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Thank you for this forum…..I have a Danehill line mare, she was quite fast and I am thinking Roman Emperor , much underrated, however runners to winners % impressive
He also has had winners 900 – 1875, does not have the numbers to compete commercially, but he throws very correct and strong progeny.
Hopefully Fiorente may fill the breach - he was a genuine WFA horse
here and he's got the magic ingredient, Green Desert, in his pedigree. The
downside is he already has Danzig represented twice, so that'll be limiting
across our broodmare population.Being from WA, I'd like to see Awesome Rock succeed, and he could perform at WFA at 2000m, but his pedigree is already saturated in Northern Dancer.
Tivaci will be interesting in NZ. Although a sprinter, his pedigree suggests he could enhance stamina.
It's a tragedy (or may turn out that way) that Coolmore couldn't get enough support for Camelot to make it worthwhile for him to come back to Australia after serving just a single crop. With sons of Montjeu doing the job it's hard to fathom. That said this year American Pharaoh and Maurice may offer the blend of quality
Thank you for the interesting article (8th June 2017) about the proliferation of speedy squibs or 'six furlong vermin' as Banjo Patterson called them.
I agree Australia has too many of these type of horses, the race programming favours them too heavily (but not surprisingly) and it's a dilemma as to where we are going long-term with the Australian thoroughbred. So this is my six cents if you want to breed a decent horse.
As you point out, sons of High Chaparral have to be a great hope.
As a sire, he produced outstanding horses and So You Think was a champion. So You Think already has classic winners from his first crop and they should train on. The only negative, in commercial terms especially in Australia, is that they do seem to be quite late maturing. Fortunately, at least at the present time, he no longer shuttles to Ireland so not having to endure that each year will surely prolong his health and career potency. Redwood is another one that is going well despite what must have been fairly limited opportunities. I believe, they will both produce outstanding horses in their careers.
Among the unproven sons of High Chaparral must be Queen Anne Stakes winner Toronado .
The Mr Prospector on the damline might give him an additional nick as there is
not much of that blood out here. Dundeel has the imprimatur of John
Messara and Arrowfield Stud so you can't ignore that, he was also a classic
winner who trained on, I'd say he's a good chance to get a serious horse.You have to mention the High Chapparal mares too – they will surely leave their mark.
Outside High Chapparal stock, Reliable Man must get something and after his Derby winner maybe the Pour Moi's will get another look. I like Animal Kingdom too.
There was an interesting article on Racenet a few days ago as to why there are no decent races over longer distances for mares. A very good question and part of this same issue. Overall, I think the tide is turning because at the end of the day, a 'serious horse' attracts the most prestige, gets the lion's share of prizemoney and is what we all love.
I enjoyed your article on breeding a "serious horse" and agree with the thrust of it. You asked for suggestion on which stallions may step up to the mark as a producer of "serious horses".
I think the obvious one is Dundeel . He won his only start as a 2yo (admittedly
only a maiden) then was an outstanding
3yo classic horse and raced on with multiple group 1 WFA successes as a
4yo.A couple of less obvious ones, I believe, are Pierro and Manhattan Rain .
Pierro won at Group 1 level over 1600m as a 2yo. As a 3yo, he beat open age horses over 1500m at Group 1 level. He also ran 2nd over a mile to open age horses in the tough Group1 Doncaster Hcp. He also ran third against open age horses in the premier WFA, Cox Plate over 2040m. His pedigree suggests he will be capable of producing a "serious horse". His sire was a "serious
horse" in Lonhro as was his grand sire, Octagonal. Had Pierro raced on into his 4yo and 5yo seasons there is every reason to suggest he would have equalled, if not exceeded, these two.
The bottom half of his pedigree adds even more weight to his capability to produce a "serious horse". His dam being by Daylami, his second dam by Sadler's Wells and his third dam by Shirley Heights. All add weight to Pierro's capability of producing a classic horse. Finally, he must have the necessary toughness. He raced, and won, 6 times as a 2yo including the very arduous, "triple crown".
He certainly was not a "squib". So if you want to breed a "serious horse" (by your definition), I think Pierro may be a good option.
If you cannot afford Pierro, then Manhattan Rain is worth considering. His profile is similar to Pierro's in that he was tough enough to race 6 times as a 2yo, including all three legs of the triple crown.
He was never out of a place as a 2yo. He too was able to place in the Cox Plate as a 3yo. Being by Encosta De Lago out of a half to Redoute's Choice means his pedigree is a combination of proven producers of "serious horses". His 10 stakes winners (from very modest book sizes) are demonstrating his versatility. He hasGroup 1 winners from 2yo 1200m to open age 2000m. Plus he has other stakeswinners including a 1600m 2yo, a 3yo 2040m and a 3yo 2400m.
Assuming the team an Blue Gum Farm can get him back to serving decent size books then he, I believe, has every chance of being a "serious horse" sire.
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