Will Sunline the Supermare become a Supermum?

Question

Sunline New Zealands champion mare who won $11.3 million dollars in prizemoney at the racetrack is mating early next year with the US Stallion Storm Cat who is standing for the largest fee in the world of US$500,000.Storm Cat should continue a mighty fine bloodline.What two Stallion/Mares would you choose for a mating?

Answer 1

Storm Cat's fee has been dropped for the 2008 season to $300,000, making him now the joint-highest priced stallion with AP Indy - he had a very bad sales season with 13 of his 20 yearlings offered at Keeneland September failing to make more than his stud fee, i.e. making a loss for the breeders that used him.

Whilst it would be nice to think that mating Sunline to Storm Cat would produce an outstanding foal, the reality is far from it.  The truth is that there are no guarantees when breeding racehorses - which is what makes it half the fun!  The majority of top class mares very rarely go on to produce a foal that is anywhere near as good on the racetrack is they themelves were.  If you look at the pedigrees of the top rates horses over the last few years, you will find that most of them have parents that were average or slightly above average.  If it were as simple as "to get a champion, breed from a champion" then everyone would do it.

The only mating that I would love to reproduce is of course the Danehill/Hasili cross.  The 6 foals to race that this "blue hen" has produced (5 by Danehill, 1 by Green Desert - also a son of Danzig) are none other than Banks Hill, Dansili, Heat Haze, Intercontinental, Cacique and Champs Elysees.  Between them they have won over £4.5million and each and every one has won a Group race.

I don't think you will find a better proven record than that.

Update - Granted that is a good record.  

I should point out, of the above horses 4 are Group 1 winners (Cacique, Intercontinental, Banks Hill, Heat Haze) Dansili was placed in several G1s and is on his way to being a top-class sire having sired last years Arc winner RAIL LINK from his second crop.  

Champs Elysees is still in training (2nd in a Group 1 just last week), so there is plenty of time for this family to expand it's winning ways.

Incidentally Hasili has a 2007 filly by Storm Cat and is due to Empire Maker in 2008.

Answer 2

Finally you've got yourself a JOB!  Is this what keeps you busy lately?

Answer 3

Sorry to burst your bubble Newmarket but there is one better than the mare you mentioned. Goes by the name of Eight Carat (half sister to Habibti) and is the only mare to have produced 5 individual group one winners. Her group one winners are the brilliant Octagonal, Mouawad, Diamond Lover, Kaapstad and Marquise. Her daughters are doing a brilliant job of leaving group one winners as well