Sorry for being a chalk-eater this week. When a horse has been bred from top to bottom for grass and has more than one good reason for refusing to reciprocate the favour at first request, it can be difficult to ignore him.

This Saturday's Race 5 at Saratoga Race Course features #6 Activist Investing as the 5-2 morning-line favourite. Since this is a pedigree column, let's start by discussing genetics. Again, top and bottom, sire (the father) and dam (the mother) provide ingredients for high-calibre grass impacts. There's no need to look hard to notice that, as the programs for Great Britain (GB), Ireland (IRE), and Australia make evident the family members' roots in grass-based racing (AUS).

Activist Investing is a son of Kingman, the 2014 European Horse of the Year, starting at the top. For trainer John Gosden, Kingman won his two-year-old debut at Newmarket over seven furlongs in the straightaway. He finished first by six lengths. Before returning at three, he first added the Group 3 Solario Stakes to his juvenile résumé. 

Four Group 1 victories at a mile, including the Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas, St. James' Palace Stakes, QIPCO Sussex Stakes, and Prix du Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques Le Marois, were part of that Cartier Horse of the Year season.

Astronomy's Choice is the dam that Activist Investing built at the bottom. As a 2-year-old going seven furlongs at Newmarket for Gosden and jockey Frankie Dettori, she broke her maiden on the first try. Then, at the same track and in her third run, she won the one 14-mile Tweenhills Pretty Polly Stakes with a show-dough finish, collecting black type. Being a daughter of Australian leading sire Redoute's Choice and out of Astronomy Domine, a daughter of another champion of the track and breeding shed in Galileo, Astronomy's Choice is bred top to bottom for grass, just like her son.

The dam of another Galileo scion named Magic Wand, whose victories include the Group 1 MacKinnon Stakes at Flemington, is Astronomy Domine. Prudenzia, a stakes winner, is Astronomy Domine's half-sister. She is also known for being the dam of several Group and Grade 1 races, including the Prix de l'Opera Longines, Arlington Million, QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes, and Longines Hong Kong Cup Chicquita, who won the 2014 Darley Irish Oaks, is also a product of Prudenzia.

Another Irish Oaks victor from the family is the highly weighted Alexandrova, who also took first place in the 2006 Vodafone Epsom Oaks and Darley Yorkshire Oaks. Rekindling, an Australian champion stayer, is another blossom from this tree, as if this were not enough class to entice.

Observing a rerun of his debut, you can see his pedigree qualifications and excuses. On its debut, Activist Investing had a terrible experience and got off to a shaky start. Wide right, who will start on the outside in Saturday's race, had his debut on the same day as Activist Investing and quickly became enthused after finding himself in a challenging situation. 

Then Wideright lived up to its name by causing Activist Investing to turn out devastatingly broad. After turning for home, the Kingman colt flattened out as expected after making a tremendous drive down the backstretch. Even so, he seemed determined to keep going, which gives you hope that now that he has gained experience and, presumably, had a more straightforward journey, he will reflect what his pedigree implies he is meant to do—top and bottom.