MR. PROSPECTOR ON MR. PROSPECTOR

Mr Prospector on Mr Prospector Explosion
(Image : US Eventing / DeskPic)

“RECIPE FOR AN EXPLOSION”

There was a time when breeders across the length and breadth of the United States advocated against line-breeding (or inbreeding) to the Raise A Native tribe in general, and specifically to Mr. Prospector. The theory was that, as both were somewhat fragile at the races, they were bound to reproduce this in their progeny, and so breeders tended to heed the fad as though it was a religion. It took people in faraway places (like ourselves) to pooh-pooh the theory, not because we knew otherwise, but because we were more into practicalities than “old wives tales”, and couldn’t understand the reluctance when breeding two sound horses to one another.

Of course, the tables have turned 360 degrees, and Americans line-breed the tribe to death these days. The latest example lies in Kentucky Derby hero, Animal Kingdom’s vanquisher in the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, Ruler On Ice, who is by a grandson of Mr. Prospector (by Raise A Native) out of a granddaughter of Alydar (by Raise A Native). The outcome, Ruler On Ice, didn’t only take down the flag of Animal Kingdom in the race (the latter was unfortunate in almost coming down in the early stages of the race), but he also counted among his victims, the Preakness winner, Shackleford.

Interestingly, the Belmont hero is a product of a breeding partnership comprised of two Ph.Ds, Rob Whiteley and Pam Robinson, the former of whom designs the matings, while Pam does the raising.

“I’m a major proponent of mating mares to stallions with physical considerations in order to maximize athleticism.” Whiteley said. “I start with the physical mating first and then go to the pedigree consideration. In the case of Roman Ruler (the winner’s sire) and Champagne Glow, they fit well together - type to type, frame to frame. Both were extremely athletic and had great depth in their families by way of their inbreeding patterns. I was one of the first to recognise the potential of inbreeding to Raise A Native,” Whiteley said. “It was taboo when I got in the horse business”.

Interestingly, the Mr. Prospector line has been all-dominant in what Americans call the “true test of champions”, the nickname for the Belmont. A quick glance at recent winners emanating from this line, lies in the male line chart below.

MR PROSPECTOR
MALE LINE CHART
(Click Here)

LEADING 2009 NORTHERN HEMISPHERE BROODMARE SIRES

Kingmambo
(Photo : Thoroughbred Times)

LEADING BROODMARE SIRES OF
2009 NORTHERN HEMISPHERE GRADE/GROUP1 WINNERS

Stallion	Sire	Winners
KINGMAMBO	Mr Prospector	5
RAINBOW QUEST	Blushing Groom	4
SADLER’S WELLS	Northern Dancer	4
SEEKING THE GOLD	Mr Prospector	4
KRIS	Sharpen Up	3
MR PROSPECTOR	Raise A Native	3
STORM BIRD	Northern Dancer	3

CORRECT AS AT 14 NOVEMBER 2009

History is against immature sires.

                                                                                         Holy Roman Emperor (APRH)

Back in the spring many in the breeding world were scandalised by the news that Holy Roman Emperor, evidently quite sound and about to start serious work toward a Classic campaign, had been abruptly taken out of training and switched to stud duties. Of course, there was a commercial reason for the decision, which supposedly had more to do with the luckless George Washington’s failure to impregnate his mares than with any lack of confidence in the future of Holy Roman Emperor as a racehorse.

George Washington (sportinglife)Even so, this was another example of the tail of breeding wagging the dog of racing, and many deplored the fact that a horse who had competed only as an adolescent, and whose true merits as a athlete remained a matter for conjecture, was to enter the ranks of stallions as a three-year-old and be allowed to cover a substantial number of mares. Yes, he was a well-bred horse, and his form as a youngster did suggest that he was the second best of his generation at that age, but two-year-old form was no basis for establishing any horse’s right to stand at stud, and the move set a precedent that might well prove injurious to the breed if it were to become a trend.

Dark Angel (Getty)Last week came the news that another immature horse, Middle Park Stakes winner Dark Angel, had ended his brief career when subsequently beating only one no hoper in the Dewhurst. He is off to stud at three, not because he has proved himself an outstanding performer, but because he has indicated that, without substantial improvement, he would be unlikely to enhance his reputation at three in a racing schedule that offers limited opportunities to the horse who has acquired a Group 1 penalty at two.

Dutch Art (Getty)Dutch Art, winner of the 2006 Middle Park, and unbeaten that season, was deliberately campaigned this year where the penalty clause did not apply, and he did show improved form, notably when runner-up in the July Cup, enhancing his reputation. But he did not actually win a race, which had to be disappointing for his owners, and that may have been a factor in the decision of Dark Angel’s connections to part with their colt.

So is there a trend underway? If so, it is one much to be regretted, because we have developed the breed over two centuries, and proven its quality, largely on the basis of three-year-old form. We have learnt that, generally speaking, juvenile performance is insignificant, which is only to be expected when we consider the hosts of human athletes in all sports who excel in their youth, but are incapable of making the top grade in their maturity.

