I've got four studs and four broodmares for next breeding season. That means, for the first time, my pairings will all be in-house. The question is, who to match with whom?
The Studs:
- Nightwing - Dirt or Turf. Stayer.
- War Machine - Dirt. Classic.
- Big Easy - Dirt or Turf. Miler.
- Union Jack - Turf. Classic to Stayer.
The Broodmares:
- Shattered Record - Dirt or Turf. Classic.
- Nova - Dirt. Sprinter to Miler.
- Shadowcat - Dirt or Turf. Sprinter to Miler.
- Affirm Gal - Dirt or Turf. Miler to Classic.
The match that jumps out at me is Big Easy x Nova. They have distance chemistry and even though Nova was strictly a dirt runner, Big Easy was great on dirt as well. Perhaps the foal would even gain a little more tolerance for turf. I may even have to stray from my superhero naming habit for this one. The name Big Bang seems perfect.
Next up is a match for War Machine. Either Shattered Record or Affirm Gal would do just fine. However, AG seems a little better on turf and War Machine was not fond that surface, so therefore I'd say that it will be War Machine x Shattered Record.
Union Jack will be joining the Otsego stud ranks and Affirm Gal will be a spectacular match for him. Her best distance/surface appears to be 10 furlongs on turf and that is exactly what UJ does best. No brainer here. Union Jack x Affirm Gal.
That leaves Nightwing x Shadowcat. It's not a match that I would search out because the distances they prefer are not very compatible, and as I've said in the past, I like to match strength to strength. However, in looking at the AR's, there are several areas in which Shadowcat can improve Nightwing genetics, such as fighting at the wire, curve handling, consistency, and gate speed. Plus Big Easy x Shadowcat produced a classic filly in Huntress last year, so maybe she can do it again.
So...that's how it will be. Any comments?
Next up is a match for War Machine. Either Shattered Record or Affirm Gal would do just fine. However, AG seems a little better on turf and War Machine was not fond that surface, so therefore I'd say that it will be War Machine x Shattered Record.
Union Jack will be joining the Otsego stud ranks and Affirm Gal will be a spectacular match for him. Her best distance/surface appears to be 10 furlongs on turf and that is exactly what UJ does best. No brainer here. Union Jack x Affirm Gal.
That leaves Nightwing x Shadowcat. It's not a match that I would search out because the distances they prefer are not very compatible, and as I've said in the past, I like to match strength to strength. However, in looking at the AR's, there are several areas in which Shadowcat can improve Nightwing genetics, such as fighting at the wire, curve handling, consistency, and gate speed. Plus Big Easy x Shadowcat produced a classic filly in Huntress last year, so maybe she can do it again.
So...that's how it will be. Any comments?
9 comments:
I have used alot of my " sprinting mares " with " long stallions " and most of the time they have come out " classic " or " long " foals ... Very few " sprinters " ... So i wouldnt worry to much with crossing long with short
Goodluck with the foals Sir Jim
Foxie
Most of my "Likes a lot of distance" horses have been out of sprinters. And most of my sprinters have been out of distance horses. It has never made sense to me and so I rarely consider it anymore... I don't understand the HRFan program! :)
I like the way you are only doing a few pairings a year, and this year all in house. I am starting to think that may be the way to go in the game. :) My gajillion 2 yr olds and yearlings are eating me out of house and home and not bringing in a penny.
Lise
The War Machine foals are going to be awesome to watch when they reach there peak
Josh
Australian Racing Stables
Foxie & Lise: The distance preferences almost seem random don't they? Remember though, the breeding program isn't part of HRF. It is a mathematical program set up by Laurie. It should work realistically based on pure probabilities, but sometimes it sure leaves me scratching my head.
Lise: I've found that four new 2yo's per year maintains my stable size just about right. I've had to buy a fourth in the past, but now for the next couple years at least, it'll all be in-house.
Josh: War Machine himself matured relatively early...by the end of his 2yo season. It looks like his foals may be a little slower. FDL's Garson De Garcia has won his last two races, which is very encouraging. Keep an eye out for the Bally Doyle colt A View To A Kill. I have a nice feeling about that one.
Thanks for the mention JIm - Killer is getting barn crazy! Watch out weeks 38+
I have it on good authority that any horse with a sprinting tendency in is more than 50% likely to sire or be dam of a sprinter - just a small something to keep in mind
Jim, Frankly I am frustrated with how laid back & conservative you are,lol. Your best stud should be War Machine and you should be breeding all your mares to him. He needs his reputation to grow in the shed as being one of the best in PF history and if you are not giving him every shot then you are definetly short changing him. As great as he was, if he doesn't produce his reputation will fade and the more shots you give him the more chance of him producing something stellar. I know you want to win, so live a little, give him what every man desires and he might reward you, 10 fold.
I've thought about what you suggest Scott. Indeed, why not throw all my eggs in War Machine's mighty basket?
For good or not, I've decided to limit his pairings to 5 per year and I've mostly succeeded. In order to let others share his bloodlines, I've only used one per season myself, the other 4 (a couple times more) have been used by other stables.
Also, if I use WM for all my mares, what do I do with Nightwing, Big Easy, and Union Jack? These are also potentially fantastic stallions and I hate to let them go to waste.
I have thought about selling Big Easy, but he really has a superior AR and he should produce smashing foals. I'm still thinking about that.
Very tough choices...just as your latest article suggests...the game doesn't support having more then 1-2 stallions at any one time.
That is my argument for your throwing more mares at WM. Increase his breeding and increase his chances for stardom, since you are going to be limited with how many studs your stable can support.
It doesn't matter if WM doesn't have much foals, Garson De Garcia shows that, he'll win a Group 1 this weekend
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