First Crop of Tell All

There are 82 yearlings by first crop sire Tell All. Almost one third of them are from mares by Abercrombie line sires making them line bred to Abercrombie usually 3x3 or 4x3 with broodmare sires by Artsplace and his sons as well as by other Abercrombie sons even including Life Sign, grandsire of Tell All.

Normally I would not give this type of yearling a second look despite the quality of the mares. Statistically you can show that line breeding is a much less attractive proposition than outcrossing on sire line - about 4 to 1 in favour of the latter when it comes to producing top performers. That being said, however, there is some hope when the maternal connections are strong enough. Several of the Artsplace mares are from the maternal family of Golden Miss, as is Tell All, and usually they have Jate Lobell or No Nukes second dams with Albatross next in line. In theory they should be attractive prospects and the fillies especially should be looked at closely.

One that really caught my eye is To Tell The Truth from the Artsplace mare Living With Art. The maternal lines combine three of the best modern maternal families in K Nora, Lady Kacne and Golden Miss as well as No Nukes and Albatross doubled across the pedigree.

There are in fact eighteen others that have maternal doubles to Golden Miss and again the fillies are certainly worth a second look.

A very interesting group of yearlings that are, for the most part, strongly inbred maternally. The question is will the Abercrombie line breds be among the better ones.?

First Crop Sires

There are not that many first crop sires this year but there are several high profile ones. Donato Hanover will likely create the most buzz at the yearling sales for the trotting enthusiasts while Tell All appears to be the pacing sire of greatest interest. Others include the pacers Lis Mara in Ontario and Kenneth J in New York, and the trotting star Majestic Son in Ontario (although he has a pacing maternal line from the third dam down.)

I am always interested in what Hanover Shoe Farms does and particularily since Paul Spears is now involved in the sire selection process. Paul has been a great supporter of Pedigree Camp having attended all four years to date. It appears that some of that experience is rubbing off on the Hanover breedings.

I have not looked at all of the Donato Hanover yearlings yet but the ones bearing the Hanover name are from some very special mares, as it should be. Among the best that I can see so far are the following:

Aerodonato Hanover, colt from Aurora Hall

Donato Hanover is Donerail (Valley Victory) and Giant Victory (Super Bowl) maternally so you should expect that Valley Victory - Super Bowl combinations in the mares would be a large part of his success. This is a classic case since the dam is by Self Possessed from a mare by American Winner. The dam is also a double to Margaret Parrish

Bernice G Hanover is a very special filly since she is a double to Margaret Parrish as is her dam Batbreaker (Muscles Yankee).

Sari Maki Hanover from Likeavirgin Lindy is a similar filly with a double to MP and a dam that is also a double MP. She is my favorite so far being out of a mare by Like A Prayer whose sire is a son of Valley Victory and whose dam is by Super Bowl. The match is also a strong outmatch to the dominant Speedy Crown lines in Donato Hanover.

Tell All is by the Abercrombie line sire Real Desire and his maternal lines are Albatross - Jate Lobell. Western Hanover mares make a lot of sense here and one that is outstanding is a filly called Intelligence from Western Wisdom, a full sister to the millionaires Western Terror and If I Can Dream.

Lis Mara will be an interesting sire to follow. Will he dodge the bullet that comes from being a son of Cambest ? Or will he follow Cammibest and Camotion into early obscurity ? With a colt from Barbys Makentrax called Basque Hanover it looks like he might have a chance with his first crop.

The 2010 yearlings should be available shortly in both PedigreeGuru and Globetrotter

Stallion Information

Finding out what stallions are standing and where can be a frustrating chore whether you are looking in North America or most other countries where standardbred breeding is conducted. In North America it is only in the past two years that the registries in the U S and in Canada have made any attempt to provide such information. I can take some credit for their efforts since I have badgered them both about providing this very necessary service.

The USTA has recently added some functionality to their listings by including some additional data for their STARS list, which consists of stallions belonging to farms that have paid them for the priviledge. The "A" list totals a little over 100 of the 700+ stallions in service in North America. They also have a basic list of other stallions in the United States with minimal information and some notable errors and exceptions. No listing of any stallions from Maine or Michigan for instance, and according to the USTA No Pan Intended still stands in the US not at Tara Hills in Canada, and Pro Bono Best, who left last fall for the UK is, according to the USTA list, still in Indiana.

Standardbred Canada's efforts are similarily inconsistent and incomplete. Their stallion list gives little more than the stallion name, contact information and fee. Stallion owners can submit this information themselves but if they want any extras such as a hypothetical mating function it costs extra. There are no stallion stats, no stallion pedigree or any other data available other than what you can get through their "pay per view" Trackit service. The USTA at least gives the top ten performers of their "A" list stallions as well as pedigree information and the option of a photo of the sire.

It seems to me that stallion information, presented in a consistent and comprehensive manner is an essential service to the breeders that both organizations purport to serve.

Some states and provinces publish stallion guides and the best ones that I have seen are Maine and Ontario although both have the disadvantage of coming out well into the season due to nomination deadlines and print delays.

