Gorse

Gorse - A Model Pedigree

by Nigel Pullen ©

One of the most fascinating aspects of the pedigree analyst's work comes with the appearance of a horse that outruns his pedigree. Here we have a Group class performer whose racetrack feats are well above the level of most of his immediate ancestors. This type of pedigree is well worth a detailed study, as it can so often reveal a pattern that small breeders can exploit to their advantage.

One such horse is the six-year-old English trained sprinter Gorse who recorded his fourth and fifth Group victories recently in Germany. Gorse's pedigree certainly contains some unfashionable names, and one to catch the eye is his maternal grandsire, Latest Model. What is even more interesting is that just two days after Gorse recorded his success in the Benazet Rennen (G3) at Baden-Baden, another sprinter named Indian Mary won the Premio Tudini (G3) in Rome. Nothing too remarkable in that you might say, but wait; the granddam of Indian Mary was a daughter of the stallion New Model, and the latter just happened to be a full brother to Latest Model.

On the racetrack New Model (1970) was slightly the more talented of the two brothers sired by the top-class miler Reform. Raced in Italy in his first two seasons, New Model recorded victories in the Gran Criterium (G2) in Milan and the Premio Masciago as a juvenile and finished runner-up in the Premio Merano the following year. At four, he came to be trained in England after winning the Premio Melton, and proved only just behind the best sprinters, finishing a short head second to Saritamer in the July Cup (G2) before scoring in the Challenge Stakes (G3) in October, 1974.

The younger brother, Latest Model (1974), was trained in the north of England winning a once over five and twice over six furlongs. His best performance came in defeat, when a close up third in the Palace House Stakes (G3) as a three year old.

New Model retired to stud in France in 1975, and actually sired three Italian G3 winners, namely La Figlia Di Jorio, Razzes and Rouge Oiseau. Meanwhile Latest Model took up stud duties in England, but although standing there from 1980 until his death in 1994 received little patronage, his best winners being the tough handicappers Mister Jolson and Red River Boy.

The dam of New Model and Latest Model was the French bred mare Cover Girl. In her racing days she had been good enough to win the Prix Chloe, and also finish a head second in the French 1000 Guineas. Cover Girl's pedigree featured two very close genetic relatives 2x2, namely the mares Edelfrau and Pinup Girl, the respective dams of her own sire and dam. Edelfrau was by Admiral Drake out of a mare by Vatout, and her granddam was by Teddy's son Aethelstan. This would prove a perfect foil for Pinup Girl since her sire, Lorenzo De Medici, was by Vatout out of a mare by Sir Gallahad III. The latter was not only a half brother to Admiral Drake but also a son of Teddy.

Thus Edelfrau and Lorenzo De Medici were bred on a reverse cross; the maternal grandsire of Edelfrau being the sire of Lorenzo De Medici, while the maternal grandsire of Lorenzo De Medici was a half brother to the sire of Edelfrau. Just to make the relationship more intense, Admiral Drake's sire Craig An Eran traced tail female to Sceptre, who was a three parts sister to Perpetua, the third dam of Pinup Girl.

Gorse is a son of the sprinter Sharpo, a dual G1 winner by Sharpen Up (July Cup and Prix De L'Abbaye) who also claimed a hat trick of victories in the William Hill Sprint Championship (G2). Sharpo was a horse well suited to soft ground, and the majority of his offspring take after him in this respect. Gorse was among twelve Group winners he sired, including three at G1 level, before his death in 1994.

Gorse's third dam Propitious was a pretty ordinary racemare, winning a race at five, six and seven furlongs from her 20 starts; but her pedigree was far from ordinary. To begin with she was 4x3 to Lady Juror and her rarely found full brother Samphire; and she also had an intense build up of the important broodmare Quiver. Propitious's sire Propitiation traced tail female to Cinna (3x3 Quiver), while her third dam, Tinklebell, was a daughter of Clarion. This is not the usual Clarion, common in pedigrees via Klairon, but a stallion foaled in 1916 by Polymelus out of Tootles by John O'Gaunt. The appearance of Polymelus and John O'Gaunt meant that Clarion was also inbred to Quiver, the duplication here being 3x4.

Even with this strong genetic background Propitious did little at stud, breeding just a single winner named Zantedeschia; a daughter of another obscure stallion in Zimone. A son of Persian Gulf, Zimone raced in Italy winning the Premio Chiusura, but died relatively young after standing at stud first in Italy and then in England. Zimone's pedigree contained no strains of Lady Juror, and only a remote 7x7 cross of Quiver to reinforce Propitious's background; but perhaps significantly Zimone was 6x4 to the mare Electric Rose. The latter's sire Lesterlin was none other than a seven-eighths brother to Palotta, the third dam of Lady Juror.

Zantedeschia won her maiden over six furlongs as a juvenile, and the following season won three ordinary mile handicaps from six starts. At stud Zantedeschia did better than her dam by breeding a total of six winners. However, the only one of any real quality was Cut Throat. He was a very useful two year old winning five of his eight starts at that age, including two listed events, and was rated just eight pounds behind the champion juvenile Storm Bird. After finishing fourth in the English 2000 Guineas the following spring, he never regained his form and ended up as a stallion in America, where his sole Group winner was Wind Splitter (Trenton Handicap G3). It is worth noting that Cut Throat was a very close relative to Gorse, being by Sharpen Up who was also the grandsire of Gorse.

Ironically, one of Zantedeschia's non-winner's, Pervenche, is the most likely to keep the family name alive. As a juvenile, the nearest Pervenche came to winning was a sixth place on her debut, and after two more unplaced efforts she was dispatched to America where she also drew a blank in four starts the following season. To date, Gorse has been her only winner from seven foals.

The first point of interest in Gorse's pedigree is the relationship between Pretty Swift (dam of Falcon, dam's sire of Sharpo), Palestine (paternal grandsire of Reform) and Propitiation (sire of Gorse's third dam, Propitious), who appear 4x5x4. The stallion Propitiation is certainly a name rarely found in pedigrees, but the grey son of Petition was a fairly useful miler. He won four times over that distance, including a victory over Bebe Grande just before the later was placed in both English 2000 Guineas and 1000 Guineas in the space of three days. After siring little of note in England he was exported to South Africa.

Propitiation was by Petition out of Star Of Persia by The Satrap, a pattern quite similar to Palestine who was by Fair Trial (also the sire of Petition) out of Una by Tetratema; the latter being a full brother to The Satrap. Both also had a cross of Cyllene/Ladas further back.

These two stallions closely matched Pretty Swift, since she was a daughter of Petition, and her dam was 4x3 to Tetratema. Gorse's fifth dam was by Samphire, the rarely found full brother Fair Trial's dam Lady Juror. Fair Trial was the sire of Palestine, mentioned above, while Lady Juror was a half sister to Sansonnet, the dam of Tudor Minstrel, who crops up in Gorse's pedigree via his sire Sharpo. Just to bring things back full circle Sansonnet was by Sansovino, who also appears in the pedigree of Latest Model's grandsire Pall Mall (sire of Reform).

Another powerful influence at work in Gorse's pedigree comes via Sceptre; that amazing mare who won four of the five English Classics in 1902. Latest Model's sixth dam Perpetua was a three quarter sister to Sceptre; while Sceptre was also the granddam of Craig An Eran (8x7 in Gorse), the third dam of Buchan (sire of Sharpo's fifth dam) and fourth dam of Petition (5x5 in Gorse). So in Gorse we have an accumulation of three of the most influential broodmares, namely Lady Juror, Quiver and Sceptre; and it is tempting to think that this must have contributed in some way to Gorse's ability.