As small breeders go, few can match the consistent achievements of Farrell Ratner. From a small band of mares Farrell has produced a stream of Graded winners in the last two decades, culminating in the international success of Dane Julia in Australia. Economics dictated that not all home-breds could be kept, which explains how not all the good ‘uns raced in the colours of Ratner and regular partner Salzman, writes Karel Miedema.
Over the years, I built a fruitful relationship with Farrell Ratner. Every year he sent me a list of his mares, to give insight in their pedigree make-up and to come up with mating suggestions. Often the suggestions were followed. And of course it helped that the Ratner mares boarded at Varsfontein Stud, a major and consistent source of top race horses.
The pedigree of 2010 Cape Guineas winner Solo Traveller brought back sweet memories of an analysis done in 1999 for the mare Taineberry, an Australian-bred who’d been trained by David Payne to win six races for Farrell Ratner & co, from a mile to 2400m, including a Listed race.
For interest sake, I am producing our mare analysis verbatim here. Keep in mind, it was done more than a decade ago.
Taineberry (AUS) – bay, 1994; Centaine – Strawberry Fair by Whiskey Road (AR 98, middle distance stayer).
Sire Line – Centaine (Century)
A Gr1 placed Gr3 winner in Australia, Centaine’s stud record has surpassed his track performance. He bred champion 2yo colt Cordero, 3rd best 3yo colt Kinjite, 3yo champion filly Slight Chance, as well as other Gr1 winners of both sexes.
Centaine is a son of Australian champion sire Century, who has several successful sons at stud. They include Centaine, whose dam is by Vain out of a mare by Todman; Centro, whose dam is by Vain from a US female line; Rubiton, whose dam is by Seventh Hussar out of a mare by Todman; Rubiton’s full brother Euclase; Double Century, whose dam is by Adamastor out of a mare by Todman’s sire Star Kingdom. Century’s daughter Love Bird, a full sister to Double Century, produced sire Armidale.
A major feature of Century’s pedigree appears to be his damsire Rego, an Irish-bred son of Nasrullah. An impressive proportion of Century’s major offspring, both as sire and broodmare sire, carries duplications of Rego and/or Nasrullah. Century is a grandson of My Babu, whose dam Perfume is a genetic sibling of Nasrullah and Turn To and regularly found in big pedigrees. The pedigree of Century shows inbreeding 3×3 to Perfume and Nasrullah, on a background of Blandford/Swynford and Solario.
Centaine’s dam Rainbeam is inbred 4×3 to sire Helios, who is by Hyperion out of a mare by Sir Gallahad (Teddy). Rainbeam’s pedigree background is Hyperion/Gainsborough: her dam is inbred 4×3 to Hyperion, the dam of her sire Vain has Hyperion 4×3, and Vain’s sire Wilkes is Gainsborough (sire of Hyperion) 4×4.
Centaine therefore is the product of two inbred parents, whose pedigrees are linked by common lines of Nasrullah (4x4x5) and Gainsborough (through sons Hyperion and Solario).
At stud, Centaine’s successful progeny have shown a variety of pedigree duplications.
* Kinjite – sire; inbred 4×3 to Wilkes (sire of Vain) and 5x5x5 Nasrullah genetic siblings; damsire Super Gray is by Nijinsky out of a 3/4 brother to Secretariat and Sir Gaylord
* Danelove – sire; inbred 4×3 to Todman and his full brother Faringdon, and 5x5x5 Nasrullah genetic siblings
* a high number of offspring from mares by broodmare sire Sir Godfrey, a French-bred by Riverman out of Glaneuse, carrying duplications in his pedigree of Djebel, Nasrullah (Nearco/Pharos), Prince Rose, Teddy, Blue Larkspur
-Never Say, by Sir Godfrey; 4×5 Wilkes, 5x5x6x5x6 Nasrullah, dam 4×5 Nasrullah
-Slight Chance, by Sir Godfrey; second dam by Wandering Eyes (Palestine/Fair Trial) – Palestine, note, is a Court Martial genetic sibling
-Sopherim, by Sir Godfrey; second dam by Bellborough (Nearco, Hyperion, Rose Prince)
* La Rose Noire – dam by Habat (Habitat/Sir Gaylord) out of a mare by Pakistan II; the latter is by Palestine out of a mare by Nasrullah, Habat’s second dam is by Palestine out of a full sister to Nasrullah
* Val de Grace – dam by Ashabit (Habitat/Sir Gaylord x full sister to dam of sire Free State)
* Fleur de Chine – dam by Sound Reason (Bold Reason, who carries Turn To and Djebel)
Significant lines from Centaine’s pedigree appear to be Vain and his sire Wilkes (Court Martial), Todman (Star Kingdom), and My Babu (Djebel x Nasrullah genetic sibling).