Internationally the best stallion directory available is likely the French "Annuaire des Etalons", with full colour pictures, some quite spectacular, and comprehensive information on both the stallion and the farm. Some countries have online directories such as Denmark, and Australia, like Canada, offers a complete list of all stallions, but in contrast gives you much more detail on a click thru basis.

Since its inception in 2003 the PedigreeGuru website has contained a stallion and farm database which I update annually for the dozen or so countries from which I can get information. The information available to me is, as you can imagine, inconsistent and full of errors and ommissions despite being provided for the most part by the breed organizations themselves.

If you have a stallion directory for your country, state or province I would appreciate getting a copy or the online link to the information.

Urge To Spurge by Cash Hall

In an interview with Bob MacIntosh on The Harness Edge , the former trainer of World Record holder Cash Hall made quite a statement. He claimed that a colt he is training by Cash Hall called Cash On Delivery, bred and owned by Bob and the CSX Stable, is the best trotter he ever trained. A look at the pedigree shows why.

The colt is inbred maternally 3x3 to Super Bowl and also inbred to Speedy Crown maternally 4x4. His dam, Direct Dial, is a daughter of Dial Nial by Super Bowl who is a double to Margaret Parrish and has a second dam called Dancing Demon who herself is a double to Margaret Parrish through one of her daughters Foster Child. Dial Nile is already the dam of Text Me, one of the top two year olds in Canada last season.

Bob has an even more interesting prospect for next year as he has a filly by Cash Hall called Urge To Splurge that is from Dial Nile making her a 3x2 X-factor cross to Super Bowl.

2010 Pedigree Camp

The registration deadline for this year’s Standardbred Pedigree Camp is fast approaching. May 1st is the due date for signing up for this year’s event, which will again take place in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and is slated for the second weekend in June. The Pedigree Camp begins Friday June 11th with a welcome social and lobster dinner at the Inn On The Hill. The agenda for registrants also includes weekend sessions on Stallion and Broodmare selection, and Yearling evaluation. Norman Hall of Pedigree Matching and the Globetrotter pedigree program will host the sessions.

Registration and program information are contained in the January blog entry named Pedigree Camp Registration.

Already signed up for this year are several returnees from previous Pedigree Camps as well as new registrants from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maine, Illinois and Canada. Island breeders will also be in attendance as a number of seminar seats will again be sponsored at a reduced rate by the PEI Colt Stakes. Early registration is recommended due to the limited number of seats available.

There will also be time for play including a visit to the races at the Charlottetown Driving Park Entertainment Centre, a traditional Island Lobster dinner, optional visits to Island breeding farms, and all the delights offered by the Garden Of The Gulf, Prince Edward Island. To book your spot or for further information call Norman Hall at 902-367-3495 or email to norman_g_hall@hotmail.com

Speedy Somolli versus Florestan

The entries for the Prix D'Amerique have been declared. Eighteen horses will go to the post in search of winning the most prestigious race for trotters in Europe. Will the winner have Speedy Somolli in his/her pedigree or Florestan. Here are the entries

1. Quaker Jet
2. Oasis Gede
3. Paris Haufor
4. Rolling d'Heripe
5. Quarla
6. Oyonnax
7. Return Money
8. Orlando Sport
9. Perlando
10. Ghiaccio del Nord
11. Premiere Speed
12. Ready Cash
13. Russel November
14. Nouba du Saptel
15. Olga du Biwetz
16. One du Rib
15. Opal Viking
16. Meaulnes du Corta

Post positions in French racing are determined by the earnings so last year's winner, Meaulnes du Corta draws the outside post with his highest earnings status. Since this is not a mobile start and is at a distance greater than a mile then the post is not really a factor. The Prix typically sees horses three wide and sitting, satisfied to be in a position to move around rather than getting locked in.

Meaulnes du Corta has a dam by Florestan but this year he meets a formidable rival in the speedy Ready Cash, the only horse in the field to have Florestan on both sides of his pedigree, 4x4 maternally in fact. His sire, Indy de Vie has a second dam by Florestan and third dam by Seddouk while his dam has a grandsire by Florestan whose dam is also by Seddouk.

Leaving on the rail is Quaker Jet who figures to be a rank longshot but , like Ready Cash, has a 4x4 maternal cross, in this case to Speedy Somolli not Florestan. His sire has a second dam by Speedy Somolli while his third dam is by a son of Speedy Somolli. Adding to the intrigue is a sibling cross 2x2 of Coktail Jet to his sister Delmonica Jet.

One of the favorites will be Opal Viking whose sire is out of a mare by Speedy Somolli and his dam is by a full brother to Speedy Somolli. Remember Cr Kay Suzie ?

There are a couple of others to consider. Oyonnax has a third dam by Florestan and his sire has a dam by Speedy Somolli, and Nouba du Saptel's dam is by Florestan. That gives us seven horses in the field to consider based on Rainer Engelkes predictions of the importance of Speedy Somolli and Florestan.

Who do you think will win ? My own prediction is

1. Ready Cash
2. Meaulnes du Corta
3, Quaker Jet
4. Nouba du Saptel
5. Oyonnax

The race goes Sunday around noon Eastern time.

