A Testament to Breeding Diversity

The NSW Regional Championship Series conducted late May 2021, provided an opportunity for 4 yo+ horses, up to NR70 rating, to chase Group 1 glory -- whilst allowing The Breeders Voice analysts the chance to review which sires, broodmare sires, and indeed crosses, are dominant in this cohort.

The results, as summarised below, are quite surprising :

28 different sires were represented across the 40 finalists

only 9 stallions managed to achieve multiple starters - with the 'honours' going to MACH THREE, PET ROCK, and WESTERN TERROR with each having 3 runners

this meant that were 19 individual stallions were represented by a single starter.

Considering that these horses were conceived long before there was any talk of re-introducing 'Stallion Book Limits', one has to question whether the perceived 'domination' by certain sires is in fact a reality -- at least at this NR70 max. level. Boom sires such as SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE / ART MAJOR and BETTORS DELIGHT only had 2 runners each ! **

On the Broodmare Sire front it was however a somewhat different story :

with ART MAJOR being the BMS sire of 5 finalists (12.5%)
and both LIVE OR DIE and MACH THREE having 3 BMS representatives each

but again diversity was to the fore, as there were 26 different BMS featured.

Such diversity serves to underscore that good horses come from many, many different quarters, and that 'low cost' stallions can always throw you a Group 1 starter (ref. Camlach / Fly Like an Eagle / Million Dollar Cam etc.)

One particular runner, in the Hunter Regional Final, caught my attention -- namely Our Chance To Dream -- as he is by IF I CAN DREAM who has only had 2 Australian foals. But, as he is a full brother to WESTERN TERROR (who made the 'Honour List') his 'ability' should not be a surprise. But if we head down that path we have to start combing Bettors Delight and Roll With Joe's numbers, and space simply does not permit.

An analysis of the age span of the 40 finalists is of interest -- with 4 yo's making up the bulk (42.5%) :

4 yo : 17 finalists
5 yo : 11
6 yo : 8
7 yo : 2
8 yo : 1
9 yo : 1

One disappointing aspect, however, is that mares only accounted for 10% of all finalists! Are mares not being allowed to race through to NR70 levels (after their 'age seasons') OR is the non-availability of ALTRENOGEST for this subset of the racing population causing their numbers to drop away so dramatically? Given their low representation, the success of EYE CAN RUN in the Metropolitan Final at Tabcorp Park Menangle, is even more significant. A precocious 2 yo [winner of the Pink Bonnet, and second in the Bathurst Gold Tiara, in 2019] EYE CAN RUN was sadly away from the track for most of the 2019/2020 season, during which time she was served by Sweet Lou, producing a colt in November 2020. Interestingly parallels with her winning driver on May 22.

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With the results in, we have :

WINNERS sired by SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE (2) - HESTON BLUE CHIP and A ROCKNROLL DANCE and
Just two sires providing all the second-placed horses : ART MAJOR and WESTERN TERROR

** So cream does indeed rise to the top ... and it will be fascinating to see which of these comes out 'on top' in the Regional Championships STATE FINAL - the culmination of this terrific Series - at Tabcorp Park Menangle on May 29. Of course, with the two fastest 3rds from the Regional Finals rounding out the State Final Field, there is still a chance that BETTORS DELIGHT or LIFE SIGN could come through the pack and claim final honours - thanks to their sons ILIKEMEBETTOR and NOMORELYING.

One significant aspect of these results, is the frequency of ALBATROSS mares in the pedigree of the eight winners and second placegetters, through :

WENDYMAE HANOVER in the bloodlines of Western Terror / Heston Blue Chip / and A Rocknroll Dance
MISS ELVIRA in the pedigrees of Western Terror and Art Major

and

THREE DIAMONDS in the bloodline of Heston Blue Chip

... not to mention that the winner of the Hunter Regional Final THE CHOREOGRAPHER carries a double-cross of Wendymae Hanover through his damsire MODERN ART and MISS ELVIRA also features in the Riverina Final Winner FATHER BOB's damline through the Artsplace mare Spank Me Hard.

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The breeding profile of all NSW Regional Championship Finalists can be found HERE