by Karel Miedema

What Mares for Jet Master?

by Karel Miedema©

Jet Master (Rakeen - Jet Lightning by Rollins) is a new stallion entering stud in South Africa for 2001.

They don't make 'em like they used to. Take Jet Master's female ancestress Midnight Fun. Her pedigree is bewitching: inbred 3x3 to Greatorex and 2x3 to Polystome, while her dam Merrymaker is inbred 2x2 to full sisters Dignity and Hoity Toity. Pumpkin hour, indeed!

To put this inbreeding in perspective, take a look at the partners in crime. Greatorex, who broke down when preparing for the English Derby, was undoubtedly the most successful stallion to stand in South Africa in the first half of the last century. He did duty here for almost twenty years, until his death in 1921, and was champion sire ten times.

The dam of Greatorex was English Oaks winner Mrs Butterwick, who stood just 15 hands. She was by St Simon out of a mare by Gold Cup winner Scottish Chief. Greatorex' sire Carbine did all his racing in New Zealand and Australia, where he won the Melbourne Cup. Imported to England, he made the top-ten on the sirelist a few times. Carbine's lasting legacy was his influential son Spearmint.

Greatorex produced two sons who performed with success at stud in South Africa. They were Benoni Guineas, SA Derby and St Leger winner Dignitary, and Nobleman who won the Durban July as a 2yo (!), carrying 7-7. Polystome was imported to South Africa from England during the First World War. He came to race and won the Spring Handicap and Merchants. Stud duties followed, and Polystome was champion sire for ten consecutive years (from 1924). He had a remarkable a record especially with daughters of Greatorex. Polystome was a son of Polymelus, an influential sire in England, best known as the sire of Phalaris.

And then there was the mare Dignity: third in the SA Derby, she twice won the Spring Handicap and Merchants, lumping big weights in five seasons of racing. Greatorex and Dignity produced stallion Dignitary, who was mated with a daughter of Polystome to produce Merrymaker. The latter visited sire Illustrious, who was by Polystome out of a Greatorex mare. Midnight Fun was the result of that union.

Midnight Fun was mated to Fair Judgement (a half brother by Fair Trial to Sun Compass) to produce Laughter, who won five races and bred eight winners. One of these was Let's Laugh, who also won five and finished third in the Allan Robertson (now Gr1) as a two-year-old. Let's Laugh was a daughter of high class stallion Joy II, a three-parts brother to influential My Babu.

The stud career of Joy II, especially as broodmare sire, shows successful inbreeding to Joy's second damsire Pharos (coming through his daughter Lavendula, and her daughter Perfume). In the case of Let's Laugh, the inbreeding was 4x4 to full brothers Pharos and Fairway, who are sons of Phalaris. Let's Laugh produced four winners from five foals, including high class two-year-old Pompei (Volcanic), who raced only six times. As a two-year-old, Pompei finished second in the Gr1 Allan Robertson and Clairwood Nursery, and fourth in the Gr1 Smirnoff against the colts. She could have been anything. Pompei's half sister Jolly Laughter won only once at 2. She was by Jolly Drummer, a speedy son of Drum Beat inbred 3x4 to Fairway. That made for four crosses of Fairway and Pharos in Jolly Laughter.

The mating of Jolly Laughter to Rollins that produced Jet Lightning (dam of Jet Master) was a gem. Rollins is by Damascus, a sire inbred 4x3 to full brothers Pharamond and Sickle (both are genetic siblings of Pharos and Fairway), while the dam of Damascus was by My Babu. The latter's dam Perfume is a genetic sibling of influential sire Turn-to (himself inbred 3x3 to Pharos). One of Turn-to's major sons at stud was Hail To Reason, damsire of Rollins. That gave Rollins a 4x3 genetic sibling cross (Perfume & Turn-to).

With Jolly Laughter, Rollins duplicated Perfume once more through Joy II, giving her daughter Jet Lightning a 5x4x4 duplication. It is interesting to note that Turn-to is inbred to Pharos 3x3, and also to Spearmint and St Simon, who give notable links to the bottom female line. Jet Lightning, so named because she was the last foal conceived by Rollins before he was struck by lightning and tragically killed, had a pedigree ready to be exploited. Rollins, after all, was out of a full sister to world-leading sire and sire-of-sires Roberto. With their sire Hail To Reason such an important element in the pedigree make-up of Rollin's daughter Jet Lightning, the hunt was for a sire with matching elements.

