't altered was Hanover's interest in standing the horse. Glazer, too, was interested in having the horse at Hanover. Over dinner they talked terms and negotiated on a few minor points. An agreement was reached. Glazer would retain full ownership in The Panderosa, but the horse was headed for Hanover. The farm's compensation would come in the form of breeding rights.
Glazer set the stud fee at $10,000. Murray Brown's sense of the market told him that was wrong. He even thought that $7,500 was too high. "That could really hurt the horse," he told Glazer. "He isn't going to get the quality of mares or the number of mares he ordinarily would if you had priced him reasonably."
The phone at Hanover began ringing off the hook as breeders requested bookings to the prize pacer. Even his last season stumbles hadn't demitted the demand for his services, and the $10,000 stud fee was deemed a small price to pay by commercial breeders.
"I've never been so wrong," admitted Brown in short order. The Panderosa received a bevy of 184 broodmares in his first book, and they were extraordinary by any standard.
Dam - Empty Feeling
Ponder's dam is the very good Abercrombie race mare Empty Feeling 1:53.1f ($354,657) and she is from Evergreen Sandy by Most Happy Fella from Evergreen Dot by Chipmans Heel from Evergreen Carolyn.
Empty Feeling is the dam of five winners. Besides Ponder she left Gotta Feeling 1:53.4f ($235,109) and the very good unraced Western Hanover mare Simple Gesture.
Simple Gesture is the dam of the outstanding racehorse Shark Gesture 1:48.1s ($2,890,594) as well as Shark Ingested 1:49.2f ($306,120) and The Village Rusty 1:51.1f ($145,666).
Ponder's second dam is the Most Happy Fella race winning mare Evergreen Sandy who is the outstanding dam of eight foals for seven winners including the winner of the 1986 Meadowlands Pace, Laughs ($1,383,172) as well as Make Music ($448,289), Empty Feeling (the dam of Ponder), Romantic Fling ($157,263) dam of CKS ($956,418), Gentleman Jate ($370,014) and Romantic Comedy ($168,216), Guffaw ($39,598) dam of Punkies Fella ($235,074) and Cams Laugh the unraced dam of Jovial Joker N 1:49.2 ($438,508) and Jovial Jester N ($126,704). Evergreen Sandy is also the dam of Paige Q a Direct Scooter mare that left the decent mare Queen Caroline ($231,188) dam of Wattaqueen ($134,509).
The third dam of Ponder is the race winning Chipmans Heel mare Evergreen Dot dam of six winners, grand dam and great grand dam of many winners most notably Blizzard Babe ($557,184), Klondike Kid ($496,217) who now stands at stud in New Zealand, Celtic Dancer ($382,275), Withallprobability ($291,039), Silversque ($224,668) and Babes Bro ($184,853).
COMMENT
It really is hard to find much fault with Ponder's pedigree. His sire The Panderosa has left seven millionaires and has an average per starter in six figures. Through his son Shadow Play, The Panderosa is now establishing himself as a sire of sires.
Ponder's dam Empty Feeling 1:53.1 ($354,657) was a tough hard wearing mare and she was a half sister to the dam of the champion pacer Shark Gesture 1:48.1 ($2,890,594). The grand dam of Ponder left another champion pacer in Laughs 1:52.1 ($1,382,172) and there are plenty of other serious racehorses close up in his pedigree.
All in all it is a super pedigree and Ponder definitely has the blood to make it as a sire.
Ponder was sold as a yearling at the Harrisburg Sale in 2002 as hip# 47 for $67,000.
RACE RECORD
Trained by Robert McIntosh for his entire race career, Ponder had 56 starts for 17 wins 21 seconds and 4 thirds for $1,686,134 in purses. He took a World record on a half-mile track of 1:49 in the $77,800 Winbak at Delaware in September 2006 and he took his own life record of 1:48.1 in the US Pacing Championship at the Meadowlands in August 2006.
Ponder was a late foal born in May of his year. He won his first and only start as a two-year-old (against two and three-year-olds) on the half-mile Flamboro Downs track in 1:58.1
As a three-year-old Ponder had just the eight starts for two wins and two seconds and $50,265 in purses. He took a record of 1:53. He did start in a division of the Youthful Series finishing second to Duca ($389,079) and also started in the $25,000 Elimination of the Provincial Cup where he finished fifth to Four Starzzz King ($667,206).