Fasliyev (racingnsw)Nine times out ten precocity is just that, and no indication of future development. Fasliyev, taken out of training early through injury, always had dubious qualifications for stud duty, profited handsomely from the patronage of ‘first season faddists’, but was soon revealed as just another stallion and has had to find a new home. Holy Roman Emperor may well suffer a similar fate, and while we all wanted to believe in Teofilo as a great horse in the making, the fact remains that he did not begin to prove his greatness.

Teofilo (teamtalk)The old adage that the purpose of racing is the improvement of the breed has never been strictly true, and in this ultra-commercial era it is less true than ever. It is not the individual breeder’s business to concern himself with the improvement of the breed as a whole, and for the market breeder it is never a consideration. But, if he is wise, he should be concerned with trying to improve his own breed, and that means that he should seek to use only stallions who have thoroughly established their merit – i.e. by showing superior form at three.

Alibhai (TB Heritage)Of course, history does provide examples from which a counter-argument might be developed, but they are very few in number, and have to be considered exceptions to the rule. Once in a blue moon an un-raced horse will make a splash at stud, the best example of that phenomenon in the northern hemisphere in comparatively recent times being the immaculately-bred Alibhai, who wielded considerable influence in the States.

Hail To Reason (reines-de-course)And North America also provides the two best examples of horses who went on to excel as sires after racing careers that ended at two. One was Hail to Reason (Turn-To), who famously was given a tough time by trainer Hirsch Jacobs in a 1960 season that began with a 12th place finish in a three-furlong dash at Santa Anita on 21st January and ended with a victory over seven furlongs in the World’s Playground Stakes at Atlantic City on 10th September.

In that time he won nine of 18 races, his trainer countering accusations of harsh treatment with the comment: “I thought it better to let him wear out than rust away.” Clearly best of an undistinguished crop of juveniles, Hail to Reason broke both sesamoids on his near-fore shortly after his last stakes win, and went on to get a ratio of 14 per cent stakes-winners to foals and claim an enduring place in notable pedigrees.

Raise A Native (biglobe)Raise a Native (Native Dancer) was more of a fly-by-night, lasting for only four races between February and July before he bowed a tendon. He was unbeaten and not really tested by indifferent competition, and the five and a half furlongs of the Great American Stakes was the longest distance he ever essayed. Aided by a good colt in Exclusive Native in his first crop, Raise a Native quickly achieved wider patronage, and in due course Mr Prospector spread his genes throughout the breed.

Kendal (TB Heritage)In these islands over the last 150 years, only two horses whose careers ended at two have achieved champion sire status. The first was Kendal (Bend Or), who won six races in 1885 and broke down at Newmarket in the Rous Stakes, the last of his eight starts. He got his chance at stud on the basis of the fact that he had beaten a half-trained and still un-raced Ormonde in a gallop at Kingsclere, and earned his renown as a sire through 1897 Triple Crown victor Galtee More.

The Tetrarch (TB Heritage)The other – and far more celebrated – champion sire to have raced only at two was unbeaten The Tetrarch (Roi Herode), who achieved the unprecedented feat of heading the list when only eight years old in 1919. Though less than normally fertile, the so-called “spotted wonder” wielded huge influence at stud, and though his male line soon died out, he remained a factor in prominent pedigrees through his daughters, among them the fabled Mumtaz Mahal.

TONY MORRIS : Author extraordinaire – European Bloodstock News

The Value Of Family

Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN SUN CHARIOT S.-G1 , GBP185,000, Newmarket, 10-6, 3yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:37.83, gd/fm.
1—MAJESTIC ROI, 125, f, 3, by Street Cry (Ire)
1st Dam: L =Extra Honor (SW-Fr), by Hero=s Honor
2nd Dam: L =Extravagante, by Le Fabuleux (Fr)
3rd Dam: Fanfreluche, by Northern Dancer
(25,000gns yrl ‘05 TATOCT). O-Jaber Abdullah; B-Gaines-Gentry Thoroughbreds; T-Mick Channon; J-Darryll Holland; GBP 105,043. Lifetime Record: GSP-Fr, 8-3-1-0, GBP 157,237.

Kieran Fallon (Getty)Stick around in the racing world for long enough and you’ll see just about everything, ranging from the most heart-warming stories to moments of great sadness and disbelief. We saw an end of the spectrum last Sunday, when Kieren Fallon triumphed in the Arc just a day before he stands trial on charges of conspiracy to defraud. At the other extreme, the G1 Sun Chariot S. reminded me that virtually anything is possible, such as the kidnapping of star racehorses. Examples I can think of include Shergar in Ireland, Carnauba in Italy and Fanfreluche in the USA. While the Shergar story ended tragically, there was a much happier outcome to the other incidents.

You probably won’t remember the Fanfreluche case, unless you are old enough to audition for something like The Golden Girls. The bare facts were that this Northern Dancer mare—the champion three-year-old filly of 1970—was stolen from her paddock on June 25, 1977. It wasn’t until December that the FBI discovered the mare in Tompkinsville, Kentucky, on a farm belonging to a Larry McPherson. According to McPherson, a neighbour had found the mare loose on the road and McPherson looked after the mare until someone claimed her. In the meantime, he had reportedly used the mare as a trail-riding mount! Fanfreluche’s exertions apparently hadn’t harmed her and she was still carrying her foal by Secretariat—a colt given the appropriate name of Sain Et Sauf (Safe and Sound).

