by Les Brinsfield ©

With each win, Kona Gold moves up the all-time short list of sprinters. If he accomplishes his target objective - a repeat win in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), he will richly deserve the mantle of greatness. As his pedigree seemingly belies his speed, a closer look is indicated.

Parents by Key to the Mint and Slew O'Gold out of mares by Nijinsky IIand Majestic Light do not sound like a formula for a champion sprinter, on that much, even a casual observer can rely. But deep within this pedigree are 80 strains of Domino with his son Commando present 36 times and with his grandson Peter Pan present 15 times along with 43 lines of Ben Brush and 14 lines of his son Broomstick. The Quarter Horse folk among you know that crossing Commando/Peter Pan with Ben Brush/Broomstick is a mainstay of that breed and they are nothing if not rapid.

When dealing with multiples of a common strain, its significance is not in merely being crossed but rather lies in the number of times more or less than the norm for the strain. The number 80 was a large number for Domino eight years ago - practically a generation in horse reproductive arithmetic. The number of repetitions of an ancestor in a foal can double with each generation. Eighty would be a high number today: achieving it eight years ago was significant, but not impossible. Unbridled had 42 and was going to stud about the time Kona Gold was bred and thus could throw Domino in the eighties.

To begin with, Java Gold is a natural for any Slew O'Gold mare if, for no other reason, it crosses Dusky Evening on Alluvial. They are by sons of Tom Fool, (Tim Tam and Buckpasser), out of daughters of Hill Prince (Home By Dark and Bayou). The dams of the Tom Fool pair are Two Lea and Busanda. Two Lea had Domino and his 5/8 sister, Lady Reel, and descended from family 23, like Domino. Busanda was double to Domino.

The dams of the Hill Prince mares are Sunday Evening and Bourtai. Sunday Evening is by Eight Thirty, damsire High Time, 3X3X2 Domino while Bourtai is by Stimulus, a son of Ultimus, 2X2 Domino - by son Commando from daughter Running Stream. Ultimus sired High Time.

The buildup continues - even accelerates - given that introduction of four lines of Kentucky Derby winner Bubbling Over. His dam, Beaming Beauty, is 3X4X4X4 to three lines of Domino and a single of Lady Reel, his 5/8 sister. Hildene, dam of doubled Hill Prince, is by Bubbling over and is crossed on said same Ultimus. The other lines of Bubbling Over come from sisters Striking and Busher found 3X3 in My Charmer, dam of Seattle Slew. The sisters translate this way: one a Champion racer, the other a Broodmare of the Year: 3X3 in a Fair Grounds Oaks winner who produced a Triple Crown winner. The sisters are by War Admiral out of Baby League, a daughter of Bubbling Over and picked up a cross of Sweep, he from Pink Domino by Domino. Sweep is damsire of both Bubbling Over and War Admiral and is present eight times from the four of each of this pair.

The by-product of the original prime cross of Dusky Evening and Alluvial led to a huge accumulation of Domino backed up by Striking/Busher. The point here is this, if you want to linebreed, do so to intensely linebred - even inbred - individuals such as Ultimus, High Time and Beaming Beauty in this example.

What, in turn was Domino intensely linebred to? He and Lady Reel are tripled Lexington out of a mare, Mannie Gray, quadrupled to Boston from a mare, Lizzie G., who is tripled to Galopade and Glencoe. Other lines are reunited here as well. Javamine and Slew O'Gold feature a triple Menow, damsire Supremus, another son of Ultimus, plus many lines of Bull Dog and brother, Sir Gallahad III. Four lines of Princequillo along with doubles of Ribot and Alibhai, a line of Northern Dancer add nine lines of Tracery to the one found hidden in Sailing Home, second dam of Bold Reasoning, the too soon gone sire of Seattle Slew.

Sailing Home features Domino's "other" son Disguise and is double Ultimus as is Flaring Top, second dam of Nijinsky. Doubles to Bold Ruler and Native Dancer net 4X Discovery whose second dam, Adrienne has five lines of Galopade including a strain of Lady Reel, dam of Hamburg, he the sire of Frizette to whom Seattle Slew traces in tail female. Discovery literally has more of Domino's family that Domino.

Finally, Kona Gold is tail female to the great Grey Flight whose dam Planetoid, features a double to Sweep and a line of Mannie Himyar, own sister to Domino. Remember the stamina lines in Kona Gold? Things are not always as they seem. Kona Gold is not a fluke. He was bred on purpose by Carlos Perez, known to be among the "gamest and most generous" of breeders. [Readers should use Del Mar Pedigree Query to examine these relationships in depth]