On the recent NZ stallion tour, I was mindful to the Studmasters commentary, where addressing the challenge to breeding for market; to their observations of how tradition once held to the stamina type, has undergone its progressive change & alongside demand for early speed.

Objectives of genuine breeding meet greater ineffability of breeding and I feel for sure those challenges, how they always follow through, engages a terrific foresight.

As such, for a long brow-beating period, TBL has pondered the subtle & exceptional influences within & of, the high performance individual.

The ‘devil is in the detail’.…. and I shall opinion, it is a pivotal strain which ‘fulfills’ breed shaping criteria.

Step aside from in-breeding, or to that of line-bred individuals; the consideration is to seek the essential conduit of superior difference(s) and aim towards what must be the superior, complete phenotype factor. i.e. dual purpose.

The conduit, what may induce the correct type of consistency: stamping individuals great turn-of-foot, propulsion, to be best from best and win. Better said: the bio-mechanical capability and efficiency.

The task to breeding is to catalyze true conduit factors to induce the finest possible specimen.

To appreciate the general principle – research these pedigrees below and view the breeding trait – what brings the ‘life’ to bloodline.

What made Ribot. (e.g. dam inbred to Sunstar f.f. 5i, via Sundridge)

Hyperion. (dam inbred to Pilgramage by The Palmer f.f. 5i)

Thus, its not duplicating the pedigree: its revealing it.

The thinking exercise ….the ancestral trait/influence ON the pedigree and what contributing traits support the proposed quality bred, prototype.

The method, is to refine pedigree…..

Why?

Because over a sturdy study to TB heritages and the evolutionary cycles; the invisible spectrum’s of breeding, to those deep depths, finds, purest genus is the one lasting prototype.

Cryptic as it is, that is the key.

Our remarkable blog Winx came from Herod asserted the Herod prototype. Researchers take similar view: archetypal Herod is King.

We may ask: where are those factors today, what may again transmit the distinguished class?

Ancestry-on-repeat and always, always, genetics mitDNA to reflect again ‘why’ evolutionary ‘roots’: the ancestral attributed Family 5 – the Belvoir strain – uniquely labelled ‘special’. Kingdoms & war-horses, horse- breeding, Christianity, European feudalism, knights & territories. …the evolution of the Thoroughbred, probably by the inter-breeding Buckingham’s Spanish imports with the pre-existing Rutland bred hobby horses & Galloways.

Through the ages…it all equates to a key principle; a horse is genuine, bred ‘fit’ to its type (of kind) duty, as also goes the modern equivalent i.e. to race and win like a champion.

As conventional ‘methods’ apply in-breeding, line-breeding and RF to most breeders modis operandi, those helpful determinations are not always to bearing the finest.

Many usual patterns through pedigrees (i.e. Sadlers Wells, Mr Prospector, Danehill etc) come almost rather ‘close’ to a varied similarity. And though the data of popular successful nicks to those siring sons has its record – it is historical inclined, without yet aiding, how latency is still ‘gold’.

Sourcing influences as transmitting ideal traits to pedigree, via the individual what ‘gave’ – we shall conclude: right conduit trait will ‘sharpen’ and underpin the breeding be it through maternal or paternal.

it does little good to go through a litany of linebreeding crosses if we cannot learn how to exploit the newly gained knowledge in the future. Les Brinsfield The Pedigree Post

As ‘said’, the purpose follows – an early and high performing/enduring individual bred bred fit to its pressured ‘sport’ development & of demands to commercial sector, has really commanded an extreme demanding charter upon the thoroughbred horse.

Such charter….ultimately shapes/uptakes a specific biological geno/phenotype character: precocious capacity to sprint and stay (at pace) to sprint and burst with complete domination.

“keep things simple and we will see that there is no way of measuring a certain distance and which speed ends and staying power begins. It would be like trying to determine where cold ends and heat begins. It is all relative”. Speed and Staying Power, Federico Tesio – Breeding the Racehorse.

First-up, to our exclusive profile series to come…Exceptional Conduits 

The first subject ‘horse’: the late Sir Henry Cecil described him as one of the great mile horses of the century – genuine and with immense ability.

With a race record of fourteen victories and two seconds from sixteen races, let’s identify Kris/Sharpen Up.

