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by Nigel Pullen © The Hong Kong International meeting held in December at Sha Tin racecourse has steadily grown in prestige and importance, and is now established as the year's final important gathering of Thoroughbreds from around the world. In 2001 the honours went to Japan, who took all three of the Group 1 races. HONG KONG SPRINT (G2) (1000 metres) A three-way photo-finish to start proceedings, and a repeat of last year's result with Falvelon for Australia and Morluc for America occupying the first two places again. A bit outpaced at halfway, Falvelon took the lead near the finish as the early leader, Century Kid, tired, and held the late charge of Morluc and local runner All Thrills Too. Falvelon's sire Alannon was himself a sprinter who gained his most important victory in the Rubiton Stakes (G3). He was 4x5 to the close genetic relatives Lady Angela and Eleanor Cross; both daughters of Hyperion who traced tail female to Molly Desmond. The latter was a daughter of the peerless Pretty Polly, who also appeared in Alannon via Donatello II, while Pretty Polly's three-quarter genetic relative Honora featured in Falvelon's dam Devil's Zephyr, as the ancestress of Helioscope. Lady Angela had added significance because her Hyperion, Tracery and Swynford heritage made her a perfect cross for Star Kingdom, the tail male ancestor of Falvelon's dam Devil's Zephyr. A further link between Devil's Zephyr and Alannon's was provided by the latter's fourth dam Bright Circlet. This mare was by a son of Nearco out of a mare by Mahmoud tracing tail female to Galaday II. This pattern closely matched that of Never Say Die (present in the fifth generation of Devil's Zephyr), who was by Nasrullah (by Nearco out of Mahmoud's three-quarter sister Mumtaz Begum) and also traced tail female to Galaday II. Indeed, Never Say Die could be a pivotal strain in this pedigree. His own dam Singing Grass was by War Admiral (Man O'War/Sweep cross) with his granddam Galaday II being a daughter of Sir Gallahad III. This background was reinforced by two further individuals; namely Seximee (dam of Alannon's grandsire Nonoalco) and Bluescope (sire of Falvelon's granddam), who were found 4x3 in Falvelon. Just like Singing Grass, Bluescope had Man O'War and Sir Gallahad III close up. This was backed up by Sir Gallahad III's full brother Bull Dog, and a further link was provided by Bluescope's 4x5 cross of Black Toney. The latter having the reverse Domino/Ben Brush combination to that found in the aforementioned Sweep. Seximee's background was even richer in these strains, being 3x4x5x6 to the full brothers Sir Gallahad III/Bull Dog, blended with War Admiral and Black Toney. This mix of Man O'War, Black Toney, Sir Gallahad III or Bull Dog, very often in combination with La Troienne, has become a powerful driving force behind so many current pedigrees, two other important examples of it which spring to mind are Bold Reason (maternal grandsire of the all-conquering Sadler's Wells) and Buckpasser. Yet another interesting link between the pedigrees of Alannon and Devil's Zephyr was provided by the 4x5 cross in Falvelon of the mare Alleged (granddam of Alannon's sire Noalcoholic) and stallion Tip The Bottle (sire of Zephyr Zing's granddam). The mare Alleged (not to be confused with the successful stallion of the same name) traced tail male to Blenheim II, was out of a Court Martial mare and possessed background strains of Son-In-Law and Clarissimus. This was a perfect foil for Tip The Bottle who was by Court Martial out of a mare by Blenheim II's full brother His Grace with backgrounds strains of Son-In-Law and the rarely found three-quarter sister to Clarissimus named Estelle. Finally, Falvelon's fifth dam Miss Matilda was a half sister to Epsom Derby hero Papyrus, but her main claim to fame comes through a horse that made his name in a contrastingly different sphere to the speedy Falvelon. Miss Matilda's daughter Wheat Germ (by Trigo) was dam of the magnificent steeplechaser Crisp (by Rose Argent). After winning in his native Australia and the Carolina Hunt Cup in America, Crisp came to race in England in 1970. Here he won nine steeplechases including the Two Mile Champion Chase at Cheltenham, and finished fifth in the 1972 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Crisp's name will always forever be etched in Grand National folklore by his gallant attempt to win the 1973 renewal of that four and a half mile steeplechase, over the fearsome Aintree fences. Set to carry top weight of 168 pounds, he adopted his customary front-running tactics, and on the second circuit cleared Becher's Brook nearly a fence ahead of his rivals. However, the weight and the pace began to take their toll, and he was caught in the dying strides of the race by another Aintree legend Red Rum, who was carrying 23 pounds less. The pair smashed the course record by an amazing nineteen