At lock-down – thinking out economics upon breeding, one may contemplate whether the glass is 1/2 full or 1/2 empty?
And should we re-value what mares sold, what is culled?
Which lines are selected and how goes the justification?
Past crisis World Wars which deeply fractured many unknown bloodlines of the breeding population and though it might be history, its recovery & re-growth.
The breed shapers came new. Nasrullah/Bold Ruler/Nashua – Native Dancer/Raise A Native – Northern Dancer/ Nijinsky et al
Yet shooting for the stars, the laissez faire economics morphed the breeding practice to consumption & industrialism. This interfaced greatly to sports gambling influence and governance & racing pattern directives.
A racing pedigree came re-defined to sire $ and stake-win interest. The statistical influencing the market, how-to-select, how-to-breed by ROI, to immediate turn-around.
And here we are…..wondering if its a black swan flying low or a may-day call-out.
MAYBE established studs are patronized well enough. However one might easily assume smaller operations that are market dependent, have investment more exposed.
The core dilemma is always Decision & decisions: fundamental female bloodlines not recently produced or tested, yet nevertheless are classified elite, the ‘classic’ black-type producer. Primarily, they are a backbone of the breeding thoroughbred. They are foundational.
I contemplate the books written by Sir Charles Leicester, Franco Varola, Ross du Bourg, Ken McLean, Leon Rasmussen, Miles Napier – they all help to understand specialized thoughts to degrees of robust breeding & advice is accompanied by diligence.
Their meaningful breeding advisory, went to project well ahead. The Practice principle is about development: an ‘upgrading’ quality to breeding quality stock. Those writers mentioned above are still ahead of our time…..
Today however, is the mainstream exercise – the perpetual attempt to increase specialization to sprint and speed.
I have no intention to debate early colt speed sires, yet I do believe a global change is here and that course is changing before our covid-19 eyes.
Rather than Designing ‘pure’ Speed to the Racehorse, it seems propitious to instigate a TB Conservation agenda. Or at least, assert more of specialized breeding.
What to cull deserves to be seriously considered.
A ‘Conservation’ application leverages Balancing speed nemesis thru to a ‘balanced’ constitutional longevity; widening the sire bloodline pool(s), and strictly sustain prototype progenitors & ensure ecological growth.
And without hesitation, the overdue ending, to a ‘wastage’ landscape productivity.
It is caustic to see early 2,3 year olds discharged without some level of maturity. The natural stayer coerced to a sprinting training and development schedule disproving any talent in less than a season or two.
It’s the crude indifference – mass siring of major lines, to an incessant, bland, and monotonous duplicated ‘numbers’ breeding methodology and notably, increasing deterioration of genetic value once given to classic/solid/rough/professional diversity.
Genotype pedigree analysis might come feeblest to bloodstock business know-how….but my god, how salient it is to see abandoned bloodlines emerge like earthquake, because genetic breeding is one slow innate process of ‘cycles’.
Is it too difficult to envisage ‘future’ Breeding for conservation – further the potential & expand quality via added-Values.
Such to the likes of the great Man O’ War, Blandford, Bahram, Princequillo, Hail to Reason et al. They are seemingly too genetically smothered. Yet somehow, they simply bubble an extraordinary defiant robust potency.
With declining racing opportunity & escalating recession probability, let’s depart from imbalanced equilibriums, within breeding.
The imbalance(s) has claimed a morphological change to the breed, from proven stars to gambling chattel, investment commodity and yes, the horse-meat export trade.
I suppose I can only plead Walk-back up the hill, view, select, upgrade & support the thoroughbred breed. Equine souls are on the line.
For the ‘new’, for the future, It is time to embrace responsibility.
Inflated breeding is gone, gone, gone….
I’ve never run away from my responsibilities – Roberto Braggio
I don’t care about keeping seats of power – Roberto Braggio
Every manager can improve – Roberto Mancini
Young people are our future and I want to help them to grow – Roberto Mancini
Sometimes a player think’s its enough what they did the year before and doesn’t understand that everyday they should improve – Roberto Mancini
******
Roberto – a genetic powerhouse
(Hail to Reason-Bramalea (f.f.12c) by Nashua.
Roberto’s sire, Hail To Reason as a young sire very soon made his mark when he in 1970 ended the great Bold Ruler’s 7 year term, to leading American sire.
Broodmare sire Nashua, was a very sound horse. He sired tough stock.
Roberto’s dam Bramalea was a quality racing type, but moody temperamental which Roberto inherited.
