Gutaifan and Night of Thunder dead heat for the First Season Sire title with 30 wins. NoT at an amazing 25% strike rate.
Cable Bay was 3rd one win behind.
Cable Bay was 3rd one win behind.
Bustino's Breeding Bits
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About a horse: - Right Tack
1968 was a good year for John Sutcliffe (jnr) who was a leading trainer at Epsom, when Epsom still had a few decent trainers. He was mostly famous for his handicap wins. However in 1968 (and the following year) he showed he was quite capable of playing at the top table.
At the 1968 Craven meeting Jimmy Reppin made his seasonal debut in a 7f maiden. Ridden by Joe Mercer, whom Sutcliffe used a good deal over the years, the Midsummer Night colt won impressively. So impressively that it was decided he’d go for the 2000G a few weeks later. With Mercer aboard 2nd favourite, Petingo, Geoff Lewis came in for the ride and Sutcliffe was delighted when his colt finished 3rd behind Sir Ivor and Petingo. Later in the season and in the following year he went on to win 7 pattern races, 2 of which would be considered Group 1 today.
At the Epsom Derby meeting Sutcliffe introduced a cheap Hard Tack colt called Right Tack, who had cost 700g as a foal and only 2,300g as a yearling. He ran in the 5f Caterham Stakes, ridden by Mercer, and was a promising 2nd. A few weeks later he reappeared at Alexandra Palace and Mercer had his first win on the colt over 5f. He repeated the success about a month later, and connections must have been delighted with the colt. With Mercer unavailable , Lewis took over the mount when he had topweight in a Sandown Nursery. He won very well and the decision was made to raise his sights and he went for the Imperial Stakes at Kempton (then seen as a stepping stone to bigger things: Arc winner St Crespin won it in 1958, Mill Reef won it in 1970 and Grundy won the same race in 1974, though by then renamed as the Sirenia Stakes). He took the Imperial Stakes in his stride and was then sent to Newmarket for the Middle Park, which he won from a good horse called Tower Walk. With the victories of Jimmy Reppin and Right Tack, both Sutcliffe and Lewis had had a wonderful year (and '69 was to be even better).
The bargain-basement Right Tack was rated 9st 5lbs in the 2yo Free Handicap, 2lbs below the Dewhurst Stakes winner, Ribofilio. The general consensus was that Ribofilio was made for the Guineas (he was a warm favourite throughout the winter), while Right Tack was more likely to be suited to 6f races. He reappeared in early April 1969 in the Ascot 2000G Trial, which he won in a canter. Two weeks later Right Tack reappeared in the Greenham Stakes. He finished 2nd to Tower Walk, who was receiving 5lb. Ribofilio shortened for the 2000G.
Geoff Lewis won his first Classic when Right Tack decisively beat Tower Walk and Welsh Pageant (who had won the Free Handicap), with the favourite Ribofilio tailed off and finally pulled up by Piggott. It was generally felt that Ribofilio had been ‘got at’ and though nothing was proved it did have the effect of taking the shine off Right Tack’s victory. It’s worth saying that Tower Walk went on to be a top sprinter, while Welsh Pageant went on to win 7 Group Races, four of which were Group 1s. As it was Right Tack next won the Irish 2000G and the St James Palace Stakes (the first horse to do so and it wasn’t until 2002 that this feat was next accomplished by Rock of Gibraltar). In the Royal Ascot race Right Tack beat fellow 3yo Habitat by half a length (Habitat was later rated Europe’s top racehorse of 1969 by Timeform). Sadly after this race Right Tack succumbed to the virus and though he raced twice more, in September and October, he was never the same horse and was retired to stud the winner of 8 races.
Right Tack didn’t last long at stud and he was eventually sold on to Australia for 70,000g, where he was a failure. From his first European crop he bizarrely produced the top rated 3yo of the 1974 season. I say bizarre because the colt Take a Reef never won a Group race and his only black type was a 3rd in the Washington Singer Stakes as a 2yo. He did win the big 3yo handicap over 10f at Glorious Goodwood with a topweight of 9stone 7lbs. For some reason the Handicapper rated that the best performance of the season (even higher than Bustino’s performances). But that was the best of Right Tack, or was it?
In 1974 a filly was born by Right Tack out of a mare, by the sprinting sire Vilmorin, ( the mare, had run 26 times winning once) and whose best sibling had been a reasonable horse called Chebs Lad ( trained by Snowy Gray, he actually ran in Vaguely Noble’s Timeform Gold Cup win). Not an inspiring or fashionable pedigree, but in ’76 she found herself in the stable of Barry Hills. Today people talk about how many races Mark Johnston’s horses can run, but in his day, with the right horse (and that’s the key thing) Hills was just as capable of keeping his horses busy. In 3 seasons of racing Mofida ran 40 times.
Mofida responded to this regime and won 8 times, being also placed 17 times. In fact her black type included a 2nd to a filly called Freeze the Secret in the Nell Gwyn. Optimistically Hills even ran Mofida in the 1000G, in which Freeze the Secret finished 2nd. Mofida was up with the pace past halfway but faded: in reality 7f was probably her limit. Hill’s chief patron was Robert Sangster, and he saw enough to purchase Mofida for his Swettenham Stud and what a far-sighted purchase that was. The benefit didn’t come to Sangster however. Her first foal was unsurprisingly by Sangster’s then new sire, the Minstrel, and Mariakova soon found herself in the stud of Khalid Abdullah. The best winner from this branch has so far been Prohibit (by Oasis Dream out of Mariakova’s grand-daughter, Well Warned). The 2nd living foal was a full-sister who was given the name of Zaizafon and went on to produce not only the champion Zafonic but also the excellent racehorse and sire Zamindar.