seconds, and to show the quality of the performance Red Rum went on to win the race twice more (once carrying 168 pounds himself) and finished runner-up on two other occasions. It is interesting to note that Crisp was 5x2 to Papyrus and his half sister Miss Matilda. HONG KONG VASE (G1) (2400 metres) An enterprising piece of riding on Ekraar nearly won the race for the Godolphin challenger. He kicked for home 1000 metres out and quickly opened up a five lengths lead. However, the effort took its toll, and he was caught in the last 100 metres by Stay Gold, with the rest of the field well behind. Stay Gold is a son on the all-conquering Japanese based stallion Sunday Silence and out of Golden Sash, a full sister to Soccer Boy, already sire in Japan of two Group 1 winners in Narita Top Road and Tico Tico Tac. Sunday Silence traced tail female to the mare Cinna (herself 3x3 to the important mare Quiver), and many of his best offspring have multiple strains of this female family in their genetic background. However, this is not the case with Stay Gold, but he does trace tail female to a mare (Sonsie Queen) sired by Quiver's close relative Musket. Stay Gold's dam Golden Sash was by Dictus out of a mare by Northern Taste, and it is interesting to compare the pedigree of these two stallions. Northern Taste was a closely inbred horse, being 3x2 to Lady Angela; and significantly Dictus had three individuals with similar genetic backgrounds to Lady Angela in Artist's Proof, Sind and Donatello II, to whom he was actually 4x4x4. Dictus's granddam Dulzetta had a pedigree featuring Pharos, Swynford, Gondolette, Dorina, Verdun and Bridge Of Earn close up. The significance of this becomes more apparent when one compares it with the background of Montparnasse II, the sire of Sunday Silence's granddam Mountain Flower. Montparnasse II was an Argentinean horse that George Pope had raced as a stakes winner in Argentine and was also stakes-placed in America. He was also a perfect foil for Dulzetta, having strains of Pharos's full brother Fairway, Swynford, Gondolette, Dorina, Verdun and Bridge of Earn's half sister Santa Cruz to match that mare. Finally, the cross of Sunday Silence and Northern Taste has proved particularly productive with other recent examples of Group winners being Admire Max, Agnes Gold, Daiwa Rouge, Fusaichi Zenon, Future Sunday and Jo Big Bang. This cross brings together two daughters of Almahmoud in Cosmah and Natalma. But perhaps equally as important was the fact that Lady Angela was 4x4 to Canterbury Pilgrim (by Tristan), and out of a mare by Abbot's Trace, the latter being 4x3 to Rock Sand's granddam, St Marguerite, and her full brother St Honorat. This sort of genetic background was one of the important factors in Sunday Silence's pedigree too. The pedigree of runner-up Ekraar (by Red Ransom - Sacahuista) also merits a mention, as it possess some nice features. Firstly he is 4x4 Nashua and 5x4 My Babu, with Nashua appearing in the sire of Red Ransom, and in the dam Sacahuista. While My Babu reversed this trend being found in the dam of Red Ransom, and in the sire of Sacahuista. The occurrence of My Babu is backed up by a balancing daughter strain of his grandsire Tourbillon together with a further line of his granddam Lavendula II. Red Ransom's maternal grandsire Damascus has an important link with Ekraar's fourth dam Levee. Damascus traced tail male to Sun Again, a three-quarter sister to Levee's dam Bourtai, with both featuring Teddy, Stimulus and Affection close up. Furthermore, Bubbling Over (by North Star III - Bubbling Beauty), the maternal grandsire of Levee's own sire Hill Prince, was in fact a 5/8th brother to Damascus's third dam Bar Nothing. Interestingly enough, Benefice, a Group 3 winner in Ireland back in 1980, was by Damascus out of a daughter of Levee, while the 2000 Italian Group 3 winner Development also had Damascus crossed with Levee. Finally, Ekraar has an interesting half sister by Gulch called Balenciaga. Interesting because Gulch's granddam Asbury Mary has a similar background to the aforementioned Bourtai and Sun Again, thanks to her strains of Teddy, Stimulus and Hilltown; the latter's ancestress Astrology being a three quarter sister to none other than Affection's granddam The Apple. HONG KONG MILE (G1) (1600 metres) Another Japanese victory, but not with the horse expected, as the favourite Zenno El Cid finished last. Eishin Preston came with a strong run in the last 200 metres, and won going away to record the easiest victory of the day. Eishin Preston is a son of the veteran stallion Green Dancer out of a mare who finished third in the Boiling Springs Handicap (G3). A three time Group 1 winner, including the French 2000 Guineas and Prix Lupin, Green Dancer stood at his trainer Alec Head's Haras du Quesnay stud in France for six seasons, until the lure of the dollar prompted his sale to America to stand at Gainesway. It was symptomatic of the French breeding