HH88

Of all Deep Impact's good winners analyzed in the earlier post Deep Impact – et al (currently residing on Page 4) only one (Snowfall) is out of a Galileo mare. Although 4F x 7 M Auguste Rodin's sex balanced double of English Horse of the Year Busted may be at work here. G1 Japanese Derby winner Deep Brillante (included in the Page 4 post) is 4F x 5M to Busted and not altogether unlike the Captain Rio mating suggested in the post for Staphanos. This mating best suits a colt.

Fanfreluche, one of Northern Dancer's good fillies accurately reflecting the linebreeding identified in the Northern Dancer – et al post with male and female strains of both Robert le Diable and St Marguerite, the later providing what could be called the “filly factor” i.e. a son and daughter of a female ancestor.

Tivaci demonstrates how Tredennis can still have some influence. High Chaparral like Montjeu has “used” the Tredennis/Sweet Marjorie linebreeding, however the lines of Tredennis in High Chaparral are all male strains, so mares carrying female strains could still be effective. Tivaci's dam Breccia carries 3 of these lines. Critically she also has a male strain of Abbots Trace to balance the female strain in Northern Dancer - as does Galileo and Montjeu. Interestingly, and to quote from Sir Charles Leicester's wonderful tome 'Bloodstock Breeding': “Tredennis is about the only sire with considerable recent influence on modern pedigree who was a thoroughly useless racehorse. He was very well bred being by Kendal (sometime Champion Sire) out of the 1000 Guineas winner St. Marguerite, Tredennis spent three years in training but was incapable of winning a race of any sort. He was then sold for 100 pounds, transferred to Ireland and started at stud in the most humble circumstances serving “half-bred” and all sorts of mares. He soon began to get winners from the few thoroughbred mares he was put to, so as time went on the quality of his mares improved. Not unnaturally with better mares he got better winners and when he died in his 29th year had sired the winners of 480 races value 147,479 pounds in England and Ireland – a most remarkable performance.”

Jennifer Eccles - a pedigree puzzle and a possible solution with linebreeding to full brother/sister Diadem and Diadumenos. Diadem won the 1000 Guineas, ran second in the Oaks ,and won both the July Cup and Kings Stand Stakes – twice. Diadumenos was rated as the best sprinter of his time. There is some anecdotal evidence Crested Wave (who carries the line of Diadem) exerted similar pedigree influence back in the 1980s with two good ones in Surfers Paradise -NZ Derby, NZ 2000 Guineas, W.S. Cox Plate, Rosehill Guineas and Plume, NZ 1000 Guineas, Champion NZ 3yo filly of her year.

Galileo like his sire is free of Tredennis and achieved success when mated with mares carrying multiples of that line. Herewith four of Galileo's highest ranked colts and fillies: Two points of reference (in addition to the analysis) suggest this is the likely key. The observation (by others) of the Darshaan and or Shirley Heights cross with Sadlers Wells (provides 3 lines of Tredennis) Montjeu's fillies do not appear in the same class as his colts. Unlike Sadlers Wells and Galileo Montjeu has a line of Tredennis in his dam so the Tredennis / Sweet Marjorie linebreeding has already been used. As a consequence when Montjeu is mated with mares carrying Tredennis the linebreeding is to now to Tredennis – not a full brother sister, thus losing the filly factor this provides, one both Sadlers Wells and Galileo appear to have benefited from.

The linebreeding to the full brother and sister described above would be expected to work for both colts and fillies. Triple Oaks winner Alexandrova (Epsom, Irish, and Yorkshire) examples this. She also has balanced linebreeding to Abbots Trace of unknown affect here.

