Tokaido (GB) is a top-class juvenile sprinter, already a Group 2 winner, with a pedigree stacked with speed influences. His sire line through Danehill/Kodiac is son Ubettabelieveit) and dam line by Dark Angel. These point strongly towards elite sprinting ability — which his race record fully confirms to date.
At 2 years:
4 wins from 5 starts 1st Prix Robert Papin (Fr-G2,2yo,1200m,Chantilly) 1st Prix du Bois (Fr-G3,2yo,1200m,Deaville) 1st Prix La Fleche (Fr-L,2yo,1000m,Chantilly)
‘high’ on influential genes is Tom Fool (Menow). Tokaido‘s sire Ubettabelieveit has his 4th dam/distaff by Tom Fool + dam, Spring Adieu by Buckpasser/Tom Fool viz. Danehill + Tompion dam sire of Red Sunset (IRE) – all n’ all 3x Tom Fool.
Tom Fool’s sire Menow (champion 2 yo colt) appears 4x Tom Fool & with dam Spring Run sire of Red God
To the dam by Dark Angel – finding Buckpasser/Tom Fool has influence @Try My Best male side.
Several elite kind are to be remarked as follows.
2-year-old Tokaido >5×4 ***Ahonoora a champion sprinter and come, #BT male line unfolds 7x Djebel – Djebel being Tokaido’s 7th dam distaff.
Of the older order is Orby, and by following the strains down through, orders an extraordinary breeding influence on a two-year-old racing thoroughbred. His male strain/trait compels how the ‘critical mass’ exemplifies greatness.
Bloodstock writer Ken McLeanremarked:Orme (sire of Orby) was English champion two year old and an Eclipse Stakes winner. Mares sired by Orme were unattainable on the English Market!! {Obviously the male sire line had enormous impact; to note one of the all-time greats of American Racing remained unbeaten with major victories in the Lawrence Realization, Brighton Derby, Century Stakes, Tidal Stakes and the Champion Stakes. Sysonby died from a major infection the following year, 1906.) see Hall of Fame, Sysonby ➡️ Sysonby Horse Pedigree }
Tokaido @distaff.… > Sound Track (IRE) 7×7 traces to male line Orby. Sound Track’s sire Whistler was a champion sire of 2-year-olds. Whistler is the 2nd dam @ 5×4 ***Ahonoora. Additionally, Whistler via Dark Angel grandsire Royal Applause 2nd dam/daughter Whispering Star. The ‘pattern’ ➡️(* Ken McLean Bend Or/Macaroni reference below) repeats by ***Ahonoora 2nd dam Borealis (sire line Teddy/Orby).
Remembering…Gold Bridge (FR) (4×4 Orby) sire of Rough Shod (GB) distaff to Fairy King (USA) – 2nd dam sire Tokaido (GB).
Further to note at family distaff @ 7th dam Centaro, a grand daughter of Orby from sire, Vencedor.
These special linebreeding’s and inbreeding’s are typical of the way by which French breeders tried to upgrade for speed. (Alike, La Troienne’s profile contains many ancestors that were created by Monsieur Edmond Blanc who purchased Flying Fox to stand at his French farm). (credit ex Ken McLean)
Ormonde (grand sire of Orby) – the ‘breed’ created from the Bend Or/Macaroni nick.
Tokaido’s profile is crafted from the ‘highest’. Noting importance to Ahonoora daughters. #BT.
These yearlings are of a nearly extinct male line.
Their sire, Comical (BRZ) – a 1500m & 2000m winner.
Comical’s sire – Linngari (IRE) 11 wins 1200m – 2000m @ two to six years competing in UK, Germany, Italy, Dubai & Hong Kong.
Linngari, the son of Indian Ridge (IRE)
his versatility for his gut-busting run in the Gr1 Hong Kong Cup, and his cheque-earning dash in the Gr1 English Champion Stakes? Linngari was a racehorse, no doubt about it.
Linngari was bred by the Aga Khan stud. He enjoyed great adulation for his globe-trotting successes and chalked up Graded stakes performances from Dubai to Dublin, from Paris to Pisa.