Roberto’s dam, Bramalea descends from the ancestral Blank mare (Blank by Godolphin Arabian from Amorett Grey Whynot, ff 15).
Roberto was a particularly good mover suited by firm ground, though he was able to act in any conditions – Sir Charles Leicester
The horse (Roberto) was renowned for his strength (tho’ not with the best of knees) toughness, a fiery nature coupled from a very bad temper. Vincent O’Brien
Roberto is line-bred as follows:
Plucky Leige – 5sx5sx7Dx5d (*foundational elite mare f.f. 16a)
Mumtaz Begum – 5sx4D (conduit-elite, speed mare f.f. 9c)
Blue Larkspur – 4sx4d (classic chefs f.f.8f)
Teddy – 5sx7Dx5D (stout chefs f.f.2n )
Sardanapale 5dx5d. (professional chefs f.f.16c)
“If two or more ancestors with the Blue Larkspur/Teddy affinity are linked together it would produce enough electricity to light up Paris or New York”! – Ken McLean
“….he (Olin Gentry Sr) deliberately duplicated French champion Sardanapale 5dx5d. Nashua’s grand-dam sire Sardanapale” Ken McLean – Designing Speed in the Racehorse. (n.b Sardanapale, the champion 3yo colt in France and leading broodmare sire (France) and leading sire, 1922, 1927)
Though of American breeding, Roberto won the 1972 title to the English Derby. His hero moment was to defeat the brilliant Brigadier Gerard in the Gold Cup at York.
Further, Roberto is one strain-to-retain, the maternal pedigree is abundantly defined by 27x St Simon. Lining up St Simon ‘layers’ and depth is exemplary breeding (Read depths to St Simon → Waldgeist, the prodigious sire
“The pedigree of Roberto speaks volumes for how to breed a better racehorse.” Leon Rasmussen
as above, so below….Roberto
Roberto – grand-dam sire to Makybe Diva (GB) (Desert King – Tugela) 3x Melbourne Cup winner 2003-2007
Roberto – maternal grand-sire: Zenyatta (Street Cry – Vertigineux → Kris S/Roberto)
Cartier & European champion, Enable – (Nathaniel – Concentric) – Nathaniel’s dam, grand-paternal sire Roberto ENABLE (GB) – supreme
Eclipse champion turf female 2018 – Sistercharlie (IRE) (Myboycharlie – Starlet’s Sister (IRE)
Consistent class performer, and 1-eye blind! She is Hard Not To Love (USA) (Hard Spun – Loving Vindication.
The high-class Kentucky Derby winner but fated Barbaro (USA) (Dynaformer/ Roberto – La Ville Rouge. Barbaro’s pedigree has 4×5 Nashua.
– Giants Causeway (USA) grand-dam sire Roberto. Giants Causeway, grand-sire to ⇒A winged electric – Pinatubo
– International high-class performer Americain (Dynaformer/Roberto sire line)
Darley stallion – Frosted (Tapit – Fast Cookie), maternal 3rd dam sire Roberto
Trapeze Artist (AUS) (Snitzel – Treppes), multiple G.1 winner in Australia.
Eclipse champion older male and he beat Zenyatta…..Blame (by Arch, a Roberto male line) standing at Claiborne stud. Note, sire of THE exciting 3 year rising star Nadal (USA).
– latest filly sensation Daring Tact (JPN) 3year old G1 winner from a Roberto male line via Epiphaneia (JpN). Daring Tact (Epiphaneia JPN – Daring Bird)
Roberto’s racing heart was tough.
Roberto’s encompasses a genotype pedigree of a indefectible conduit factor.
His genetics are world-beaters.
Further reading
subscription resourced https://sporthorse-data.com/embed.php?hirseID=621401&view=details
http://www.americanclassicpedigrees.com/bramalea.html
http://www.americanclassicpedigrees.com/roberto.html
Australasian sire lines with Roberto ⇓
https://www.breednet.com.au/stallions/sire-data.asp?sire=CHARGE+FORWARD
https://www.breednet.com.au/stallions/sire-data.asp?sire=DOMESDAY
http://widden.com/stallions/trapeze-artist/
Turkey – at stud
Myboycharlie (IRE) (Danetime Lear Fan/Roberto) – Dulceata)
USA –
please note the above are referenced for your discretion and research. Plus, more Sire’s with Roberto’s strain should be strongly considered, as the nature of the TBL article suggests.
@ level 4
The Thoroughbred Link 