Interesting article from Racing Post: Aurelia shows inbreeding to Storm Cat can work By Nancy Sexton 1:10PM 25 AUG 2016 CAN there ever be too much of a good thing? Inbreeding has been employed by various breeders with great success over the years, particularly by Marcel Boussac, for whom the idea was one of the cornerstones of his operation. Today, inbreeding to Northern Dancer is almost the norm. But, in turn, his line has become defined by different branches, whether it be the faster type generally associated with Danzig or the middle-distance influence of Sadler's Wells and Galileo. We're seeing more and more breeders experiment - probably in some cases not by design - with inbreeding to Danzig. To take one example, it is a pattern that has done Kodiac no harm, featuring in the make-up of Tiggy Wiggy (3x4) and Kodi Bear (3x4). Similarly, Scat Daddy's record has been noticeably enhanced by runners inbred to Storm Cat, among them Lady Aurelia and Harmonize, who contributed to an outstanding weekend for the late Coolmore sire when successful in the Prix Morny and Del Mar Oaks. The pair head a list of six Group/Graded stakes winners for Scat Daddy, who is a great-grandson of Storm Cat via Johannesburg and Hennessy, that are inbred to the stallion. Others include three top Chilean colts in The Dream, whose dam is by the nondescript Storm Cat stallion Sir Cat, and the Group 1-winning brothers Fantasmagorico and Flyer, whose granddam Snow Kitten was a daughter of the great stallion himself. Some may argue that inbreeding to Storm Cat comes with risks, not least the invitation of the questionable knees associated with the stallion. Perhaps then, it is no coincidence that aside from Scat Daddy, one of the highest rates of success has come with one of his more durable sons in Giant's Causeway. It was Giant's Causeway who supplied the first Group 1 winner bred on the pattern in Giant's Steps, the Chilean Derby and 2,000 Guineas winner of 2012 who was out of a Hennessy mare. Less than a year later, Winning Cause, another by the Ashford Stud stalwart inbred to Storm Cat, recorded the first of his three Grade 3 victories. Meanwhile, the trend has surfaced in the records of a number of Giant's Causeway's sons, namely First Samurai (sire of Grade 2 winner Last Gunfighter; inbred 3x3), Heatseeker (Peruvian Group 1 winner Ryans Charm; inbred 3x3) and Giant Gizmo (Grade 3 winner Brooklynsway; inbred 3x3). Not to be outdone, Giant's Causeway's brother Freud, a perennial leading sire in New York, has sired two stakes performers on the pattern in Sensacion De Verano and Uwe Seeler. In all, there are 48 stakes winners worldwide listed as inbred to Storm Cat led by the Group/Grade 1 winners Fantasmagorico, Flyer, Giant's Steps, Harmonize, Lady Aurelia and The Dream. Lady Aurelia is the only foal of racing age by Scat Daddy out of a mare by Forest Wildcat, who is probably best remembered in Europe as the sire of Prix de l'Abbaye winner Var. She was bred by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Farm in Kentucky out of D'Wildcat Speed, a Horse of the Year in Puerto Rico who racked up 14 consecutive wins, including seven at Grade 1 level over 7f to 1m1f, before travelling to the US, where she won the 2005 Grade 2 Rampart Handicap at Gulfstream Park. She was acquired by Stonestreet at the end of that year for $1 million at the Keeneland November Sale. Lady Aurelia, a $350,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by George Bolton and partners, is the best of her dam's three winners. The trio also includes Listed-placed Titletown Five, by Tiznow. She is also the second European juvenile Group 1 winner this month for Scat Daddy following Caravaggio, who sealed his current dominance over his contemporaries with an easy victory in the Phoenix Stakes. It is plausible that both will continue to confirm their superiority over their peers in the months to come. If that is the case, Scat Daddy has a legitimate shot of ending 2016 as Europe's leading two-year-old sire, a feat that will have been achieved with only a handful of runners.