If that wasn’t enough her 3rd foal was a Roberto filly called Modena, and her first foal was the Eclipse winner Elmaamul and later she produced the 1000g winner Reams of Verse. Perhaps more important Modena produced a filly called Midsummer who in turn produced the Oaks 2nd and champion filly Midday. What is noticeable is that Juddmonte’s success with this family is across a broad front. Not one mare producing a top filly and that filly being the important branch, but perhaps a half-sister to that filly who didn’t achieve as much on the track. You can also say this family is built on soundness. Her mum may have run 26 times, but the 40 runs of Mofida points to a robust soundness that has paid dividends in this well-established family.
Just over a week ago Khalid Abdullah had another 2yo filly win for him. It’s a Given (by Bated Breath) may not be anything special but she won first-time out without too much fuss. Her dam is called Emergency (by Dr Fong) who is a great grand-daughter of Mofida’s daughter Mariakova. Amazingly 6 of the 8 third generation antecedents of It’s a Given were bred by Juddmonte.
With about 6 Mofida mares in the stud, the Mofida story will continue…..
1968 was a good year for John Sutcliffe (jnr) who was a leading trainer at Epsom, when Epsom still had a few decent trainers. He was mostly famous for his handicap wins. However in 1968 (and the following year) he showed he was quite capable of playing at the top table.
At the 1968 Craven meeting Jimmy Reppin made his seasonal debut in a 7f maiden. Ridden by Joe Mercer, whom Sutcliffe used a good deal over the years, the Midsummer Night colt won impressively. So impressively that it was decided he’d go for the 2000G a few weeks later. With Mercer aboard 2nd favourite, Petingo, Geoff Lewis came in for the ride and Sutcliffe was delighted when his colt finished 3rd behind Sir Ivor and Petingo. Later in the season and in the following year he went on to win 7 pattern races, 2 of which would be considered Group 1 today.
At the Epsom Derby meeting Sutcliffe introduced a cheap Hard Tack colt called Right Tack, who had cost 700g as a foal and only 2,300g as a yearling. He ran in the 5f Caterham Stakes, ridden by Mercer, and was a promising 2nd. A few weeks later he reappeared at Alexandra Palace and Mercer had his first win on the colt over 5f. He repeated the success about a month later, and connections must have been delighted with the colt. With Mercer unavailable , Lewis took over the mount when he had topweight in a Sandown Nursery. He won very well and the decision was made to raise his sights and he went for the Imperial Stakes at Kempton (then seen as a stepping stone to bigger things: Arc winner St Crespin won it in 1958, Mill Reef won it in 1970 and Grundy won the same race in 1974, though by then renamed as the Sirenia Stakes). He took the Imperial Stakes in his stride and was then sent to Newmarket for the Middle Park, which he won from a good horse called Tower Walk. With the victories of Jimmy Reppin and Right Tack, both Sutcliffe and Lewis had had a wonderful year (and '69 was to be even better).
The bargain-basement Right Tack was rated 9st 5lbs in the 2yo Free Handicap, 2lbs below the Dewhurst Stakes winner, Ribofilio. The general consensus was that Ribofilio was made for the Guineas (he was a warm favourite throughout the winter), while Right Tack was more likely to be suited to 6f races. He reappeared in early April 1969 in the Ascot 2000G Trial, which he won in a canter. Two weeks later Right Tack reappeared in the Greenham Stakes. He finished 2nd to Tower Walk, who was receiving 5lb. Ribofilio shortened for the 2000G.
Geoff Lewis won his first Classic when Right Tack decisively beat Tower Walk and Welsh Pageant (who had won the Free Handicap), with the favourite Ribofilio tailed off and finally pulled up by Piggott. It was generally felt that Ribofilio had been ‘got at’ and though nothing was proved it did have the effect of taking the shine off Right Tack’s victory. It’s worth saying that Tower Walk went on to be a top sprinter, while Welsh Pageant went on to win 7 Group Races, four of which were Group 1s. As it was Right Tack next won the Irish 2000G and the St James Palace Stakes (the first horse to do so and it wasn’t until 2002 that this feat was next accomplished by Rock of Gibraltar). In the Royal Ascot race Right Tack beat fellow 3yo Habitat by half a length (Habitat was later rated Europe’s top racehorse of 1969 by Timeform). Sadly after this race Right Tack succumbed to the virus and though he raced twice more, in September and October, he was never the same horse and was retired to stud the winner of 8 races.
Right Tack didn’t last long at stud and he was eventually sold on to Australia for 70,000g, where he was a failure. From his first European crop he bizarrely produced the top rated 3yo of the 1974 season. I say bizarre because the colt Take a Reef never won a Group race and his only black type was a 3rd in the Washington Singer Stakes as a 2yo. He did win the big 3yo handicap over 10f at Glorious Goodwood with a topweight of 9stone 7lbs. For some reason the Handicapper rated that the best performance of the season (even higher than Bustino’s performances). But that was the best of Right Tack, or was it?
In 1974 a filly was born by Right Tack out of a mare, by the sprinting sire Vilmorin, ( the mare, had run 26 times winning once) and whose best sibling had been a reasonable horse called Chebs Lad ( trained by Snowy Gray, he actually ran in Vaguely Noble’s Timeform Gold Cup win). Not an inspiring or fashionable pedigree, but in ’76 she found herself in the stable of Barry Hills. Today people talk about how many races Mark Johnston’s horses can run, but in his day, with the right horse (and that’s the key thing) Hills was just as capable of keeping his horses busy. In 3 seasons of racing Mofida ran 40 times.
Mofida responded to this regime and won 8 times, being also placed 17 times. In fact her black type included a 2nd to a filly called Freeze the Secret in the Nell Gwyn. Optimistically Hills even ran Mofida in the 1000G, in which Freeze the Secret finished 2nd. Mofida was up with the pace past halfway but faded: in reality 7f was probably her limit. Hill’s chief patron was Robert Sangster, and he saw enough to purchase Mofida for his Swettenham Stud and what a far-sighted purchase that was. The benefit didn’t come to Sangster however. Her first foal was unsurprisingly by Sangster’s then new sire, the Minstrel, and Mariakova soon found herself in the stud of Khalid Abdullah. The best winner from this branch has so far been Prohibit (by Oasis Dream out of Mariakova’s grand-daughter, Well Warned). The 2nd living foal was a full-sister who was given the name of Zaizafon and went on to produce not only the champion Zafonic but also the excellent racehorse and sire Zamindar.
