by Nigel Pullen ©

Last season's champion European sprinter Nuclear Debate came right back to his best with a convincing three lengths victory in the six furlongs Haydock Park Sprint Cup (G1). It was his first victory in top company over six furlongs, but even through racing on ground turned heavy after rain, he had no problem seeing out the extra furlong. To put the performance in context it must be added that Nuclear Debate's heir apparent, Mozart, was an absentee from the field.

Nuclear Debate's pedigree is almost wholly American, and he descends from a mare with a remarkable pedigree pattern, named Misty Isle. This daughter of Sickle was Nuclear Debate's sixth dam, and on the racetrack was kept busy racing a total of 28 times in two seasons, recording 11 victories. These included the Matron Stakes and Hyde Park Stakes at two, and a trio of handicaps, the Sheridan, Princess Pat and Falls City, the following year. Misty Isle's dam Seven Pines was 3x3 to the mare Martha Gorman, who was not only Seven Pines's third dam, but also the dam of her grandsire Maintenant.

Martha Gorman was herself closely inbred, being 3x3 to another mare in Maggie B. B., the latter being the granddam of both Martha Gorman's sire (Sir Dixon) and her dam (Sallie McClelland). In addition Maggie B. B.'s dam, Madeline, was by Boston out of a Glencoe mare, which meant she was bred on quite similar lines to Martha Gorman's maternal grandsire Hindoo. At stud, Maggie B. B. had the unique distinction of foaling the winners of the Belmont Stakes (Panique), the Preakness Stakes (Harold) and Epsom Derby (Iroquois).

Seven Pine's sire, Haste, traced tail female to the mare Correction, a full sister to the important stallion Domino. This had added significance when you consider that Correction and Domino provided Leamington, Alarm and Lexington, all strains found close up in Martha Gorman.

Misty Isle was 2x2 to a pair of 5/8th genetic relatives in Phalaris and Zephyretta. Both sired by sons of Cyllene, their respective dam (Bromus) and maternal grandsire (Rock Sand) were three-quarter genetic relatives, each being by Sainfoin out of mares by St. Simon.

Misty Isle's first foal was an unraced filly by Eight Thirty. Named Evening Mist , she was to become the fifth dam of Nuclear Debate, and a look at her pedigree shows that Eight Thirty reinforced many of the strains present in Misty Isle. Remembering that Misty Isle's maternal grandsire, Haste, traced tail female to Domino's full sister Correction, it is certainly significant that Eight Thirty's own maternal grandsire High Time was 3x3x2 Domino. Furthermore both High Time and Haste shared background strains of Doncaster and Springfield. The pedigree of Eight Thirty's sire, Pilate, uncovers many similarities between the pair of close genetic relatives in Misty Isle, namely Phalaris and Zephyretta. Comparing Pilate and Zephyretta we find commons strains of Rock Sand, Bona Vista, Galopin, Hermit, Isonomy and Muncaster close up, while Pilate and Phalaris shared Sainfoin, Bona Vista, St. Simon, Isonomy and Hermit.

Taking this a stage further, Eight Thirty was 2x3 to the near full genetic relatives Friar Rock (by Rock Sand out of Fairy Gold) and Man O' War (by Fairy Gold's son Fair Play out of a mare by Rock Sand). If we now examine the pedigrees of Fair Play and Rock Sand some important facts emerge. Fair Play was by Hastings, a horse carrying Lexington and Glencoe, both names featuring prominently in Domino, while Fair Play's dam Fairy Gold supplied a further strain of Glencoe. Meanwhile, Rock Sand was 4x4x4x4 to Stockwell/King Tom, both sons of the Glencoe mare Pocahontas. So when the strains of Fair Play and Rock Sand met up with those of Domino, and as we shall soon see Ben Brush, there was strong reinforcement of their genetic backgrounds.