First Year Pacing Stallions

There are two interesting new stallions that will serve their first books this year both in North America and in Australia/New Zealand.

Mister Big

This is a unique horse in more ways than one. An outstanding race horse he certainly was and his chances of carrying his success into his stallion career are excellent since his maternal pedigree allows him to connect to the principal sire lines of today.

The first priority is to find mares that fit Mister Big’s maternal lines of Jate Lobell and Cam Fella in particular. Having a dam that is line bred through Most Happy Fella is another of his unique characteristics since there is no other stallion currently standing that is bred that way. There are several that have double Meadow Skipper dams i.e. first and second dams both go through Meadow Skipper, but they all have one of those dams go through a son of Meadow Skipper other than Most Happy Fella.

A review of the sires which are similar in pedigree, although not exactly the same, shows that Real Desire is the best model for success for a sire such as Mister Big. Like Mister Big, Real Desire is by an Abercrombie line sire, albeit through Life Sign, not Artsplace. Real Desire’s maternal lines are Troublemaker (Most Happy Fella) and Trenton (Meadow Skipper). His profile shows, like all of the other sires with double Meadow Skipper dams, a preference for mares that are also double Meadow Skipper. In fact of his top 16 performers there are 12 that are bred this way including his top 4. The remaining four are from non Meadow Skipper line dams that have a second dam through Most Happy Fella and three of those have a broodmare sire with a dam by Meadow Skipper or Albatross.

Many of the mares that have been successful with Real Desire are in fact very good matches to Mister Big including the dams of Tell All, Carnivore and Cabana Fever to name a few.

Being an Abercrombie line sire he is unlikely to have consistent success with mares of the same sire line but there will be exceptions. It is not, however, a high percentage play.

His dam is by Jate Lobell and that brings into play the many broodmares with No Nukes sire lines including those by Western Hanover and his sons. Mister Big’s second dam is by Cam Fella which makes mares by Camluck, Cams Card Shark etc., especially those that carry the No Nukes line, high priorities as well.

Cams Card Shark and No Nukes was a very good cross and a mare like Card Trick Hanover would be ideal as would a Camluck mare such as Chancey Lady or Remember When, both with No Nukes maternally, the latter through Jate Lobell.

The sire profile for the group of sires that Mister Big belongs to is as follows:

Double Meadow Skipper line dams with the exception of dams with a Meadow Skipper, a son, or an Albatross line 2nd dam or dams with no Meadow Skipper maternally.

In summary I would look primarily for mares that are line bred through Meadow Skipper and that carry combinations of Cam Fella, No Nukes and/or Albatross maternally. It would probably be helpful to find mares that have maternal dams by Abercrombie or one of his sons if possible.

Art Director

Like Mister Big, this sire has an unusual maternal combination, in his case it is of Falcon Seelster – Safe Arrival. This combination of an Adios and a Volomite line is shared with only five other active sires including Village Jolt and Western Maverick, the only ones to have foals racing. These others, however, are all Meadow Skipper line sires making Art Official the only Abercrombie line sire in existence with such a maternal package.

Looking at the profiles of Village Jolt and Western Maverick to date there is little to help us since neither sire has really hit with any consistency. As is typical in cases where there is an unusual maternal combination the mares that will work will often throw back to the grandsire rather than the sire. Such was very much the case for Camluck whose maternal lines of Striking Image (Adios line) and Truluck (Knight Dream) were only to be found in Abercrombie mares. That was actually one of his best crosses but the majority of his best returned to the Bret Hanover – Dale Frost combination in the maternal line of Camluck’s sire Cam Fella.

Art Major’s maternal lines are Nihilator (Albatross line) and Big Towner. Albatross and Big Towner have been key factors in the profile of Art Major although neither featured in Art Official’s pedigree. Like many of the great ones his pedigree, similar to that of Somebeachsomewhere, is a strong outcross due to the two Volomite lines he has maternally. This hybridization in a pedigree very often results in something special but is a rare occurrence. You can make use of the Volomite connection, however, by going to Mach Three mares which would give you a direct maternal connection to both Volomite and Adios since Mach Three is by a Volomite line sire out of an Adios line dam. For instance a mare like Mach You And me, who also carries Albatross maternally, would be a good choice while an even better one would be Stabilo.

You should also look for broodmare sires with Volomite line dams such as Rustler Hanover, Rocknroll Hanover, Cambest, Beach Towel, etc. The good mare Draconian Promise would be worthy of an invitation with her second dam by Falcon Seelster. The same applies to Red In The Face, Literacy and several others with similar pedigrees. Perhaps you can convince Shacked Up to retire

Art Official will be a difficult sire to fit to but if you can get enough of the right ones to him the first year then he will have a chance to prove what he really works with.

His prospects in New Zealand and Australia will likely be better because of the influence of the Volomite line sire In The Pocket and his sons at stud providing daughters with the right connections for Art Official. There are also several Albatross line stallions there bred to several different Volomite lines that have produced suitable daughters. Also worth looking for are daughters of Falcon Seelster.

His sire profile is listed as: Non Meadow Skipper line dams except for double Meadow Skipper line dams or Meadow Skipper line dams with a Volomite line 2nd or 3rd dam.