I wish they would not use the expression "in breeding" as that sounds incestuous. As I've mentioned many times, in dog breeding the term used for what is being described is "line breeding". Sounds much better In breeding definition: the mating of closely related individuals, as cousins, sire-daughter, brother-sister, or self-fertilized plants, which tends to increase the number of individuals that are homozygous for a trait and therefore increases the appearance of recessive traits.
A great shame that Scat Daddy died. He has two more crops to hit the racecourse. Philipp Freedman has a Scat Daddy yearling colt (grandsire Storm Cat) out of a Giants Causeway mare called Spa Break (grandsire Storm Cat), so inbred 3 x 3 to Storm Cat.
I don't think they'll not use it as it has been used for hundreds of years. Looked it up and it looks as if the term Line Breeding was the later introduced term (sounds a bit as if in some fields of breeding they are a touch sensitive: dog breeders must be politically correct ). As the article says all breeding of pedigree animals is technically inbreeding but that the term is generally not used unless the common ancestor is in the first 5 generations (think pN told us that already).
Looks as if the Queen got 3 out of 4. Golden Stream appears barren or something. Caraboss had a filly (her 2nd by Dubawi) while the other two had colts.
Bustino, the Scat Daddy ex Spa Break is catalogued for next month's Keeneland September Yearling Sale so looks set to race in the USA.
Thanks pN, sounds a sensible move. He's also selling 4 other yearlings at the Newmarket Sales (3 fillies and one colt) so could have few 2yos next year.
Sad news from France over the weekend, former leading sire LINAMIX died in retirement at the grand old age of 29. DEATH OF GREAT STALLION AS LINAMIX DIES AGE 29 The Aga Khan Studs has announced the death of Linamix at the age of 29. As a racehorse, he carried the pink and grey colours of his breeder, Jean-Luc Lagardere, and notably won the Gr.1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains before being retired for covering duties to Haras du Val Henry in Normandy in 1991. He quickly established himself as a remarkable stallion, producing no less than eight Stakes performers for his owner in his first crop, including the Gr.1 Prix Jacques le Marois winner Miss Satamixa. He left his mark on French thoroughbred breeding and amongst his most notable offspring are the 1995 Gr.1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Sagamix and Gr.1 winners such as Slickly, Fragrant Mix, Cherry Mix, Carlotamix, Manighar, Alpine Rose, et al. Linamix was acquired by the Aga Khan Studs upon the passing of Jean-Luc Lagardere and was retired from covering duties in 2007. His legacy lives on through his sons, which include stallions Martaline, Al Namix and young sire Rajsaman. He regularly ranks amongst the leading broodmare sires and his daughters, who proved to be excellent broodmares, have produced the likes of Prix de Diane winner Valyra, Oaks winner Blue Bunting, Gr.1 winners such as Rosanara, Montmartre, Natagora, and more recently Champion Sprinter Muhaarar and high-class stayer Vazirabad.
I think in all fairness, if we're going to stick with the term inbreeding, we should redefine it as the practice of Hill Billy Breeding. Great uncle Cletus of course will be the Keeper of the General Stud Book. Great Uncle Cletus. 1961 - please log in to view this image
Well it's started: the retirements are already being announced! MEHMAS will retire after the Middle Park Stakes to take up stud duties at Tally Ho Stud in Ireland. Tally-Ho have been instrumental in the retirement of several horses after just 1 season to race, but they have been successful with the likes of ZEBEDEE and SIR PRANCEALOT who both also retired after their 2yo careers.