One thing’s for sure, whoever took Fanfreluche had excellent taste. At the time of her disappearance, Fanfreluche had had five foals, four of which became stakes winners. Three had run, with her Buckpasser colt L’Enjoleur winning two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown, her Le Fabuleux filly L’Extravagante finishing third in the Canadian Oaks and her Sir Ivor filly Grand Luxe winning the Fury S.

Holy Roman Emperor (Vanessa Ng)Her achievements continued to grow over the subsequent 30 years and her descendants continue to shine, to the extent that they have enjoyed Group 1 success on the first weekend in October in each of the last two years. The first to do so was Fanfreluche’s grandson Holy Roman Emperor, who impressed in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, and the second was her great-grand daughter Majestic Roi, who sprang a 16-1 surprise against some of Britain’s best distaffers in the Sun Chariot. As if that weren’t enough, Fanfreluche’s greatgrandson Flying Spur (a grandson of Grand Luxe) became champion sire in Australia during the 2006-‘07 season, when his nearest challenger was Encosta de Lago, a great-great-grandson of none other than Fanfreluche.

It is worth pointing out that Holy Roman Emperor would not have existed had Fanfreluche not been recovered safely, as his dam L’On Vite wasn’t born until 1986. L’On Vite’s brother D’Accord, winner of the GII Breeders’ Futurity, was also among the 13 foals produced by Fanfreluche after she was restored to her owners. Only five of these foals were fillies, but three of them produced stakes winners.

Majestic Roi (Racing Chronicle)Majestic Roi’s emergence as a Group 1 winner must provide all potential buyers at this week’s October Yearling Sale Part 1 with hope that there will be plenty of bargains among 700-odd yearlings on offer. When Majestic Roi was offered two years ago—before her sire Street Cry had had a chance to prove himself one of the stars of the future—she was sold for only 25,000gns, even though the average price was nearly 120,000gns and the median was 70,000gns.

I can’t claim to know what limited the filly’s appeal. Although her dam, the French listed winner L’Extra Honor, had produced nothing better that a gradedplaced winner, there was still plenty to admire about the filly’s family. L’Extra Honor is a half-sister to Montelimar, a talented Alleged colt who won both starts as a three-year-old to earn a Timeform rating of 122. Montelimar later found a place in history as the sire of two Grand National winners, Monty’s Pass and Hedgehunter. Majestic Roi’s dam is inbred 2x3 to Northern Dancer, her sire being Northern Dancer’s son Hero’s Honor and her dam being Fanfreluche’s daughter L’Extravagante. It is easy to understand why someone would want to try to reinforce Northern Dancer’s influence in this family, as he also sired Fanfreluche’s brother Night Shift, a stallion with more than 30 group/graded winners to his credit.

DanzigMany of the family’s best performers are inbred in the first four generations to Northern Dancer, including Holy Roman Emperor (3x3), Flying Spur (3x4), the Yellow Ribbon S. winner Aube Indienne (3x4), the champion European juvenile filly Bint Allayl (3x4) and her smart brother Kheleyf (now a Darley stallion), and the Grade II winner Conserve. The recurring theme in these good horses is Danzig, through his sons Danehill (sire of Holy Roman Emperor and Flying Spur), Green Desert (sire of Bint Allayl and Kheleyf) and Boundary (sire of Conserve).

Majestic Roi’s victory—her second at group level on turf—helped Street Cry complete a magnificent treble, as he has now been represented by Grade I winners on three different surfaces. Her predecessors were Street Sense, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Kentucky Derby and the Travers on traditional dirt, and the two-year- old Cry And Catch Me, recently successful in the Oak Leaf S. on Santa Anita’s synthetic Cushion Track.

This versatility has been underlined by some of the other performers among Street Cry’s impressive total of seven first-crop graded winners. Per Incanto gained his Group 3 success on turf in Italy; Summer Doldrums is a stakes winner on dirt and turf; Big Timer’s Group 3 success came on turf in England; Street Sounds is a Grade II winner on Polytrack, as well as being a stakes winner on turf and dirt; and Street Magician’s Grade III win came on dirt at Pimlico. Now that’s what I call a stallion perfectly equipped to cope with the surface changes afoot not just in the USA, but also, to a lesser extent, in Europe.

Street Cry (Stallions)But then Street Cry’s background equipped him to be versatile. It was a shrewd call to aim a colt of his background directly to racing on dirt, as both his parents— Machiavellian and the Irish Oaks winner Helen Street— were Group 1 winners on turf. Whereas Helen Street’s background was predominantly one of European turf horses, Machiavellian’s featured such successful dirt performers as Mr. Prospector, Raise A Native, Native Dancer, Hail To Reason and Hoist The Flag. For once, here’s a marriage which has fulfilled everyone’s dreams.

Extract by Andrew Caulfield from Thoroughbred Daily News 09.10.07