Handled with extreme patience as a two and three-year-old Ponder struck gold as a four-year-old. He had 27 starts for 8 wins 11 seconds and 3 thirds for $946,812 in purses.
It took Ponder eleven starts as a four-year-old before he really hit the big time with his win in the $20,000 elimination of the Molson Pace at Western Fair Raceway, a half-mile track in London. Who could ever forget the $275,000 Final when Ponder came from ten lengths back before the half and in a few strides looped the field to be in front at the half and then press on to win in the slop in track record time 1:53.
Watch - 2005 Molson Pace
Ponder beat Buckeye One ($1,051,402), Fox Valley Gallant ($421,967), Santastics Pan ($600,490), Our Lucky Killean ($1,461,045), Brandons Cowboy ($517,051) and Luckyisasluckydoes ($1,125,919) in the Molson that day proving that he could now mix it with the big boys.
Two starts later Ponder raced on a half-mile track again in the $125,000 Battle Of Lake Erie at Northfield Park drawing the outside post eight. Ponder came from fourteen and a half lengths of the pace flashing home to be beaten just a neck by the ill-fated Maltese Artist ($2,304,872) in 1:51.2
At his very next start Ponder raced in the elimination of the 63rd Canadian Pacing Derby finishing third in 1:49.4 at Woodbine Raceway. For the $831,000 Final Ponder drew post eight in a ten horse field. The ten starters were no ordinary horses having between them today total earnings of a staggering $15,785,267.
This $831,000 63rd Canadian Pacing Derby was the richest race that Ponder won in his career. Besides Ponder ($1,686,134) his competitors were Holborn Hanover ($2,164,802) the equal fastest horse in history at 1:46.4, Maltese Artist ($2,340,872), Life Source ($1,962,671), Casimir Camotion ($1,962,412), Tigerama ($1,670,946), Quality Western ($1,364,734), Dr No ($1,068,362) and Arts Chip ($809,235). This was an outstanding group of great horses.
Watch - 2005 Canadian Pacing Derby
Ponder finished his four-year-old season by running second in a $50,000 elimination of The Haughton and third in the $700,000 Final, second in a $85,000 elimination and third in the $250,000 Final of the Classic Series, second in a $54,450 elimination and fourth in the Final of the $605,000 Breeders Crown, second in the $63,200 Magical Mike at Delaware and first in a $10,000 elimination of The Allerage at Lexington taking his four-year-old record of 1:48.3.
As a five-year-old Ponder had another great season with twenty starts for six wins and eight seconds for $686,307 in purses.
Ponder came back better than ever as a five-year-old winning the $50,000 elimination of Graduate by seven lengths in 1:48.3 at the Meadowlands at just his third start back. He led the entire trip with fractions of 26.3, 53.4, 1:21.2 and 1:48.3. He won the $225,000 Final easy in 1:49 beating the ill-fated Leading X Ample ($1,258,683) and Casimir Camotion ($1,962,412) who finished second and third respectively.
Watch - 2006 Graduate Final
He was second in the $125,000 Battle Of Lake Erie to Buckeye One ($1,051,402) after starting from post eight on the half-mile Northfield Park Oval, he was second to Hop Sing ($984,386) in the $55,000 elimination of the $933,000 Canadian Pacing Derby, then he won a $50,000 elimination of The Haughton in 1:48.2 and ran second in the $650,000 Final to Leading X Ample ($1,258,683) in 1:48.2.
Ponder then ran second to Lis Mara ($2,270,664) in the $45,000 elimination of the Breeders Crown and ran fourth in the $500,000 Final won by Lis Mara in 1:47.3.
Ponder's next start was in the $195,000 US Pacing Championship at The Meadowlands on Hambletonian Day and what a race it was. Maltese Artist, Dr No and Ponder all left hard but it was Maltese Artist who got to the quarter first in a fast 25.3. Ponder pulled out just after the quarter and went to the front making the half in 53 seconds and from there he led to the three-quarters in a spectacular 1:20.1 and held on to win in a career best 1:48.1. Behind him that day there were two other horses that finished down the track that we have not mentioned above and they were Rare Jewel ($1,396,153) and the great Boulder Creek
($3,815,924).
