Pedigree Dynamics News Blog

Denman's fourth straight win in the Run to the Rose on 15th August has brought his breeding further into the spotlight. While the fact that he is by the up and coming sire Lonhro hasn't escaped anyone, that he is out of the Vain mare Peach is our point of interest here. Peach, now an 18 year old, missed for the first time in her breeding career when served on the foaling heat last season on 12th December. Denman was the eleventh of thirteen consecutive foals produced by this gal. The last is a yearling full brother to Denman. Many buyers are prejudiced against buying old broodmares, believing that their progeny are somehow genetically lower in quality than their earlier siblings. Unlike stallions, who produce their sperm 'on the run', mares are born with all their eggs on board. In many cases, the quality of the sperm of old stallions can diminish, however a mare's ova are not affected by the age of the mare. What can be misleading is that in the case of a mare whose uterus is compromised by age (blood supply to the placenta, cysts etc), the foal may not be properly nourished in the womb. This will be evident by the condition of the foal at birth. Therefore, if an older mare gives birth to a healthy looking foal, it is pretty safe to say that it will have just the same genetic chances as its older siblings. Another aspect which has turned breeders off older mares is the statistic that the majority of stakes winners come from younger mares. While that is true, what needs to be considered on this point is that this is proportionate with the lower number of old mares still regularly producing! Over the years, 16 year old-plus mares (up to 23) have produced the likes of Man O' War, St. Simon, Stockwell, Native Dancer, Nearco, Damascus, Buckpasser, Halo, His Majesty (dam sire of Danehill), Klairon, Irish River, Alibhai, Bernborough and more recently Royal Academy, Bellotto, King's Best, Geiger Counter, Soviet Lad, Street Cry, Xaar, Piccolo, Commands, Octagonal, Pins, Bianconi, Clangalang and Twining. Pedigree Dynamics sells (and we personally own) some older mares, one of which is 16 year old mare Miss Neck (USA) pictured here with her eleventh foal, a robust 2009 filly by Not A Single Doubt. The benefit in buying a mare older than 13 years is not only the tax concession, but that they are cheaper based on the above misconceptions. A fertile, healthy old dame can certainly be worth the punt!