Three Ideas For Breeders

A long time ago (1845) there was born a mare named Maid Of Masham, she was a tough sort running and when she retired to the paddocks she became a broodmare of lasting significance to the Thoroughbred breed. Her influence largely depends on an early "nick" with the great 19th Century stallion Hermit. From Hermit / Maid Of Masham crosses descend such sires as Fair Play and such broodmares as Pocahontas II, German broodmare supreme Aversion, and Daltawa.

A while age I noted that Daltawa's champion son Daylami reversed the female families of Fair Play, and this got me thinking about American champ and nearly last hope for the Fair Play male line Tiznow. Before I had noticed a very similar type thing in his pedigree.

What follows is an attempt to predict what will work in the future; of the four stallions involved three are descendants of Maid Of Masham and the other was sired by one. She is the axis, but there is more. You will note that the first two ideas are mostly based on the theory that it's good to reinforce female families and nicking patterns are rarely invoked. This is mainly because the lines which produced the stallions involved were separated by the Atlantic Ocean for a long time and they have rarely been crossed as a consequence; though in the interests of full discloser Miswaki and Seattle Slew have been combined without any success and I found that surprising.

Tiznow -Daylami

I know these two stallions being separated by the Atlantic Ocean (meaning most daughters of Daylami will be in Great Britain or France) constitutes a difficulty and an inconvenience, but perhaps someone will be inspired by this article to attempt the somewhat difficult exploration of a potentially fruitful idea. (It would be reasonable to wait for Tiznow's get to run, of course.) Little is the close-up inbreeding in this cross; but there is much reinforcement of enduringly top-flight female families.

For Instance:
1.Daylami and Cee's Tizzy both trace to Hermit-Maid Of Masham crosses (Pauline; Parvula) Maybe this a little too cute but it's still interesting that Parvula's sire Gay Hermit is a Canary Bird descendent like Mill Reef.

2. Daylami's sire Doyoun traces to the same 21-A (Anonyma) line as In Reality and Prince Blessed. (Anonyma is also ancestress of the Dangerous Dame clan of Sakhee Excellor and Broad Brush; note BB's sire Ack Ack traces to the Hermit / Maid Of Masham cross of Queen Adelaide, making for another successful recapitulation of Fair Play.)

3. Both Daylami's great-great grandsire Caro and his great-great- great grandsire Blue Train traces to the same female family (Black Duchess) as Relaunch (See Honour And Glory). Note Caro's 2nd dam Life Hill is Sire: 26 family, Dam: 3-O family; Whereas Tiznow is Grandsire: 3-0 family, Dam: 26 family. (Black Duchess was an excellent broodmare; important sires descended of her include her son Bay Ronald and great-grandson Blandford besides Relaunch and Caro.)

4.Daylami's grandam Dumka is 5x6 to Solario and his other grandam Damana is 5x5 to him. (Note the hypo on Solario's grandam Doctrine and Zariba's dam St. Lucre.*) Solario is the one top twentieth century stallion from the damline of Cypron (26; she was Herod's dam); Tiznow's Papila branch branched off back in 1818 (Primrose Mare). Note Solario's third dam Axiom; her sire Peter was Hermit / Maid Of Masham and the damline was of course 26.

5.Daylami's 5th dam Astana{PED} (excellent Boussac breeding) combines Zariba, Likka, Asterus, Loika and 2x3 inbreeding to Tourbillon. Zariba, Likka, and Asterus all trace back Maid Of Masham, the damline of Cee's Tizzy and Fair Play. Loika traces to the Ballentrae line of Pia Star and Equipoise. And Tourbillon traces to the Frizette line of Seattle Slew. (Ballentrae was also ancestress of Seabiscuit Cormorant and Mom's Command.)

There's also Doyoun's 3rd dam Pot O' Luck sharing Rosie O'Grady, Fair Play, Rock Sand and Broomstick with Intent. (Daylami's Irish Derby winning son Grey Swallow has Sadair as his 3rd damsire, Personally I find that interesting because before I was thinking Sadair a good foil for Tiznow.)

Thus it seems these female family consonances work their influence on both Hemispheres.

If you're going to inbreed to more than one stallion or damlines at once there will always be two ancestors in the hypo who first combined the two or more stallions or damlines . In my opinion it is very important that these two ancestors be top class and it's a big positive if the combination contributed to the success as much as possible. I consider it doubtful so many damlines bunched up together in two International calibre horses by chance. (Zariba and Solario combined in Ascot Gold Cup winner Pandofell; Irish Derby winner Talgo; French champion filly Crepellana; and three good colts from Brazil: Del Garbo, Fogoso, and Mistico.)

Tiznow -Dalakhani

Much of what I said about Tiznow and Daylami will eventually apply to his fellow son of the great Age Khan broodmare Daltawa, Dalakhani. His sire Darshaan's damsire was Grand Criterium winner Abdos and he is an interesting foil for Tiznow: Dam same family as Nice Dancer (Ierne, b.1882), Sire and sire's damsire's same family as Cee's Tizzy (Maid Of Masham, b.1845); grandsire from the family (Ballentrae, b.1899) of Pia Star. Third generation ancestors Tourbillion and Blandford issued from the dam lines of Seattle Slew (Frizette, b.1905) and Relaunch (Black Duchess, b.1896) respectively.

Dalakhani won the prestigious group one Grand Criterium as a two year old, so he shouldn't be too far towards stamina for Tiznow.

Dalakhani - In The Wings

This one is relatively common sense; they both trace back to the tremendous Boussac broodmare Zariba and their sires (Darsaan and Sadler's Wells) form the vintage nick of recent European history. Plus it inbreeds to Dual Derby Winner and champion sire Shirley Heights through his best son and one of his best daughters.