If that wasn’t enough her 3rd foal was a Roberto filly called Modena, and her first foal was the Eclipse winner Elmaamul and later she produced the 1000g winner Reams of Verse. Perhaps more important Modena produced a filly called Midsummer who in turn produced the Oaks 2nd and champion filly Midday. What is noticeable is that Juddmonte’s success with this family is across a broad front. Not one mare producing a top filly and that filly being the important branch, but perhaps a half-sister to that filly who didn’t achieve as much on the track. You can also say this family is built on soundness. Her mum may have run 26 times, but the 40 runs of Mofida points to a robust soundness that has paid dividends in this well-established family.
Just over a week ago Khalid Abdullah had another 2yo filly win for him. It’s a Given (by Bated Breath) may not be anything special but she won first-time out without too much fuss. Her dam is called Emergency (by Dr Fong) who is a great grand-daughter of Mofida’s daughter Mariakova. Amazingly 6 of the 8 third generation antecedents of It’s a Given were bred by Juddmonte.
With about 6 Mofida mares in the stud, the Mofida story will continue…..
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About a Horse:- High Line
Henry Candy is a trainer who often seems capable of getting horses to win at long odds. I’d say he’s a 2nd tier trainer but fully capable of training top horses. Recently Airwave and Kyllachy have flown the flag for this trainer but Candy also trained an Oaks winner in Time Charter (she also won the King George and Coronation Cup) in addition to horses like Master Willie (who won the Eclipse and Coronation Cup). His father was very similar, though he didn’t manage a Classic winner.
Derrick’s best horse was Song, a Sing Sing colt who was a speedy 2yo and ended up Champion Sprinter as a 3yo. He was an Ascot specialist, arriving on the big stage when winning the New (now Norfolk) Stakes at the Royal meeting, coming back as a 3yo to win the Kings Stand Stakes (then the premier Ascot sprint) and finishing his 3yo career with a victory in the Diadem Stakes. For some reason he didn’t seem to like York and when a hot favourite was 2nd in the Gimcrack. As a 3yo he was again favourite for the Nunthorpe but ran an awful race.
In his stable, alongside Song, Candy had a backward High Hat colt called High Line. High Hat was a good but not great stayer whose day in the sun was his defeat of Petite Etoile in the Winston Churchill Stakes on one of her off days. He was bred identically to Aureole (probably Hyperion’s best son) being out of a Donatello mare, and the success of Aureole must have had some influence on High Hat going to stud. High Line’s dam was probably more interesting, pedigree-wise, being from a good Boussac family which included the typical ingredients of Djebel, inbreeding to Tourbillon and Boussac’s good sire, Pharis, in her pedigree. Her name was Time Call and was by Chanteur (a tough French colt who won a number of top races and was bought by William Hill to stand at his stud) out of a Boussac Djebel mare and was owned by W&R Barnett.
High Line raced 3 times as a 2yo in 1968, improving each time and eventually winning a 7f maiden. He went into the next season as a horse likely to be a promising stayer. Candy started him in the now defunct Warren Stakes at the Epsom Spring meeting. In those days this meeting was held over 3 days and historically was based on two big handicaps, the City and Suburban and the Grand Metropolitan (then run over 18f where the horses started at the winning post and ran back up the straight peeling off across Epsom Downs and rejoining the course near the Derby start). On the Tuesday a race called the Blue Riband Stakes was run over 8.5f and was seen as both a possible 2000G trial or Derby trial. On the Thursday an equivalent fillies trial was run, while on the Wednesday a 12f race, often listed as a Derby Trial, called the Warren Stakes was run. Now the meeting is only one day and the only classic trial a 10f race which seems to be farmed by Gosden. Anyway High Line comfortably won the Warren in pleasing fashion, such that Candy decided to let him go for a Derby Trial at Goodwood a month later.
That race was the Levin Down Stakes and a year later its name was changed to the Predominate Stakes which for a long time was a popular Derby trial, even if only Troy has won both races (several good horses have won it including English Prince, Minster Son, Pentire and Dubai Milennium). High Line won in good style and with Mercer (who had ridden him in both wins) booked, the target became Epsom. Sadly High Line sustained an injury and lost his chance to contest a poor Derby, won by Blakeney. It’s worth mentioning that Mercer still rode a colt for Candy in the big race. This was Ribomar, who finished 8th : impressive that Candy could rustle up another Derby runner from his stable.
1969 was a poor year for classic colts and the fillies little better. It may be fanciful to think High Line could have won the Derby but in honesty it wouldn’t have taken a lot of winning. As it was High Lines’ next race turned out to be the St Leger. Having not run since mid-May he was an outsider, but was enthusiastically supported by his trainer’s comments: to no avail, as he refused to enter the stalls and the Classic was won by Harry Wragg’s Intermezzo. He finally ran again at the closing Ascot meeting where he finished 3rd to a couple of decent older horses in the Cumberland Lodge. He quickly reappeared at Newmarket and won the Jockey Club Cup turning the tables on the Cumberland Lodge 2nd. This race is now the Champion Stayers race run at Ascot. Before the ‘60s it was a more important race, often contested by Epsom and Doncaster Classic winners but when the UK pattern was introduced in 1971 it was a Group3 race.
As a 4yo he ran 6 times winning 3 times. In two races at Newbury he put the Leger winner Intermezzo firmly in his place and he again won the Jockey Club Cup. This illustrated probably how unlucky he was to not have a proper preparation for the ’69 Leger and then not to have started. As a 5yo he ran 4 times winning twice, including a 3rd Jockey Club Cup. In all he ran 17 times, winning 9 races and being placed 7 times.