The choice fell on Rakeen, a son of Northern Dancer out of a mare by Halo (by Hail To Reason). The mating resulted in Jet Master, a colt inbred 4x4 to Hail To Reason (through a son and a daughter), with four crosses of genetic siblings Turn-to and Perfume, on a pedigree background very strong on Pharos and genetic siblings.

What mares for Jet Master? An analysis of Rollin's best progeny shows that inbreeding to elements from My Babu is not unusual. My Babu was by Djebel out of the mare Perfume. More to the point, Perfume's pedigree is virtually the same as the pedigree of Turn-to - who was the sire of Hail To Reason. And so the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Jet Master has two lines each of Perfume and Turn-to. Two of these link the pedigree halves of his dam together, and two link the pedigree halves of his own pedigree together.

Hail To Reason is the key. Conventional wisdom has it that the best way to exploit a stallion who is closely inbred (in this case 4x4 to Hail To Reason), is by giving him mares who have opposite sexlines of Hail to Reason's background. The search will thus be on for pedigrees with daughters of Turn-to, Royal Charger, Nearco, Blue Larkspur, Teddy, and Plucky Liege. And with sons of Lavendula, Man O'War, Sir Gallahad, Spearmint. There are many mares who carry such lines. Sons of Spearmint and daughters of Plucky Liege could be especially important, as Hail To Reason is inbred to daughters of Spearmint (three times) and to sons of Plucky Liege (twice).

This points at mares with Herbager (he's the sire of Rakeen's second dam, too), Chicle, Rockefella, Felstead, etc. Kama springs to mind as a suitable broodmare sire, as he carries both La Troienne and Marguerite de Valois (full sister to brothers Bull Dog and Sir Gallahad).

Other suitable influences will be those who represent the female version of Nearctic - stallions who carry such genetic siblings are Averof, Royal Prerogative, and St Cuthbert. Less obvious names in this Nearctic group (but highly effective ones!) are Home Guard's dam Stay At Home, and Jungle Cove.

Seattle Slew, who has Hail To Reason, Stay At Home and multiples of La Troienne, could be an important foil for Jet Master. Damascus, with daughters of Blue Larkspur, comes into play - especially if he comes in through a daughter (Complete Warrior mares!).

Important to realise is that Hail To Reason is a highly effective genetic equivalent of Buckpasser, which points at the use of mares with that sire in their pedigree. There are many of these in South Africa, including Northern Guest, National Assembly, and Freedom Land.

Then there's Sir Ivor, who is a potent genetic sibling of Rakeen's damsire Halo. Sharp Romance carries Sir Ivor, Rockefella and La Troienne all in one! To inbreed to female-line similarities, consider the pedigrees of Royal Affair, Lily, Indian Spice (dam of Breyani). They carry the Greatorex, Polystome and Minor Forfeit lines in closely inbred patterns in their female line. Their offspring might combine well with Jet Master for just that reason.

Pick Of The Bunch Suitable mares for Jet Master could include

1. Mares with Buckpasser (National Assembly, Northern Guest, Al Mufti, Freedom Land, Lustra, Cordoba, Damascus Gate, etc)

2. Mares with La Troienne (other than Buckpasser: Complete Warrior, All Fired Up, Argosy, Capture Him, Qui Danzig)

3. Mares with daughters of Damascus (Complete Warrior)

4. Mares with Seattle Slew (Kentucky Slew, Salaadim, Slewpendous, etc)

5. Mares with sons of Spearmint (Herbager, Rockefella, Chicle, Felstead, Exclusive Patriot), or daughters of Plucky Liege (Kama)

6. Mares with combinations of any or all of Greatorex, Polystome, Minor Forfeit (Royal Affair, Lily, Indian Spice, etc)

7. Mares with Nearctic genetic siblings (Averof, St Cuthbert, Royal Prerogative, Jungle Cove, Stay At Home, Home Guard, Peaceable Kingdom, etc)

8. Mares by sons or grandsons of Northern Dancer

9. Mares with Sir Ivor (Sharp Romance, Braashee)