THE IMPORTANCE OF BROODMARE SIRES

Northern Guest
(Photo : Summerhill Stud)

“How important is the Broodmare Sire?”

SARAH WHITELAW - When first looking at a pedigree, particularly in a catalogue, I first look at the sire, then I look at the dam, and then I look at the female line, or at least the first two dams.

But how important is the broodmare sire? When looking at such modern day champions as Horse Chestnut and Dynasty (out of mares by Col Pickering and Commodore Blake respectively), it is easy to believe that the broodmare sire pays little part in the pedigree, as both the aforementioned horses are out of mares by failed stallions.

There were 25 winners of 32 G1 races run last year in South Africa. Of these 25 horses, eight were produced by daughters of champion sires. Genetically speaking, the broodmare sire will contribute 25% to the DNA makeup of the individual horse.

It is hard to see this when looking at a horse like the mighty Smarty Jones - by a good sire in Elusive Quality out of a 12 times stakes winner. Smarty Jones’s broodmare sire Smile was a disaster at stud - and it is hard to see quite what part he plays in the pedigree of one of the finest racehorses of the 21st century.

It is also surely more than a coincidence that often a champion racehorse, but poor sire, who covers good books of mares when first retiring to stud, can produce at least one G1 producing daughter. One such example is the mighty Dancing Brave, a stallion who was largely a disappointment, but whose daughters have done very well at stud.

Ironically enough, a horse to fall in the same category as Dancing Brave, is his old rival Shahrastani (who beat Dancing Brave somewhat fortuitously in the 1986 Epsom Derby). Shahrastani, who has spent his stud career in all of the USA, Japan and Ireland, was a very poor sire, but his daughters have produced such G1 winners as Alamshar (Irish Derby) and Caradak (Prix de la Foret).

It is also worth noting that sometimes ordinary stallions can leave their mark on the breed through their daughters. One of history’s greatest ever stallions, Danzig, is out of a mare by Admirals Voyage (himself a son of champion handicap male, Crafty Admiral). The latter sired just a handful of minor stakes winners during his time at stud - none of which won at the highest level. But through the deeds of Danzig and his legions of successful sons and daughters, Admirals Voyage’s name will survive in the modern day pedigree - outlasting sires who enjoyed more stud success!

Another ordinary sire whose name lingers in the modern day thoroughbred through a daughter is the Promised Land stallion, Understanding. Winner of the G3 Stuyvesant Handicap, Understanding sired just two stakes winners in a brief stud career - but one of those stakes winners was Wishing Well. She not only won the Gamely Handicap (today a G1 race), but at stud she produced US Horse of the Year and legendary Japanese sire, Sunday Silence.

Poker was a son of the top-class sire and broodmare sire Round Table. While he himself was an ordinary sire (his only champions coming in Norway and Puerto Rico), Poker’s daughters produced numerous champions including champion sire Seattle Slew. The latter twice topped the US broodmare sires list, and his daughters have produced a host of champions. Poker is also the maternal grandsire of US champion, Silver Charm, as well as the useful sire, Lomond (himself a champion sire in Italy). Through Seattle Slew alone, Poker is guaranteed to be around in pedigrees for decades.

In contrast, history has produced a number of truly exceptional broodmare sires. In North America, arguably the greatest broodmare sire of all was Sir Gallahad III. Sir Gallahad III led the US broodmare sires list on 12 occasions - and his daughters produced over 130 stakes winners (in an era where stallions covered 30 mares a season). Sir Gallahad III’s daughters produced champions Challedon and Gallorette as well as high-class stakes winners such as Mars Shield (Kentucky Oaks), Boswell (St Leger), Galatea (Epsom Oaks), Black Tarquin (St Leger), Aurelius (St Leger) and Nothirdchance (Acorn Stakes, dam of Hail To Reason).

Another truly phenomenal broodmare sire was Princequillo. A stout stayer, he dominated the US Broodmare Sires list in the 1960’s and 1970’s. He not only headed the list on eight occasions, but remarkably enough, his son Prince John and grandson Speak John (by Prince John) also became champion broodmare sires. Princequillo is best known as the broodmare sire of the US Triple Crown winner Secretariat (also a great broodmare sire), with his daughters also producing such luminaries as champion Mill Reef, leading sire and broodmare sire Kris S, G1 winners Squander and Sham, champion half brothers Fort Marcy and Key To The Mint, as well as champions Bold Lad and Successor.

In South Africa, the trend in recent times has been for champion sires to become champion broodmare sires. The broodmare sires list has recently been dominated by Northern Guest, who has been champion broodmare sire in this country nine times. He is certainly bred to be a champion broodmare sire with both his sire, Northern Dancer, and broodmare sire, Buckpasser, having topped the broodmare sires list on more than one occasion.

So how relevant is the broodmare sire? Clearly it helps to have a successful sire/broodmare sire as a maternal grandsire of a horse, but it is also clear that it is not the sole defining success factor.

Extract from www.sportingpost.co.za

Connections

James Burke (Truman)I don’t know if you’ve ever watched “Connections” by James Burke, based on his popular series of articles which appeared among others in the leading American publication Scientific American, but it’s a great show. The inquisitive and erudite Burke starts with a particular scientific subject of interest, then proceeds by smaller or greater leaps of logic on to another, then another, working his way through many connected subjects until he arrives right back where he started. The connection from one subject to the next can be solid or it can be very quirky, any connection will do. Sort of like six degrees of separation, but much more complicated.

Anyway, watching Dylan Thomas cap a fine season with his Arc win, and hearing the commentator recount jockey Kieren Fallon’s assessment of the son of Danehill as by far the best horse he’d ever ridden, set me thinking about his connection to Manduro, the recently retired German wonder horse.

Monsun (Maike Hanneck)One swallow doesn’t make a summer, but the only time they met, in the Prince of Wales’s Gr1 at Ascot over 10f in June , Manduro won decisively with multiple Gr1 winner Notnowcato well beaten off. Manduro, a son of the great German sire Monsun, has had a stellar 2007, being undefeated in five starts, a Gr3, then three of the world’s top Gr1’s (Prix d’lspahan, Prince of Wales’s S, Prix Jacques le Marois) and then finally the time-honoured Prix Foy Gr2, in which he suffered a career ending injury. Switched from 9f to 10f back to 1600m then up to the classic 2400m, he met every challenge, repelling the opposition with his fluent stride, opposition that included the mighty Dylan Thomas. Surely Manduro is the best racehorse the world has seen since - say Dancing Brave, or maybe even longer. His sire Monsun has established himself as a real force in international breeding, with a long list of topliners including recent Prix du Cadran winner Le Miracle, Schiaparelli Royal, Highness Shirocco etc.

Tiger Hill (Darley)Monsun, as you would expect has one of the highest APEX ratings of any stallion in Germany. In fact you would expect him to be on top, but although he’s a fine second with an A rating of 3.49, it’s Darley’s Tiger Hill (also by Danehill)who is on top with 3.94. Although he has only 165 year starters compared to Monsun’s 530 it’s a clear pointer to the merit of Tiger Hill, who has sired 29 stakes horses from just 146 starters.

So now I have to put on my James Burke hat and work out how to get back to Dylan Thomas, the aforementioned son of Danehill. Well, as it happens Tiger Hill is a son of none other than, you guessed it, Danehill, the best sire of sires since his own grandsire Northern Dancer, which augurs well for the future stud career of Dylan Thomas … . . which is were we came in.

Extract by Andrew Richard from Stallions Daily Bulletin 12.10.07