Today a horse with this profile would be unlikely to go to stud. If he did, it would probably be as a NH Sire. High Line was a sound horse (who was just unlucky to get injured) and went to stud at the end of 1971 as a Flat sire. He remained a flat sire too, siring a number of good to very good horses. His best was Master Willie (2nd in the Derby, and winner of the Juddmonte International, Coronation Cup and Eclipse), while Shoot a Line won the Cheshire Oaks, Ribblesdale, Irish Oaks, Yorkshire Oaks and Park Hill Stakes (she was the equal top-rated 3yo filly of 1980). Other fine horses were Dubian (Group 1 winner and 3rd in the Oaks and Irish Oaks: herself dam of twice-champion filly Sayyedati), Nicholas Bill (who also won the Jockey Club Cup), Crimson Beau (Prince of Wales Stks), Metal Precieux (Lupin winner), Quay Line (Park Hill Stks winner) and Adonijah.
W&R Barnett used High Line as you would expect. Master Willie and Nicholas Bill were their best racehorses but they had further dividends. The obvious one was the 1000G 2nd and Oaks winner Time Charter, who was by Saritamer out of a High Line mare called Centrocon (who had won the Lancashire Oaks for Barnett). Time Charter was top class and won the Champion Stks. King George and QE and Coronation Cup too. Her dam was a full-sister to Nicholas Bill and also another full-brother in Centroline (who also won the Jockey Club Cup). Barnett’s Irish Oaks winner Pure Grain (who also won the Yorkshire Oaks and Musidora) was a granddaughter of Quay Line. These families continue in the Barnett stud.
Many other top breeders used High Line, which just wouldn’t happen today. But one High Line filly stands out in the stud book. Robert Sangster had a fine Roberto filly who won the Chesham Stakes (then 6f) at Royal Ascot, finished 2nd in the Moyglare and won the Cheveley Park. After a couple of foals Sookera was sold and to High Line produced a filly called Kerali. She managed to win a race but when sent to stud showed her true value. Her first 4 partners hardly spell out Juddmonte as they were Kahyasi, Ahonoora, Nininski and Kahyasi (again), and it wasn’t until her 6th living foal that you saw the typical Juddmonte pattern with a Warning foal. However what 4 first foals they were. One is no longer in the stud but even she produced the American champion Leroidesanimaux. Two of the 4 stand out.
The lesser of the two was Skiable (by Niniski), who wasn’t a bad filly but never quite managed a listed win. As a mare she was sent to the US and had a number of foals. The most important racehorse was the Diesis colt Three Valleys who was just about the best English 2yo of 2003, though never lived up to the promise he showed when winning the Coventry: despite this he won in excess of $600,000. Perhaps a more important produce was a filly called Nimble Thimble (by Juddmonte’s US sire MizzenMast). She did win a very small race in the UK and went to stud in the UK. Despite two early disappointments she hit her stride with a Kingman colt called Boardman, who raced in France at listed level while only winning an 8f maiden. Her next foal was a Frankel filly Quadrilateral, who as we know won the Fillies Mile last year.
Kerali’s 2nd Kahyasi filly was the ‘blue hen’ Hasili. I needn’t go into her influence as a broodmare. It’s sufficient to say she produced 5 Group 1 winners; Dansili, Cacique, Champs Elysses (all colts), Banks Hill and Intercontinental (fillies). Juddmonte has an abundance of granddaughters of Kerali because of this. The family hit ‘gold’ when Juddmonte used its Northern Dancer sires, especially Danehill. Up until then both Hasili and Skiable had only one Northern Dancer line in their pedigrees, namely through their sires (Kahyasi: ND was his great grandsire; and Nininski: ND was his grandsire).
It would be foolhardy to say that this all emanates from High Line. I just feel High Line had some influence in improving the class of these families (W&R Barnett may agree with me). I say this because if you look at the Juddmonte/Kerali family it is with Kerali that the change in impact of the family occurs. There are not other lines emanating from Sookera (Kerali’s dam) yet there are 3 lines of significant influence emanating from Kerali, and they appear at this point to be growing. You can almost say the same about Dubian, though to be fair Dubian’s granddam did produce an Irish Oaks winner. I’m saying there seems to be a slight step change in class after High Line. (Even Dubawi’s 3rd dam is by High Line).
If it’s true, why should that be? Well I’d like to think it’s a collection of things. The first is that High Line is totally devoid of Northern Dancer blood (not hard given when he was born) and Nearco (ND’s grandsire) blood. He does have one line of Phalaris through Pharos (Nearco’s sire). The second thing is I think he introduced the Hyperion/Gainsborough line to his produce. Being a child of the ‘50s/‘60s it’s hard to believe that then so powerful Hyperion sire-line is dead. The third reason I’d put forward is that High Line re-introduced, at a respectable distance, the once all-conquering Boussac families (the Aga Khan has made hay doing just the same).
At this point I must diverge. Recently an article has been published concerning inbreeding by a Professor at Dublin University. The headline was that In-breeding in Thoroughbreds is at a critical stage and could be considered akin to the global warming crisis. Dramatic words, but breeders should be very concerned. Her research showed that the real level of in-breeding, as indicated by DNA analysis, was shrinking the gene pool. Even horses not by a sire from the Northen Dancer line showed inbreeding at an extreme level because the distaff-lines were chock full of the same-bred sires and mares. The answer could be to seek out sires that are not bred to the same formulae, But they may have lesser racing ability and impart (initially) lesser lesser ability to their stock. Even if they are told that in 2 generations they will have tougher stock they may desist from using ‘other sires’ while others continue to use them. In that way it is akin to global warming. The 2 chief ‘polluters’ USA and China would find it hard to go in the opposite direction if the other one didn’t go too. So they become slaves to fashion and marvel at how well the Danehill/Galileo cross works not thinking that soon that is all there will be. Who will get excited about sending their mares to Jack Hobbs or Dream Ahead, and it is a great shame that Monsun (devoid of Northern Dancer) has seemed unable to produce a son to carry on his good work (even if they had a line of ND).