Columns written @ Genotypes developed from past years
– the “blending” of the TOURBILLON Lineage with the PHALARIS Lineage, the latter represented by its best son on the Tracks, that is, FAIRWAY, who established an important “Bloodline” of this Lineage, through his son FAIR TRIAL.✅🏆
Unfortunately, both the TOURBILLON Lineage and the FAIR TRIAL “Bloodline” are taking great strides towards extinction through their respective “Sire Lines”, and the Brazilian Breeding has been taking advantage of the promising Breeding Season, LINNGARI, in its last Breeding Seasons, while the FAIR TRIAL “Bloodline” is practically extinct with the death of the GYPSY ROAD Breeder. (reference:THE BEST PSI BRASILLEIROS link)
{“Sire Line” most active in the production of important “Stayers”, characterized by their Consistency and Resistance, privileging “Stamina”, with the Lineages HYPERION, are characterized by the rare and extraordinary predicate of Elastic Speed adjusted from the “Sprinter” to the “Stayer”}
**The greater critical factor for an elite horse maintains to T allele.
Franco Varola took the view, Stout chefs-de-race are that they are particularly charged with preserving the so-call moral qualities of the racehorse” courage, endurance, will to win.
He further stated, “the Galopin/St Simon responsible for more stout sires of the 20th century than any other lineage, as shown”. Stayers are ‘giants of the Turf’ of course!
Varola explains speed has a meaning when it can be carried or maintained over a certain distance, which means that stamina is also an important element to a racehorse.
To Sixties & seventiesera’s – it was said breeders generally avoided too much Tourbillon blood however there was no doubt that various Tourbillon strains brought great vigour to many breeding areas internationally.
Indian Ridge sired a dozen G.1 winners, his sire Ahonoora a tragic loss to breeding died at 14 years through a paddock accident at Segenhoe Stud, Australia. His 4 lines to Fair Trial @ 6th generation, two of which came through Court Martial was the ideal ‘cross’ progeny advancing through the ‘brilliant’ strains in Fair Trial. (PEDIGREE INSIGHTS pdf article)
Playing out the inherent true-stayer and speed blood maintains propulsion and an authentic strength. Breeding improvement cannot be achieved when cyclic duplication over numerous generations, perpetuate on same typical sire lines.
A strong statement (below) lays to the confronting issue.
They were responsible for the mentality, and the mentality is, they didn’t understand how the industry exists. The horse industry has changed … a lot. It’s business, yes, but it’s also stallions, mares, foals. … The government’s mentality is, “this is just gaming.” (ref, link above)
With World-wide prestige, father of fathers...IS the Tourbillon patriarchy expendable?
Racing and Sports lists Comical (BRZ) having: 7 total wins from his offspring – 7 runners – 5 individual winners. A 14-year-old sire no further information to Comical’s present locality can be found.
Modern Bred Fast, just Lessso – DNA analysis indicates that the Scythian people prioritized not only ‘speed’ in their breeding practices.
The science detected endurance, robust forelimbs, behaviour tractability, performance traits, stress response (docility) and trainability.
It suggested that the demographic collapse associated with domestication reduced the efficacy of purifying selection in filtering out deleterious alleles
(**science cited below)
The three greatest racehorse breeds in the world today, Thoroughbred, Standardbred and Quarter Horse, have a common origin: Irish Hobby, Scottish Galloway, and English Running Horse. These parent breeds consistently produced horses of speed, stamina, hardiness, soundness, comfortable gaits and good temperament then they remained uncontaminated. The historical record demonstrates that continual out-crossing with unrelated strains resulted in the lessening or loss of the admirable traits. (credit – American Running Horse: A Forgotten Breed – Kathleen H Kirsan)
Queen’s Hussar by March Past – Jojo by Vilmorin. Tough, sound, courageous, truly made with particularly good limbs, he resembled Fairway more than any other horse in his pedigree. Although not of classic ability on the racecourse himself, he was at his best on hard going. He proved a good sire and got the classic winners Brigadier Gerard and Highclere. (John Hislop) (note, Highclere 3rd dam Deep Impact JPN)
With horses like Brigadier Gerard distance makes no difference. Brigadier Gerard would have beaten the best sprinters of his day. (Alec Head)
The Scythian Bronze and Iron Age horses carried rich genetic diversity which through domestication, the modern Thoroughbred all but lost, weakened, as shaped by the handful of stallions and centuries of human pressure. The Sciences suggest that the Thoroughbred developed ‘highly specialised, genetically constrained modern creation‘, shaped by the few centuries to intense breeding management with its main contribution ‘fixed’ on speed.
