Jimmy Two Times a talented son of Kendargent

JIMMY TWO TIMES (FR) - 2013 grey colt

With at least some degree of inbreeding to the most dominant and popular sires appearing in the first four or five generations of the pedigrees of so many leading horses, and sometimes closer than that, it is important that alternative lines emerge and develop.

It is hard for an unfashionably-bred horse to get the sort of opportunities afforded to his more regally-related cohorts, but once he has proved his worth, that should change. There are no guarantees that the flashier mates will 'click' as effectively as his supposedly lesser ones did, but if he can do at least as well with that stronger support then there is the potential for that horse to play an important role within the bloodstock industry.

Linamix (by Mendez) was a striking example, but at least he had a classic-winning career of his own to help him get started. His maternal grandson Kendargent (by Kendor), on the other hand, did not win even a listed race. He was beaten by a head in the Group 3 Prix Paul de Moussac over a mile at Chantilly as a three-year-old, which remained his only pattern placing.

A month after that narrow defeat he finished fourth behind Stormy River in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat over the same course and distance, but, of course, that fine effort did not count for blacktype, even though it was pretty much the highlight of his career.

He took up stallion duties in 2008, and such is the reputation that this Haras de Colleville stallion has built as a blacktype sire that his fee increased from €1,000 in 2011 to €4,000 in 2012, increased again to €6,000 in 2013, and then jumped up to €15,000 in 2014. He has stood the past two seasons for €18,000.

A total of 26 of his offspring have earned of blacktype, nine of those have won at listed level, and five have tasted pattern race success at least once.

Restidargent (dam by Montjeu) won the Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte and Group 3 Prix d'Arenberg as a juvenile and was later third in the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes. Kendam (dam by Indian Rocket) won the Group 3 Prix Eclipse, notched-up a string of pattern placings, most notably third to star Irish gelding Gordon Lord Byron in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret, and these two fillies came from their sire's first crop.

Kenhope (dam by Chato) beat Tasaday by a length in the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte, chased home Sky Lantern in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes, was third to Elusive Kate in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild and fourth (no blacktype) to La Collina in the Group 1 Matron Stakes. She was also placed in the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham and in the Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon, and she represents his second crop.

Last year's Group 3 Prix Texanita scorer Goken (dam by Indian Rocket) was only beaten by a length and a quarter when third to Profitable in the Group 1 King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, and the fifth of the Kendargent pattern winners is the Andre Fabre-trained three-year-old Jimmy Two Times.

Bred by the partnership of Francis Teboul and Jean Boniche, the grey colt was stakes-placed over six furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte as a juvenile and kicked off his current campaign with a head defeat by the subsequent Group 1 star Quiet Reflection in the Group 3 Prix Sigy over the same trip on heavy ground at Chantilly in April.

He tried a mile and a huge step up in class at Deauville a month later, but finished down the field behind The Gurkha. Since that outing in the Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas), he has run twice more at the same venue and he is due to make his next start there too.

First, he easily won the Listed Prix Marchand d'Or over six and a half furlongs and then he added the Group 3 Prix de la Porte Maillot over a half-furlong farther. The colt is due to return to the highest level on Sunday when he tackles the Group 1 LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest, over the same trip as his listed race success, and his future entries include the Group 1 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot in October.

He has won four of his eight starts, including that pattern victory, but although he may already have generated some interest as a prospective stallion, any wins or placings at Group 2 and Group 1 level would enhance his appeal, and as the distaff side of his pedigree could be described as being unexciting, he will need those CV enhancements.

An €85,000 Arqana Deauville October Sale graduate, Jimmy Two Times is the third foal out of Steel Woman (by Anabaa), a one-time scorer whose dam, Saperlipoupette, was both talented and prolific. The best of her seven wins came in a Group 3 contest over 11 furlongs at Hamburg, the standout effort among 17 places was her third to Lomita in the Group 2 Premio Lydia Tesio three months later, and as she is a daughter of Highest Honor, her grandson is inbred 3x4 to that horse's sire, Kenmare (by Kalamoun). He is also inbred 4x4 to Gay Mecene (by Vaguely Noble).

A half-sister to the pattern-placed triple winner Barouf (by Kenmare), Saperlipoupette is out of the eight-times scorer Emmanuelle (by Margouillat). That mare's siblings included the French listed scorers Solido (by Solicitor) and Envie De Rire (by Trepan), the latter won two listed races in 1984, before crossing the Atlantic, and later achieved a career-best performance of third in the Grade 1 Ramona Handicap.

Their siblings also include the dual hurdles winner Escomptee (by Roi De Rome), and what makes her noteworthy is that she is the grandam of 2015's Grade 3 Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle scorer Qualando (by Lando).

With all of this taken into consideration, it would appear likely that Jimmy Two Times owes his speed to his sire, Kendargent, and to his broodmare sire, Anabaa (by Danzig). It remains to be seen just how good he is, but he appears to be a highly talented young sprinter who is on the upgrade.