Affinities have come through Habitat/Sir Gaylord, Riverman, Palestine.
Female Line – Strawberry Fair by Whiskey Road
Strawberry Fair, a Gr1 winning sprint/miler, is out of Avellino – a mare by Todman out of a daughter of Better Boy, and inbred 3×4 to Stardust. She bred Taineberry from a mating to Centaine, which therefore duplicated Better Boy 3×4 and Todman 4×3.
Taineberry’s half sister Galaxy Fair, a Gr2 placed stakes winner, is by sire Bletchingly, giving a 3×4 Star Kingdom (sire of Todman) duplication.
(Inbreeding through Todman to his sire Stardust was a 4×4 feature in the in South Africa very successful Australian mare Bejewel, whose pedigree had a strong Gainsborough background).
Strawberry Fair’s sire Whiskey Road is by Nijinsky out of Bowl Of Flowers, a half sister to Graustark and His Majesty, their dam the mare Flower Bowl. He appears to have a 4×2 genetic sibling cross in his pedigree, through Nearctic’s dam Lady Angela and Flower Bowl. The latter also has a well-known affinity with stallion Swaps.
Where From Here
Taineberry has a well constructed pedigree, closely inbred to significant elements from both her sire- and dam-line. This should increase her chances of a successful stud career.
On the evidence of what went before, a suitable sire might have any or all of the following:
* Star Kingdom or Stardust
* My Babu/Perfume/Turn To, Nasrullah and genetic siblings
* Court Martial and genetic siblings
* Flower Bowl, Swaps
Prominent pedigree lines that could fit the patterns found are Blushing Groom, Danehill, His Majesty/Graustark/Swaps, Sadler’s Wells/Fairy King, Secretariat/Sir Gaylord/Habitat.
Suitable Matings
Jallad – this sire should be first prize: son of Blushing Groom, dam by a son of Todman, second dam inbred to Nasrullah, third dam by Pakistan (Palestine)
*
That gave the idea, and thankfully it was followed through.
Taineberry visited Jallad two years in a row, giving two fillies, born in 2000 and 2001. The first, Jalberry, was a Gr1 placed Gr3 winner rated MR 96 who was mainly kept to sprinting. The second was Strawberry Lane, a one time winning miler rated MR 76. Strawberry Lane was officially bred by Des Scott, who had acquired Taineberry from Farrell in foal. The mare returned to Jallad only once subsequently, resulting in the 2006 colt Hucklebbery who has now won 5 times from 1400 to 1800m, and is rated MR 96.
At stud Jalberry and Strawberry Lane both made their mark.
Jalberry’s first foal is Count Express, a Gr2 placed sprinter rated MR 101, by Count duBois. He’s of the same age as Strawberry Lane’s Gr1 Cape Guineas winning son Solo Traveller, rated MR 104. Solo Traveller is his dam’s second foal, following Gr2 SA Fillies Guineas runner-up Strawberry Ice (MR 97), both sired by Western Winter.
The family’s stud performance is remarkable, both in terms of black type achievements and Merit ratings. It is interesting to note that the sires used, Western Winter and Count duBois both are Gone West line stallions. Gone West’ third dam is Mixed Marriage, a close genetic equivalent to Aimee (grandam of Blushing Groom), to Ajasco (3rd dam of Jallad) and to Court Martial (see original mare evaluation, above).
The significance of Western Winter in the mix
Solo Traveller and his talented year-younger full sister Strawberry Ice are products of the successful Lammerskraal Stud. This is also where the pair’s sire Western Winter resides.