Main Points
Ancient horses were far more genetically diverse, especially on the Y‑chromosome.
The collapse to a single dominant sire line is a modern phenomenon driven by selective breeding, not early domestication.
Modern horses carry more harmful mutations than ancient ones. This rise in genetic load aligns with the last two millennia—and intensifies in a closed studbook.
Early domestication drew on many male founders, the opposite of the Thoroughbred model, which relies heavily as the Darley Arabian.
Ancient breeders selected for much broader factors—endurance, robust limbs, tractability—while modern Thoroughbred breeding continues to focus on speed with heightened, specific muscle‑development traits.
Behavioural traits shaped by neural‑crest genes were central to early domestication. The Thoroughbred’s more reactive temperament reflects modern selection priority.
Iron Age breeders avoided inbreeding, even while selecting for performance. This contrasts with the rising inbreeding coefficients seen in today’s Thoroughbred population.
Some speed‑related alleles existed in ancient horses, but the deepened fixation in modern racing breeds is a recent, human‑driven development.
The MSTN “speed gene” was present in some ancient horses
Some ancient genomes carried variants linked to muscle development and racing performance.
This suggests the Thoroughbred’s speed‑related alleles are not new, but their fixation is modern bred.
MSTN (myostatin) is a gene that controls muscle growth.
When MSTN works normally → muscle growth is limited.
When MSTN is mutated → more muscle, especially in the hindquarters, and better sprinting ability.
Mutation associated with muscle hypertrophy and sprint performance
Bigger muscles are hypertrophy for short‑distance speed & fast acceleration.
Homozygous means the horse has two copies of the sprint version of the gene.
CC genotype at MSTN = sprint specialist
CT = versatile
TT = stamina type
The study suggests: some ancient horses had the same sprint‑type MSTN mutation that modern sprinters have.
But it gets Tricky…
There are two different MSTN mutations linked to speed:
The SNP (C/T variant) — the common one used in modern genetic tests
The SINE insertion — a chunk of DNA inserted near the gene that also reduces myostatin
The SINE insertion part was NOT present in ancient horses
Ancient horses had some sprint‑related MSTN changes, but not the modern version (the SINE insertion) that is strongly associated with elite sprinting in today’s breeds.
Research into the genetic basis of racing performance in Thoroughbreds has identified specific alleles in the ACN9, CKM, COX4I1 (COX4/1), and COX4I2 (COX4/2) genes as being under positive selection and associated with athletic performance. These genes are related to exercise-induced responses, mitochondrial activity, and cellular respiration.
The specific alleles/sequence variants identified are:
CKM (Creatine Kinase, Muscle): A significant association was found between CKM variants and elite racehorse performance, specifically relating to energy metabolism and fatigue resistance. A specific SNP identified is CKM g.15884567A>G, where the A allele is considered favorable for racing performance. Tesio, wrote a winner is the one with least muscular fatigue
COX4I2 (Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit 4 Isoform 2 – COX4/2): The sequence variant COX4I2 g.22684390C>T is significantly associated with elite racing performance, with the T allele ✅being more frequent in elite flat-racehorses compared to non-winners. It is linked to beneficial adaptations in aerobic metabolism. C:C is associated to short-distance sprinters, C:T middle distance and T:T stamina.
ACN9 and COX4I1 (COX4/1): Along with CKM and ACSS1, these genes were identified as having SNPs associated with racecourse performance in a study of exercise-relevant genes.
