The rewards can be great for breeders if they can spot in advance sires who may become successful broodmare sires. Obviously daughters of the leading sires of winners, particularly the best performed, are the ones most likely to succeed as maternal grandsires but they can be very expensive to buy.
Breeders with limited resources can sometimes buy good prospects by less prominent stallions and if mated to advantage they can do well. This is the eighth annual article in this series and each year we have named 12 sires as worthy of consideration. When it comes to selecting daughters to breed from you clearly must not select purely on the basis of the stallion but fully consider the female half of their pedigrees, their conformation and race performances.
A number of stallions mentioned in earlier articles such as Bianconi, Bite The Bullet, Strategic, Exceed and Excel, Galileo, Giant’s Causeway, Hussonet, Montjeu and More Than Ready have since made a significant mark as maternal grandsires so we trust that some of the 2016 selections will follow their lead.
BERNARDINI (USA)
(Bay, 2003, by A.P. Indy-Cara Rafaela by Quiet American)
Darley’s Bernardini ticks all the boxes, a superbly bred, magnificent individual and a champion on the track. He was Champion Three Year-Old Colt in the United States in 2006, when he won six races from 1600m to 2000m, and is a son of champion racehorse and sire A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew) from a top class filly in Cara Rafaela.
Bernardini has done well as a sire in the United States and in Australasia. Locally his major winners include Boban, Ruud Awakening, Toydini, Essay Raider and Zanbagh among 45 stakes winners worldwide. With names like Seattle Slew, Secretariat, Fappiano and Spectacular Bid in his background, Bernardini provides an outcross for Danehill-line sires with the added attraction of having a daughter of Northern Dancer as his third dam. Bernardini has many daughters in Australia having shuttled here since 2008 and early runners internationally from Bernardini mares already include stakes placegetter Stormy Day in the United States.
CHARGE FORWARD
(Bay, 2001, by Red Ransom (USA)-Sydney’s Dream by Bletchingly)
Arrowfield’s Charge Forward, a very fast horse free of Northern Dancer blood, has proved a very useful sire of winners with a high percentage of his best runners being females, such as Response, Headway, Slightly Sweet, Solar Charged, London Lolly and Cavalry Rose. His sire Red Ransom and his dam’s sire Bletchingly are very good broodmare sires and we know that many of Charge Forward’s best winners are out of mares by Danehill or sons such as Redoute’s Choice and Flying Spur. He also appreciates more Star Kingdom blood in his mates.
All these factors point to Charge Forward having great potential as a broodmare sire and his daughters being suited to a high percentage of our stallion population. At the time of writing (mid-March) Charge Forward is maternal grandsire of 15 winners, notably Shengmu (Fath) Black Dynamite (Alfred Nobel), Our Finest Moment (Danasinga) and Bitburg (Time Thief) but no stakes winner thus far, a situation sure to change soon.
DUKE OF MARMALADE (IRE)
(Bay, 2004, by Danehill-Love Me True by Kingmambo)
Duke of Marmalade was Danehill’s last top racing son in Europe and shuttled to Australia for Coolmore for five seasons from 2009 to 2013 inclusive. He is now permanently based in South Africa after so-so results in both hemispheres.
This five times Gr.1 winner up to 2400m comes from the outstanding American family of A.P. Indy and good Australian broodmare sire Bite The Bullet and received a lot of good quality mares at Coolmore so well bred daughters could be obtained at reasonable prices. Among the best winners by Duke of Marmalade are the females Simple Verse (English St Leger), Star of Seville (Prix de Dianne) and Lady Cumquat in New Zealand while others are stayers Big Orange, Big Memory and Nutan (German Derby). Having Mr. Prospector’s influential son Kingmambo as his maternal grandsire is a real plus for Duke of Marmalade’s prospects of becoming a broodmare sire of note, as is his line breeding to the influential sire Buckpasser.