They were injured I thought. Maybe not. Find this very surprising. I guess his attraction is that he is only 5x5 inbred to Northern Dancer so offers somewhat of an outcross to Danehill and Galileo mares. His sire Acclamation is gathering a lot of sons at stud
Subfertile Cacique retired from stud duty BY MARTIN STEVENS11:55AM 21 SEP 2016 CACIQUE, who has compiled an admirable international stallion profile despite being unable to get large numbers of mares in foal, has been retired from covering duty due to continuing fertility problems. The 15-year-old son of Danehill started his career at Juddmonte's Banstead Manor Stud in Newmarket in 2007, after winning the Grade 1 Manhattan Handicap and Man O'War Stakes for Bobby Frankel. He stood alongside his brothers Champs Elysees and Dansili, covering carefully managed books after his subfertility became apparent. Cacique's first crop of only 29 foals yielded four Group winners and six black-type horses, headed by international Group 1 winners Dominant, Mutual Trust and Slumber, who is set to stand his first season at Calumet Farm in Kentucky next year. Group 2 winner Canticum emerged from his second crop of only four foals. More recently Cacique's few racecourse representatives have included useful handicapper Abdon, once-raced maiden winner Testimonio and Contrapposto, a promising second in the Convivial Maiden Stakes last month. Banstead Manor Stud director Simon Mockridge said: "We're very grateful to all the breeders who have supported Cacique over the years. "Not only did Cacique live up to his pedigree on the racetrack but, by being one of three full-brothers to produce a Group winner at stud, he also lived up to expectations as a stallion, despite a far from straightforward stud career. "He is a horse with a huge amount of quality and a fantastic temperament - and he will now join Zamindar and Observatory in retirement at Banstead Manor."
THE GURKHA has been retired to Coolmore Stud after failing to recover in time from a colic operation in early August. A stud fee will be announced at a later date.
AIR FORCE BLUE has been retired to stud after a lacklustre 3yo campaign. He will stand at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Kentucky as the highest rated 2yo by War Front to be retired to stud to date.
Another sad news report: Derrinstown Stud stalwart Marju dies at 28 BY MARTIN STEVENS 3:19PM 11 OCT 2016 THE Irish stallion ranks have lost a grand servant with the death of Marju from natural causes at Derrinstown Stud in County Kildare. The son of Last Tycoon, who had been pensioned from covering duty in 2011, was 28. Bred by Pat O'Kelly out of the Artaius mare Flame Of Tara, a brilliant producer for her Kilcarn Stud, Marju came under the hammer as a yearling at Goffs in 1989, just days after his half-sister Salsabil had landed the Prix Marcel Boussac at two. Salsabil's owner Hamdan Al Maktoum had to go to Ir440,000gns to secure the colt, but the outlay was justified when the older sibling went on to win the 1,000 Guineas, Oaks, Irish Derby and Prix Vermeille in the following season. Marju was sent to John Dunlop and did not take long to show his brilliance, winning a York maiden by six lengths on his sole start at two. A convincing victory in the Craven Stakes on his debut at three ensured he started a 6-4 favourite for the 2,000 Guineas but he made little impact behind the winner Mystiko. Marju redeemed his reputation by finishing second to Generous in the Derby and then defeating subsequent Sussex Stakes hero Second Set to win the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. Marju signed off his career with below-par efforts in the Eclipse and Champion Stakes before embarking on his second career at Derrinstown. He proved an instant hit as a stallion, with Prix de Diane heroine Sil Sila and Prix Vermeille and Yorkshire Oaks winner My Emma emerging from his first crop. He went on to supply superstars Soviet Song, a five-time Group 1 winner including when beating the colts in the Sussex Stakes; Viva Pataca, a prolific winner in Hong Kong whose haul included the Hong Kong Derby and two Audemars Piguet QEII Cups; and another household name in the former colony in Indigenous. Marju is also the sire of other top-level winners Chinchon, Lightening Pearl, Bethrah and Marbye, while a stint shuttling to Australasia yielded Schweppes Oaks winner Marju Snip. It is as a broodmare sire that Marju has made his presence felt most in recent years, though. His daughters have produced this year's Group 1 winners Marsha and Ribchester, as well as Canford Cliffs, Marcel, Ribbons and Vedelago. The Elite Racing Club enjoyed particular success with the stallion, having bred Soviet Song from him and Ribbons and this month's Prix de l'Abbaye winner Marsha from his daughters.
He's covered a reasonable book of mares from memory, we're waiting to hear how many mares are in foal as of this month. They've had advice from the team that helped Cacique with his issues so hopefully with careful management they can ensure a reasonable number of foals each year.