At stud Evening Mist's best two foals were the Santa Monica Handicap winner Taboo (by Native Dancer), and Nuclear Debate's fourth dam Islay Mist, a daughter of Roman who scored four times from twenty-seven starts including victory in the La Centinela Stakes. Islay Mist's pedigree is almost a repeat performance, for her sire Roman added more Domino, by virtue of the fact that his granddam Look Up was bred on an almost identical pattern to High Time; namely by Ultimus (2x2 Domino), with a further strain of Domino and Stockwell close up. This additional strain of Domino came via Look Up's maternal grandsire Sweep, and the latter's sire Ben Brush further reinforced this Domino background by providing Lexington, Leamington and Alarm, all strains close up in Domino. Also of interest was that fact that Roman was 5x6 to the mare Musket, whose 7/8th sister Quiver was the granddam of Misty Isle's tail male ancestor Polymelus.

When retired to stud Islay Mist had a total six foals by Double Jay, and this mating resulted in her best offspring, the good juvenile filly Ole Liz. The latter only raced at two, when she won half of her twelve starts, with victories coming in the Debutante Stakes and Bewitched Stakes. Islay Mist's other filly by Double Jay was the lightly raced Bourbon Mist, who won one of her four starts, and went on to become the third dam of Nuclear Debate. The Double Jay/Islay Mist mating certainly looked a good one, for Double Jay had a real secret weapon lurking in his pedigree in the shape of his maternal grandsire Whisk Broom II. The latter's granddam Audience was none other than a full sister to Martha Gorman, the mare to whom Islay Mist's third dam Seven Pine's was inbred 3x3. Furthermore, Double Jay's granddam Centre Shot was 4x3 to the 7/8th siblings Quiver and Musket whose importance was related above. Finally, Double Jay's grandsire, Black Toney, had a cross of Domino and Ben Brush, which effectively made him a reverse genetic relative of the aforementioned Sweep, who was by Ben Brush out of a Domino mare.

Bourbon Mist's last two foals, the confusingly named pair Issues N' Answers and Answers N' Issues, were of interest to us. Both were daughters of the Bold Ruler horse Jacinto, and while Issues N' Answers was placed in a couple of Grade 2 events, her full sister, and ultimately granddam of Nuclear Debate, never saw the racecourse. Issues N' Answers went on to become the granddam of a couple of excellent performers in France, namely the full brothers by Linamix; Amiwain and Amilynx.

It is interesting to contrast the descendants of these two full sisters. While on the one hand Nuclear Debate developed into a top sprinter, Amilynx's forte was stamina for he won back-to-back runnings of the Prix Royal Oak (G1), a race over nearly two miles.

The pedigree of Nuclear Debate's granddam Answers N' Issues was pretty much an outcross one, with just a 5x5x5 cross of Phalaris and 5x5 to the half brothers Fair Play and Friar Rock. Bold Ruler's third dam, Sweep Out, brings us back to familiar territory being 4x4 to Domino, via the closely related Sweep and Disguise II.

Nuclear Debate's dam I'm An Issue was a $195,000 yearling, being a daughter of Cox's Ridge, and a three quarter sister to the top-class filly Life's Magic (by Cox's Ridge out of Answers N' Issues half sister Firewater), who won Grade 1 events at two, three and four. On the track I'm An Issue was certainly not as talented, winning just once from twelve starts.

The Metropolitan Handicap (G1) was among the twelve victories in Cox's Ridge's 28 race career. His sire, Best Turn, traced tail-female to the mare Two Bob, who was 2x3 to an interesting pair of individuals in Sweep and Sanctuary. Sweep was by Ben Brush (who possessed a very similar Lexington, Leamington, Alarm background to Domino) out of a Domino mare, and this was picked up by Sanctuary who was by Ben Brush's son Broomstick out of a mare by Domino's sire Himyar.

Cox's Ridge's granddam, Corday, was bred on a similar Friar Rock, Man O'War, Commando, Himyar pattern to Eight Thirty, who was the sire of I'm An Issue's fourth dam Evening Mist. This of course, only served to intensify the Rock Sand, Fair Play, Domino, Ben Brush genetic background. As a bonus Corday also introduced not only a further stain of Domino, but also Domino's full sister Correction along with a double of Ben Brush.

