Our #Pedigeek “Term of the Week” is:

FULL-SIBLING

Full-siblings, as you can probably guess, are simply individuals who genetically share the same mother and father. In horse breeding, since stallions frequently cover triple-digit books of mares, we only consider half-siblings as sharing the same mom. That’s it. Dad’s input in that particular equation does not convey the same title. We’ll get more into that, as well as how to recognize three-quarter siblings, in a future column.

Turning our attention to Race 6 at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, we see that Todd Pletcher has Power Agenda entered, a colt whose father is a high-percentage, first-out sire in Nyquist. He certainly looks formidable as his pedigree boasts a lot of other precociousness as well and many notable family members, such as Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet winner Cuddles. That typed, the price will very likely not be nice, so I wonder if we could envision an upset with #1 Urban Forest, whose pedigree page reflects some noteworthy family members and, most interestingly, some hard to ignore full-siblings.

Urban Forest is a son of Hard Spun and the first starter to represent his dam (mom), Arbol, on track. A daughter of Elusive Quality who won sprinting on grass, Arbol is a half-sister to graded-stakes-placed winner Crossbow. What impresses, though, is found going one generation back. Urban Forest’s second dam (grandmother) is Forest Heiress. She won her debut sprinting five furlongs at Monmouth Park at 2 years old and went on to win the Colleen Stakes and Grade 3 Sorority Stakes, both by open lengths. She later added the Grade 3 Valley Stream and the The Very One Stakes, the latter by seven lengths for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott (who also, by the way, trained Elusive Quality). Adding more luster to seeing Forest Heiress’s name in the pedigree is that she is a full-sibling to another accomplished runner who went on to be an important sire, known for passing on win-early ability, and that is Grade 1 winner Wildcat Heir. Wildcat Heir won half of his 12 career starts, beginning with his 2-year-old debut, and he later scored the 2004 edition of the Grade 1 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes.

With a solid pair of full-siblings like Forest Heiress and Wildcat Heir in the genetic make-up, it’s not crazy to think Urban Forest could be a first-out winner and at a better price than Power Agenda, although you do not want to ignore that colt, either. If you want to spread, and you might, as this looks to be a well-meant group, also be aware #8 General Strike for Steve Asmussen is out of Danzatrice, a multiple stakes winner whom he also trained. Danzatrice is a three-quarter-sister to 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and champion 2-year-old filly Jaywalk. That family also includes millionaire Mission Impazible and Del Mar Futurity winner Forest Camp.

Saturday, Aug. 14

Saratoga Race Course, Race 6, Maiden Special Weight Race, 2-year-olds, 6 furlongs, 3:55 p.m. ET

#1 URBAN FOREST 5-1 morning-line odds

Trainer: Bill Mott

Jockey: Junior Alvarado