It is interesting to note the trends of various sire lines, represented by the new stallions with their first local crops on the upcoming yearling sales, writes Sarah Whitelaw.
Among the seven first crop South African sires on this week’s Emperors Palace Select Yearling Sale, Await The Dawn, Byword and Oratorio hail from the dominant Northern Dancer male line, while Mr Prospector representatives set to have their first SA bred yearlings on sale include Crusade, Twice Over, and What A Winter.
Await The Dawn
Both Crusade and What A Winter are from the Gone West branch, with Crusade being a son of the Gone West horse, Mr Greeley, and What A Winter a son of Gone West son Western Winter.
Thus the world’s two major male lines dominate younger stallions at this week’s sale.
The National Yearling Sale will see nine young sires represented by first crop representatives in a few weeks’ time. In addition to the stallions mentioned above, Eightfold Path (Giant’s Causeway), Irish Flame (Dynasty) and Marchfield will have representatives on offer.
Marchfield – a looker
Eightfold Path and Irish Flame are two more members of the all conquering Northern Dancer line, while Marchfield is a son of A P Indy, one of the few remaining male lines to offer much resistance to the Northern Dancer and Mr Prospector dynasties, (the Hail To Reason being another).
A P Indy descendants are enjoying a good season in South Africa, with both his son Judpot (sire of recent G1 SA Fillies Classic winner Juxtapose) and grandson Jay Peg enjoying plenty of success in 2015-2016.
A P Indy is the last major link left to the once powerful Bold Ruler male line, with Bold Ruler siring, among others, previous SA champion sires Jungle Cove and Plum Bold.
Await The Dawn and Eightfold Path are both sons of Storm Cat’s greatest sire son, Giant’s Causeway, whose progeny have met with marked success in South Africa –notably with the Gr1 winners, Blueridge Mountain and Our Giant.
He is also broodmare sire of former Equus Champion 2yo and young sire, Soft Falling Rain (National Assembly) and it is not hard to see the outstanding young sire, Shamardal, (whose son Lope De Vega is represented at the upcoming National Yearling Sale) being represented by a sire son in South Africa eventually.
Louis The King – star on the track
The Storm Cat male line has also been represented by such successful stallions as Black Minnaloushe (sire of new sire Louis The King), Mogok (sire of new sire The Apache), former leading first crop sire Tiger Ridge (sire of Guineas winners Cherry On The Top, Maybe Yes and Noah From Goa) and red hot 2yo sire Var.
Oratorio is a son of Danehill, whose global legend continues to grow. Not only an outstanding sire of sires, Danehill is also grandsire of the top class stallions Choisir (Danehill Dancer), Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer), Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice), Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) and Zoffany (Dansili), while his son, Fastnet Rock, sire of promising young SA sire, Curved Ball, has also made a hugely promising start as a sire of sires, with his sire sons, Hinchinbrook and Stryker, both sire of G1 winners in their first crops.
The Mr Prospector male line, which includes Crusade, Twice Over, and What A Winter, has enjoyed plenty of success in South Africa through the likes of Secret Prospector (also damsire of champion Variety Club and hugely promising young sire, Elusive Fort), triple champion sire Western Winter (sire of What A Winter), former Equus Outstanding Stallion, Count Dubois (Zafonic), the great Kahal (Machiavellian), and perennial leading sire, Trippi (End Sweep), among others.
The very promising Visionaire (Grand Slam) is yet another exciting sire prospect to hail from this dominant male line, which shows no sign of slowing the world over.
Pathfork (Distorted Humor), currently SA’s leading first crop sire, is yet another promising Mr Prospector line stallion in South Africa.
Pathfork (Distorted Humor – Visions of Clarity)
Another sire from this male line to enjoy success in South Africa in an all too brief stud career, was the late Sail From Seattle (Gone West) whose top performers included the G1 Cape Guineas winner, Elusive Gold and G1 Cape Flying Championship hero, Gulf Storm. Interestingly Friday night’s G3 Greyville winners, Fromafar and Mambo Mime, are both descended in male line from Mr Prospector.
Worldbeaters
Northern Dancer and his male line descendants, however, continue to dominate world racing through the Danzig, Sadler’s Wells and Storm Cat male lines, to name but a few.
Another great sire son of Northern Dancer was the magnificent Nureyev, whose Group 1 winning grandson, Byword, has his first yearlings on offer this year. Interestingly, the Nureyev male line is enjoying notable success in both New Zealand and France this year, thanks to Jimmy Choux (Leading First Crop Sire) and Siyouni (one of the hottest young stallions in Europe).
Inbreeding to Nureyev has become an increasingly successful trend, with this mating producing offspring such as Fleche D’Or (dam of champion Golden Horn), 2016 classic hope, Spectre and G1 Deutsches Derby winner, Nutan (Duke Of Marmalade).
Irish Flame, one of three sons of Dynasty named Horse Of The Year, is from the mighty Sadler’s Wells male line, whose influence continues to be felt the world over.
Fort Wood has ensured that the name of Sadler’s Wells will be felt in the SA stud book for years to come, and Irish Flame is one of at least 11 Sadler’s Wells line descendants currently at stud in South Africa. The legend is also broodmare sire of promising young sire Pathfork.
