I thought somebody posted an early Christmas present…
Whoopee… excitement of opening New Zealand Bloodstock thoroughbred sale catalogue(s) with the cheer and much hope of what might be. *sigh*
But after that initial joy, there is business & despite happy marketing talk many ‘sales’ are down whilst entries increase.
At purchasing, there is a mountain of discernment taking place; selective criteria is at boot-camp-Strict.
Camp Strict meets Beauty-in-the-Eye which is ‘right’ and which is ‘wrong’, the ‘good-type’, bad and the ugly coming from strongly opinionated persons – all have some truth at sale-time!
Ironically…it seems more you know – one is to find yet one more lesson! You never stop learning!
What’s it all about Alfie….geez Wayne…are you for ‘real’….
Anyway… at TBL, I urge people to stay dedicated. The ’cause’ is the horse, for the ‘better’ superior racing horse and that folks, is the ground-approach towards deciphering any pedigree with a TBL mind set.
There is no fashion here, theory yes, but the skill how TBL scrutinizes for identifiable unidentifiable ‘strains’ within the female/maternal family is not mere fancy foot-work.
http://atomic-temporary-85603677.wpcomstaging.com/2016/07/15/tables-of-destiny-whats-my-line
Your Christmas read: Speed & the thoroughbred. The Complete History by Alexander Mackay Smith... for a rounded evolutionary process of the thoroughbred. This material suggests only 28% of the thoroughbred population hold the trait/strain which I supposition is the criteria we can pursue.

strains are ‘traits’ ancestral DNA
This is what TBL aims to source.
I hold true (and, stick-to-my-guns) that thoroughbreds must be bred, for a balance-of-traits.
The breeding person may normally think, okay, speed with turn-of-foot, stamina too. Performance records of dam. Sire. Type to type, or other.
Yes of course there are inheritable ‘truths’ but an unobvious desirable trait is also the said, purpose/function capability as a key-signature itself!
Slow down n’ Think….terms of efficiency, tempo, action all working together like a well-oiled machine.
The reasoning came about….when I realized there are many said highly-bred, well-bred horses with ability but if they do not have the all encompassed efficiency, they may still be minor-placed.
Over the forum, café-topics of current market-place(s) there are opinions at over-production; breeding as ‘numbers’ due to fashion market commerciality.
However, TBL also suggests it is deeper breeding at an imbalance of apropos breeding traits.
Remember the 3-leg stool?
Apropos is necessary to keep an animal (a thoroughbred), not for its racing existence, but for precisely at the core survival for the species itself. It is meta-vigorous.
Left to nature, we may notice her natural-selection but the ideas/philosophy/theory surrounding selective-breeding has incrementally & powerfully become workings too solely economic marketed & driven.
Thus sees a decline of enduring capacity & the idea of pure class, to endure as race-horse almost to measurable by de/re-classification of G.1 programmed races.
How often do you notice a horse at any sports-code – a horse doesn’t look ‘right’ for the job…and, you may comment “he would make a good jumper” perhaps because of his size, temperament.
Or from those fashionable terms: precocious, athletic, professional as smart two-year old only to develop with years on, more like a waggon-horse and run like one.
What really happened?
If we observe horses racing per movement moving there is space & time surreal, a split-second realization which is encountering the horses sensitivity within quantum-space versus our human perception fields.
Through the race, speed is inter-changeable upon pace and momentum as we notice horses can have faster sectionals at 600M than the winner itself and shall not win because of prior running-position. (yes, I know that’s obvious)
So what has speed?
Check high stamina upon high speed as output tempo.It is the differentiation, a factor which is cuttingly decisive above the rest.
But alongside, as ‘model’, as phenotype, must have that functional aero-dynamic frame to allow it high, easy, efficient momentum that it may attain powerful swiftness.
And that is what ‘we’ are to aim for…..at & within the pedigree analysis.
Essentially seek the breeder of the breeding thoroughbred, as those are the integral traits to tighten the pedigree down.
And the rest is a good eye, hard work and god’s plan….
Merry Christmas