BREEDING FORUM

Posted: **Sun May 29, 2011 8:12 am**

Here?s some Sunday Miscellany from a proud owner breeder. In 1996 I bought a yearling filly in Ireland whose third dam was the great matron Klairessa. In 1998 Octagonal arrived to stand in France at the Head?s farm at Quesnay. My unraced 3yo (now Kimberlite) was bred to the great horse who I had seen racing in Australia, and I had a couple of pleasant trips to France to ?supervise? the wedding. She was so named as Kimberlite is the host rock to diamonds which feature in the names of many of Klairessa?s descendants. Inbreeding/linebreeding was my big interest so the resultant 1999 filly was 3x4 to Klairessa through 2 females, Eight Carat and L?Anno d?Oro. This filly was named Hope?s Blue, a superior American diamond. Hope?s Blue was crooked in front but went into training. She tried so hard on the gallops that she was in danger of damaging her legs so I brought her home before she raced. The day she retired I got a desparate phone call looking for mates for Generous who couldn?t pull a bird if he was the only horse at the dance. The result of that mating is now a hunter on Dartmoor. By this time Kimberlite was at The Oaks in New Zealand and visiting Kaapstad any time she could. Hope?s Blue suddenly saw Viking Ruler arrive in Ireland and off she went to him to increase the dose of Klairessa again thus bringing the genetic relatives Octagonal and Tristalove close up. I got a very classy colt foal, a genetic timebomb in terms of closely bred relatives in the pedigree. As a 2yo he was huge, almost too big for his frame so kept on skinny pastures. He was broken at 3 but still immature about his legs/joints for his weight so he was kept to slow canters but his energy could hardly be contained. Too big for flat racing by now, we saw a steeplechaser in the making. He ran over hurdles in Aintree first time out and was pulled up. Too excited by the whole travelling experience, he?d left his race on the boat and float. As a 6yo, Selskar (a suburb of Viking founded Wexford town) ran over hurdles without distinction. Over the years he?d had a wind operation and several layoffs for back and leg problems; he startled work riders on the Curragh gallops. This month of May is the start of the new jumps season so he is still a novice and after a lacklustre race over hurdles 3 weeks ago we launched his chasing career last Friday. It was life or death for my timebomb. Over 30 lengths adrift the leaders after the first 2 furlongs of a 2mile1furlong Beginners Chase I thought to leave the stands and begin the 3 hr journey home. With half a mile to go he was still 30 lengths off the pace but he passed one then another until 2 fences out he was 5th and still driving on. 2 lovely last jumps and he faced the judge with 2 in front of him. Even with the images of all his promise in my mind, I really couldn?t see him pull it off but he finished ? length in front. Selskar is now a winner. At 33/1 morning prices, he was gambled on at the track from 28/1 to 16/1 and 3 jackpot winners will also love him. I had my last score on having filled the satchels of the course brokers on several previous occasions. But who cares? My breeding experiment has succeeded! Klairessa and her brilliant family lives on. The sky?s the limit for the horse now but sitting on the fence, ever threatening, is the shadow of that shortened step of a niggle. But the Galway crystal vase he won is on the mantelpiece and it?s gleam will always brighten my days. Thanks goodness for fools and horses.