Brain International Ltd
Initial Comment
Breeders have become used to viewing stallions in terms of their commerciality, or fashionability, for want of a better word. But when a stallion is in the position of sire of a broodmare, he is no longer subject to the fickleness and irrationality of breeders, and his pedigree characteristics are given an opportunity to show through, perhaps regardless of a mediocre performance as a stallion.
So a very high proportion of top racehorses are out of mares whose sires were not necessarily the most popular stallions with breeders when assessed in that role.
There are countless examples, and from recent years we find that Derby winner New Approach has Ahonoora as his damsire; Authorised, Saumarez; Sinndar, Lashkari; Oath, Troy; Generous, Master Derby; and 2000 Guineas winner George Washington, Alysheba.
I therefore believe it worth emphasising, that what seems to count is the compatibility of a broodmare sire's pedigree, not his superficial fashionability when he stood as a stallion.
1) Introduction
The pedigrees of successful racehorses such as a Sir Percy, can be broadly categorised into three main groupings:
- Firstly, those that contain very powerful genetic affinities quite close up in the pedigree - Fair Trial is a classic example, linebred to the brother and sister Sainfoin and Sierra quite close up and a number of times over - more recently successful stallion Indian Ridge is a prime example, inbred to the female Discipliner in his 4th generation. (we exploited this at a time when Indian Ridge stood for £2,500, when we recommended a mare to be sent to him that had not had a stakes winner in her female line for at least three generations. The product was Mill Reef Stakes winner Tumbleweed Ridge, whose damsire was Ballad Rock by Bold Lad (Ire). Bold Lad is very closely related to Discipliner, so he reinforced this female line very strongly in the pedigree of Tumbleweed Ridge (twice over).
- Secondly, those pedigrees that contain close-up reinforcements of influential ancestors, particularly through male and female progeny on both sides of the pedigree (Native Dancer and Mahmoud in USA for instance).
- Thirdly there are some successful racehorses with pedigrees saturated with repetitions of the same influential ancestor(s) further back in the pedigree. The most striking of these are the pedigrees of Ribot, Nearco and Mill Reef.
If we take the pedigree of Ribot, for instance, there are no duplications of any ancestors, on both the sire’s side and the dam’s side of the pedigree, within the first five generations. But one generation further back we find a proliferation of linebreedings to the potent ancestors St Simon and Cyllene, to the equivalent of 19% of the whole pedigree (weighted by generation). If we delve back one generation further to the 7th generation, we find that these same two ancestors or their close relatives account for the equivalent of nearly 30% of the entire pedigree! The product was a champion.
As the Thoroughbred has developed throughout the years, such concentrations are becoming rarer and rarer. So six of occurrences of Nearco in the 6th generation of Sir Percy, represented through four potent females and two influential males, is a valuable asset indeed.
The good news is that, such is the domination of Nearco’s grandson, Northern Dancer, in English and Irish pedigrees in particular, there are likely to be large numbers of mares with concentrations of Nearco in their 6th and 7th generations. Furthermore, the rarity is for Nearco to be represented through females, but these are already present in the pedigree of Sir Percy. So this represents a potential common denominator for compatible pedigrees with Sir Percy, Sir Percy himself supplying that part of the equation that is usually the stumbling block with our broodmare population - namely the presence of potent ancestors such as Nearco, present through valuable female progeny (no less than four of the six strains of Nearco are such females, the dam of Vaguely Noble, the dam of Sheshoon, the grandam of Hethersett, and the grandam of Windmill Girl, the latter a rare producer of two Derby winners).
Broodmare sires that fit the bill (some from the USA, or from France and Germany, that have stood at a broad cross-section of nomination fees) include:-
Air Express
Anabaa Blue FR
Balla Cove
Be My Chief
Bet Twice (4) USA – (4 occurrences of Nearco)
Bikala FR
Caller I D (3) USA
Carroll House
Castle Keep
Cayman Kai (3)
Chief Singer GER
Classic Cliché
Dalsaan
Desert Style
Dynaformer USA
Erhaab
Exceed And Excel
Executive Perk
Ezzoud
Fraam (3)
Generous (3)
Gold Away FR
Greinton GER
Haafhd
Holy Roman Emperor
Horse Chestnut USA
Homing GER
Kahyasi FR
Kalaglow
Kaldoun
Key Of Luck
Kris S
Lear Fan USA
Lend A Hand
Lord Seymour
Louis Cyphre (4)
Marcus Andronicus
Marju
Mazel Trick (3) USA
Mon Tresor
Mourtazam
Noble Patriarch (3)
Nomination
One Cool Cat
Petoski
Phardante
Primo Dominie
Red Ransom
River Bay FR
Robellino (3)
Rock City
Rock Of Gibraltar
Sakhee
Second Set (3) GER
Silver Hawk USA
Strawberry Road USA
Swain USA
Turfkonig GER
Van Nistelrooy USA
With Approval
It should be noted that study of a broodmare sire's pedigrees only encompasses 50% of the mare's pedigree. Much can also be contributed by the bottom half of a mare's pedigree.
2) Vaguely Noble
In another of our previously recommended matings, Vaguely Noble through the grand dam of Mark Of Esteem was duplicated in the same generation through another female, in combination with a reinforcement of Mark Of Esteem's direct female line, to produce the Haydock Sprint winner Reverence. Such reinforcement of Vaguely Noble does therefore appear to be an asset worth exploiting, and this can be best done through broodmares by:-
Kendor, through male and female progeny
Magic Ring, through male and female progeny
Trade Fair, through two female progeny
and Cayman Kai, through two female progeny.
Cayman Kai is coincidentally by Imperial Frontier, the damsire of Reverence, so this affinity already has a pretty convincing track record.
3) Stallion's Direct Female Line
Reinforcing the direct female line of a stallion can have a powerful impact on a pedigree, and as mentioned above, was a feature of the mating which produced Reverence, where the direct female line of Mark Of esteem was reinforced through Johnstown in the pedigree of the damsire of the dam of Reverence.
In this regard, Classic Cliché descends through the productive female line of Blakeney, which is also that of Derby winners Morston and the incomparable Blue Peter. (Blue Peter is also the sire of Shirley Heights’ third dam in the pedigree of Sir Percy). Classic Cliché as a sire of compatible broodmares for Sir Percy, would appear to have lots to offer.
By the same token Sir Percy descends through the same female line as Derby winner Teenoso, and also successful broodmare sire Most Welcome, and both of these should be considered as sires of potential broodmares, particularly Teenoso.
Added to these "special situation" broodmare sires, is Persian Heights, whose second damsire is Narrator (by Nearco), a full-brother to Netherton Maid, the grandam of Hethersett.
4) Summary - Special Situation Broodmare Sires
Cayman Kai
Classic Cliché
Kendor
Magic Ring
Most Welcome
Persian Heights
Teenoso
Trade Fair
5) Sample pedigrees
Sample pedigrees can be provided if required.
Particularly noteworthy are where the direct female line of Sir Percy is reinforced through Teenoso. This sort of structure is historically highly effective.
Analysing a 5 generation pedigree with Fraam does not do itself justice, in that one generation further back there are nine strains of Nearco. But the icing on the cake is the presence of Vive La Reine in the third generation of Fraam, as she is a full sister to Vaguely Noble and appears in the same generation as he does in the composite pedigree with Sir Percy.
Matings with mares by Teenoso, Fraam and Most Welcome are very strongly recommended indeed.
Conclusion
Given the evidence, I have a very little doubt that, provided Sir Percy is sent compatible broodmares, I would forecast he has the pedigree to be highly successful as a stallion.
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