DYLAN THOMAS (IRE)
(Bay, 2003, by Danehill (USA)-Lagrion by Diesis)
Well-performed sons of Danehill, particularly one like Dylan Thomas with six Gr.1 wins over middle distances in Europe to his credit, are prime candidates to do well as broodmare sires. A big horse with great bone, Dylan Thomas won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m) the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2400m) the Irish Derby (2400m) the Prix Ganay (2100m) and two renewals of the Irish Champion Stakes (2000m)
An appealing feature of his female pedigree is the presence of Sharpen Up from Native Dancer’s male line. Dylan Thomas spent five seasons, the last in 2012, at Coolmore’s Hunter Valley farm and generated around 370 living foals, so well bred daughters should not be too hard to track down.
He did not set the world on fire with his Australian sired progeny but left two stakes winners, Dylanson and Not Listenin’ Tome, now racing with success in Hong Kong where his Ireland-sired Blazing Speed is a Gr.1 winner. Among other good winners for Dylan Thomas are Pether’s Moon (Coronation Cup), Tannery (E.P. Taylor Stakes in Canada) and winners of the Italian Derby (Dylan Mouth) and Italian Oaks (Final Score).
HUSSON (ARG)
(Chestnut, 2003, by Hussonet (USA)-Villa Elisa by Roy)
Husson, a champion at two years in Argentina, has proved a handy sire of good winners since his importation to stand at stud in NSW in 2008 and he could well follow his father by becoming a big success as a broodmare sire. I like the fact of his maternal grandsire Roy being a leading sire and broodmare sire in South America and being a son of Fappiano, a classic influence in United States breeding.
Husson is line bred to Mr. Prospector, which suggests to me his daughters are likely to cross well with the plentiful supply of Danehill-line sires. He has worked well when mated to daughters of Redoute’s Choice, Flying Spur and other Danehill-line stallions. To date Husson has around 500 living foals in Australia so daughters should not be hard to find and most will be buyable at value prices.
IFFRAAJ (GB)
(Bay, 2001, by Zafonic-Pastorale by Nureyev)
The Gr.2-winning sprinter Iffraaj, given his peak Timeform rating of 127 as a five year-old, has probably done better at stud than many would have expected on his retirement in 2007. In Europe the Darley sire has been based in Ireland and Great Britain and since 2008 he has been an annual visitor to Haunui Farm in New Zealand, achieving good results in both hemispheres with a number of Gr.1 winners.
Fillies such as Rizeena and Chriselliam have been among his best winners in Europe and in Australia and New Zealand the sire of Turn Me Loose has also left a number of good fillies, among them Fix, Belle Mirage, If I Can I Can, Kisses and Serena Miss, a good pointer to his future as a sire of broodmares. From Mr. Prospector’s male line and from the family of Cape Cross, Iffraaj carries the influential bloodlines of Nureyev and Ahonoora on his dam’s side.
Significantly, three of Iffraaj’s best winners, Chriselliam, Turn Me Loose and Fix are out of daughters of Danehill, while Forjatt is from a Danzero mare. Serena Miss is by Iffraaj from a mare by More Than Ready.
MAGNUS
(Bay, 2002, by Flying Spur-Scandinavia by Snippets)
The Gr.1-winning sprinter Magnus is today one of Victoria’s best and most prolific sires of winners and he should soon begin to have an impact as a broodmare sire as his first daughters were born in 2009. A sound horse who raced for four seasons, Magnus is surely bred to be a good broodmare sire as are his own sire and maternal grandsire. His close relationship to Black Caviar and the presence of champion Vain in his background are other pedigree features I like.
Strong and stocky, Magnus, earner of more than $1.3m on the track, is out of a speedy, stakes winning mare and depending on their female pedigrees his daughters may appreciate going to stallions well performed over 1600m and beyond. Magnus mares may be good vehicles through which to line breed to Danehill who will be back in the fourth generation of their foals.
MASTERCRAFTSMAN (IRE)
(Grey, 2006, by Danehill Dancer-Starlight Dreams by Black Tie Affair)
Mastercraftsman, the Champion Two Year-Old Colt in Europe and Ireland in 2008 and winner at three of the Irish 2000 Guineas and the Royal Ascot St James’s Palace Stakes, spent four seasons on the shuttle from Coolmore, Ireland to New Zealand’s Windsor Park Stud up to 2013. The eye catching grey horse has enjoyed considerable success both in Europe and New Zealand.