The answer, in some part, may be to look at some of the US dirt sires who are not so inbred in the European/Australian mode. Many of them may have only one line of Northern Dancer. Another answer could be to reduce sire’s books to 60 coverings (until fairly recently it was expected that sires covered 40 mares a year). So what has this to do with High Line? I think that perhaps the relative strength and success of the Kerali branch may have something to do with strengthening the gene pool, and part of that strengthening came through the bloodlines of High Line. Just an idea.
For completeness here is a list of some of Kerali’s descendants with Juddmonte and likely to have offspring in training in 2020:-
Banks Hill: daughter of Hasili
Continental Drift: daughter of Intercontinental
Emergent: daughter of Trojan Queen
Heat Haze: daughter of Hasili
Intercontinental: daughter of Hasili
Nimble Thimble: daughter of Skiable
Radiator: daughter of Heat Haze
Responsible: daughter of Hasili
Revered: granddaughter of Kerali (dam is Arrive)
Romantica: daughter of Banks Hill
Surcingle: granddaughter of Arrive
Trojan Queen: daughter of Banks Hill
Treat Gently: granddaughter of Kerali (dam is Kid Gloves)
Visit: granddaughter of Kerali (dam is Arrive)
There may be others
Henry Candy is a trainer who often seems capable of getting horses to win at long odds. I’d say he’s a 2nd tier trainer but fully capable of training top horses. Recently Airwave and Kyllachy have flown the flag for this trainer but Candy also trained an Oaks winner in Time Charter (she also won the King George and Coronation Cup) in addition to horses like Master Willie (who won the Eclipse and Coronation Cup). His father was very similar, though he didn’t manage a Classic winner.
Derrick’s best horse was Song, a Sing Sing colt who was a speedy 2yo and ended up Champion Sprinter as a 3yo. He was an Ascot specialist, arriving on the big stage when winning the New (now Norfolk) Stakes at the Royal meeting, coming back as a 3yo to win the Kings Stand Stakes (then the premier Ascot sprint) and finishing his 3yo career with a victory in the Diadem Stakes. For some reason he didn’t seem to like York and when a hot favourite was 2nd in the Gimcrack. As a 3yo he was again favourite for the Nunthorpe but ran an awful race.
In his stable, alongside Song, Candy had a backward High Hat colt called High Line. High Hat was a good but not great stayer whose day in the sun was his defeat of Petite Etoile in the Winston Churchill Stakes on one of her off days. He was bred identically to Aureole (probably Hyperion’s best son) being out of a Donatello mare, and the success of Aureole must have had some influence on High Hat going to stud. High Line’s dam was probably more interesting, pedigree-wise, being from a good Boussac family which included the typical ingredients of Djebel, inbreeding to Tourbillon and Boussac’s good sire, Pharis, in her pedigree. Her name was Time Call and was by Chanteur (a tough French colt who won a number of top races and was bought by William Hill to stand at his stud) out of a Boussac Djebel mare and was owned by W&R Barnett.
High Line raced 3 times as a 2yo in 1968, improving each time and eventually winning a 7f maiden. He went into the next season as a horse likely to be a promising stayer. Candy started him in the now defunct Warren Stakes at the Epsom Spring meeting. In those days this meeting was held over 3 days and historically was based on two big handicaps, the City and Suburban and the Grand Metropolitan (then run over 18f where the horses started at the winning post and ran back up the straight peeling off across Epsom Downs and rejoining the course near the Derby start). On the Tuesday a race called the Blue Riband Stakes was run over 8.5f and was seen as both a possible 2000G trial or Derby trial. On the Thursday an equivalent fillies trial was run, while on the Wednesday a 12f race, often listed as a Derby Trial, called the Warren Stakes was run. Now the meeting is only one day and the only classic trial a 10f race which seems to be farmed by Gosden. Anyway High Line comfortably won the Warren in pleasing fashion, such that Candy decided to let him go for a Derby Trial at Goodwood a month later.
That race was the Levin Down Stakes and a year later its name was changed to the Predominate Stakes which for a long time was a popular Derby trial, even if only Troy has won both races (several good horses have won it including English Prince, Minster Son, Pentire and Dubai Milennium). High Line won in good style and with Mercer (who had ridden him in both wins) booked, the target became Epsom. Sadly High Line sustained an injury and lost his chance to contest a poor Derby, won by Blakeney. It’s worth mentioning that Mercer still rode a colt for Candy in the big race. This was Ribomar, who finished 8th : impressive that Candy could rustle up another Derby runner from his stable.
1969 was a poor year for classic colts and the fillies little better. It may be fanciful to think High Line could have won the Derby but in honesty it wouldn’t have taken a lot of winning. As it was High Lines’ next race turned out to be the St Leger. Having not run since mid-May he was an outsider, but was enthusiastically supported by his trainer’s comments: to no avail, as he refused to enter the stalls and the Classic was won by Harry Wragg’s Intermezzo. He finally ran again at the closing Ascot meeting where he finished 3rd to a couple of decent older horses in the Cumberland Lodge. He quickly reappeared at Newmarket and won the Jockey Club Cup turning the tables on the Cumberland Lodge 2nd. This race is now the Champion Stayers race run at Ascot. Before the ‘60s it was a more important race, often contested by Epsom and Doncaster Classic winners but when the UK pattern was introduced in 1971 it was a Group3 race.
As a 4yo he ran 6 times winning 3 times. In two races at Newbury he put the Leger winner Intermezzo firmly in his place and he again won the Jockey Club Cup. This illustrated probably how unlucky he was to not have a proper preparation for the ’69 Leger and then not to have started. As a 5yo he ran 4 times winning twice, including a 3rd Jockey Club Cup. In all he ran 17 times, winning 9 races and being placed 7 times.