Watch - 2006 US Pacing Championship
Ponder's last lifetime win was perhaps his best as he set a world record on a half-mile track at Delaware in the $77,800 Winbak from post nine. He was first over at the half in 53.3 and he went on to win in 1:49 a time unheard of on a half-mile track back in 2006.
COMMENT
The big problem for Ponder is his lack of success on the Grand Circuit as a two and three year old and that reinforced the perception that the Ponder's wouldn't make early horses.
His connections looked after him in his two and three year old days and it paid off as an older horse.
What he did do as an older horse was truly outstanding and some of the fields he raced in were full of exceptional horses and it was during that period in his career that Ponder fashioned a great record. When he was in the zone like his win at Delaware in 1:49, Ponder was an exceptional racehorse.
PONDER - NORTH AMERICAN STALLION STATISTICS
First crop of 61 foals born in 2008 were from 99 bred, 31 colts and 30 fillies and they were Pennsylvania bred.
The three richest earners from this crop are all mares. They are Day To Ponder 1:52s ($327,199), In Deep Thought 1:52f ($295,903) and Mikayla Rose 1:51.3f ($255,301).
Eligible to race - 60
Winners - 43
$1,000,000+ - 0
$500,000+ - 0
$100,000+ - 8
1:50 - 0
1:53 - 9
Average earnings per starter - $51,000
Average earning per eligible horse - $41,650
Total earnings to date - $2,498,988
Ponder's second crop of just 39 foals born in 2009 from 53 bred, 23 colts and 16 fillies and this crop were bred in Kentucky
This crop was headed by superstars Bolt The Duer 3, 1:47.4f ($1,794,615) and Thinking Out Loud 4, 1:47.2m ($1,598,830).
Bolt The Duer won The Adios in a stunning 1:47.4 which was an all-age world record for a mile on a 5/8ths track. The previous record was 1:48 flat. The world record for 3-year-olds on a 5/8ths track, which Bolt The Duer also broke, was 1:48.1.
Thinking Out Loud stormed home late to win by a half-length the $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup in a stakes record 1:47.4 at Mohawk Racetrack.
Watch - Bolt the Duer 2012 Adios Final
Watch - Thinking Out Loud 2012 Pepsi North America Cup Final
Eligible to race - 38
Winners - 26
$1,000,000+ - 2
$500,000+ - 2
$100,000+ - 7
1:50 - 2
1:53 - 7
Average earnings per starter - $159,583
Average earning per eligible horse - $125,987
Total earnings to date - $4,787,497
Ponder's third crop of just 31 foals born in 2010 from 50 bred, 16 colts and 15 fillies and this crop were also bred in Kentucky
This crop was headed by the very fast Bandolito 1:48f ($255,315) the winner of 13 from 20 to date and the mare Ohmybelle ($229,349)
Eligible to race - 31
Winners - 22
$1,000,000+ - 0
$500,000+ - 0
$100,000+ - 5
1:50 - 1
1:53 - 8
Average earnings per starter - $56,975
Average earning per eligible horse - $47,785
Total earnings to date - $1,481,345
Ponder's fourth crop of just 16 foals born in 2011 from 28 bred, 7 colts and 9 fillies and this crop was the last crop bred in Kentucky
This crop is headed by the good three-year-old filly Somethinincredible ($308,106) and On Golden Ponder who broke the world record on a half-mile track as a two-year-old last year on Little Brown Jug day pacing the mile in 1:52.2.
Eligible to race - 16
Winners - 7
$1,000,000+ - 0
$500,000+ - 0
$100,000+ - 2
1:50 - 0
1:53 - 1
Average earnings per starter - $85,765
Average earning per eligible horse - $48,243
Total earnings to date - $771,886
Ponder's fifth crop are current two-year-olds and were born in Ontario Canada. They number 30 live foals from 50 mares bred, 19 colts and 11 fillies. This crop has already produced two really good colts Go Daddy Go 2,1:52.4s ($223,000) winner of the $217,140 Battle Of Waterloo and the $40,000 elimination of the Metro Pace and Thinkofagameplan ($86,440) winner of five races from nine starts to date.
