by Angel B. Contreras, MD ©

This article was originally published June 15, 1997 on Dr. Contreras' website Rancho San Antonio. We reprint it here since it provides some interesting insights into the pedigrees of the 1997 Triple Crown race winners Silver Charm (Kentucky Derby and Preakness) and Touch Gold (Belmont Stakes), who are now exciting stallion prospects standing in Kentucky.

1997...the Triple Crown is over...everybody is talking about blue blood vs. blue-collar, fashionable vs. unfashionable... This year's Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes winners share a common link, a unique and successful cross that has endured the test of time and the whimsical selections of breeders.

E.R. Bradley and Olin Gentry created a breed that took the colors of Idle Hour Farm to virtually every stake winner's circle in North America. Those of you that have read my previous articles are now familiar with what I like to call the Idle Hour cross. Let's take a closer look at this year's Triple Crown pedigrees and we'll observe how crosses made over 50 years ago still bring classic quality to the modern breed.

Silver Charm

Winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, second in the Belmont Stakes. The first relationship we will examine with Silver Charm is the 3x4 cross of Busanda and her genetic relative Striking through the dam of Buckpasser and the granddam of Poker, grandsire and broodmare sire of Silver Charm. Note that both are daughters of War Admiral out of daughters of the immortal Boussac bred mare La Troienne, one of the most influential mares in the Stud Book. The relationship is even closer because Busanda's broodmare sire Blue Larkspur is out North Star III mare, where as Striking's broodmare sire Bubbling Over is a son of North Star III. This provides precious balance to this pedigree by contributing male and female sources of North Star III.

Silver Buck's (sire of Silver Charm) broodmare sire, Hail to Reason, is out of Nothirdchance, an example of the successful Teddy/Blue Larkspur cross: she is by a son of Blue Larkspur out of a daughter of Sir Gallahad III. A beautiful balancing cross enters via the good runner Faultless, the Preakness winner in 1947, sire of Silver Charm's third dam. Faultless is by Bull Lea, a son of Bull Dog (Sir Gallahad's full brother), out of a mare by Insco who is by Sir Gallahad III out of Starflight, a full sister to North Star III.

North Star III and Starflight are full siblings. Sir Gallahad III and Bull Dog are full brothers. I will not attempt to tell you the achievements of all these previously mentioned names, but I will say that these animals are prepotent and inbred individuals and the reinforcement of these crosses will often produce upgrades in racing class, as evidenced by the near Triple Crown winner Silver Charm.

Touch Gold
Touch Gold, winner of the Belmont Stakes. Everybody is talking about the balanced 3x3 Northern Dancer cross in the pedigree of Touch Gold and it is undoubtedly responsible, in some measure, for much of Touch Gold's quality. A closer look at his pedigree reveals genetic similarities with Silver Charm.

Bimelech and his genetic sibling Businesslike appear in fifth and fourth generation, respectively. Both are out of La Troienne. Bimelech is by Black Toney and Businesslike is by a grandson of Black Toney. Thus, both are products of the remarkably successful Idle Hour cross. The pedigrees also share the presence of the immortal Buckpasser, an intensely inbred and prepotent horse with balanced inbreeding to Teddy and important concentrations of the Bend Or/Macaroni and Cyllene/Isonomy crosses. He is the paternal grandsire of Silver Charm and the broodmare sire of Touch Gold. As a curious note, Buckpasser had a tendency to loaf at the lead, like his grandson Silver Charm.

Summary: Classic horses are usually the result of classic breeding. Olin Gentry and E.R. Bradley created a combination that is as successful and influential today as it was 50 years ago. Continued reinforcement of this blood will provide classic quality, it's up to us to seek it and nurture it to continue the Idle Hour legacy.