Today a horse with this profile would be unlikely to go to stud. If he did, it would probably be as a NH Sire. High Line was a sound horse (who was just unlucky to get injured) and went to stud at the end of 1971 as a Flat sire. He remained a flat sire too, siring a number of good to very good horses. His best was Master Willie (2nd in the Derby, and winner of the Juddmonte International, Coronation Cup and Eclipse), while Shoot a Line won the Cheshire Oaks, Ribblesdale, Irish Oaks, Yorkshire Oaks and Park Hill Stakes (she was the equal top-rated 3yo filly of 1980). Other fine horses were Dubian (Group 1 winner and 3rd in the Oaks and Irish Oaks: herself dam of twice-champion filly Sayyedati), Nicholas Bill (who also won the Jockey Club Cup), Crimson Beau (Prince of Wales Stks), Metal Precieux (Lupin winner), Quay Line (Park Hill Stks winner) and Adonijah.
W&R Barnett used High Line as you would expect. Master Willie and Nicholas Bill were their best racehorses but they had further dividends. The obvious one was the 1000G 2nd and Oaks winner Time Charter, who was by Saritamer out of a High Line mare called Centrocon (who had won the Lancashire Oaks for Barnett). Time Charter was top class and won the Champion Stks. King George and QE and Coronation Cup too. Her dam was a full-sister to Nicholas Bill and also another full-brother in Centroline (who also won the Jockey Club Cup). Barnett’s Irish Oaks winner Pure Grain (who also won the Yorkshire Oaks and Musidora) was a granddaughter of Quay Line. These families continue in the Barnett stud.
Many other top breeders used High Line, which just wouldn’t happen today. But one High Line filly stands out in the stud book. Robert Sangster had a fine Roberto filly who won the Chesham Stakes (then 6f) at Royal Ascot, finished 2nd in the Moyglare and won the Cheveley Park. After a couple of foals Sookera was sold and to High Line produced a filly called Kerali. She managed to win a race but when sent to stud showed her true value. Her first 4 partners hardly spell out Juddmonte as they were Kahyasi, Ahonoora, Nininski and Kahyasi (again), and it wasn’t until her 6th living foal that you saw the typical Juddmonte pattern with a Warning foal. However what 4 first foals they were. One is no longer in the stud but even she produced the American champion Leroidesanimaux. Two of the 4 stand out.
The lesser of the two was Skiable (by Niniski), who wasn’t a bad filly but never quite managed a listed win. As a mare she was sent to the US and had a number of foals. The most important racehorse was the Diesis colt Three Valleys who was just about the best English 2yo of 2003, though never lived up to the promise he showed when winning the Coventry: despite this he won in excess of $600,000. Perhaps a more important produce was a filly called Nimble Thimble (by Juddmonte’s US sire MizzenMast). She did win a very small race in the UK and went to stud in the UK. Despite two early disappointments she hit her stride with a Kingman colt called Boardman, who raced in France at listed level while only winning an 8f maiden. Her next foal was a Frankel filly Quadrilateral, who as we know won the Fillies Mile last year.
Kerali’s 2nd Kahyasi filly was the ‘blue hen’ Hasili. I needn’t go into her influence as a broodmare. It’s sufficient to say she produced 5 Group 1 winners; Dansili, Cacique, Champs Elysses (all colts), Banks Hill and Intercontinental (fillies). Juddmonte has an abundance of granddaughters of Kerali because of this. The family hit ‘gold’ when Juddmonte used its Northern Dancer sires, especially Danehill. Up until then both Hasili and Skiable had only one Northern Dancer line in their pedigrees, namely through their sires (Kahyasi: ND was his great grandsire; and Nininski: ND was his grandsire).
It would be foolhardy to say that this all emanates from High Line. I just feel High Line had some influence in improving the class of these families (W&R Barnett may agree with me). I say this because if you look at the Juddmonte/Kerali family it is with Kerali that the change in impact of the family occurs. There are not other lines emanating from Sookera (Kerali’s dam) yet there are 3 lines of significant influence emanating from Kerali, and they appear at this point to be growing. You can almost say the same about Dubian, though to be fair Dubian’s granddam did produce an Irish Oaks winner. I’m saying there seems to be a slight step change in class after High Line. (Even Dubawi’s 3rd dam is by High Line).
If it’s true, why should that be? Well I’d like to think it’s a collection of things. The first is that High Line is totally devoid of Northern Dancer blood (not hard given when he was born) and Nearco (ND’s grandsire) blood. He does have one line of Phalaris through Pharos (Nearco’s sire). The second thing is I think he introduced the Hyperion/Gainsborough line to his produce. Being a child of the ‘50s/‘60s it’s hard to believe that then so powerful Hyperion sire-line is dead. The third reason I’d put forward is that High Line re-introduced, at a respectable distance, the once all-conquering Boussac families (the Aga Khan has made hay doing just the same).
At this point I must diverge. Recently an article has been published concerning inbreeding by a Professor at Dublin University. The headline was that In-breeding in Thoroughbreds is at a critical stage and could be considered akin to the global warming crisis. Dramatic words, but breeders should be very concerned. Her research showed that the real level of in-breeding, as indicated by DNA analysis, was shrinking the gene pool. Even horses not by a sire from the Northen Dancer line showed inbreeding at an extreme level because the distaff-lines were chock full of the same-bred sires and mares. The answer could be to seek out sires that are not bred to the same formulae, But they may have lesser racing ability and impart (initially) lesser lesser ability to their stock. Even if they are told that in 2 generations they will have tougher stock they may desist from using ‘other sires’ while others continue to use them. In that way it is akin to global warming. The 2 chief ‘polluters’ USA and China would find it hard to go in the opposite direction if the other one didn’t go too. So they become slaves to fashion and marvel at how well the Danehill/Galileo cross works not thinking that soon that is all there will be. Who will get excited about sending their mares to Jack Hobbs or Dream Ahead, and it is a great shame that Monsun (devoid of Northern Dancer) has seemed unable to produce a son to carry on his good work (even if they had a line of ND).
The answer, in some part, may be to look at some of the US dirt sires who are not so inbred in the European/Australian mode. Many of them may have only one line of Northern Dancer. Another answer could be to reduce sire’s books to 60 coverings (until fairly recently it was expected that sires covered 40 mares a year). So what has this to do with High Line? I think that perhaps the relative strength and success of the Kerali branch may have something to do with strengthening the gene pool, and part of that strengthening came through the bloodlines of High Line. Just an idea.
