Marchfield
Moutonshoek’s exciting young stallion Marchfield traces back to one of the greatest broodmares in the stud book – Alablue. In fact, Marchfield is inbred to Alablue, his fifth dam, as she is also the granddam of Boldnesian, who is himself the great grandsire of Marchfield’s champion sire, A P Indy.
Anumber of top-class racehorses and sires are inbred to Alablue – most notably Candy Ride, an unbeaten champion who is now a leading sire in North America. This inbreeding has also worked in producing top sprinter and Gr1 Breeders Cup Sprint winner Thirty Slews.
Alablue has built up a remarkable record with her descendants throughout the globe. She is to be found in numerous successful sires and high-class fillies alike.
Alablue, who was bred by the Mereworth Farm, was a top-class racemare, who won eight races including the Test Stakes (today a Grade One race). Her eight registered foals included two stakes winners Third Brother (a top-class racehorse who was second in the 1959 Travers Stakes), and Alanesian. The latter, who won the now Gr1 Spinaway Stakes, herself became an exceptional broodmare, as did another daughter of Alablue’s – Mock Orange. Mock Orange herself was an unraced daughter of US Horse of the Year Dedicate. She produced nine registered foals – including the Group One winner Duke of Marmalade (Premio Roma twice) and California Oaks winner Aladancer. The latter herself became a successful broodmare producing Gr1 Gold Bowl hero Vigliotto.
Mock Orange is also the dam of the one time winner Naval Orange, who produced $3 000 000 earner, Cryptoclearance. The latter has also enjoyed success at stud – siring over 40 stakes winners including seven Grade One winners.
His sons include champion Victory Gallop (himself a successful sire of Grade One winners Jaycito and Prince Will I Am) and the smart Gr1 placed Ride The Rails (sire of leading sire Candy Ride). Candy Ride was an exceptional racehorse, who won all six of his starts in Argentina and North America, culminating in a spectacular win in the Gr1 Pacific Classic. He has since become a very good sire, whose progeny include seven individual Gr1 winners. Candy Ride himself has five sons registered at stud in North America and his legacy looks to continue.
Other high-class descen-dants of Mock Orange include the Grade One winner George of Navonod, who won the Gr1 Charles Strub Stakes, and French Group One winners Gabina (Prix de La Foret) and Galetto (Prix Lupin).
As successful as Mock Orange and her descendants were, they are unlikely to have as much long term success as have Alanesian’s descendants.
Alanesian’s best known son was the ill-fated Boldnesian, who died at the age of 12. He made just five starts, winning four including – including the 1975 Santa Anita Derby. While Boldnesian sired just 249 foals – he left behind 27 stakes winners, including Bold Reasoning (sire of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and successful sire Super Concorde) and champion sire Bold Ruckus. The latter was Canada’s champion sire ten times, and his stakes winners included millionaire and sire Beau Genius and Kentucky Oaks heroine Gal in A Ruckus.
Bold Reasoning’s male line is strong not only through his son Seattle Slew, but also through grandson Big Shuffle. A top-class sprinter in Ireland, Big Shuffle was champion sire in Germany four times, and is himself the sire of another champion German sire – Areion.
Seattle Slew’s male line is thriving through son A.P. Indy, whose outstanding sire sons include Pulpit, Malibu Moon, Indygo Shiner, Judpot and Bernardini. His grandson, Tapit, is one of North America’s hottest sires, and has, to date, sired four Breeders Cup winners.
Alanesian’s influence continues not just through Seattle Slew and Big Shuffle, however. Her daughter, Princess-nesian, was one of just three fillies to win the Gr1 Hollywood Gold Cup. She is also the third dam of triple Grade One winner Harlan’s Holiday, who himself earned over $3 600 000 on the track. Last year’s Champion sire of 2YOs in North America, Harlan’s Holiday is not only a very successful sire, but his son, Into Mischief, is himself a very promising young stallion. Into Mischief’s first crop, conceived off a low stud fee, included two colts good enough to make the final 20 for the Kentucky Derby. In South Africa, Alanesian was strongly represented through two sons of her daughter, Stay At Home. Peaceable Kingdom and Home Guard both proved very successful sires locally – while Home Guard also found success internationally. Home Guard is still found in top pedigrees such as Night Magic (German Horse of the Year), Soldier of Fortune (Irish Derby) and St Nicholas Abbey (Breeders Cup Turf). He did well locally, with his South African stakes winners including such stars as sprint champion Taban and Gold Cup hero Floating Casino.
Half-brother Peaceable Kingdom, while never receiving the best of chances at stud, also did very well. The dark son of Native Dancer sired 31 stakes winners from 446 foals (7% SW to foals), including star fillies Fast Piece, My Magic and Paschal. His daughter, Song of Peace, foundered a dynasty at stud – her descendants including Gr1 winner Ndabeni, Dubai star Grand Emporium and champion 2yo colt Ice Cube.
The influence of Alablue is staggering – her name is found today in pedigrees of top-class thoroughbreds globally. Through the likes of Seattle Slew and Big Shuffle, Candy Ride and Harlan’s Holiday (not to mention Marchfield himself), Alablue looks likely to maintain a place in thoroughbreds for generations to come.
