Large amounts of money not required to breed an elite race horse:
Wow, what an incredible Melbourne Spring Carnival we just witnessed ! Indeed it is one of the highlights of the racing year for me, and I'm sure many of you as well.
My happy place, comfortably settled in my trusty lazy boy, reclined with eyes glued to the TV screen. The only thing that would top that would be being there in person, with a horse I own and bred, competing in one of those Group One races. (...one day soon.)
Of all the Group One races over the carnival, the one that inspired me the most was the G1 Darley Champion Sprint. The winner Imperatriz, is on an absolute winning streak claiming Group One victories in four out of her last five races.
However, the performance of the second-placed horse, Buenos Noches, captured my attention.
I've been watching Buenos Noches for quite some time, and I've always believed he's a serious horse. What has caught my interest is that his pedigree is similar to a planned mating we had already done with his sire, Supido, several times.
Many rate Imperatriz as one of the best sprinters in the world, so Buenos Noches is only half a length behind her (and he was closing !)
Just last year, in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes, Buenos Noches ran Giga Kick to a short head, and that horse went on to win the Everest.
Buenos Noches contested this year's Everest, and like many others in the race, didn't have the best of runs. It's such a shame that The Everest isn't run in a straight line, as the barrier draw or luck often influences the results.
Back to Flemington
Breeding fast racehorses ( I should also include slow ones ) is often associated with hefty service fees, as higher prices are commonly believed to produce better results.
And taking a look at the sires of the horses that finished alongside Buenos Noches in the race, we have I Am Invincible, the sire of both Imperatriz (the winner) and In Secret (who finished third), standing for a whopping $300K
And then there's Extreme Choice, the sire of Espiona (who came in fourth), with a service fee of $275,000.
However, not every breeder wants to spend that money, and the point I would like to make is we don't need to.
Buenos Noches is a line-breed horse. That is, his dam's bloodlines very much match those in the stallion.
His sire Supido is from an illustrious family, that of Danehill and Machiavellian, with his 5th dam, Natalma, being the dam of the legendary Northern Dancer.
The first pattern that stands out in Buenos Noches' pedigree is the mare's male line tracing back to Northern Dancer, which matches the female line of Supido.
I refer to this pattern as "the top line of the mare with the bottom line of the stallion," which has successfully produced many elite racehorses.
Additionally, there are multiple patterns on this mare's male line, including connections to Nureyev through Fairy King (Northern Meteor also belongs to this family) and close tie ups with Encosta De Lago and Flying Spur through the mare Rolls.
Thus, the middle of Buenos Noches pedigree is jam-packed with line breeding to the elite mares Natalma, Special, and Rolls. This is perfect.
His second dam is from the male line of Mr Prospector, and he is the sire of Flying Spur's dam Rolls.
An essential aspect of Buenos Noches' pedigree is the duplication of Bold Ruler through his fourth dam. Although not directly visible, Bold Ruler appears as a dam-sire in the female line of Southern Halo.
Supido's other exciting horse, What We Need, contains the same Bold Ruler pattern.
Buenos Noches is an excellent reminder that success at the highest level in racing does not solely rely on the price tag of a stallion.
Success can just as easily be achieved by careful consideration of bloodlines and genetic match ups.
The following gallery is an example of the planned mating with Supido.
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Identifying the Best Bloodlines:
Before breeding from a mare, it is essential to determine if she possesses some good bloodlines that can be utilised.
The blood of Round Table, when duplicated in pedigrees, has proven to produce plenty of horses with that bit of "WOW" factor about them.
Round Table by Princequillo out of Knight's Daughter.
U S Champion Turf Horse 1957 1958 1959
One of the best examples of a champion racehorse with double ups to Round Table would be twice American Horse of the Year Wise Dan.
The mare's contribution in this mating is pretty straightforward.
Sir Tristram and his sire sons.
Being out of a Round Table mare, this blood was very close-up in Sir Tristram's pedigree.
Although he never produced a Group One winner with duplication's of Round Table, that horse still had a significantly influence on Sir Tristram's stud career.
Knowing how to tap into it can still be done today through his descendants.
Zabeel sired three Group One winners, Might and Power, Bezeal Bay, and Dignity Dancer, all from mares from the male line of Round Table.
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This pattern has continued down through other sons, grandsons, and even great-grandsons of Sir Tristram.
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While Round Table may appear further back in pedigrees today, he can still have an effect if duplicated in the right places.
Here is a planned mating with The Chosen One ( a great grandson of Sir Tristram.) and the resulting foal with the pattern.
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Duplicating Round Table's Extended Female Family:
When planning mating's, mare owners can still tap into this bloodline by using other members of Round Table's extended family.
The most recognisable names in the modern era that belong to Round Table's female family would be descendants of his 3rd dam Aloe, and her daughter, Feola.
Several great stallions who are all descendants of Aloe, are Aureole, Alcide, Johannesburg, Gone West, Pulpit, and the most notable of them all, Deep Impact.
I first saw duplications of Round Table's female family in the early Group One winners by Sir Tristram, such as Grosvenor, Dalmacia, and Tristanagh.
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Although lacking success as a stallion in his own right, Imperalist's daughters or granddaughters have produced Group One winners when meeting up with Sir Tristram and his sire sons.
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Other ways to use this bloodline
Deep Impact:
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One of the world's most dominant stallions Deep Impact's 6th dam, was Feola, the 2nd dam of Round Table.
Although we cannot breed from this legendary stallion today, sending the right mare to any of his sons at stud could still be beneficial.
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Justify
This stallion would have one of the greatest sources of the female family of Aloe today.
He carries this blood on both sides of his pedigree through Johannesburg and Pulpit.
This double up would have no doubt contributed to his amazing ability as well.
Next Issue
I will explain some of the patterns in the pedigree of the highest rated horse in the world Equinox.
He lines up in the Japan Cup on Sunday.
We will also look at Round Table's sire Princequillo, his influence in pedigrees, and how we can still utilise this today.
I hope you enjoyed this issue, thanks for reading.