For completeness here is a list of some of Kerali’s descendants with Juddmonte and likely to have offspring in training in 2020:-
Banks Hill: daughter of Hasili
Continental Drift: daughter of Intercontinental
Emergent: daughter of Trojan Queen
Heat Haze: daughter of Hasili
Intercontinental: daughter of Hasili
Nimble Thimble: daughter of Skiable
Radiator: daughter of Heat Haze
Responsible: daughter of Hasili
Revered: granddaughter of Kerali (dam is Arrive)
Romantica: daughter of Banks Hill
Surcingle: granddaughter of Arrive
Trojan Queen: daughter of Banks Hill
Treat Gently: granddaughter of Kerali (dam is Kid Gloves)
Visit: granddaughter of Kerali (dam is Arrive)
There may be others
A sometimes useful website that tells you where a horse is in training. Useful if a 2yo is yet to be placed or useful if a horse is sold and you want to know where it's gone (British trainers only). https://www.britishhorseracing.com/racing/horses/
Watching at the moment where the Queen is sending her 2yos. Only half of them allocated so far.
Watching at the moment where the Queen is sending her 2yos. Only half of them allocated so far.
I’ll post an article on first season sires soon but we are badly missing pN on this and all things.
Night of Thunder certainly took the prize for last year on most criteria. He outdid just about every FSS of the last 20 years. It will be interesting to see how his 3yos do this year.
Cable Bay was the surprise cheapie and has had his fee doubled. But 2020 is going to be a critical year for him as last year he covered only 27 mares (according to the November edition of Return of Mares). What is more, a number of these mares appear later to have been covered by other stallions.
Night of Thunder certainly took the prize for last year on most criteria. He outdid just about every FSS of the last 20 years. It will be interesting to see how his 3yos do this year.
Cable Bay was the surprise cheapie and has had his fee doubled. But 2020 is going to be a critical year for him as last year he covered only 27 mares (according to the November edition of Return of Mares). What is more, a number of these mares appear later to have been covered by other stallions.
Though not counted in the First Season Sire Championship I/we cover (they are GB/Ire races only) today's first race at St Cloud sees the first European 2yo race of the year. First 2yo races were always over 5f, but today's race is 6f. There used to be a time when 6f races only started in June.
Other news: The American Jockey Club have instituted a 140 covering limit to all new sires from 2021. Old gits on here will remember when 40 coverings a year was standard for flat sires: 50 was seen as being greedy.
Other news: The American Jockey Club have instituted a 140 covering limit to all new sires from 2021. Old gits on here will remember when 40 coverings a year was standard for flat sires: 50 was seen as being greedy.
What are your thoughts on the introduction of the covering limit? Do you think Europe/UK might follow?
Personally I think it could be a good thing. It's a concern to see a handful of stallions regularly cover numbers in excess of 200 a year and yet others which are perfectly good barely make it to double figures. If they don't have as many runners, it follows they have fewer winners and become even less attractive to breeders.
Personally I think it could be a good thing. It's a concern to see a handful of stallions regularly cover numbers in excess of 200 a year and yet others which are perfectly good barely make it to double figures. If they don't have as many runners, it follows they have fewer winners and become even less attractive to breeders.
I think it would be a good thing. I think you are right that in many respects it is a numbers game and also skewed to the quality of mares the sire gets. You are not going to send all your choicely bred mares to Kendargent.
I'm also intrigued by this latter-day establishment of Shamardal. Yes he had Lope de Vega in his first crop and Mukhadram a few years later but his best racehorses (there was another possible one yesterday with Shaman) came after his numbers were reduced due to his general health. For the last 4-5 years of his life he was reduced to 60-65 mares. He's probably had his best crops. Does your semen lose its vital spark if used too much? I never really had the chance to test this one out.
I'm also intrigued by this latter-day establishment of Shamardal. Yes he had Lope de Vega in his first crop and Mukhadram a few years later but his best racehorses (there was another possible one yesterday with Shaman) came after his numbers were reduced due to his general health. For the last 4-5 years of his life he was reduced to 60-65 mares. He's probably had his best crops. Does your semen lose its vital spark if used too much? I never really had the chance to test this one out.
Sealiway is the maiden European 2yo winner of 2020: by Galway, another son of Galileo.
BEEN TALKING HORLICKS HERE.
I forgot Ireland's flat season started back in March and Poetic Flare by Dawn Approach was the first European 2yo winner.
BEEN TALKING HORLICKS HERE.
I forgot Ireland's flat season started back in March and Poetic Flare by Dawn Approach was the first European 2yo winner.
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Wow, that's the one I plucked out for your comp Bustino. Didn't expect to win that bit but to achieve what he has is an even bigger surprise
Below is a list of First Season Sires. It is by no means a full list but I think these are the main sires whose offspring we’ll hopefully see this year. Mehmas is the bookies favourite to be Champion (races won in Ire/GB) and this lines up with last years’ joint winner Gutaifan who had the most offspring. 5 of them are by the two brothers (half) Kodiac and Invincible Spirit.
MEHMAS by Acclamation 146 2yos
SHALAA by Invincible Spirit 82 2yos
THE GURKHA by Galileo 117 2yos
TERRITORIES by Invincible Spirit 110 2yos
PRIDE OF DUBAI by Street Cry 121 2yos
TWILIGHT SON by Kyllachy 120 2yos
ADAAY by Kodiac 96 2yos
AWTAAD by Cape Cross 93 2yos
BELARDO by Lope de Vega 92 2yos
ESTIDHKAAR by Dark Angel 106 2yos
PRINCE OF LIR by Kodiac 77 2yos
KODI BEAR by Kodiac 83 2yos
BURATINO by Exceed and Excel 88 2yos
CHARMING THOUGHT by Oasis Dream 50 2yos
BOBBY’S KITTEN by Kitten’s Joy 77 2yos
NEWBAY by Dubawi 77 2yos
HARZAND by Sea the Stars 72 2yos
FASCINATING ROCK by Fastnet Rock 61 2yos
VADAMOS by Monsun 130 2yos
Personally I’d like to see Harzand and Vadamos doing well, but they are likely to have more backward 2yos. Shalaaa is a lot of peoples idea of a perfect first season sire and he may be, but as regards being champion he is hindered by having a lot of his 2yos in France.
