| "COMPLETE RIDER" YOUR #1 HORSE DESTINATION |
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Outcross
Sires Shine at Breeders' Cup Upsets ruled the day at this year’s Breeders’ Cup. Leading contenders for Horse of the Year honors Fusaichi Pegasus, Riboletta, and Lemon Drop Kid, all finished out of the money while longshots Tiznow, Spain, and Caressing paid huge prices to win. At the same time outcross sires shone brightly through the descendants of In Reality and Ribot. The Phalaris male line, (now headed by Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector), has been dominating the sport to such an extent that 88 of the top 100 stallions on the 1999 general sires list were descendants of the Phalaris line, including 28 of the top 30. In recent years the most productive outcross sirelines (non-Phalaris) have been the Ribot, Damascus and In Reality lines. This year’s Breeders’ Cup saw the Relaunch branch of the In Reality line score big with Tiznow’s win in the Classic and Caressing’s win in the Juvenile Fillies. Both are by sons of Relaunch — himself a son of In Reality who traces back to Man O ’War. Tiznow is by California stallion Cee’s Tizzy, while Caressing is from the first crop of Relaunch’s son Honour and Glory. The Juvenile Colts saw Holy Bull’s
son Macho Uno win another for non-Phalaris line sires, while
Kona Gold from the Graustark/Ribot line broke the Churchill track
record in winning the Sprint in 1:07 3/5. Outcross sires thus
scored in four of the seven events. Northern Dancer’s grandson, Storm Cat, also deserves special mention. He is now poised to lead the general sires list for the second straight year. His European son Giant’s Causeway ran second in this year’s Classic, making Storm Cat the second leading lifetime sire in Breeders’ Cup earnings, trailing only Deputy Minister - also a grandson of Northern Dancer. Storm Cat also sired two other starters in this year’s Classic: Cat Thief and Vision and Verse. Third place in the Classic went to another non-Phalaris line horse in Captain Steve, by Fly So Free from the Damascus line, while fourth was Albert The Great, by Go For Gin from the Ribot line. The Northern Dancer line scored in The Mile with Danzig’s son, War Chant. Danzig, who led the general sires list in ‘91, ‘92, and ‘93, now leads all sires with five Breeders’ Cup winners lifetime. He presently ranks third all-time with 156 career stakes winners, trailing only Mr.Prospector (171) and Sadler’s Wells (161) - another son of Northern Dancer. For the second consecutive year the once great Nasrullah line flourished in the Breeders’ Cup as European star Kalinisi, a grandson of Mill Reef by Doyoun, won the Turf Classic. In fact, Kalinisi is inbred 3x4 to Nasrullah’s son, Never Bend. Nasrullah-line stallions A.P. Indy (by Seattle Slew), Rahy (by Blushing Groom), and Cozzene (by Caro) have ranked among the top five sires in North America throughout most of 2000. Kalinisi’s sire Doyoun has been exported to Turkey, but also sired last year’s Turf winner, Daylami, as well as this year’s betting favourite, Manndar. The Nasrullah-line renaissance
is very rare historically. In the past, such prominent male lines
as Teddy, Hyperion, and Princequillo faded rapidly as the newer
Phalaris blood rose to dominance. Looking back at the golden
decade of the Seventies we find its greatest stars, Secretariat,
Seattle Slew, Ruffian, and Spectacular Bid, were all Nasrullah-line
horses. Decades later we still see branches of the Nasrullah
tree flourishing through the likes of Blushing Groom, Caro, Riverman,
and Mill Reef, particularly at classic distances. Inbreeding in 2000 Breeders’ Cup winners: Tiznow: 4x4 - Northern Dancer
Breeders’ Cup Sirelines (winners thru’ 2000) - 120 races Sires of Winner |
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