Dam of Northern Dancer, female line ancestress of Danehill (Danzig) and Machiavellian (Mr Prospector) – there’s no getting away from influence of Natalma in modern racehorses.
Natalma featured at least once in the pedigrees of all Dubai winners on World Cup-day, writes Sarah Whitelaw.
Arrogate wins the 2017 Dubai World Cup
She’s found twice in the pedigree of Gr1 Dubai World Cup winner Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song), while Vivlos, winner of the Gr1 Dubai Turf, carries three lines of Natalma (plus another three lines of Natalma’s dam Almahmoud).
Dual French classic winner Lope De Vega (Shamardal) is inbred to Machiavellian, and was represented by his first Dubai Gr1 winner as The Right Man scored a narrow win in the Gr1 Al Quoz Sprint. Machiavellian is broodmare sire of the earlier mentioned Vivlos and has exerted his influence on previous Dubai World Cup nights with World Cup winners Almutawakel and Street Cry, and as broodmare sire of another World Cup winner, Victoire Pisa.
Winx – Street Cry’s daughter
Street Cry is sire of Australian star Winx, and of sire Street Boss whose son Rapper Dragon recently swept the Hong Kong four year old series.
Natalma is third dam of Machiavellian, and also of Danehill, who continues to dominate Australian racing and breeding. Danehill can be found in six of the top ten sires on the Australian General Sires List, with his grandson Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) heading the log (Machiavellian is sire of current runner-up Street Cry).
Danehill is great-grandsire of last week’s Gr1 The BMW winner Jameka (by Danetime’s son Myboycharlie). The first three finishers in the A$1.5 million The BMW all have Danehill in their pedigrees.
Inbreeding to Danehill (and thus extending Natalma’s influence even further) continues to provide breeders with dividends in Australia, and the latest example of this is Saturday’s Gr3 winning 2yo The Mission. He’s by Danehill’s grandson Choisir, out of a mare by Redoute’s Choice.
Brazuca – his sire Teofilo is out of a mare by Danehill
In South Africa, last week’s Gr2 Colorado King Stakes winner Brazuca is inbred to Danehill – his sire Teofilo is out of a mare by Danehill, while his dam is by Choisir (Danehill Dancer).
Machiavellian’s son Kahal has Champagne Haze, who landed the Gr2 Senor Santa Stakes last week.
Then there’s Mogok, half brother to Machiavellian. Mogok is by Storm Cat (grandson of Northern Dancer) and sired Saturday’s Derby Trial winner Pagoda (by Wolfhound, grandson of Northern Dancer). The dam of Machiavellian and Mogok is Coup de Folie, whose dam is a daughter of Natalma and whose sire Halo is a son of Natalma’s half sister Cosmah.
Gr3 Yellowwood winner Queen’s’ Bay
In South Africa, Natalma is also direct ancestress of SA Derby winner Bouquet-Garni (Strike Smartly), Gr3 winner Queen’s Bay (Fort Wood), multiple stakes winning females Daphne Donnelly (Golden Thatch) and Lady’s Delight (Local Talent) and KZN sire and stakes winner Announce (National Assembly). Lady’s Delight has a son, Delightful Choice by Redoute’s Choice, standing at stud in Australia.
Natalma’s great grandson Danehill (sire of new SA sires Duke Of Marmalade and Oratorio) made his mark in South Africa principally from overseas runners sired by the likes of Redoute’s Choice and Rock Of Gibraltar.
With inbreeding to both Machiavellian and Danehill on the rise, coupled with the ongoing Northern Dancer sire-line dominance, Natalma is bound to continue to exert a major presence on thoroughbred breeding the world over. She surely rates as one of the most influential broodmares in history.
