A little Bernardini for Zenyatta

In terms of straight ‘X –factor’ for Bernardini, we should technically disregard AP Indy, however, in my experience it would be imprudent to do so. There are unique and fascinating morsels here. One that jumps out is the Poker – Jet Action (of Seattle Slew’s lines), Fappiano – Quiet American (of Cara Rafaela’s lines) connection.

Bernardini’s pedigree

Bernardini video

Jet Action (Seattle Slew’s 2nd broodmare sire) was a horse who combined a Teddy son (Sir Gallahad) on his sire’s side, with a Teddy daughter (La Troienne) on his dam’s side. His sire Jet Pilot’s X lines included Plucky Liege, Fairy Gold (dam of Fair Play who was the sire of Man O’War), and Frizette (by Hamburg).

Jet Action’s broodmare sire was none other than War Admiral, his 2nd broodmare sire was Bubbling Over (Sweep X line), his 3rd broodmare sire the aforementioned Teddy. He complimented Seattle Slew’s broodmare sire, Poker very well.

Poker’s broodmare sire was Nasrullah (beautiful addition to Zenyatta’s inventory), his 2nd broodmare sire, War Admiral, his 3rd broodmare sire Bubbling Over, his 4th broodmare sire, Teddy.

Sounds like déjà vu all over again! Poker’s dam was (Nasrullah daughter) Glamour, 2nd dam (War Admiral daughter) Striking, 3rd dam (Bubbling Over daughter) Baby League, and 4th dam, (Teddy daughter) La Troienne.

Jet Action’s dam was (War Admiral daughter) Busher, out of Baby League, etcetera.

To Seattle Slew’s buildup, AP Indy adds two Somethingroyal X lines (through her sons Sir Gaylord, and Secretariat), a Mahmoud daughter, and Missy Baba (daughter of My Babu), in the tail female line.

Technically, this all pours into Bernardini, and is not supposed to have an impact, however, there is an important concept to consider. The Y chromosome actually possesses ‘degraded’ copies of X chromosomes, and, if this serves as any kind of attractant, then the genes for future generations would encounter a less tedious reconciliation process…only having to decide if the heart will be 14 pounds, or 18 pounds…leaving the notion of a normal heart size well in the past.

My opinion is firmly placed with regard to the large heart…that these large heart lines do not have to be presented by the same dam line all over the pedigree, but this ‘similarity’ must be brought forward via superior mares, who undoubtedly carry the X factor.

These lines reach back over the centuries…back to the very beginnings of the breed…

On Bernardini’s dam’s (Cara Rafaela’s)side:

Fappiano (Quiet American’s sire) adds, Better Self (through Dr. Fager), whose broodmare sire was War Admiral, along with Princiquillo, Mahmoud, Man O’War and Teddy daughters through his 2nd dam Grand Splendor (out of Cequillo).

Quiet American adds another Dr. Fager (see Fappiano), and another Princequillo, Mahmoud, Man O’War, Teddy daughter lineup through his 2nd dam, Quiet Charm (out of Cequillo). Quiet American, is Bernardini’s broodmare sire, and in an X position.

Cequillo (Princequillo, Mahmoud, Man O’War, Teddy X blood) must have had loads of fun chumming around with Weekend Surprise (Princequillo, War Admiral, Teddy, Blue Larkspur, My Babu), talking about all that stuff they had in common…

At first glance, Oil Fable (Bernardini’s 2nd dam) adds more X blood:
• Mahmoud through Promised Land
• To Market (his broodmare sire Johnstown receives his X factor from Sir Gallahad – at the very least). To Market’s dam accepts a double dose of Maggie BB through her 2nd broodmare sire, Whisk Broom.
• There is another Teddy/Plucky Liege combo (full brother to Sir Gallahad,) in Bull Dog, and another Whisk Broom appearance through Danger Ahead (Oil Fable’s paternal 3rd dam)
• Through Oil Fable’s broodmare sire Northern Dancer a Native Dancer (Discovery) X, and a Mahmoud daughter.
• Through Oil Fable’s dam (Bernardini’s 3rd dam), there are 2 Teddy daughters, 2 Blue Larkspur daughters, along with Count Fleet, Bubbling Over, Hamburg, Domino and Lexington daughters…

If you are looking at six gens, Mr. Busher (Bernardini’s 6th bm sire) was by War Admiral, out of the Bubbling Over daughter, Baby League, who was out of the Teddy daughter La Troienne…Bubbling Over’s broodmare sire was Sweep, and War Admiral’s broodmare sire was Sweep…whose broodmare sire was Domino…

Kind of makes you think of dominoes, in a good way…especially when Zenyatta is added to the mix!

Zenyatta, meet your beau: Bernardini

It has been decided. Bernardini is the lucky fella. And wow, what a match this should be. Bernardini is by AP Indy, and out of Cara Rafaela. Cara Rafaela is by Quiet American, and out of Oil Fable.

I am not sure anyone anywhere, could have packed more gems into a pedigree, but they surely have done it with this combination. Bernardini will add, in X positions, the following superstars:

Better Self and Tilly Rose through Dr. Fager (Quiet American), Nearctic and Cequillo through Quiet Charm (Quiet American’s 2^nd dam)

Spectacular Bid (through Oil Fable), Northern Dancer, Never Bend, Prince John and a mare named Fast Line, Oil Fable’s 4^th dam.

Come back for a more in depth analysis in a couple of days…

Bernardini’s pedigree can be found here: Bernardini

Zenyatta bloodlines, part III

Part III Zenyatta’s pedigree can be found here: Zenyatta

In order to round out the understanding of Zenyatta’s incredible power pack, three more horses in her pedigree need attention in terms of X factor.

First, Waterway, Zenyatta’s sire’s (Street Cry’s) 2nd dam. By Riverman and out of Boulevard, Waterway, through Boulevard, adds another Nearco daughter to Troy’s amazing cache (see Zenyatta matchups: part II). In addition, through Boulevard’s 2nd broodmare sire Worden, she brings in:

Phalaris (Nearco’s grandsire) in an X position, (which means a Sainfoin X(sire of Rock Sand, who was the BM sire of Man O’War, plus a high concentration of Pocahontas (GB)X blood through Stockwell and his full brother Rataplan. Sainfoin also was a great grandson by direct sireline, of Stockwell))

and a St. Simon X line.

There is Gallinule in an X position (which means Hermit X, and another Stockwell X), and still in Worden’s broodmare sire’s line, another Rataplan X through the tail female line.

Worden’s 2nd broodmare sire is Teddy (Bend Or/Macaroni X nick) in an X position, and adds another Hermit X, and a Bend Or Macaroni nick through Jean Gow, Worden’s 3rd dam.

Champion sire and broodmare sire, The Tetrarch can be found through Boulevard’s sire Pall Mall, sitting at the 3rd broodmare sire position. Her (Jean Gow’s) tail female line, adds a Sundridge X, Phalaris X, and another Pocahontas X line through St. Frusquin.

Through Waterway’s sire, Riverman, there is a tally of X blood that goes like this:

Count Fleet, Blue Larkspur, Roman (which means Domino X blood times 2), Sun Teddy (Whisk Broom X), and Man O’War in an X position.

Horse number two is Bridgework. Bridgework can be located in Zenyatta’s broodmare sire’s pedigree (Kris S), in the 2nd dam position. At first glance it may not look like much, but there is gold in them thar hills.

First, through Bunting, Occupy’s broodmare sire (Occupy is Bridgwork’s sire), we see a mare named Petticoat. Absolutely fabulous. She carries a Hamburg X (which means a Lexington/Glencoe X, a Lexington X, plus three more Glencoe daughters in X positions). Also through Petticoat, as her broodmare sire, there is Sir Dixon, who carries a Glencoe daughter crossed with Lexington’s sire Boston. This gave us Madeline, the dam of Maggie B B, and Petticoat’s 3rd broodmare sire, War Dance, there is a Lexington/Glencoe nick, where only the Glencoe daughter is in an X position.

Through Occupy’s 2nd dam, Mirthful, we add a Macaroni X, Bend Or X, and another Hamburg X. Not only that, Mannie Gray, Hamburg’s dam, is duplicated in this line, and is in a second X position.

Zenyatta’s buildup of Lexington/Glencoe is absolutely phenomenal. When we consider just how many of these Lexington/Glencoe pairings are in X positions, it becomes staggering…

Bridgework’s dam, Feale Bridge adds a high concentration of Pocahontas (GB) X blood through horses Wenlock, St. Simon, Stockwell, Rigolboche, with the addition of two Hermit X lines.

Horse number three, is Forli. No pun intended. Through his broodmare sire, Advocate, there is an Americus Girl line in a non-X position…but is worth noting. There is Papyrus, which carries a Hermit X line through Marcovil, and a St. Simon X line. Ocean Light, brings in more Pocahontas (GB) X blood through Isinglass (Wenlock).

Through Forli’s 2nd dam, Veneta, a tally of Teddy X, Wenlock X, Pocahontas (GB) X through Woodbine, Macaroni X times 2, and the amazing 11-g female line through Kingcraft, Veneta’s 4th broodmare sire is accumulated.

The mention of the 11-g line has significance, since it is the same tail female line that helped produce War Admiral. I have had many requests to analyze War Admiral’s pedigree, since he figures prominently into the large heart story, and has enjoyed quite a bit of attention lately.

Once again, War Admiral comes into Zenyatta’s pedigree through her 3rd broodmare sire, Hoist the Flag (his broodmare sire). Hoist the Flag is also present in the pedigree of Machiavellian, the sire of Street Cry (tremendous X buildup through Halo, Hoist the Flag, Native Dancer (Discovery), and Mahmoud).

Zenyatta has Man O’ War, War Admiral’s sire in her pedigree, as the sire of American Flag in the pedigree of Raise a Native (sire of Mr. Prospector), in an X position of Hail to Reason until he sired Halo (could mention here that Mahmoud is Halo’s 2nd broodmare sire), in an X position through Riverman, in an X position in Hail to Reason, until he sired Roberto, in addition to the two previously mentioned War Admiral stations.

That’s a highly focused look at Zenyatta’s pedigree in terms of the base of her genetic stew. She has a wonderful mix of incredible power, stamina and speed blood. Her ‘stew’ if you will, is filled with a perfect base, perfect seasoning,, and all the additions, like the carrots, potatoes, and other yummies, are all a perfect size, all cooked to perfection. Nothing is overdone, or underdone. We see real balance.

I tend to look at it like this; the farther back the synergies and duplications, the better. Genes have a nice amount of time over the generations to work out their differences, and we don’t get big ‘chunks’ of anything. Nothing ‘dominates’ in the way of some of the older pedigrees…for instance, seeing Stockwell 3, 4, or even 5 times within 5 generations. That, to me, would amount to big chunks of potatoes, overpowering the appearance and perhaps the performance of the individual stew.

Want to build up heart, lungs, bones, and correct build? Start way back. Know your horses, know what makes ‘em up, and start from scratch.

That’s my opinion about breeding any way, and Zenyatta has it all. To many, she would appear as an ‘outcross’, like Secretariat, and Curlin. But to me, she is the kind of horse that has exquisite bloodlines, carefully put together for over 10 generations. It would logically harken back to the ‘old days’; the days of bigger bones and old fashioned horses.

Further Note: In terms of the X factor, after more than a decade of study, I tend to think that there are more components contributing to the equine large heart phenomenon than simply the ‘X chromosome’, and ‘double copy’.

Since ‘size’ (in terms of height) tends to be a conformational trait (highly inheritable), I would think the stallion would have an influence on this portion of the horse as well. If a stallion can produce size in the form of height, logically, the argument could be made for heart size as well, since it has its own ‘conformation’. Every single large heart horse I have researched, has large heart components on both sides of the pedigree.

My theory becomes more of an environmental question. If a mare is bred to a stallion with a large heart allele/gene, and she does not possess this herself; then, are there conditions for the mare under which the gene is expressed, or conditions for the mare under which it is not expressed in the resulting foal? Is the mare instrumental for expression in a way that does not involve genes, say in the form of nurturing her foal (before and after birth)? And when exactly during foal development, do we know that the heart is larger than normal?

Dr. Gus Cothran, an equine geneticist explains that they do know that heart size varies in horses, but extensive research would have to be done to ascertain the exact mechanisms involved…and that’s what they ‘know’ for sure…a great deal of work needs to be done!

Until then, pedigree analysis will continue to have its value…

Part I: Zenyatta mating matchups

Part II: Zenyatta mating matchups

Zenyatta, We Believe…

“We believe.”

People who had turned their backs on the industry for its failures, are turning back and saying, “We believe.”

Thousands of exuberant fans delight in renewed hope; their hearts filled with warmth and joy. Today they repeat the words they were speaking from the beginning, “We believe.”

Onlookers who were taken by the whirlwind left by Zenyatta, join the resounding chant, “Yes, we believe.”

And those who, on this day feel defeated… do not feel resentment, nor do they feel bitter. They too, are saying, “We believe.”

Zenyatta is the Thoroughbred Horse of the Year for 2010.

She, with her grit, grace and awesome power, stirred the cauldron of earthly energy and changed us. We have a shared love; a shared light, and regardless of our personal differences, we can now speak in civil tones…filling our discourse with charity.

Tears of joy flowed along with an outpouring of positive emotions. Enthusiastic whoops coupled with tremendous sighs of relief filled Ray Paulick’s live blog…fifteen minutes after the HOTY award was announced, participants were still saying things like, “I am bawling. I didn’t know this meant so much to me…” and “YAY!!!!!!!!”, with everything in between. There were a few who had rooted for Blame, and they were saying, “Well, good for her. People love her. She’s a force.”

Between the successes of Queen Z and the Queen of Saratoga, Marylou Whitney, great things may be on the horizon. Ms. Whitney said this during her acceptance speech for her “lifetime of outstanding achievement in Thoroughbred racing” Eclipse Award:

“Being part of this horse racing family is a pleasure and a privilege…but it also requires responsibility.

Many first-time owners get frustrated if they do not achieve instant success. However, over the years, we have all learned success—as an owner—means our horses have finished a race unhurt.

All owners need to be accountable for their horses–from the beginning of their lives to the end! We are their advocates. Together, we must fight to ensure there will never be another horse slaughtered in America!

Another obligation we must share is to our backstretch workers. They are the sport’s unsung heroes. These wonderful people work long hours in dangerous situations…while often living in poor conditions. All of us should do more to improve their lives and advance their dignity.

Tomorrow, I plan to wake up inspired to do more for the horses…

and YOU……the people I love.” Marylou Whitney

One wonders if Zenyatta’s message would be similar. Although she cannot speak through a microphone at a special event, she, with her very existence, speaks to the hearts of people.

Throughout Zenyatta’s racing career, people held up signs declaring, “We Believe.”, and last night, the entire Thoroughbred industry could feel it in the air; a tremendous and beautifully transformative power.

Zenyatta: Horse of the Year

The consensus leans heavily toward Blame over Zenyatta, revealing the cold-hearted intellectual dogma taking the lead over the ‘people’s horse’.

It has been clear for a while now; elite society has de-coupled itself from the common man — feels nothing of his pain, or of his joy. They seem to exist in a world of their own — manipulating and positioning themselves for recognition; without going through the trials of fire they put those of lesser stations through.

It seems the word ‘common’ causes a repulsive shiver up privileged spines that hardens their will and further estranges them from a deeper understanding of themselves. By eliminating the common sense horse, the elite in the TB racing industry symbolically indicate that they have no wish or desire for any common sense at all. It is a nuisance, a bother, and an annoyance.

“…Zenyatta is a superstar, and even her detractors note that. She retired the highest money winning mare in history, tied for the most grade 1′s by a mare in history, she’s the first mare to win the Classic and first mare to come second in the Classic, in that races’ history. She is a dual surface mega-winner and is 19 for 20 with one second over three seasons.” Pull the Pocket

It seems she has gone through the trials…

“If the vote was left up to the fans, or if each dollar wagered on a horse counted as one vote for that horse, Zenyatta would have won in a landslide. But to win the Horse of the Year Eclipse Award by a vote of the press and some industry insiders, Zenyatta would have had to retain her support among women and West Coasters, convince even more NTRA voters that she would do more than Blame for the sport if elected, and improve her support in Kentucky by 50 percent or pick up 20 more votes in the East. If past is prologue, the electoral ecosystem doesn’t serve her.” Vic Zast

The theme of the elite vs. the little guy, the ‘self-ordained’ vision vs. the reality presents itself within the horse racing package…and it is clear to many, that the myopic strain of intellectual thought that would install Blame as HOTY, does not serve the greater good of the industry.

To them, she may not be ‘fashionable’…but…

There’s a shared light in the heart of Zenyatta and in the common folk that will never be diminished, and that’s what they refuse to recognize…

Zenyatta elicits emotions, thoughts, and kind actions from thousands upon thousands of people. She has 58,000 friends on her Facebook page, and many others who heartily engage in the ‘conversations’ they can have with her on her website. The Eclipse Awards will never change that, neither will elite ignorance.

Is there hope? Will Zenyatta come from behind, against all the odds to win? Would that signal a new era of respect? The Horse of the Year winner along with winners in several other categories will be announced at the 40th Annual Eclipse Awards to be held in Miami Beach Florida, tomorrow, January 17th…

Zenyatta matchups: Round 2 – Curlin

For starters, Curlin’s pedigree offers a very nice backbone for Zenyatta’s world class genetic wardrobe.

One example of this is provided by Curlin’s 4th broodmare sire, ‘Battle Joined’, and his 4-r tail female line. Millmaid is the 5th dam of ‘Battle Joined’, and is by Fair Play, out of a Rock Sand mare. This should ring wild Man O’War bells, since Man O’ War himself was by Fair Play, and out of a Rock Sand mare. Millmaid and Man O’ War are therefore 3/4 siblings…

Zenyatta also sports a 4-r line through her 5th dam Lady Legend…

Lady Legend (a great name to have in Zenyatta’s pedigree…) stacks up a whopping 2X Hermit X factor, along with Bend Or, Stockwell, and Rataplan; the latter two being out of the famous X factor mare, Pocahontas (GB) 1837 on her sire’s side; and brings in the haul of the century through her dam Sweepless, which includes a Hamburg X, MacGregor X (3^rd damsire of Man O’War), Rayon Dor (Pocahontas (GB)), Grey Eagle 1835, and Mary Clark; daughter of Lexington, out of a Glencoe daughter.

Initial assessment…intriguing…it’s almost like there are the makings for another Man O’ War all over again…Curlin’s pedigree is fascinating on its own, simply because he has the makings ‘of the makings’ of Secretariat…without any Secretariat…but combined with Zenyatta, there is something else afoot…different genes are accented, with the possibility of creating a whole new era of Thoroughbreds…

Ellen Parker, in the July 10, 2010 edition of the Thoroughbred Times Opinions section, compared Zenyatta to the great Phar Lap. She also said that Zenyatta possesses a “sublime shoulder and the deepest of heart girths…and she has the bone to support it all.”

Curlin has a trademark flick of the shoulder, a movement that can only be produced by a long shoulder blade, powerful humerus, long forearm and a short cannon bone — throwing his feet out in front of him with enormous torque and length of stride. He also has ‘bone’…something he has been throwing into his foals. And this is a great, great thing. Lighter bones do not make faster racehorses, they make more injury prone ones…

We should be seeing little Thoroughbred Titans gracing the fields of Kentucky in the spring of 2012. Fans of Rachel Alexandra and the fans of Zenyatta, who have sported a relationship similar to the Montagues and the Capulets, would have a chance to write a new ending (or new beginning), and take up their verbal swords when the first foals reach their racing potential…all would be tempered just a bit, if Curlin were father to both individuals produced by these Colossal mares. Ahhhh, the twists and turns.

Part II:
Curlin’s sire, Smart Strike is a wonderful combination of speed and stamina. Of interest, when thinking about a cross with Zenyatta, is Smart Strike’s 2nd dam, No Class.

No Class’s sire is Nodouble, and here we find excellent X blood through a Whisk Broom daughter, and a Sweep daughter; but it is on No Class’s dam side where the immediate synergies are located. By now, you are familiar with the fact that Zenyatta possesses a nice duplication of War Admiral blood, and it is here, through the dam of No Class (a mare by the name of Classy Quillo), that we see a War Admiral daughter line.

It comes through Classy Quillo’s sire Outing Class. His 3rd dam, Iron Maiden was by War Admiral. Classy Quillo’s broodmare sire was none other than Sir Gallahad (also the broodmare sire of Johnstown, who was subsequently BMsire of Nashua).

No Class also sports a Princequillo daughter, Quillopoly (the dam of Classy Quillo)in her 2nd dam position in her tail female line.

This great blood feeds into Smart Strike, Curlin’s sire, and welcomes the blood of Hoist the Flag (War Admiral), and Princequillo through Zenyatta’s dam, Vertigineux.

But, here’s what Zenyatta has, that you don’t see very often… Nearco and Nasrullah daughters…feeding into her sire Street Cry; it comes from his broodmare sire, Troy. Not only is this a double whammy, it is a triple whammy…a grand slam…a perfect X-factor storm of Nearco, Royal Charger and Nasrullah X blood.

Through the Nearco daughter, comes Maiden (Lexington x Glencoe) X blood. Through both Nasrullah and Royal Charger, both sons of Nearco, comes ‘The Flying Filly (Mumtaz Mahal: Lexington x Glencoe X through Americus and Lady Josephine) blood.

It is the most tremendous opportunity we have seen since the turn of the 20th century.

This, in essence, is what we have been waiting for. The female blood here is phenomenal. It provides a much needed gender balance for any Nearco sireline (including Bold Ruler, etc. etc.), which may throw back to those individuals in several important ways. Please refer to: a Nick in Time.

Zenyatta has the potential to rock the Thoroughbred world with triumphantly successful offspring, regardless of her partner. Maybe they should let her choose. Recognizing that she may have deeper knowledge and wisdom in this regard, would be a throwback to the thinking of the great Frederico Tesio* himself.

In the book, ‘TESIO’ In His Own Words (Russell Meerdink) he explained the effect of ‘Cupid’s arrow’, when a mare named Signora dissed the famous Isinglass for a lesser known stallion named Charleureux. The product of the spontaneous love affair was a filly named Signorinetta, who went on to win the Derby and the Oaks…

*Frederico Tesio was the breeder of the undefeated stars Nearco, and Ribot…

Once again, Zenyatta’s pedigree can be found here: Zenyatta

Curlin’s pedigree is here: Curlin

For more on Zenyatta’s bloodlines, go to Part III

Zenyatta, Horse of the Year…Horse for the ages.

This is so simple.

I understand the pragmatic arguments; the endless details that contribute to the decision making process for Horse racing’s Horse of the Year winner.

I understand the stats, the performances, yadda yadda ya. I understand the notability of Blame’s campaign; going out there, finding the fight, getting knocked about, coming back to win the Breeder’s Cup Classic.

I understand the criticism that some in the industry have for Zenyatta’s campaign…that it was too soft, to ‘regionalized’, too whatever.

In my mind, it comes down to two (or maybe 100) things, but basically two:
Could Blame have run the race that Zenyatta did, and even come close to the money? Probably not. Could Blame have done what Zenyatta has done for the whole Thoroughbred Industry? Resounding no.

And now that I am getting warmed up a bit, which horse — during these woeful times — could simultaneously breathe new life into kids, grandmas, older fellas who have seen it all, seasoned pros, and horse racing? Zenyatta. Zenyatta. Zenyatta.

Her campaign was much more than racing. It was about inclusiveness, beauty, love, and a brighter future. She inspired all of us. She ‘involved’ all of us. She lifted all of us a little bit higher. How can anyone measure that against the traditional horse racing campaign?

Just talk to a nine year old horse crazy girl who followed Zenyatta with obsessive interest. It’s impossible. It simply can’t be compared. We can get back to the same old, same old later on this year. But for now, we need to bestow on her the best awards we (as humans) have to offer.

Blame edged Zenyatta in one battle. One. He is no match for her overall. Zenyatta won the hearts of people. She won the day, she won the year, and she stole all the marches from those who came up against her. There’s no doubt in the minds of many; if another race were to take place that pitted Blame against Zenyatta,  Zenyatta would dominate with authority and class.

She’s a horse for the ages; we owe her our gratitude, our appreciation, and our love.

Zenyatta: 2010 Horse of the Year, Champion older female, and induction into the Hall of Fame.

At the very, very least.

Rachel Alexandra and Curlin

On Rachel’s tail female line, we have a big dose of Man O’War blood through Early Decision. There are two daughters (Speed Boat, and Hostility), plus one granddaughter (Mata Hari) in X positions, and one male representation in War Relic. We have a Princequillo daughter(How)  in an X position, and a Princequillo daughter (Somethingroyal) in a non-X position. This goes nicely with Curlin’s contingent of Man O’War and Princequillo ( Bates Motel and Classy Quillo). Pretty much Pocahontas(GB)/Hermit big heart sources.

But that’s not really where the gold lies. One has to dig deeply into these two pedigrees to find the real treasure. Moving further into the kitchen where the ingredients can be best analyzed (gens 6-9), horses like Bull Dog, Sir Gallahad, La Troienne, Tom Fool, Sir Gaylord, and Ribot start popping out…in numbers.

This particular buildup anchors itself way back, building to an incredible roar over a long period of time. This cross amounts to an unusual abundance of Teddy, Plucky Liege, Domino, and Man O’War. It brings together and concentrates the blood of a powerful heart.

Teddy and Plucky Liege both bring in Eclipse lines without Pocahontas (GB), which is probably a good thing. In addition to being credited as a significant large heart source, she was less known as a confirmed roarer; a condition that restricts air flow to and from the lungs (the Teddy/Pluck Liege cross was very similar to the Glencoe/Marpessa cross in terms of ‘heart’). They (Teddy/Plucky Liege) also bring in Godolphin X blood, along with other suspects in the large heart story…all balanced in X and non X positions.

A phenomenon which occurs in the top side of Secretariat’s pedigree; the accumulation of an unusual amount of Lexington/Glencoe crosses, repeats itself so many times in the Rachel/Curlin cross, that they are hard to count. Something to mention briefly about Secretariat’s pedigree: the top side carried a major dose of Lexington/Glencoe, and the bottom a significant number of Pocahontas crosses. Pocahontas was sired by Glencoe, which makes Glencoe one of the ties that bind his incredible heart strings together.

Rachel brings a huge X dose of Lexington, Hermit, and Pocahontas (GB) blood, starting with her 11^th tail female dam Friars Carse. From there, she adds La Troienne (Teddy), another Friars Carse, another Teddy, Whisk Broom, Princequillo, Man O’War x 2, War Admiral, Sir Gallahad, Hail to Reason, Mahmoud x 2, and Discovery. Once again, those are all heart lines in X positions. That doesn’t include her sire Medaglia Doro.

It probably suffices at this point to say that Curlin and Rachel may produce ‘greatness’. Don’t be distracted by the Northern Dancer, Mr. Prospector, Sir Ivor duplications. They are simply the structure for which a million tiny miracles may take place and reveal themselves to the world in the form of a little equine baby.

Zenyatta mating matchups: Giant’s Causeway and AP Indy

Rumor has it that breeding choices for Queen Z are either Giant’s Causeway, or AP Indy. Here’s my two cents:

First: Giant’s Causeway.

By Storm Cat, and out of Mariah’s Storm, Giant’s Causeway offers Zenyatta a high end jewelry store. Complimenting a Roberto son in Zenyatta’s pedigree with a Roberto daughter in his own, he promises a gender balanced representation of this fantastic horse. Complimenting Zenyatta’s X power with thrilling X power of his own, this would promise to be a very exciting matchup, especially with the addition of Secretariat feeding into the sire line through Storm Cat.

My only concern is size…too much of it. Secretariat’s stuff tends to be big, and Roberto, well, huge. Rock Hard Ten was the product of a double dose of Roberto, beautiful, talented…but huge. It is Zenyatta’s first foal, and it might be wise to save this combo for a future date. She was late to bloom, starting her racing career as a four year old. They would have to be extraordinarily careful with this baby, making sure that growth into maturity was the priority, rather than the exploitation of potential.

AP Indy

Not only a jewelry store, but a bonanza. Although AP Indy also represents a great deal of size, personally, I tend to get much more excited about this combo, than the one presented by Giant’s Causeway. First of all, I think that AP Indy has more of a large heart ‘build’. Secondly, Secretariat the mega heart horse, is well poised in an X position should Zenyatta have a filly. Third is the presence of Buckpasser, who was out of the great, great mare Busanda. For some reason, it seems to me like she would love to sit and have a cup of tea with Zenyatta. Well, at least she has something in common with her: War Admiral. Busanda was by War Admiral, and War Admiral comes into Zenyatta’s 3^rd dam via Hoist the Flag. There is also a non-X War Admiral daughter flying through to Seattle Slew by way of Jet Action. Huge, huge genetic synergies flowing through several of the combined bloodlines…

The combination of AP Indy with Zenyatta has greater compatibility, greater potential, and will create a baby with a bit stronger constitution and conformation for her than Giant’s Causeway…but that’s my opinion…

Either way, my prayer for everyone who loves Zenyatta, and for Zenyatta herself, is that she has an excellent pregnancy; filled with love, security, and joy, and that she safely delivers a beautiful, healthy baby.
For more, please go to: Zenyatta matchups: Round 2