Page 22 - January 2016 Speedhorse

A PEDIGREE PATTERN
FOR THE AGES
by Larry Thornton
We read the pedigree to determine the pedigree patterns or breeding theories that are present that contributed to what made a horse or set of horses outstand-
ing individuals. This is why we study the pedigree. We want to see the breeding pat- tern that has worked to produce this horse, and then we can take steps to replicate that individual through the successful breeding patterns we find.
One of the common pedigree patterns we see in our horses is what can be stated
in simple terms as “Returning the blood.” Returning the blood is based on breeding mares to a stallion that carry the blood of the stallion’s dam. This is a form of line breeding through the use of mares with an ancestor or ancestors that have this blood in common with the sire’s dam. This increases
the influence of a stallion’s dam on the foals being produced.
One of the proponents of the returning the blood breeding pattern was Olin Gentry. Gentry went from jockey to breeding manager of two very important Thoroughbred breeding programs at C.
R. Bradley’s Idle Hour Farms and John W. Gailbreath’s Darby Dan Farms.
Edward L. Bowen profiled Olin Gentry in a three part series in The Bloodhorse magazine in 1983. The first installment came in the April 23, 1983, issue titled “Gentry of the Bluegrass.” Bowen wrote, “What Gentry learned from Bradley was a strict adherence to the logic that if an animal’s destiny was
to race, he must have speed.” The primary source of this speed for Idle Hour Farms was the cross of two important sources of speed in Domino and Ben Brush.
The Idle Hour plan was to inbreed to proven lines with care to maintain soundness. They would balance the inbreeding with outcrosses to mares that came from Europe. These mares were crossed on the Domino/ Ben Brush blood. Black Servant was one of those produced from the Domino/Ben Brush on a European mare cross. Black Servant was sired by Black Toney, a grandson of Domino. Black Toney was out of a daughter of Ben Brush. Black Servant was out of Padula by Laveno. The dam of Padula was Padua by Thurio. Padula was imported from Ireland.
It was through an article by Les Brinsfield in 2007 on the old internet sight SirArchy. com titled “Nearco: Linebreeding Clinic” that I first heard the phrase “return to the sire the best blood of his dam.” Brinsfield was introduced to this phrase by Olin Gentry.
The example used by Brinsfield to demonstrate this line breeding pattern was Nearco, the undefeated racehorse bred
by Tesio. Nearco has proven to be a very important sire with his sire line producing such stallions as Nasrullah, Bold Ruler and Northern Dancer.
When you look at the pedigree of Nearco you see that he has a breeding pattern of 5 X 4 X 4 X 5 to St. Simon. You will note that Pharos, the sire of Nearco has a breeding
pattern of 4 X 3 to St. Simon. One of those St. Simon crosses comes through his sire Phalaris who was out of Bromus. Bromus is out of Cheery by St. Simon. The other cross in Pharos comes through his dam Scapa Flow who was by Chaucer by St. Simon. This gives Pharos a returning of the blood pedigree.
The dam of Nearco is Negara by Havresac II. Havresac II was sired by Rabelais by
St. Simon. The dam of Havresac II is Hor Concours who is out of Simona by St. Simon. Thus we have 2 X 3 breeding pattern in Havresac II to St. Simon. This time we are returning the blood of the sire’s dam through Nogara’s sire Havresac II to Scapa Flow the dam of Pharos. This is a little different than we normally see as we still have one more cross to St. Simon through Phalaris giving us the 5 X 4 X 4 X 5 breeding pattern to St. Simon.
The important stallion Blue Larkspur is
an example of returning the blood in an Idle Hour Farm bred horse. Blue Larkspur was an outstanding racehorse and was the 1929 Horse of the Year. He won the 1929 Belmont Stakes.
Blue Larkspur was sired by Black Servant who was by Black Toney a Domino/Ben Brush bred stallion. The dam of Black Servant was Padula by Laveno. Laveno was sired by Bend Or and out of Napoli by Macaroni. The dam of Padula was Padua by Thurio and she was out of Immortelle by Paul Jones.
The dam of Blue Larkspur was Blossom Time by North Star. The dam of Blossom Time was Vaila who was a daughter of Padilla. Padilla was sired by Macheath by Macaroni. The dam of Padilla was Padua. Thus Padilla and Padula were half sisters out of Padua with a tie to Macaroni in their sires. This is an example of returning the blood to Padula through her half sister Padilla.
Olin Gentry is getting credit here for his coining the phrase “return to the sire the best blood of his dam.” But it is a breeding pattern that dates back to the beginning. Here are some examples of this breeding pattern in some early pedigrees.
Snap was a stallion that made his mark
as a part of the early development of the Thoroughbred. He was a part of Herod/ Snap/Blank nick we covered in the November
Undefeated as a
2 year old, Domino (shown here) is sired by Himyar & out of the dam Mannie Gray. Domino has his own form of returning the blood in his pedigree and is in many
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SPEEDHORSE, January 2016
SPEEDLINES