OVERALL STASTISTICS IN NORTH AMERICA
Eligible to race - 175
Winners - 103
$1,000,000+ - 2
$500,000+ - 2
$100,000+ - 23
1:50 - 3
1:53 - 26
Average earnings per starter - $80,281
Average earning per eligible horse - $56,885
Total earnings to date - $9,954,801
COMMENT
Ponder has never had a shot at being a sire in North America with his first five crops numbering just 175 foals. Like his sire The Panderosa, the progeny of Ponder get better with age which is not what the breeders look for in this day and age. The other problem that a sire has with numbers served as low as Ponders is that the quality of the mares served is not that good in such cases.
PONDER - AUSTRALIAN STALLION STATISTICS
Ponder served just the four crops in Australia, his first crop his smallest producing only 33 foals from 59 mares bred. The best of this crop is the mare Miss Ponder 1:54.6 ($70,254) followed by the gelding Whata Escape 1:55.3 ($64,325), Just Ponder 1:57.1 ($51,816), Export Gold 1:55.9 ($41,444) and Red Castle Warrior 1:58 ($37,323). Nine foals produced in this crop still have not raced.
His second crop Ponder bred 73 foals from 121 mares bred. A gelding heads this group, Echeveria 1:55.6 ($68,151) and he is followed by the mare Tea House 1:57.4 ($66,525), Melolyn 1:57.3 ($58,093), Judyfree 1:55.6 ($41,548), Day Dream Dancer 1:58.7 ($33,731) and Pinegrove ($31,748). 25 foals from this crop is yet to race.
Ponder's third crop of 69 live foals from a 100 mares served have just become four-year-olds on the 1st of September in Australia. Just over half (35) of this crop are yet to race. This best of this crop is Adam Cartwright 1:56.6 ($44,729) and Cankickatarget ($36,020).
Ponder's last crop bred in Australia total 63 live foals from 82 mares bred. This crop has just turned three on the 1st of September in Australia. Ponder had just the six two-year-old winners from this crop. The best of them was Ricimer who won three from nine and earned stakes of $21,847. Twenty-two of this crop started as two-year-olds.
OVERALL STASTISTICS IN AUSTRALIA
Ponder has 238 live foals from 362 mares bred in four crops. His youngest crop has just turn three on the 1st of September just gone. He has had 127 starters for 68 winners of $1,446,795 in total stakes to date. His average earnings per starter is just on $11,393.
COMMENT
The number of mares served by Ponder in Australia are way better than in North America but I believe that they were still well short on quality.
OVERALL POSITIVES
Ponder has proved he can sire high quality age group horses but has been given little chance to do so. Bolt The Duer 1:47.4 ($1,794,615) and Thinking Out Loud 1:47.2 ($1,598,830) were outstanding at three but it doesn't seem to have changed the breeders opinion of Ponder which is strange. Three of Ponders best four stake earners are from Cam Fella line mares so Bettor's Delight mares should be a great cross with him.
NEGATIVES
When breeders get a snitch about a sire it is just about impossible for that sire to make it commercially. The sire of Ponder, The Panderosa has had a poor rap with a lot of breeders over a long period but his numbers are outstanding and were a real eye opener for me while researching this article. There are very few sires in the world, thoroughbreds or standardbreds, that have sired over $100,000,000 in purse earnings and The Panderosa is one.
The progeny of Ponder are seen in the same light by a lot of breeders as late developers and that has really hurt him in the marketplace. His low numbers of mares served each year has crippled his siring career.
OVERVIEW
When I started this review I was of the same view as most breeders and that was that Ponder was not doing well as a sire and being a son of The Panderosa did not help and that was another negative.
But doing the research for this article has convinced me that I had not done my homework when making those assumptions and I had certainly underestimated the ability of The Panderosa and his son Ponder.
The Panderosa has done an outstanding job at stud with great all round numbers and has now proved his sire of sires potential by way of Shadow Play.
Ponder has produced two champions from very limited numbers and average mares and it would be very interesting to see him get a large book of quality mares that his numbers suggest he deserves. His low numbers of mares served each year has crippled his siring career. I would have to say that Ponder is probably the most under rated stallion that I have reviewed.
Overall rating - 6/10
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