Badger

Badger Drift

by Karel Miedema©

Early in March, Badger's Drift finished a fast closing second to Celtic Grove in the Newmarket Guineas, first leg of South Africa's Triple Crown which carries a bonus of R1 million for the winner of all legs. Three weeks later, the boot was on the other foot, Badger's Drift striding out majestically in the final furlong to come home alone in the Gr1 SA Classic over 1800m at Gosforth Park. The win makes him the fifth full stakes winner for his dam On The Roof, and shows how a top class female line can be revived after lying dormant for a few generations by doing 'the right thing'.

On The Roof won a single race over five furlongs as a two-year-old, her dam and second dam were unraced, her third dam managed a string of places but no win. Yet the recent family achievements can easily be justified. On The Roof's third dam, after all, was Aimee, the grandam of Blushing Groom. From a mating to Sheshoon (the Ascot Gold Cup winner who was conceived when his sire was 22 years old), Aimee produced a daughter named Afasheen. A small, compact mare, Afasheen had twelve foals and nine winners, the most influential of which was On The Tiles. A daughter of Thatch, On The Tiles produced French Gr1 winner Air de Rien (by Elegant Tern) and English Gr2 placed Stiletto Blade (by Elegant Tern's son Dashing Blade).

The South African connection comes through another daughter of Afasheen, the unraced Abriyna, conceived from a 1977 mating to Red God. That was the same year in which Afasheen's half sister Runaway Bride hit the limelight through the exploits of her son Blushing Groom, the unbeaten French champion two-year-old the year before. Blushing Groom was by Red God, as good an explanation as any as to why Afasheen visited that same sire.

One generation further the net was thrown wider still, as unraced Abriyna came to see Thatching, a son of Thatch who had sired Abriyna's Gr1 producing half sister On The Tiles. The resulting daughter, On The Roof, now had two genetic links to Gr1 winners. The big question was: did that double make sense in terms of pedigree, or was it just a sales gimmick?

It all started with Aimee, a daughter of Tudor Minstrel. The latter was by Owen Tudor (Hyperion x daughter of Pharos) out of Sansonnet (Sansovino x Lady Juror). Aimee herself was inbred 4x4 to Swynford (through two sons, Sansovino and Blandford). Sansovino was a genetic sibling to Selene, dam of Hyperion.

Taking this combination to Thatch made good sense. The latter was by Forli, a grandson of Hyperion and inbred 4x4 to Lady Juror (through a son and a daughter, both sired by Pharos and genetic siblings). Thatch was a grandson of Rough Shod, whose dam, Dalmary, was by Blandford. This interplay resulted in On The Tiles, dam of Gr1 winner Air de Rien and his three-parts brother Stiletto Blade. The pair share in their male line, the stallion Elegant Air, by Shirley Heights, by Mill Reef. The fourth dam of Mill Reef and second dam of Aimee are full sisters.

If Thatch was right, then his son Thatching was better. Inbred to Dalmary (through two daughters), Thatching was out of Abella, daughter of Abernant (Owen Tudor) who was a genetic sibling to Tudor Minstrel.

That gave On The Tiles and her close relative On The Roof well-constructed pedigrees, the latter having the added bonus of Red God in the pedigree, making her a close relative of Blushing Groom. This seemed significant, for Blushing Groom as a broodmare sire shows a strong affinity for elements from the female line of Red God.

An unusually high number of big runners from Blushing Groom mares have Nijinsky close up in their pedigrees (Kahyasi, Lammtarra, Louis Cyphre, Green Means Go), or have Mr Prospector (Awesome Again, Clash By Night, Brushing Gloom, Queena). Nijinsky's dam is a genetic sibling to the dam of Red God, and it is important to note that another genetic sibling makes up a strong trio in this context: Tom Fool.

On The Roof's five stakes winners fit the pattern. Gr1 winner Badger's Drift is by Badger Land, whose second dam is inbred to Hyperion 3x3 (through a son and daughter, the son being Khaled, half-brother to the dam of Aimee - remember the Mill Reef female line connection).

Two other stakes winning sons of On The Roof were full brothers by Damascus Gate. The latter by Damascus (who brings Peter Pan, also in Red God's dam), out of a mare by Buckpasser (by Tom Fool).

A fourth stakes winner, multiple Gr1-placed Secret Hoard is by Secret Prospector, a son of Mr Prospector. Secret Prospector's granddam Numbered Account was by Buckpasser (Tom Fool) out of a mare by Swaps (Khaled).

On The Roof had just seven foals during her stud career, of which - infuriatingly - six were sons (five stakes winners, one stakes-placed). Her only daughter, Raise The Roof is now a four-year-old, and still a maiden... The world seems her oyster, though, as any sire with Sadler's Wells, Mill Reef, Nureyev, Nijinsky, Mr Prospector or Blushing Groom (!) should make her sing.