by Les Brinsfield ©

Undefeated in 14 runs and a sire supreme, Nearco was probably the best horse of the first half of the last century. Credited with undefeated Ribot as well, his breeder, Frederico Tesio, was probably the best breeder of that period. The pedigree of both would be good places to look for anyone trying to unravel the mysteries of breeding a top thoroughbred, I thought one night long ago.

I recognized it for what it was in a nano-glance - a clinic in line breeding. It has since been my belief that horses will go on breeding in kind when returned to opposite sex strains of the gene pool from which they descend. Compounding, this is Olin Gentry's edict: "Return to the sire the best blood of his dam" - it is not clear where he learned, but Kentucky Derby winners strewn up and down Old Frankfort Pike will attest that learn he did.

Look at Nearco - you will see two sons of St. Simon, Chaucer and Rabelais, crossed in the third and two daughters, Cheery and Simona, crossed in the fourth. Opposite sex lines of the common ancestor could not be any clearer. Moreover, Flying Fox is by Orme, a son of Angelica, she a full sister to St. Simon. Remember the opposite sex part of a linebreeders' belief - and it is just that, a belief - and you will quickly see that a brother and sister cross yields a son and daughter of both their parents. Add sons and daughters of St. Simon, and we have opposite sex strains of this great sire and both his parents. An opinion: nothing in a pedigree is more volatile than crossing full brother and sister.

As fastidious as Tesio was in planning matings, you may safely assume this was not accidental. Linebreeding cuts down on genetic variance and increases the odds of the common ancestor's genotype passing through to the foal - and this at the direct expense of random chance and lending predictability to a high risk endeavor.

We use the term equivalents and there is no better example that Nogara, dam of Nearco, wth Bull Dog/Sir Gallahad III. Go to Del Mar Pedigree Query and construct a hypothetical pedigree of either brother over Nogara. Given a son and daughter of Ajax, two daughters of Spearmint and a son and two daughters of St. Simon to go with Angelica when crossed, it is no puzzle why they track so well. Indeed, Nearco sired Nasrullah and that one is rarely seen sans Bull Dog/Sir Gallahad III or their sisters, Marguerite de Valois and Noor Jahan.

Looking at the 5X4 of Nogara/Bull Dog in Mr. Prospector's dam Gold Digger (by Nashua, by Nasrullah), one has no reason to suspect all this is going on just a little further back in the pedigree. Compounding it is the fact that La France is by the other brother, Sir Gallahad III. Add two more Bull Dog strains in a mare tail female to Marguerite de Valois and we arrive at Fappiano.

These are the types of pedigrees we strive for in planned matings. Others take a different approach, often with good results. But until knowledge overtakes strongly held opinions based on observation, my two bucks are on linebreding.

For those who have suffered through the mouthings in recent articles on Domino and La Troienne relating the trail of the male seed of Diomed, consider this. Pharos has no male Diomed but is tail female to Fanny by Diomed while Nogara is tail female to Maiden by Lexington out of a Glencoe mare, Kitty Clark, she quadrupled to male Diomed.

Make Nearco the consequence of a first male cross of Domino and Nasrullah the result of doubling male Diomed. Nasrullah hails from Americus Girl by Americus, he of the 2X2 persuasion to full brother/sister Norfolk/The Nun,  amazingly by Lexington out of a Glencoe mare featuring Sumpter [Sir Archy], same as Kitty Clark.

Earn extra credit - remember the same man bred both, so go compare Ribot /Nearco. 

August 5, 2001. Copyright by Les Brinsfield 2001.