Origin of Alleles: These specific alleles, along with others in the PDK4 gene, are considered part of the “genetic machinery” of modern Thoroughbreds that was inherited from, or closely related to, ➡️those found in ancient horses that were already adapted for high-intensity exercise ⬅️
These genes contribute to a higher metabolic capacity in skeletal muscle following intense exercise, aiding in faster recovery and better performance.
Associated with elite racing performance ✅ with the T allele ✅being more frequent in elite flat-racehorses ✅as compared to non-winners
Summertime (Precipitation – Great Truth by Bahram), a talented and elegant near-black English stayer who developed into one of the finest all-purpose sires. He endowed his stock with class, verve, acceleration and adaptability to almost any racing conditions and was a magnificent sire of broodmares. His son Sobig (3×5 Hurry On) was regarded as the greatest sire ever to have stood in New Zealand with progeny Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. (Ross du Bourg)
Numerous bloodstock writers, over time, predicted the overt enthusiasm in breeding ‘speed’. And or, its experiments. Franco Varola expressed each aptitudinal group did contribute in some degree to the well-being of the other groups. He noticed the early trend and its decline in stout factors, as further inclined on ‘brilliant’.
It is well evident Fair Play (5th male West Australian) Discovery, Man O’ War descendants’ particularly War Admiral, down to In Reality pierces into a much potent genetic threshold to the breed capturing stamina with speed. The indelible traits sought, is to recreate from the sources.
West Australian, the greatest horse sired by Melbourne and share with Barcaldine distinction of being “swell” of the line. He was, in fact, a very high-class performer, and many of the last generation of Yorkshiremen used to swear by him as the best horse they had ever known, even when the names of St Simon and Ormonde cropped up. (West Australian 8x Matchem, 11 x Eclipse, 14 Herod)
To add Hurry On/Marco/Marcovil et al, sire line West Australian. *{The peerless Precipitation male line (Hurry On) dynasty of classic stamina to New Zealand in 1946. A grand-son Mainbrace, winner of twenty three races from twenty five starts including seventeen wins in succession and one of the greatest champions ever to grace the New Zealand Turf}. Ross du Bourg
(side note comment) Profiling many of the contemporary bred, its noticeable Hurry On ‘dampened (?). Thoughtfully, a similar scenario akin to other professional Princequillo, Round Table)
The Hurry On blood is certainly one for robust versatility. And one only needs to review Wilkes (Fr) sire of Vain (Aus), > 3×4 Vain best example – Black Caviar (Aus), 25 for 25 wins.
Examining the Hurry On male line – find Barcaldine – jockey Fred Archer said of him, “I have a notion that Barcaldine could do more with his horses than any horse I can remember. By Solon the large Barcaldine (by Solon, a very big horse) 2×3 Birdcatcher mare & 3x Birdcatcher. There packed with geno source…Whim/Irish Drone/Master Robert >> Florizel by Herod.
Barcaldine (1878), unbeaten but took no part in classic races. Purportedly, Barcaldine had an extraordinary girth, eighty-six inches and upwards of 16 hands. He was a much bigger horse than St Simon in physique – St Simon with seventy-eight-inch girth. The 1901 author goes on to state that though a high ranked racehorse, Irish horses like Barcaldine, Irish Birdcatcher and Harkaway were discounted from the English turf.
The #BT’s, Djebel et al ‘Tourbillon blood’. who is Byerley Turk? A Temperament and intelligence is a powerful factor in the make-up of the racehorse. Tourbillon’s temperament and soundness was considered temperamental; yet a worser trait in temperament is lack of courage, since courage is one of the essential qualities of a top-class racehorse. *{Better Boy’s (My Babu) first crop made their debut on Australian race-tracks in 1960-1, thereby launching a saga of success which has continued unabated for nearly twenty years with aggregate progeny earnings astonishingly (then) neared the $A4 million mark}. Ross du Bourg
Hambletonian 1792 (by King Fergus). Beaten once in 17 starts. Described as having been rather harness-like in appearance, fine and lengthy. He did not get ‘size’ in his stock, so much as speed. Acknowledged with speed and stamina in most of the family, he produced more good horses & more so than any of other lines (attribute 1901)
The Australian, Bluebloods writer Mark Latham (2013) explored what duplicated lines made the holy grail? The article tables – total number of runners with minimum 50 bred on duplication. As then calculated dependent on overall breeding numbers – it grouped, (A) winners/runners %: (B) Group Winners/Runners % : (C) Stakes Winners/Runners %.