Western Winter’s dam Chilly Hostess is by a son of Northern Dancer (Nearctic), out of a mare whose dam is by Nearctic. This gives inbreeding 3×3 to Nearctic in Chilly Hostess. It has been suggested that this Nearctic presence is the explanation for the high incidence of good Western Winter runners out of mares by Northern Dancer line sires, which crosses further on the Nearctic double.
It is possible, however, that the Nearctic presence is a ‘noise’ factor which hides other important lines.
We note that the dam of Chilly Hostess is by Impressive, a son of Court Martial.
Western Winter’s sire Gone West has as his third dam Mixed Marriage, who is a Court Martial genetic relative, the pair therefore appearing 4×4 in Western Winter. There may be a closer relationship (to the next generation), as Mixed Marriage was mated to a grandson of Menow, and Court Martial to a mare whose dam was by Menow. The two Menow offspring (Tom Fool and Dynamo) are genetic equivalents as well.
All this makes Western Winter kinbred 3×3 to Tamerett and Impressive.
We need to see whether elements from their background play a role in Western Winter’s best runners.
Yard-Arm is out of a mare by Dancing Champ, who is by Nijinsky (Northern Dancer) out of Mrs Peterkin, a daughter of Tom Fool. Mrs Peterkin is a very close genetic relative of Tamerett (grandam of Gone West). The grandam of Yard-Arm is by Royal Pardon (Court Martial).
Winter Solstice is out of French Muse, a mare without Northern Dancer/Nearctic. French Muse is by Melun, whose dam is by Lyphard – all of Mixed Marriage, Impressive (third dam of WW) and Lyphard’s dam Goofed are genetic siblings. Winter Solstice’ grandam Terpsichore is a daughter of Drum Beat, another very close genetic relative of Mixed Marriage.
Surveyor is out of a mare by Northfields (Northern Dancer). Surveyor ‘s grandam Luna de Miel is by Ribot-stallion Con Brio, whose dam Petronella is a very close genetic Mixed Marriage relative.
Western Winter’s best daughter is Fair Maiden, whose dam Fair Bianca has no Northern Dancer/Nearctic. Fair Bianca is by Priceless Asset, a son of Averof. The latter’s dam Argentina is a strong Nearctic genetic sibling. Averof himself is a Mixed Marriage genetic relative. Fair Maiden’s grandam is by Flower Power, a son of Royal Affair (Royal Pardon – Court Martial). Flower Power’s second damsire Goodasgold is a Nearctic genetic relative.
Champion 2yo of 2006, Fearless, is out of Festive Forever, a daughter of Foveros (Averof). The mare has an abundance of Fair Trial, and carries Mixed Marriage genetic relatives Abernant and Farthing Damages. There is no Northern Dancer/Nearctic in the mare.
On reflection, given the absence of Northern Dancer/Nearctic in Winter Solstice, it appears that the driving force from Western Winter may be Gone West, notably through his female line, going to Mixed Marriage.
Interestingly, the Western Winter x Dancing Champ cross (representing kin-breeding 4×3 Tamerett x Mrs Peterkin) has given 15 foals (9 colts & 6 fillies, from 9 individual mares), with 11 multiple winners including Gr1 winnersYard-Arm and Reveille Boy and Gr2 winners Swartland, Weston Blaze and Winter Weather – that’s an unbelievable 33% Graded SW’s from runners. It is striking that the colts in this group outperform the fillies by a wide margin in terms of measured ability (MR) – Listed winner Winter Diamond is the only filly from the group to make her (modest) mark.
The inaugural Cape Premier Yearling Sale, held next month at the Cape Town Convention Centre, features just one colt bred on the Western Winter x Dancing Champ cross. Still unnamed, he’s out of Isadora Duncan, and half brother to three black-type fillies, including champion 2yo filly Consensual, and to another filly who’s dam of 2yo Gr1 winning filly Give Me Five. The dam Isadora Duncan is daughter of Gr1 winner In Camera, who is grandam of champion filly Tatler. A real fillies family! Will the Western Winter yearling colt cope with this? The bottom female line has Contraband (sire of In Camera) and significantly Abadan (sire of 4th dam Violetta). The colt, consigned by Highlands, should be a cracker.
