Distorted Humor

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Distorted Humor
Distorted Humor
SireForty Niner
GrandsireMr. Prospector
DamDanzig's Beauty
DamsireDanzig
SexStallion
Foaled1993
CountryUnited States
ColourChestnut
BreederNuckols Farm, Inc.
OwnerRussell L. Reineman Stable & Prestonwood Farm
TrainerPhil Gleaves
W. Elliott Walden
Record23: 8–5–3
Earnings$769,964
Major wins
Amsterdam Stakes (1996)
Salvator Mile Handicap (1997)
Commonwealth Breeders' Cup Stakes (1998)
Churchill Downs Stakes (1998)
Ack Ack Handicap (1998)
Awards
Leading American sire (2011)
Leading broodmare sire in North America (2017)

Distorted Humor (foaled March 19, 1993 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and a successful sire.

Bloodline[edit]

Distorted Humor's sire is Forty Niner, 1987's Eclipse Award winning Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse by the champion sire, Mr. Prospector. Distorted Humor's dam was Danzig's Beauty by Danzig. Distorted Humor was her second foal. (Danzig's Beauty died June 17, 2006, at the age of 19 due to colic. She'd given birth in April 2006, to her last foal, a filly by Empire Maker. Of her eight starters, six were winners.)

Racing career[edit]

Distorted Humor himself had a career running middle-distance stakes races. He broke his maiden at Florida's Gulfstream Park and was initially trained by Phil Gleaves as a sprinter/miler. Elliott Walden took over training duties in the spring of 1996 after Prestonwood Farm purchased a half-interest in Distorted Humor. Distorted Humor's career race record was 8 wins, 5 places and 3 shows in 23 starts, with earnings of $769,964. As a three-year-old, he won the Screen King Stakes, was second in the Grade III Fayette Stakes and the Grade II Jerome Handicap, and finished 3rd in the Grade III King's Bishop Stakes. At four, he took the Grade III Salvator Mile Handicap, and was second in the Grade III Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes and the Grade III Philip H. Iselin Handicap. At five, he took the Grade II Commonwealth Breeders' Cup Stakes (setting the record for the distance that still holds), the Grade II Churchill Downs Stakes, and the Grade III Ack Ack Handicap before he was retired.

At maturity, he reached 15.3 hands (63 inches, 160 cm).[1]

Success as a sire[edit]

Beginning in 1999, Distorted Humor stood twice in Victoria, Australia, (at Grand Lodge Stud in Avenel) for $12,000. He sired two Australian crops. In those crops, 93 foals were runners, 74 were winners, 12 placed, and two others have come in the money. His get include Rinky Dink: winner of the South Australian Oaks and the Tasmanian Oaks, Distorted Halo: winner of the Moonee Valley and Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby Trial, and Tirade: winner of the Caulfield Guineas Prelude and third in VRC Ascot Vale Stakes. Among his Australian winners are both flat runners and jumpers. One jumper, four-year-old Some Are Bent, took the Moonee Valley Hurdle in July 2006, his third jumps win in his past four outings.

Back in the United States, Distorted Humor's 2000 fee remained low and his mares average, yet he became America's leading freshman sire of 2002. In 2003, his son Funny Cide became a dual classic winner, and Awesome Humor was a Grade I winner.

In 2005, Distorted Humor's oldest foals were five-year-olds. Over the course of 140 races, 88 of his get (13 of which were two-year-olds) earned $8.6 million. He finished the year as the second top sire in America, beaten only by the now deceased Saint Ballado. By late 2006, he had 255 winners, including 18 graded stakes winners, from 340 starters and sired 46 stakes winners. From five crops, his progeny have earned $30,265,433. In 2006, as a 14-year-old sire, he had 20 different horses win a combined 31 stakes races, 10 of which were graded.

At age 15 (2008), Distorted Humor produced at least 20 stakes winners for the second year in a row. For the third straight year, he ranked among the top six stallions by progeny earnings. For 2007, he ranked third behind Smart Strike (sire of Curlin and English Channel) and A.P. Indy. 2011 was his best year yet as he earned the title of Leading sire in North America, thanks in part to Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer.[2]

"Distorted Humor's progeny inherit the will to win, the desire; a lot like Storm Cat," said WinStar Farm President and CEO Doug Cauthen. "They're always battling. They battle and win or try to win, and that desire tends to get them in the winner's circle."

Progeny record[edit]

Standing stud at WinStar Farm in Versailles, Kentucky until 2021, Distorted Humor produced progeny that include:

Grade I winners[edit]

Grade II & III winners[edit]

Distorted Humor is also the sire of Maclean's Music whose maiden special weight debut at Santa Anita Park produced the current highest debut Beyer figure in history, and has gone on to be one of Distorted Humor's most important sons at stud.

Fees[edit]

Distorted Humor's fee for 2008 was $300,000—the same fee commanded by A.P. Indy and Storm Cat. Due to the uncertain financial climate beginning in 2008, his fee was reduced to $225,000 for 2009 and $100,000 for 2011. In 2017 his fee was listed by WinStar and Bloodhorse.com as $80,000. In 2021 his retirement from stud duty was announced.[3]

Pedigree[edit]

Pedigree of Distorted Humor, chestnut horse, March 19, 1993[4]
Sire
Forty Niner
1985 		Mr. Prospector
1970 		Raise a Native Native Dancer
Raise You
Gold Digger Nashua
Sequence
File
1976 		Tom Rolfe Ribot
Pocahontas
Continue Double Jay
Courtesy
Dam
Danzig's Beauty
1987 		Danzig
1977 		Northern Dancer Nearctic
Natalma
Pas de Nom Admiral's Voyage
Petitioner
Sweetest Chant
1978 		Mr. Leader Hail to Reason
Jolie Deja
Gay Sonnet Sailor
Gay Rig (family: 9-f)[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Anne Peters (March 13, 2015). "Pedigree Analysis: Is Bigger Always Better?". Blood Horse. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "2011 stallion honors: Distorted Humor, leading sire". Daily Racing Form. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  3. ^ Farm, Winstar (October 19, 2021). "WinStar stallions Distorted Humor and Congrats retired from stud duty". WinStar Farm. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "Pedigree of Distorted Humor". Equineline. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  5. ^ "Thoroughbred Bloodlines - Toxophilite Mare - Family 9-f". www.bloodlines.net. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
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