MEHMAS by Acclamation 146 2yos
SHALAA by Invincible Spirit 82 2yos
THE GURKHA by Galileo 117 2yos
TERRITORIES by Invincible Spirit 110 2yos
PRIDE OF DUBAI by Street Cry 121 2yos
TWILIGHT SON by Kyllachy 120 2yos
ADAAY by Kodiac 96 2yos
AWTAAD by Cape Cross 93 2yos
BELARDO by Lope de Vega 92 2yos
ESTIDHKAAR by Dark Angel 106 2yos
PRINCE OF LIR by Kodiac 77 2yos
KODI BEAR by Kodiac 83 2yos
BURATINO by Exceed and Excel 88 2yos
CHARMING THOUGHT by Oasis Dream 50 2yos
BOBBY’S KITTEN by Kitten’s Joy 77 2yos
NEWBAY by Dubawi 77 2yos
HARZAND by Sea the Stars 72 2yos
FASCINATING ROCK by Fastnet Rock 61 2yos
VADAMOS by Monsun 130 2yos
Personally I’d like to see Harzand and Vadamos doing well, but they are likely to have more backward 2yos. Shalaaa is a lot of peoples idea of a perfect first season sire and he may be, but as regards being champion he is hindered by having a lot of his 2yos in France.
Just to mention that the first FSS to get off the mark in Europe is Goken (by Kendargent) and not in my list. Livachope won the 2yo maiden at Chantilly yesterday.
An illustration of how the small sire can have some success. He stands at a fee of €3000, by a sire who started his career at €1,000: long live the Grey Sovereign line.
Unlikely to have many runners in the UK.
An illustration of how the small sire can have some success. He stands at a fee of €3000, by a sire who started his career at €1,000: long live the Grey Sovereign line.
Unlikely to have many runners in the UK.
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Until recently I had a yearly thread on Ballymacoll Stud. Since Ballymacoll's demise 3 years ago it has been noticeable that the sold horses and mares have had little impact on racing. However Victor Ludorum's success on Monday shines some light on Ballymacoll, but through a filly they sold in 1985.. As I pointed out in an earlier post on this thread Victor Ludorum is inbred (3X3) to the Ballymacoll filly Helen Street. It was unusual for Ballymacoll to sell top fillies but the amount of money Sheikh Mohammed offered must have been large enough to make it sense to sell her. Helen Street was by their own Derby winner Troy out of a Riverman mare called Waterway who was just off top class, having been a good 2yo winning the Prix du Calvados at Deauville and a useful 3yo finishing 3rd in the French 1000G (trained in France by Jack Cunnington). Her dam was a good 2yo called Boulevard (trained by Richards) who was a year older than 3 times Royal Ascot winner Sun Prince (from the family of Sun Princess, Spectrum, and Conduit).
Helen Street won her debut maiden, then went to France to win the same Deauville race before finishing 3rd to Oh So Sharp in the Fillies Mile. As a 3yo she started off in the Nell Gwyn but was beaten by Oh So Sharp and Bella Colora in a searching trial. She then went on to win the Irish Oaks. In a year of top fillies she wasn't far off that top.
Sold to Sheikh Mohammed she was very fertile and had 13 foals. The best colt was Street Cry, who won most of his big races in Dubai but won a USA Group1. He went on to be a fine stallion. By that time Helen Street's 1993 produce Helsinki (a full sister to Street Cry) was producing foals and came up trumps with Shamardal (by Giant's Causeway). A year after Street Cry Helen Street produced a Pennekamp filly Historian who in turn when sent to the obscure Kaldounevees ( a French sire from the Grey Sovereign line) produced a filly called Antiquities: she is the dam of Victor Ludorum.
So a fantastic purchase by Darley and a brave piece of in-breeding. Antiquities has a 2yo colt by New Approach called Ages of Man, who presumably will go into training with Fabre.
Helen Street won her debut maiden, then went to France to win the same Deauville race before finishing 3rd to Oh So Sharp in the Fillies Mile. As a 3yo she started off in the Nell Gwyn but was beaten by Oh So Sharp and Bella Colora in a searching trial. She then went on to win the Irish Oaks. In a year of top fillies she wasn't far off that top.
Sold to Sheikh Mohammed she was very fertile and had 13 foals. The best colt was Street Cry, who won most of his big races in Dubai but won a USA Group1. He went on to be a fine stallion. By that time Helen Street's 1993 produce Helsinki (a full sister to Street Cry) was producing foals and came up trumps with Shamardal (by Giant's Causeway). A year after Street Cry Helen Street produced a Pennekamp filly Historian who in turn when sent to the obscure Kaldounevees ( a French sire from the Grey Sovereign line) produced a filly called Antiquities: she is the dam of Victor Ludorum.
So a fantastic purchase by Darley and a brave piece of in-breeding. Antiquities has a 2yo colt by New Approach called Ages of Man, who presumably will go into training with Fabre.
Sorry about the last article. I try not to write about things written elsewhere as you can read them as well as I can: just hadn't seen the RP article.
Will add however that the promising run by the Sharmadal filly Likeness yesterday (2nd at Kempton) illustrates another case of in-breeding to Helen Street. This is because Likeness's dam is by Street Cry, so giving the same 3X3 in-breeding but in different positions in the pedigree to Victor Ludorum.
Will add however that the promising run by the Sharmadal filly Likeness yesterday (2nd at Kempton) illustrates another case of in-breeding to Helen Street. This is because Likeness's dam is by Street Cry, so giving the same 3X3 in-breeding but in different positions in the pedigree to Victor Ludorum.