“The Hrst time I read about the approach mile-and-a-quarter distance. That’s because vorite’s role for the most famous horse race
used at Equix, I thought ‘I·Iere’s something his sire, Boundary, excelled in shorter in the world.
to work with?’ he said. races. Knapp, however, was buoyed by the “It was just so exciting to see the position
Knapp was so captivated by Equix’s Equix report on Big Brown. The measure- he was in as he was starting to turn for
methods that he later bought ments on the colt at less than home? Knapp said. “For me, the most anx-
the company. ”`|'ne training in 18 months old projected iety in the race was when they went by the
“If you can measure _ _ _ excellence at up to the stands for the Hrst time. I did not expect to
something, you can make it busméss pn ncl ples Derby’s I0-furlong distance. see that many horses going for the lead. It
into a science. That’s where and practices Wag Knowing this, Knapp tried looked like maybe three-quarters ofthe
the Equix notion comes _ to buy Big Brown back at a Held was going for the lead and he was
from? Knapp explained. fantastlc but two-year-old sale but was four, Hve, six wide. I was thinking, (This
“Fundamentally, the series teaching me hgw tg unsuccessful. doesn’t look good at all? but when he got
of measurements that h. k h It’s hard to imagine Knapp down the backstretch, I realized we were
Equix takes of a mare and a t In _ OW tO being much prouder ofBig looking much better?
stallion creates what’s make d€Ci$iOl']$ In Brown’s accomplishments Knapp said that in a race like the Ken-
called a biometric mo del? rf d then if he owned him. And tucky Derby, you’re just a spectator and
Knapp said that what the my I G an Ca mer _ although the Equix numbers you hope that your horse can demonstrate
model does is take those \/\/as the mO$’[ suggested Big Brown had what he’s demonstrated before with a good
unique, physical characteris- im Gita nt th i n Derby-winning potential, end result.
tics of the mare and run it p Q Knapp knew that factors over What does breeding a Derby winner do
against the biometric mod- I took SW3}! which there was little human for Monticule Farm?
els of stallions. This pro- nom U K H control also would have to “It raised our proHle a little bit — well,
duces a print out of a list of ` conspire to help the horse be more than a little bit? he said. "We’ve got-
the stallions that a mare is all he could be. ten a lot of attention for this and we’re
compatible to and it tells the extent to “There was a lot of anticipation and a lot grateful for it?
which this mare fits those stallions. It of anxiety about what was going to happen Knapp said he believes that more people
projects the probability of that mating and a little bit of disbelief on our part that are going to take a closer look at his breed-
producing a highly efficient horse in a horse that we bred was getting that far. ing facility and perhaps Monticule’s new
terms of biometrics. But we were very excited and very pleased foals will become much more valuable. “I
“I take those several stallions that any in- about the situation? Knapp said ofthe expect we’ll have more people looking at
dividual mare Hts with and I start doing weeks leading up to the Run for the Ro ses. our horses and being competitive when it
the pedigree work. I want to pick the pedi- On the Hrst Saturday in May, Knapp was comes to bidding on our horses, especially
gree that I think is mo st attractive? he said. high atop Churchill Downs, anxiously for the close relatives of Big Brown? he said.
“Fundamentally, it is saying let’s breed (like watching to see how the foal born at Mon- But just because the sire-dam match that
to like.)? ticule Farm in 2005 would do in the fa- produced Big Brown put Monticule Farm
Knapp said there are some people in the   { t-—~-it r L ~· ‘ _
breeding business who believe that they g x (1 4* "“     I 
can just look at a mare and tell you which   § _, J    »  is ."j i   V. i
stallion to breed to. “I Hnd that hard to be- g K _ " ` r" A T ll  
lieve. I knowI can’t do it? he said. “That’s &__ [   D     "   ri
whyI use Equix?   l _ rt   I ~ l ‘ ` ``···    
This approach seems to work for Knapp. .     ··‘· · ’* j , ·_  
Big Brown represents the Hrst Grade I _   ~=¥ ;·· ` ` l ‘ A  ‘  
stakes winner produced by Monticule c "*”   EJ - 5;
Farm, but the farm also made a mark two 'L         »‘ · K r  ` —’ T é?   '    l ‘  > `»
years earlier when it sold a Danzig-sired § ly" hi ‘ -»/
colt for $9.2 million. . jiii ‘iiim_.if`
Achievements like those mean the quiz- » , U ` __ [ i _
ical looks Knapp used to get when he ex- . V r K V ·j· rt __
plained his approach have greatly I B
decreased. _
(H few years ago when people asked me Ac $6%
about the breeding that’s taking place here, ,,· xg V e
Iwould get, (Who talked you into that ?’ . " ‘ $ .. '¢ 5},.- — _
But beginning around the time we sold   ; ’ _ — ' ‘ dy  -, .  
that horse for $9 million, we started to  { :_ _    ` It - I M _`_ I 7
hear less of that? Knapp noted. T -;  _ ` _/c _ `_ 9 i _  _  _      eh  ....; ?:. ? _ _ ;  7  , ` Q  __  · : 7 
There Wim tbéugh stm questions abou? Big Brown, bred at Monticule Farm, wins the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby
Big Browns ability to suceed at the Derbys with jockey Kem Desormeaux
)> 12 winter 2008