Dynasty
The 2014 J&B race meeting was a triumph for locally bred stallions. All three of the day’s Gr1 winners (Legislate, Beach Beauty, Hill Fifty Four), were sired by South African bred stallions.
It was a particularly successful day for former Horse Of The Year, Dynasty, whose son Legislate won the Gr1 Investec Cape Derby and daughter Beach Beauty the Gr1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes.
Three of the first four home in the Derby (Legislate, Captain America, Helderberg Blue) were sired by SA bred horses, whilst the first two finishers home in the Met itself (Hill Fifty Four and Yorker) are sons of locals Captain Al and Jet Master respectively. Remarkably, the J&B Met has been won six times in the past eight years by a horse sired by a South African bred stallion.
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Another Derby For Potent “Nick”
Sadler’s Wells
Saturday’s Gr1 Investec Cape Derby winner Legislate represents one of the most powerful crosses currently found in international breeding. He is by Sadler’s Wells’ grandson Dynasty out of a granddaughter (by Restructure) of Danehill – and this cross has produced numerous stars including the mighty Frankel.
Horses bred on the Sadler’s Wells/Danehill cross won the Breeders Cup Turf, Irish 2000 Guineas, French Derby, Prix Jean Romanet, Irish Oaks, and Grand Prix de Paris in 2013 alone.
Another bred like this, Secret Gesture, was second in both the G1 Investec and German Oaks in 2013. The reverse cross produced, in 2013, winners of the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf, Yorkshire Oaks, Irish Champion Stakes, E P Taylor Stakes, Gran Premio Di Milano, Matron Stakes, Doomben 10 000, and the Shoemaker Mile – all G1 races.
This is truly a formidable combination, and Legislate joins the likes of Chiquita, Frankel, Intello, Biz The Nurse, Roderic O’Connor, Golden Lilac and Magician as a classic winner who combines the two greatest European sires of the past 20 decades up close in their pedigree.
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Arria – Latest Example Of Inbreeding!
Impressive! Arria cruises in under Richard Fourie to win the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes (Equine Edge)
Unbeaten filly Arria, who looked impressive when winning the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes on Met day, is the latest classy performer who carries intense inbreeding in her first few generations.
By Antonius Pius, Arria is out of Issa – a full sister to unbeaten Yorkshire Oaks winner Catchascatchcan (dam of Antonius Pius). She is thus inbred to Catawba 2 by 3. While such inbreeding is relatively rare these days, it has produced numerous high-class performers, both on the race track and at stud.
Highly successful North American sire, Ultimus, is one such example. The unraced stallion was sired by a son of Domino (Commando) and produced by a daughter of Domino (Running Stream). While he never raced, Ultimus left behind a great legacy on the US turf – siring the likes of High Time (Champion Sire), Luke Mcluke (Belmont Stakes, successful sire), and Stimulus (successful sire).
A daughter of Ultimus, Sweetheart, is the dam of Case Ace – broodmare sire of one of the 20th century’s most influential sires, Raise A Native. One great mare who sported a pedigree verging on the incestuous was Coronation. Winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1949, Coronation was a daughter of champion sire Djebel (by Tourbillon) out of Esmeralda (by Tourbillon). A great racemare, Coronation failed to produce a foal at stud. However, Coronation’s full sister, Ormara, bred a champion sire in the Brazilian based Locris.
The grand performer Stymie is another champion who sported an intensely inbred pedigree. A member of the USA’s Racing Hall of Fame, Stymie was sired by Equestrian (whose dam was by Man O’War), out of a mare, (Stop Watch), whose dam was a daughter of the legendary Man O’War. He won a staggering 35 races on the turf, and collected such top US races as the Brooklyn, Whitney and Metropolitan Handicaps. Although not a great sire, Stymie’s name can be found today in the pedigree of champion sires Be My Guest and Caerleon.
A hugely influential sire with an interesting pedigree to boot, is French 2000 Guineas winner Kalamoun. By a grandson of Nasrullah (Zeddaan), Kalamoun’s dam, Khairunissa, is a granddaughter of Nasrullah’s full-sister, Rivaz. Sadly, Kalamoun did not enjoy a long stud career, as he died at the young age of nine.
However, in that short time, Kalamoun made a huge impression. His sons included champion sire Kenmare (himself the sire of leading sire Kendor), French Derby winner Bikala, King George winner Kalaglow (sire of Melbourne Cup hero Jeune), and Kampala (sire of Arc winner and leading Japanese sire Tony Bin).
The 2014 J&B Met winner, Hill Fifty Four, has himself an interesting pedigree. His sire, Captain Al, is by Al Mufti – who shares a second dam, Gay Missile, with the Met winner’s broodmare sire, Sportsworld.
Food for thought?
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Cracking Start For Byword
Byword by Peintre Celebre, Timeform rated 126 – to stand at Middlefield
Middlefield Stud’s exciting young stallion Byword has made a fine start to his stud career. He recently completed his first season at stud, having covered a good book of 93 mares. Byword sports excellent fertility figures – 85 (91%) of mares in his first book have tested in foal. He also received fantastic support in his first year from many of the country’s top breeders. His first book included a number of well bred and well related mares.
Among the mares tested in foal to Byword is Gr1 winner Urabamba, Listed Camellia Handicap winner Cantorist, and fellow stakes winners Hurricane Queen, She’s A Star and G1 performer Kalami. Other well connected mares in foal include Linsumi (dam of the top-class stakes winner Wishful Eye), Royal Academy matron Japrodisco, the well bred Singspiel mare Miracle Play (a close relation of successful sire Casey Tibbs), and the Gr1 placed mare World of Stars (a daughter of hot broodmare sire Sportsworld), as well as half-sisters to Gr1 winners Bouquet-Garni, Stratos and Tara’s Touch.
He has been supported by most of KZN’s leading breeders, with outside support coming from the likes of Bosworth Stud, the Gary Player Stud and Mauritzfontein. Byword was an outstanding racehorse, who retired to stud with a Timeform Rating of 126. His seven wins included the Group One Prince of Wale Stakes, where he defeated an outstanding field which included seven other Group One winners. Bred and raced by Juddmonte Farms (who were responsible for Frankel), Byword won or placed in a further 12 stakes races, and ran second to triple Breeders Cup Mile winner Goldikova, when beaten just half a length, in the Group One Prix D’Ispahan.
One of 12 Gr1 winners sired by Prix de’l Arc de Triomphe winner Peintre Celebre (sire of over 60 stakes winners), Byword is out of Broodmare Of The Year Binche (also dam of multiple Gr1 winner Proviso).
– Sarah Whitelaw
