Pedigree Dynamics News Blog

Yes, even bloodstock agents have pre-Christmas Sales! We have just reduced the prices on some lovely mares available at present, most in foal and some with foals at foot. Get in while there's a lull in the breeding excitement levels because it's a sure bet that mare prices will be on the up come the next set of sales. Simply click on the BUY AND SELL button at the top right of this page to view our listings.

We have a gorgeous filly by Encosta De Lago available. She is from a Group 2 winning mare, is broken in and untried. As pedigree analysts, we are pretty excited about her mating too. She is inbred to Star Way through a son and a daughter and has 'Oaks' written all over her DNA. Beautifully bred, unraced two year old fillies like this don't come along very often! For full details, please call Jane.

We recently wrote to the excellent website Breednet in response to their article on the inconsistencies in naming of horses according to the Australia Stud Book's rules. This is what we said... "You and plenty of your readers rightfully point out that the inequity of some famous or contentious names having been disallowed, while others seem to go through to the 'keeper'. What really annoys me though, are the names which are an insult to the animal. While naming can be a fun task and is often undertaken in a group with a few drinks under the belt, these beautiful and graceful animals try their hearts out for us in exchange for feed and shelter. While clever humour is fantastic in a name, it doesn't have to be derogatory. Surely these should be the names disallowed by the Stud Book! A few that come to mind include Giants Headbutt, Hickey Picker, Mean Eyes, The Mules Brother, Shags, Shags Sister, Ugly, Ugly Betty, Ugly Juggly, Coffin Head, Donkey, Donkey Dave, Pig on the Spit, Pushpig, Crabs, Bacon Bits, Fairy King Prawn, Fairy King Scallop, Big Boori, Shove This. And even more so, owners should also be mindful that a lot of these horses (mostly mares) will go on to breed. I don't think Three Legs' name did him many favours at stud and who knows but Jeune King Prawn, Forbytoo, Little Grey Mouse, Shovhog (pictured), Concrete Crusher and Shagny might have served a few more mares to get their careers going if they had more appealing names."

Studmasters are winding down this years breeding season and thoughts will soon turn to new stallion acquisitions for next year. The economic tide is turning and there has not been a better Australian to American dollar exchange rate in a very long time! Pedigree Dynamics currently has several really appealing U.S. bred stallions available for either outright purchase, or part purchase and shuttling. We don't like to hawk them around, so if you are interested, please contact us for details.

We are always looking for new horizons, and recently a horizon rose up and slapped us in the face. Through her involvement in racehorse ownership, principal Jane Henning was recently made aware of the presence of a brand new product which is a breakthrough in therapeutic treatment at cellular level for all performance and breeding horses (and dogs). Medivet's Stemvet range is based on ovine placental extract and its the growth factors present in the solution which, when administered intravenously in the horse, stimulate the activation of trillions of dormant stem cells. Some of Australia's top racehorse and greyhound trainers are already using it and apart from the rejuvenating and rapid healing effects, the price, when compared with similar therapies, is significantly lower. The other huge benefit is that is totally drug free. Ironically, rather than being 'tested on animals for use on humans', the ovine placental extract was developed for human usage in the cosmetic industry. While not registered for human use in Australia, overseas it has been a successful treatment for wrinkles and other symptoms of ageing for over 20 years! Medivet is also coming out with some other exciting new stem cell therapies and in-house veterinary equipment in the forthcoming weeks. For more information please go to www.medivet.net.au and to enquire on ordering Stemvet products, contact Jane Henning on 0414 944 094.

Congratulations to OTI Racing on their recent purchase of the three year old filly Hunter Forward, by Galileo out of the Strawberry Girl family. This filly, sold by Pedigree Dynamics as agent, was broken in and ready to go on with. OTI's principals Terry Henderson and Simon O'Donnell are shrewd buyers and have had much success in buying both tried and untried racehorses globally. One of their more recent highlights was the whisker-second placing by the grey Bauer (pictured) in the 2008 Melbourne Cup. Galileo stock has had great success in Europe in the past season, headed by Group One wins by Rip Van Winkle at Royal Ascot and Alandi in Ireland and France. Three year old filly Lush Lashes did a great job in the UK last year, winning three Group Ones. Since her arrival in Melbourne, OTI has been very happy with her progress. Who knows but we might see Hunter Forward line up in the OTI colours for a future Melbourne Cup?

This week, 6-time Group One winner Sea The Stars was crowned 2009 European Horse-Of-The-Year & Champion 3YO Colt at the Cartier Awards presented at Claridges Hotel in London. Sea The Stars is by Cape Cross out of a mare by Miswaki, who just keeps bobbing up as a wonderful broodmare sire. Not only is he dam sire of Sea The Stars and other Group One winners Dalakhani, Galileo, Daylami, Hernando and My Typhoon, but he is also sire of the dam of More Than Ready's latest stakes winner in the US, Mary's Follies. Our Broodmare of the Month is Miss Neck (USA) by Miswaki, one of only nine of his active broodmare daughters in Australia. Interestingly, she shares even more in common with Sea The Stars, being out of a SW Green Desert mare. Sea The Stars' sire Cape Cross is by Green Desert. A terrifically fertile mare, Miss Neck has missed only once in 12 years at stud and that was in the year of EI. She has had 8 to race for 4 winners including the 5-time winner High Ransom, who also ran 4th in the Listed Japan Trophy. Her three year old, Big Boori has run 2nd at Doomben is just a handful of starts and promises to improve over longer journeys. He races this Saturday at Eagle Farm. She has a 2 yo colt by Minardi and a weanling filly by Not A Single Doubt (pictured) coming through. She is over 45 days in foal to Not A Single Doubt on her first service (LDS 24/9). A lovely, correct type with a great temperament, Miss Neck is great buying at $17,500 no GST. Her 2009 Not A Single Doubt filly will be retained and weaned in January, so the owners are prepared to subsidize Miss Necks' agistment at Oaklyn, Willowtree. Miss Neck will continue on 2 hard feeds plus hay at a cost of $10 plus GST per day to the new owner until the filly is weaned.