High Chaparrals linebreeding is a little different but much the same, as HDC Hampton once said “nature hides her secrets well”. However a comment on the Pedigreequery.com database provides a useful clue: DARSHAAN (GB) br. H, 1981 {13-c} DP = 4-5-12-5-8 (34) DI = 0.79 CD = -0.24 - 8 Starts, 5 Wins, 0 Places, 1 Shows Career Earnings: $216,726 1984 Champion 3YO in France. 1984 Champion 3YO stayer in Europe. Noted broodmare sire - particularly when crossed with Sadler's Wells much like his sire Shirley Heights. Stood at Gilltown Stud, Co. Kildare, IRE The answer may still lie with St. Marguerite lurking in the background. Sadlers Wells now carries 6 female strains - one of which comes through his tail female line of Simons Shoes by Simon Square, who is out of Sweet Marjorie. She is by Kendal out of St. Marguerite, Shirley Heights has 3 duplications of her full brother Tredennis.

The first post in this thread described how Northern Dancers linebreeding to Rock Sand appeared to be one of his strongest lines and how Abbots Trace carried a 3 x 4 cross of St. Marguerite and full brother St. Honorat. Using Sadlers Wells as an example his progeny demonstrates how this linebreeding can be carried forward (as always through an opposite strain) Firstly two of his very best i.e. Galileo and Montjeu:

Herewith four of his good ones. Northern Dancers balanced linebreeding to Ayrshire is now brought forward through an opposite strain of Robert Le Diable who is by Ayrshire out of a daughter of Melton. Of note this linebreeding in all cases is coming through American Triple Crown winner Omaha or his full brother Flares by Gallant Fox whose fifth dam is St. Marguerite – the second dam of Rock Sand.

The Ayrshire presence here may be due to a build up of his # 8 family in the background of Northern Dancers pedigree. A list of these is attached and of note: Atalanta is a ¾ sister to St Serf, Miss Middlewick is a full sister to Violet Melrose, Violet is a full sister to Feronia, and Bridget is a full sister to Melton.

Based on progeny analysis his strongest lines appear to be through the balanced linebreeding to both Rock Sand the English Triple Crown winner, and Ayrshire who won the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster and the 2000 Guineas and Derby at Epsom. The male line of Rock Sand is present through Abbots Trace - and therein lies a clue with his 3 x 4 cross of 1000 Guineas winner St Marguerite and her full brother St Honorat. (More to follow)

Promising filly with balanced linebreeding to Banish Fear, Eight Thirty, and full brother/sister Astrophel and Dulce. A significant number od Deep Impacts best race fillies have the linebreeding to Banish Fear/Herodias including: Gran Alegria, Jour Polaire, Lei Papale, Loves Only You, Marialite, Mikki Queen, Terzetto, Shonan Pandora, Akaitorino Musume etc; all except Terzetto at G1 level. Oaks heroine Snowfall was linebred to opposite strains of Cosmah which simply brings Banish Fear / Herodias forward. All extended pedigrees included in the Deep Impact post below.

Some thoughts on Fireburn: Firstly the linebreeding to full brother/sister Ridan and Thong: They have balanced linebreeding to Ormonde and his full brother in blood Martagon plus the full sisters Windermere and Frivolity. There is additional linebreeding to Troutbeck and his full sister Mountain Lass whose second dam Rydal is a full sister to Kendal - all from the same crack #16 family. Sweet Marjorie is also a full sister to Tredennis (not teased out on the pedigree sheet) who appears through Ribot etc. It would be reasonable to assume that fillies of Fireburn's ability would have elements in their pedigree that would differentiate them from others (the Ridan/Thong duplication is not altogether uncommon) and here it may be her balanced duplications of (the dam of two Derby winners) Friars Daughter, again from the same #16 family. It could be argued this build up of balanced linebreeding in the background to the same family is coalescing with Ridan/Thong. Of interest Friars Daughter is out of a mare by Roseland whose 4th dam is Electric Light. So You Think's dam line traces to Winning Flight by Winning Hit who carries a double of Bill of Portland, a son or male strain of Electric Light.

Hello Pheroz, Without a detailed pedigree analysis it is really difficult to comment. The purpose of the posts in the thread are to demonstrate the principle that appears to be at work in the pedigrees of top class race fillies (i.e. sex balanced linebreeding to a female ancestor) However if Opie has labelled her he is seldom wrong.