In Europe stars such as The Grey Gatsby, Kingston Hill and the filly Amazing Maria are Gr.1 winners, while his New Zealand-sired progeny include stakes winning fillies Valley Girl, Mime, Thunder Lady, Choice, Three Auld Floozie, Flavigny and The Centenary (in South Africa).
By one of Danehill’s best sire sons with the blood of Miswaki, Lyphard and Ribot coming through his dam, Mastercraftsman looks a good bet to do well as a broodmare sire so daughters of this top class racehorse (peak Timeform rating 129) should be sought after by breeders. As Danehill will be in the fourth generation of foals from Mastercraftsman mares his daughters may prove effective mediums through which to line bred to Danehill as well as good outcrosses with sires from other popular male lines.
ORATORIO (AUS)
(Bay, 2001, by Stravinsky (USA)-Express a Smile by Success Express (USA))
Western Australian sire Oratorio has enjoyed great success as a sire of winners and in the early stages of his career as a broodmare sire is off to a tremendous start with his daughters producing five winners, two of them black type winners, from their first 11 starters. The maternal grandsire of Godolphin’s Calaverite (Lonhro) and this season’s New Zealand juvenile stakes winner Gold Rush (So You Think) clearly has the potential to match the influence of his own sire Stravinsky (Nureyev) and maternal grandsire Success Express in becoming a desirable name in pedigrees.
Having Blushing Groom and Mr. Prospector close up in his background are other pluses for Oratorio to match well with many Australian sires. Oratorio as a racehorse was speedy and it is noted that a number of his best winners carry the blood of Zabeel and his father Sir Tristram, while several carry a line of Star Kingdom, sire of his fourth dam Kinmorin. Mares by Oratorio should be suited to many Danehill-line sires.
RED DAZZLER
(Bay, 2002, by Red Ransom (USA)-Vain Hill by Danehill (USA))
Queensland sire Red Dazzler, a Gr.1 winner at 1600m, has the almost perfect pedigree to become a successful sire of broodmares as his sire Red Ransom, maternal grandsire Danehill and maternal great-grandsire Vain have all been important contributors through their daughters. The sire of outstanding mare Tinto and of Rudy and other good winners also has the 1972 VRC Oaks winner Toltrice (Matrice) as his third dam.
From the Hail to Reason male line, Red Dazzler’s sire Red Ransom is out of a mare by the hardy American champion Damascus, a desirable factor in pedigrees. Mares by Red Dazzler, depending on the female halves of their pedigrees, offer some interesting line breeding opportunities and should be suited to many members of Australia’s stallion population.
STRATUM
(Bay, 2002, by Redoute’s Choice-Bourgeois by Luskin Star)
Stratum has maintained the tradition of Golden Slipper winners becoming good sires and has received good support with quality mares since retiring to Widden Stud in 2006. This son of champion sire Redoute’s Choice has so far left 27 stakes winners. Two of the best are females, Streama and Crystal Lily, so I feel Stratum is destined to make a mark as a broodmare sire and is already sire of the dam of stakes winner Stoker.
He has a lot of speed in his background being out of a Luskin Star mare whose dam is by Vain. A big, rangy horse, Stratum should also get the ideal physical types to make broodmares.
WRITTEN TYCOON
(Chestnut, 2002, by Iglesia-Party Miss by Kenmare (FR))
After battling to attract well-bred mares earlier in his career, the handsome Written Tycoon has gained momentum as a sire in the past two seasons and his tally of 13 career stakes winners in growing. Written Tycoon may become valuable as an outcross broodmare sire with his short-lived sire Iglesia a son of the influential Last Tycoon, a very good sire of broodmares, from a daughter of Marscay.
His dam Party Miss is by champion French sire Kenmare (Kalamoun) with her first three dams by champion sires Vain, Better Boy and Summertime. Written Tycoon has crossed well with mares carrying lines of Danehill in their backgrounds so his daughters should also appreciate matings with the many available stallions from the Danehill line.
Published April 2016