Kris’s sire, Sharpen Up from his lesser reputable US sire Atan (Native Dancer), yet with dam Roccheeta’s breeding, the explosion, to the breeding of juvenile champions to best sons Kris, full brother and champion 2 year old colt Diesis.

stallions can be like grass, they can spring up where there wasn’t any growth before – Charlie Whittingham, Hall of Fame trainer.

Kris sired Irish-bred, Triple crown winning filly Oh So Sharp (Kris x Oh So Fair (USA) and mare, Unite (Kris x Pro Patria) winning Epsom and Irish Oaks.

Find Kris/Sharpen Up to Invincible Spirit (IRE)(Green Desert x Rafha ex-Kris) his shattering record for 2yo winners, to his Australian siring son I am Invincible the no. 1 sire of 2 year olds 2018/19. 

High Chaparral (Sadlers Wells x Kasora, grandam sire Kris) – champion 3 year old colt England/Ireland sire of black type winners Contributer, Dundeel, So you Think, Descarado, Shoot out, Toronado, Monoco Consul, Rekindling etc.

Crystal Ocean –  currently ranked world no.1 horse (Sea the Stars x Crystal Star, 3rd dam sire KRIS)

The 3 year old Germany’s Derby winning colt, Laccario by Scalo (GB) from Laccato (GB) –noting Sharpen Up (5×5)

The consistent US performer, Get Stormy (Stormy Atlantic (USA) from Foolish Gal to broodmare sire Kiris Clown, his dam sired by KRIS.

The equivalent conduit to many American bred lines is Hoist the Flag, grandson of Ribot.

Hoist the Flag went described with an exceptional fluid gait – (hints) a bio-mechanical efficiency. 

Hoist the Flag- a champion 2 year old colt & highly-noted for leading juvenile sire and broodmare sire. As stallion, he died ‘short’ – at age of 12. 

Hoist the Flag influence is worth noting to 2019 Kentucky Derby disqualified winning hero Maximum Security and the lovely world class mare Zenyatta by Street Cry to his sire Machiavellian. And, of course Winx….

The world ranked Australian bred Santa Ana Lane (AUS) by Lope de Vega from Fast Fleet (AUS) noting Machiavellian and the 4th dam sire Hoist the Flag.

History Hall of Fame and All-Time greatness, the undefeated – PERSONAL ENSIGN – (Private Account from, Grecian Banner by Hoist the Flag) 

TBL conclusion…it is not only in/linebreeding but where to establish ‘right’ conduit inheritance that bite ‘hard’, as possible latent factor, indicated from those superior individuals & as demonstrated through their racing and breeding feats. Their incredible ‘intangible’ phenotype, to what surely has its economical bio-mechanical strength. i.e. phenotyped  correctness. 

Kris/Diesis/Sharpen Up, Hoist the Flag truly merits any pedigree well. 

And here the latest KRIS influence: look to the close, maternal pedigree, 3rd dam of the very exciting 5 times winning, 2 year old colt Pinatubo (Shamardal x. Lava Flow). Shamardal/broodmare sire Machiavellian (Hoist the Flag)

Kris was the kingpin in Europe over 8 furlongs winning 7 races including the St. Jame’s Palace stakes at Royal Ascot, Sussex Stakes (Goodwood) & the Waterford Crystal Mile & Queen Elizabeth II stakes at Ascot. Evening Times 1980.

Hoist the Flag’s breeding stats, do not tell the full story….

Shiekh Hamdan was the first to buy a share and breed a mare to Diesis and he supported him his entire career. He was (as) aware of his successful brother Kris. – Talkin Horses. (as response appreciating Sharpen Up breeding to world-class runners.)

Painstaking, intelligent, sometimes intuitive choice of a maternal grandsire can lead to the creation of celebrated nicks, where the blending of two sire names leads to the production of a new, superior brand of racing animal. Primacy of the Genes – Ross du Bourg

Genius defies logic….

(post blog update: Desert Encounter (IRE) by Halling (ex-Diesis) from La Chicana (Invincible Spirit) → KRIS. A consistent performer and winner of Canadian International Stakes.

Cheers for now, 

Copyright/Fair-use All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer