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Dynaformer, Zenyatta, & Rachel Alexandra

Frank Mitchell states in a recent article “Dynaformer’s heart attack on April 14 and subsequent death by humane euthanasia on April 29 put a full stop to the career of one of the breed’s most important stallions. A really big horse who tended to sire horses of similar stature, Dynaformer was one of our most important factors for mental and physical toughness, for distance racing aptitude, and for overall athletic talent.”

It can also be noted that Dynaformer’s incredible heart powered his massive body with three holes in it – for two weeks. Comfortably.

The heart is a fascinating organ. According to research published in “The Subtle Body”, the (human) heart is not only the ‘circulatory’ center of the body, but also the electromagnetic center. “The heart’s electromagnetic field (EMF) is five thousand times stronger than that of the brain. Its electrical field is sixty times greater than that of the brain.”1 And the heart is composed of 60 to 65 percent ‘neural’ cells, and is capable of certain ‘cognitive’ functions, such as, “emotional processing, sensory experience, memory and derivation of meaning from events, and reasoning.”2

Hearts of horses indelibly govern their existence, which is one of the reasons they have given so generously throughout the ages. Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, and many of us today, wouldn’t have achieved the things we have, without the incredible equine heart. And not all hearts are created equal. Courage, love, fear, passion. Size.

Maybe performance ties into genetics, but what are the forces that combine to create the very ladder of physical life? Everything tangible, after all, comes from somewhere. Even DNA has anatomy, conformation, and building blocks.

Dynaformer was by Roberto, by Hail to Reason
Dynaformer was out of Andover Way, by His Majesty (full brother to Graustark) by Ribot
Notable X lines in X positions:

  • Discovery through Hasty Road
  • Man O’ War through Eight Thirty
  • Mahmoud through His Majesty
  • Notable X lines in non-X positions:
  • Blue Larkspur through Roberto, Johnstown through Nashua, also through Roberto

Zenyatta’s sire’s side has an instance of Nashua through Mr. Prospector, Hail to Reason through Halo, Hoist the Flag by Tom Rolfe, by Ribot through Raise the Standard.
Zenyatta was out of Vertigineux, by Kris S, by Roberto (by Hail to Reason)
Notable X lines in X positions:

  • Royal Charger (sire of Turn-To) through La Milo
  • Riverman: Blue Larkspur through Never Bend, Count Fleet, Blue Larkspur through River Lady (Prince John), Man O’ War through River Lady
  • Nearco through Boulevard
  • Princequillo through Kris S (by Roberto, same sire as Dynaformer)
  • War Admiral through Hoist the Flag (Tom Rolfe by Ribot)

Rachel Alexandra’s great grandsire Sadler’s Wells’ broodmare sire was Bold Reason, by Hail to Reason (by Turn-To)
Also, on her sire’s side: Sir Gaylord by Turn-To (out of Secretariat’s dam Somethingroyal), Tom Rolfe by Ribot, Social Position by Ribot.
Rachel Alexandra was out of Lotta Kim with Ribot through Graustark, Hail to Reason through Admiring, Hail to Reason through Stop the Music, and Turn-To through Sir Gaylord.
Notable X lines in X positions:

  • Man O’War through Court Circuit
  • War Admiral through Better Self, Silent Screen
  • Man O War through Eight Thirty, Silent Screen
  • Ribot through Society Singer, Royal Charger through Society Singer, Eight Thirty through Society Singer
  • Northern Dancer through Roar, Graustark (Mahmoud) through Roar, Hail to Reason through Roar, War Admiral through Roar
  • War Admiral through Better Self (Quick Cure), Discovery through Quick Cure
  • Man O War through Mata Hari, Man O War through Hostility, combined in Wild Music. Wild Music, through Lord Gaylord (by Sir Gaylord)
  • Princequillo through Biscayne Missy

Building blocks. Tangible and intangible, they encompass the greatest mystery on Earth, and manifest themselves in the formation of life and of Greatness.

References:
1-Cyndi Dale, Advanced Chakra Healing: Heart Disease (Berkeley, CA: Crossing, 2007) 6-7.
2-Stephen Harrod Buhner, The Secret Teachings of Plants (Rochester, VT: Bear & Co., 2004) 82.

Dynaformer dies at age 27

Excerpt:

Dynaformer, “known internationally for siring such top class athletes as Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Barbaro, Melbourne Cup (Aus-I) winner Americain, and $4.7 million dollar-earner Perfect Drift, had been pensioned after suffering an aortic valve rupture the afternoon of April 14 while in his stall.

An ultrasound performed the following day revealed several holes in Dynaformer’s heart as a result of the cardiac event, one measuring eight centimeters long and two others measuring two centimeters each.”1

Read more…
1-TheHorse.com accessed 4-30-2012

Wingspan Arts International introduces its newest Equine Chart

side 1: Equine Anatomy

side 2: how to take basic Vital Signs

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wingspan® Arts International Arts is proud to introduce its newest Equine Chart: Equine Anatomy and Vital Signs. Exciting colors, clear graphics, simple instructive text, room for recording important data, and an attractive price make this chart a must have for every horse person.

Designed by an award-winning artist in collaboration with a distinguished Veterinarian, this beautiful chart measures 11” x 17” and is UV coated for extended and repeated use. Basic horse anatomy is on one side where areas presenting symptoms can be circled. How to take the basic vital signs of the horse is on the other. Information may be recorded with a dry erase marker, photographed by tablets and Smartphones, and transmitted to supporting Equine Professionals (and yourself), or scanned into your computer for permanent data storage. It can then be wiped clean with a damp cloth.

Excellent for establishing baseline Vital Signs and pertinent information for every horse in the barn!

• Pdf’s can be created for sales horses demonstrating health history
• Great for kids and 4-H members, professional grooms, western riders, endurance riders, event riders, H/J riders, barn managers, trainers, dressage riders, carriage drivers and anyone who cares about the health and fitness of their horse!
• Introductory Price: $7.95
• Visit www.wingspanartsintl.com

Tapit and Zenyatta

By Pulpit and out of Tap Your Heels. Pedigree here: http://www.pedigreequery.com/tapit

The five generation pedigree of Tapit holds some interesting patterns. First and most obvious, are the instances of inbreeding. Mr. Prospector 3s x 4D, Nijinsky 5s x 3d. Mr. Prospector’s daughter on the top side is positioned in an X position for Tapit’s daughters, and Nijinsky is in an X position on the top side and bottom side. Tapit may sire a son or a daughter, and Nijinsky may have influence.

This is interesting, because Nijinsky is out of the mare Flaming Page, who was by Bull Page and out of Flaring Top. This means Man O’ War in an X position, right off the bat. In addition to Man O’ War, this also means Omaha (some believe he was responsible for Funny Cide’s heart through Summer Tan), and Blue Larkspur. Personally, I really like the Man O’ War/Ultimus connection through Flaring Top because the Spendthrift connection in the Man O’ War sideline was particularly synergistic with the Domino X through Ultimus’ daughter Summit. Adding Durbar to the mix through Omaha’s 2nd dam Flambette strengthens the juju building up to Nijinsky (by Northern Dancer – Native Dancer/Mahmoud in X positions).

The Tapit cross with Zenyatta, and the numerous instances she has of Man O’ War, and the famous Lexington/Glencoe nick, is really phenomenal. I can’t help but notice the In Reality inbreeding of Tapit’s dam Tap Your Heels. Although In Reality doesn’t carry the Man O’ War X, he provides numerous instances of the Lexington/Glencoe nick in all of its variations through both sides of his pedigree (Intentionally x My Dear Girl), in addition to his own Man O’ War sireline. It’s quite a remarkable buildup.

Of course we love Tapit’s broodmare sire, Unbridled. This is where one of the instances of In Reality is presented in an X position. In addition, there is a War Admiral X through Buckpasser, and a wonderful doubling of this factor through the sire of Aspidistra, Better Self. It should also be mentioned that Tea’s Over, the 2nd dam of Seabiscuit’s sire Hard Tack shows up through Aspidistra’s 3rd broodmare sire, Tea Caddy (Tea Caddy and Tea Biscuit are full sibs).

Tapit’s 4th dam Foggy Note follows up with Man O’ War in a great X position. She also brings along Sweep (Domino), Blue Larkspur, Bull Dog, La Troienne, Djeddah (Durbar X plus Frizette X), and Shut Out (Fair Play (Man O’ War’s sire) X and Rock Sand (Man O’ War’s broodmare sire) X).

Genetically and conformationally, this may well be an even better cross for Zenyatta than Bernardini. Tapit is beautifully balanced physically. He has a shorter back than Bernardini, and a more uphill build. This makes it easier for any horse to balance on their own feet, and makes it easier for them to balance weight on their backs regardless of the sport they are asked to participate in. Tapit’s legs are strong and straight. All combined, this will give Zenyatta’s next foal a wonderful start.

Tapit and Zenyatta provide a very exciting cross, and it is wonderful to see Zenyatta enjoying her new experience, and nurturing the new life she brings into this world.

Zenyatta has a baby boy…

News Here

And Here !

Congratulations to Zenyatta, all of her connections, and all of her fans. He’s a beauty.

YouTube video

Daily Racing Form Article :

“During a 30-year career, Cline figures he has seen about 3,000 foals born and says he has never experienced quite the level of public attention Zenyatta has gotten since arriving at the farm in December 2010. At the moment, the foaling barn and farm office are awash in balloon bouquets and floral arrangements featuring white lilies, pink tulips, and blue hydrangeas.”

““It was a unique, special thing for everybody,” Cline said of the colt’s birth. “When you get in the middle of foaling and you get busy, you don’t think much about who you’re working with. But when it’s all over with, you sit back and say, ‘Wow, this is a colt out of Zenyatta.’ ””

“Chances are, he’s going to be a celebrity for the rest of his days.”

Zenyatta and her baby outside

Thoroughbred Speed Gene

Thoroughbred Racehorses Get Speed from Just a Few Ancestors

Excerpt:

“In 2010, Hill and her colleagues announced they had discovered how variations in the genetic code of thoroughbreds translated to speed. A gene called MSTN, associated with muscle growth, comes in two varieties, or alleles: C and T. Horses with two copies of the C allele are fast, short-distance sprinters. Horses with one C and one T tend to be strong middle-distance runners. And T/T horses have less speed, but greater stamina.”

“In 2010, Hill and her colleagues announced they had discovered how variations in the genetic code of thoroughbreds translated to speed. A gene called MSTN, associated with muscle growth, comes in two varieties, or alleles: C and T. Horses with two copies of the C allele are fast, short-distance sprinters. Horses with one C and one T tend to be strong middle-distance runners. And T/T horses have less speed, but greater stamina.”

“By testing historical samples related to Darley Arabian, the researchers were able to determine that he lacked the C allele.”

Here’s where they lose a large body of data relating to speed in the breed.

“It’s not clear whether the other two stallions (Godolphin and Byerley Turk) had this allele, but their contribution to the gene pool is minimal compared with Darley. That makes it most likely that the C variant entered the thoroughbred line through a single mare bred in the 17th century, right before the thoroughbred population closed off to outbreeding. The results show that the ‘speed gene’ entered the Thoroughbred from a single founder, which was most like a British mare…”

A stallion didn’t need to be prolific in those days in order to change the course of the breed. Could be that the ‘single founder’ was a daughter of Godolphin, or a daughter of the Byerley Turk. Just look at how Godolphin not only changed the breed, but founded a new strain; characterized by speed.

For example: Cade, Matchem, Selima*, Janus5 (imported to the USA – foundation stallion for the fastest breed alive, the American Quarter Horse), Eclipse, Highflyer, Regulus, Blank…

In fact, it didn’t matter which side of the pedigree he was on, either.

The Byerley Turk established several well known lines through his daughters, and contributed significantly to female families 1, 2, 3, 8 (Orville), 17 (Maid of All Work, Sancho, Cowslip, Rachel), 21 (Selima*…), and more. He contributed to male lines as well; Jigg, Herod, Woodpecker, Snap, Sir Peter Teazle…

While Darley was selected because he represented the conformation/type breeders of the day wished to emphasize, and is seen in approximately 90% of today’s sirelines, Godolphin and the Byerley Turk were profoundly influential in both obvious and obscure ways, working prodigally everywhere else in those pedigrees. Personally, since speeds improved when Godolphin offspring arrived on the scene, and since Godolphin had a clear impact on the speed of the earliest Quarter Horses, I’d venture a guess that he was a viable candidate for the ‘C’ factor.

Secretariat had an astounding concentration of Godolphin daughters in his pedigree, especially through the explosive nick established by Lexington and Glencoe, which came through his sire, Bold Ruler. His large heart was attributed to Princequillo, which would have been predominately due to the influence of the Glencoe daughter, Pocahontas (many feel that her x factor came from Eclipse, while there are others who attribute the gene to Godolphin).

Man O War (in the opening of Marguerite Henry’s ‘King of the Wind’) was also a treasure trove of Godolphin blood, having descended directly from him in his sire line, and benefiting from the dispersal of Glencoe daughters throughout his pedigree, one of which (on his dam’s side) was responsible for his large heart expression.

Another significant horse is mentioned in the article, and that is Nearctic.

Interestingly, while Nearctic’s (pedigree here) sire is Nearco, whose damline traces directly to the Lexington/Glencoe mare, Maiden, his direct damline traces directly to Pretty Polly.

Pretty Polly’s pedigree is impressive, however there is an interesting parallel to be noted.

Pretty Polly’s tail female line leads to Wallflower, and then to Daphne, where there is a very interesting turn. From Daphne, the eye goes to Wagtail, through Laurel. Wagtail’s tail female line leads to a mare named ‘Sophia’, a daughter of Godolphin. Sophia has exactly the same grandparents as the great mare Selima* imported to the US in the 18th century. Selima’s influence was incalculable. Without her, horses like Lexington (the fastest 4 miler of his time), and by extension, Spendthrift, the great grandsire of Man O War, wouldn’t have existed.

In fact, Wagtail had a rather large dose of Godolphin and Byerley Turk offspring throughout her pedigree, from her grandsire Sancho, to Sir Peter Teazle, Trumpator and Luna on her sire’s side, to Highflyer, Cantatrice, Eclipse, Brilliant Mare, and Sophia through Sampson mare2 on her damside, all looking dominance, and all deserving their proper place history.

Revisiting the influence of the Godolphin horse, and the Byerley Turk is not only worthwhile, it is very possibly essential in understanding the full capacity and potential of the Thoroughbred horse going into the future.