What got more productive than another?
In the scheme of things not much changes on typology and the author arrives to comment the winning edge lies elsewhere, through richer combination of strategies noticing successful matings are often up to 10 special affinities.
As the nuances are counter fold, (mindful it covered Australasian only), the work uncovered Nominal & notable sires as extracted below. It was noted, less runners more ‘success’ and those more significant sire duplications (ie Northern Dancer) would enable some conclusion.
Although end results were not conclusive; the delivery lies through a consistency of individuals, and the forefront came with little surprise.
In Reality (3×3 War Relic, 3x Fair Play) – Miswaki – My Babu (Djebel ex- Perfume by Badruddin, distaff 4th dam by Marco) – Dr Fager (Rough n’ Tumble ex-Aspidistra by Better Self) – Twig Moss – Native Dancer (Polynesian ex-Geisha by Discovery)
Twig Moss (FR) by Luthier (a leading three-year old in France, and champion sire in France in 1976 when his produce Riverqueen, the French 1,000 Guineas winner, Ashmore and Tip Moss (full brother) filled the first three places in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud)
Miswaki (Mr P ex- Hopespringeternal by Buckpasser, 2nd dam Princequillo), n.b. 3x Plucky Leige. Princequillo twice leading sire of winners in America to the eight times he led the list of broodmare sires). Broodmare sire of Galileo, daughter/dam Urban Sea.
How breeding achieves new winners is nature’s refinement. Better is the exercise to see emerging ‘trends’ or ‘patterns’ at work – how these individuals may come to maximum genetic efficiency. They represent a certain typology: Varola’s Stout/Professional Tables, integrating individuals with ‘speed’ from that Brilliant and Intermediate category.
Grand example ….
🏆🏆🏇🏇 2026 Dubai World cup winner 4 year old Magnitude (Not this Time) exhibited his talent in true blazing fashion to an admirable defeat over Japan’s Forever Young. His racing amongst finest (Sovereignty (Into Mischief) also from a Bernardini dam, Baeza by McKinzie) his dam an unraced Bernardini mare was purchased for $140k. Magnitude Horse Pedigree
The dam profiles > 4×4 Fappiano (Dr Fager) 🏆- 4×4 Caro, the quirky Caro Pedigree Analysis: Caro – BloodHorse. Grey Sovereign, Relic, Chamossiare/Hurry On
Another trait of profession chefs-de-race, just as significant as stamina, is the capacity for maturing later than other aptitudinal shades. This trait is not generally in favour nowadays, at least in the current transatlantic racing set-up, so much so that sires with a professional syndrome find life at stud very hard. But it is to be regarded ecologically as one of the assets of the breed, and one which might even return to popularity at some future time. The late-maturing trait, while generally associated with soundness and reliability, has in turn a drawback, since it may go hand in hand with a loss of finishing speed. (Franco Varola)
Unrelenting traits
Caro by Fortino ex- Chambord by Chamoissoire (by Precipitation by Hurry On)
What is the future?
Japan’s rising prominence becoming the breeder of stayers. A framework of British-bred stayer sires through 2015 study has highlighted the significant issues as faced similarly by numerous racing countries: the absence of sufficient staying programs.
Britain and Ireland staying sires however re-locate to the National Hunt breeding roster. In that, the bloodlines prevail.
Disclaimer: This post includes AI‑assisted interpretation of scientific material, references above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be taken as scientific, veterinary, or breeding advice. Interpretations of research can vary, and readers should consult the original sources for authoritative information.
*The Australian and New Zealand Thoroughbred – Ross du Bourg