I'm an Issue retired to stud in 1994, and made an immediate impact by producing Nuclear Debate (by Geiger Counter). Geiger Counter had been a pretty ordinary racehorse, winning a maiden race at Gulfstream Park and an allowance event at Aqueduct, both over six furlongs, in his racing days. He took up stud duties in Ontario, Canada, in 1987 at a fee of just CAN$5,000, and probably owed his place at stud to his pedigree (by Mr Prospector out of Thong) rather than his racing record. However, he soon made his presence felt by siring some useful performers in Canada, and joined the big league in Kentucky, also shuttling to Australia. His Group 1 winners to date, apart from Nuclear Debate, are Gold Guru (Australian Guineas and Derby), Minegold (Australian Oaks) and Rarotonga Treaty (South African Premier's Champion Stakes).

The key strain in Geiger Counter's pedigree looks to be his great grandsire Native Dancer. The latter's grandsire Unbreakable had a pedigree reminiscent of I'm An Issue's fifth dam Misty Isle. Both were by Sickle, with Rock Sand siring the granddam of Unbreakable and the third dam of Misty Isle. Native Dancer's granddam Miyako was equally important. The pedigree of Miyako's maternal grandsire Sweep had a familiar ring to it for he was by Ben Brush out of Pink Domino (by Domino). To reinforce this further, Miyako's sire John P. Grier traced tail male to Ben Brush and tail female to Pink Domino too. There was an almost identical type of relationship between John P Grier's maternal grandsire Disguise II (by Domino out of Bonnie Gal) and Black Toney, the latter tracing tail male to Domino and tail female to Bonnie Gal. Since John P Grier was by Whisk Broom II, and Double Jay (the sire of I'm An Issue's granddam Bourbon Mist) was by a son of Black Toney out of a Whisk Broom II mare, it meant that Native Dancer and Bourbon Mist, who appeared 4x3 in Nuclear Debate, had very similar genetic backgrounds.

It does not end there however, for Geiger Counter's grandsire, Raise A Native, had as his third dam the mare Beloved. Right on cue, Beloved just happens to be another by Whisk Broom II this time out of a mare by Disguise II's son Helmet; yes that combination yet again. Of course it should not be overlooked that Whisk Broom's dam Audience was the full sister to Martha Gorman, bringing us back almost full circle. Raise A Native also supplied Case Ace, whose maternal grandsire Ultimus was 2x2 to Domino, along with Man O'War (Fair Play /Rock Sand).

The day after Nuclear Debate's victory in the Haydock Park Sprint Cup, the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp (G1) went to Slickly. At first glance there seems little in common between these two events, but a close look reveals a fascinating link.

Remember that the mare Issues N' Answers, the full sister to Nuclear Debate's granddam, was herself the granddam of the Group winners Amiwain and Amilynx. They were both sons of Linamix, exactly the same as Slickly. If we look further at Slickly's background we find Conquistador Cielo (a grandson of Raise a Native), Explodent (granddam Spiteful Sue 3x3 Sweep/Black Toney), Rough'N Tumble (4x4 Whisk Broom II and 5x6 Domino) and Cheboygan (4x3x5 to Ultimus, who was himself 2x2 Domino, plus Domino's full sister Correction). In other words, it is a very similar genetic background to that of the mare Issues N' Answers. Surely this is no coincidence, especially when we consider that Linamix was 6x5 to Relic, whose sire War Relic was 1x2 to the Fairy Gold/Rock Sand sources Man O' War/Friar Rock, and was out of a mare by Black Toney.

Finally, the conventional reading of Nuclear Debate's pedigree would say that he was 5x4x5 to Nasrullah along with a further strain of Nasrullah's three quarter brother Royal Charger. There is no denying this is relevant, but this article has attempted to point out that there is a lot more behind the pedigree of Nuclear Debate than this superficial interpretation. It is certainly a pedigree that will reward careful study.

September 16, 2001. Copyright by Nigel Pullen 2001.