industry at that time, only too willing to sell their best stallions when the dollars were waved in front of them. Ironically, the same fate befell Lyphard, who sired Eishin Preston's maternal grandsire Monteverdi. Three years older than Green Dancer, Lyphard was also in the care of master trainer Alec Head in his racing days that saw him win both Prix Jacques Le Marois (G1) and Prix de la Foret (G1). He spent just five seasons as a stallion in France, also being sold to stand at Gainesway for the 1978 breeding season. So in Eishin Preston we have the Gainesway inmates reunited again, with Eishin Preston being 3x4 to Northern Dancer via two very different physical types in Green Dancer's sire Nijinsky II and Lyphard. However, there is also an interesting parallel between the two, apart from both being sons of Northern Dancer. Lyphard traced tail female to the mare Cerda, who was by Ajax out of a daughter of the mare Livie II. This made her a close relative of a mare named La Flambee (by Ajax out of a granddaughter of Livie II), and La Flambee proved to be none other than the third dam of Omaha, a stallion found in the fourth generation of Nijinsky II. Nijinsky's three-quarter brother, The Minstrel, actually had the full brothers Omaha and Flares occurring 3x4 in his dam, so could be an interesting cross with Lyphard in the future, and this combination can already be found in recent Group winners Count Dubois and Lovers Knot. The Green Dancer/Lyphard cross has been quite productive, boasting the Group 1 winners Glorosia, Nasr El Arab and Pennekamp, along with the promising sire Pursuit Of Love. Green Dancer's granddam Sly Pola was the product of parents with very similar genetic backgrounds. Both her sire Spy Song and dam Ampola had strains of Black Toney, North Star III, Peter Pan and Man O'War close up. It is instructive therefore to compare her pedigree with that of Eishin Preston's third dam Garden Fresh. A look at the latter's pedigree shows a very similar pattern, courtesy of North Star III blended with doubles of Black Toney and Peter Pan, and a triple of Man O'War. HONG KONG CUP (G1) (2000 metres) The third close finish of the meeting, with Agnes Digital holding off the persistent challenges from Tobougg and Terre A Terre. The four-year-old seems equally at home on dirt and turf, and connections are now aiming him at the Dubai World Cup next March. Agnes Digital is the first foal of the American bred mare Chancey Squaw, a minor winner by Chief's Crown out of a half sister to the excellent stallion Blushing Groom. This makes Agnes Digital an interesting prospect when he eventually retires to stud. His sire, Crafty Prospector, was a son of Mr Prospector who put up his best performance on the racetrack in finishing runner-up in the 1983 Gulfstream Park Handicap (G1). [Agnes Digital is bred on quite similar lines to the 2000 Hollywood Derby (G1) hero Brahms; whose background includes strains of Danzig, Mr Prospector, Blushing Groom and Rough'N Tumble.] This cross of Crafty Prospector looks especially interesting as it brings together two closely related individuals in Crafty Princess (third dam of Crafty Prospector) and Pas de Nom (dam of Danzig). While Crafty Princess was by Crafty Admiral out of a mare by Court Martial, Pas De Nom was by Crafty Admiral's son Admiral's Voyage out of a mare named Petitioner, who shared a very similar Fair Trial, Gainsborough, Hurry On heritage with Court Martial. To reinforce the potential of this cross, it is worth noting that the dam of top miler Intikhab was by Crafty Prospector out of a Danzig mare, with a similar combination being responsible for G2 winner Prospect Bay. The double of Crafty Admiral introduced two further fascinating twists. Firstly his granddam Boola Brook was none other than the granddam of the stallion Red God; and of course the latter sired Blushing Groom, who was a half-sister to Agnes Digital's granddam Allicance. Secondly, Crafty Admiral's 2x3 cross of the full brothers Sir Gallahad III and Bull Dog together with War Admiral was strongly reinforced by the appearance of the stallion Alleged, the sire of the previously mentioned Alliance. Alleged was in fact 1x3 to a couple of Sir Gallahad III/War Admiral sources in his sire Hoist The Flag and third dam Tumbling. Looking at the pedigrees of Group winners with duplications of Crafty Admiral reveals that most have further reinforcement of this basic War Admiral/Sir Gallahad III/Bull Dog pattern, Buckpasser being a particularly common source. Examples of this are Evening Attire, Intikhab, Middlesex Drive, Moonflute, Prospect Bay and Strolling Belle. This of course brings us back almost full circle with just sort of Man O'War, Black Toney, Sir Gallahad III/Bull Dog background strains that we were discussing in the analysis of Falvelon; and to tie things up extremely neatly Falvelon also has a strain of Crafty Admiral. December 30, 2001. Copyright by Nigel Pullen 2001 |