Newcomers to the Thoroughbred industry, Booroobil Pastoral Company, got off to a promising start with the acquisition of the Hennessy mare Maintenant. Already the dam of stakes winning Sydney filly, Tenants Tiara from her first foal to race, Maintenant was purchased with a very lively Hussonet filly at foot and will visit Starcraft this season. Maintenant is not only the dam of a stakes winner, she is also out of a sister to the Champion 2 Year Old of her year, Burst. Maintenant was purchased by Pedigree Dynamics for a long term client in 2007 and has since been managed by us. We are very pleased to retain involvement in Maintenant under her new ownership.

Further to more conversations here and on other websites, senior broodmares continue to successfully reproduce. Not only did the yearling from a 25 year old mare fetch 550,000 Guineas at the Tattersalls October Sale, but 17 Group One winners from the 08/09 season here in Australia were out of mares 12 years old or older. Add to that more recent stars such as Manhattan Rain (dam 14 when he was born), Denman (dam 15) and So You Think (dam 16) and the old boilers aren't doing too badly. EASY DATE, that wonderful Blue Hen, herself continued to breed until she was 22. With the ongoing success of the Easy Date family, a filly from this line is of particular value. Inglis' inaugural Australian Racehorse Sale last weekend saw a Redoute's Choice great-granddaughter of Easy Date top the sale. Easy Dates grandson Not A Single Doubt's stock are winning and lets not forget Rewaaya, Forensics and Zizou in recent seasons. Her son Snippets is proving a sire of sires (Pins) and terrific broodmare sire (Snitzel, Magnus, Marju Snip, Unearthly etc). Perfect Snip, a 22 year old daughter of Easy Date (and half sister to Snippets) produced this lovely Reset filly this month for Jane Henning. We have since retired Perfect Snip from the breeding barn, which makes you wonder whether we should name the filly Swan Song?

It's fantastic to see that the Thoroughbred industry continues to attract new breeders, even in this era of global negativity. Another newcomer to the Thoroughbred breeding industry made his first purchase this month in the form of Rising Eagle, a full sister to the Golden Slipper winner, Ha Ha. This Danehill mare has a really nice filly at foot by Host, Hussonet's U.S. Group One winning son. We have seen several very nice Host foals and if they live up to their looks, they will be athletic racehorses. Rising Eagle is also in foal to the very popular Snippetson. Congratulations Robbie!

Further to our blog In Praise of Older Women, we have a couple of further ladies to add to our list. Last Saturdays Group 3 Colin Stephen Stakes and previous Listed Wyong Gold Cup winner MR. CLANGTASTIC has been a very consistent money earner, having now racked up 9 wins and over $432,000 to-date for trainer Marc Connors. He is out of Soverina, a Sovereign Edition mare born in New Zealand in 1982. She was 21 years old when she foaled Mr. Clangtastic (by Clang), her last of 10 named foals before she was retired from stud duties. Group One AJC Champagne Stakes heroine EUPHORIA is now an eighteen year old. A granddaughter of the great DENISES JOY, she has an impressive pedigree to back up her own deeds on the track. Her first foal, FLEET, won the VATC Mercedes-Benz Stakes (Listed) and she has produced a further four winners including the very promising young mare Di Canio (Red Ransom), a last start winner of three races to-date. Euphoria has just produced her 9th foal, a lovely filly by DYLAN THOMAS (pictured). Purchased in-foal through Pedigree Dynamics, Euphoria is booked to visit the sire-on-fire, Lonhro this season.

The win of 3 year old filly BELLE WATLING in the Group One Chilean Polla y Potrancas a few weeks ago has Australian ramifications. Patinack Farm purchased her full sister SCARLET, herself a Chilean Group One winner, from Pedigree Dynamics last year and she races under the tutelage of Mick Price. Both are by DUSHYANTOR, a three quarter brother to leading Australian sire, SCENIC (dec).

While The Mikado didn't bring home the bacon in last Saturday's Group One Tooheys New Golden Rose at Rosehill, it wasn't all bad news for Pedigree Dynamics' Principal Jane Henning. The Chris Waller trained third place-getter, Stryker, now 3-times stakes placed, was once the subject of a Pedigree Dynamics in-utero mating analysis. We are happy to report that he received a AA/A grading. Stryker's stakes placed half-brother, Seeking Attention (by Exceed and Excel) is also the result of a Pedigree Dynamics mating recommendation.

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!