Pedigrees 360 – What Makes a Blue Hen?

Tara Madgwick - Friday June 17

The star of the show at Royal Ascot on Day 3 was blue-blooded young stayer Kyprios, who became the third Group I winner from his blue hen dam Polished Gem when taking out the Group I Ascot Gold Cup, so we thought it might be interesting to see if the new Pedigrees 360 software could shed some light on the genetic magic behind this exceptional family.

A homebred for Moyglare Stud, four year-old Galileo stallion Kyprios is the final foal from revered matriarch Polished Gem, who has had 10 foals to race and all are winners, eight of them stakes-winners as listed below:

Kyprios (Galileo) G1

Search for a Song (Galileo) G1

Free Eagle (High Chaparral) G1

Custom Cut (Notnowcato) G2

Sapphire (Medicean) G2

Valac (Dark Angel) G3

Falcon Eight (Galileo) Listed

Advertisement

Amma Grace (Galileo) Listed

A winner over 7f at Leopardstown at two from just five starts, Polished Gem is a full sister to Group I winner Dress to Thrill, who was a much better racehorse on the track, but has failed to match the deeds of her sister as a broodmare.

The Pedigrees 360 profile on KYPRIOS reveals he has three very rare components to his pedigree.

1. He has four clusters 'off the charts', a pattern very rare in modern racehorses

2. His dominant ancestor back to nine generations is TEDDY, quite extraordinary to see 19 duplications of TEDDY in a modern day horse

3. His dam, the blue hen POLISHED GEM, also has an extraordinary profile, also having three clusters 'off the charts'. Other blue hens that also have three or four clusters off the charts include SOMETHINGROYAL, LA TROIENNE, and DANCING SHOW

You can see from the chart below that POLISHED GEM has high duplications of not just one or two but FOUR dominant ancestors TEDDY, FAIR PLAY, SPEARMINT, and AJAX, unheard of in modern mare pedigrees. It does explain her potency, and it's not just with GALILEO, she has also produced the Group winner SAPPHIRE by MEDICEAN which is a completely different sireline.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Hellbent Gelding Delivers Milestone 100th Win for Mark Newnham
Mark Newnham reached a significant milestone on Saturday at Sha Tin as leading Four-Year-Old Classic Series prospect, Invincible Ibis took another step towards the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) – the opening leg of the three race series on February 1.
G3 Grand Prix Stakes To Snitzel’s Matias – Brother At Magic Millions
Breaking his maiden last time out over 1500m at Newcastle, 3yo Snitzel gelding Matias stepped up both in class and trip to win the $300,000 Group 3 BRC Grand Prix Stakes (1800m) at Eagle Farm and in the process added a lovely pedigree update to his Magic Millions bound brother.
G3 Eulogy Shines Spotlight On Emerging NZB Filly of the Year Contenders
Undefeated filly Well Written (Written Tycoon) has dominated the early stages of the 2025-26 NZB Filly of the Year Series, but the complexion of the series might start to change with this weekend’s fifth leg.
First HK Winner for Sebring Sun
Bargain priced Glenthorne Park based sire Sebring Sun had his first winner in Hong Kong on Saturday when The Red Hare saluted at Sha Tin.
Unbeaten $2.2million Zoustar Filly Poised for Black Type in 2026
The highest priced yearling by champion sire Zoustar sold in 2024 when fetching $2.2million at Inglis Easter, unbeaten filly Plaintiff took another step forward at Randwick on Saturday keeping her record perfect with three wins in as many starts.
Rising Northern Hemisphere Star for Ghaiyyath
As we come to the end of 2025, the stallion sitting on top of the Australian Second Season Sires table is Ghaiyyath (IRE) and one of his promising three year-olds in the Northern Hemisphere this year is Opera Ballo, a commanding winner of the Group II Al Rashidiya (1m1f) at Meydan overnight.
New SW Almanzor - Lux Libertas Wins G2 Manawatu Challenge
Cambridge Stud's Almanzor (Fr) is a sire on fire on Saturday with five winners across Australia and New Zealand including a new stakes-winning mare in Lux Libertas that traces back to an iconic Australian female family.
Grafterburners Solidifies Magic Millions Sunlight Favouritism
Going three straight this time in and securing his first black type victory, the Listed BRC Gold Edition Plate (1200m) victory by Kelly Schweida’s 3yo Graff colt Grafterburners further enhanced his chances leading into the $3m TAB Magic Millions Sunlight Classic (1100m).
Mega Maiden Bonus for Up-And-Comer Chilling Out (NZ)
A lucrative victory in Wednesday’s NZB Mega Maiden Series (1400m) at Ruakaka could be a stepping stone to bigger things for Chilling Out (NZ) (Savabeel).
Gin a Tonic Dominates MM 3YO and 4YO Victorian Classic
The $175,000 Magic Millions Victorian 3YO and 4YO Classic (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday produced a dominant winner in Gin a Tonic, shining the spotlight on his half-brother by Ole Kirk to be offered at Magic Millions next month.