IRISH BLOODSTOCK FORUMS :: View topic

TOPOFTHEHILL»Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:35 am
If Wootton Bassett turns out to be better than No Nay Never I will give this job up. No Nay Never has problems however and has to be carefully managed through the covering season. It is very unusual (though not impossible) for these problems to resolve themselves, although the mostly they just get worse, in which case the crops will decline year by year. I was very impressed by the performance of Little Big Bear and he is a good specimen but his pedigree analysis in no way matches his performance to date. So I will have to wait before making a judgement. Its all a bit 'Airforce Blue' for me. Reply

Oreally»Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:42 am
I know I cant ask you to be specific about a possible problem but can you hint to me is it physical or mental? Reply

TOPOFTHEHILL»Mon Aug 08, 2022 8:52 am
I am sorry O'R I don't have the details, I would imagine its physical because I have had clients get a mare ready and then not be able to travel them until maybe the next day or so. They are managing him. Without any actual knowledge it sounds either like low libido or low fertility but I may be wrong on both counts. I guess its not something they are likely to publish. Its a shame anyway as he looks to be potentially brilliant and he works with so many different bloodlines. He is still in my top 10 and near the top too. Reply

Reference Point»Mon Aug 08, 2022 8:46 am
You may well be right about LBB. Airforce Blue is my favorite Dewhurst winner. He was excellent that day and a total disappointment after. I don't think he was as nice a specimen as LBB however. I think at the moment WB is probably better than NNN particularly if you look at his AEI and their mares CI. Personally I think NNN is a good stallion but benefitting from massive books and he may well continue to get them in which case he will keep getting the likes of LBB etc. I think I have been persuaded that when WBs first Coolmore crop become 3yo's he may well do the business. Reply

TOPOFTHEHILL»Mon Aug 08, 2022 8:53 am
I had better retire now then RP! Reply

Villicious»Mon Aug 08, 2022 14:17 pm
He won’t take tons of mares because he’s just not that interested in the job, I don’t think it’s a secret. I think a savvy small breeder that has the perfect mare for him would always think twice about sending him that great match because it is properly dispiriting to lose your slot because a sire is on a ‘not tonight Josephine’ kick. Or indeed because of greedy stallion men who take too many bookings in the first place… I am most fascinated in this game by hybrid matings which NNN will see plenty of in the coming years. Sadlers, Galileo etc would seem rather too diverse seams to mine with NNN to me but I am minded that you get a leggy angular hind leg thing with NNN and famously no walk too. I think that maybe those quarters match a Sadlers hind leg better than the Fatter back-sided conventional sprint type that often fails with mares from that line. Reply

TOPOFTHEHILL»Tue Aug 09, 2022 14:50 pm
Interestingly its the dam side of Sadler's Wells that he seems to have such an affinity with, Fairy Bridge and in particular Special through Sadler's, Nureyev, and Fairy King. I haven't seen that many No Nay Never's at the sales but I had a client foal one over here and it was a really bonny foal. It couldn't stop galloping and it had a pretty good walk whilst it was here but didn't make as much as I thought when it went to the sales presumably because it didn't show itself that well. Reply

Red Light»Tue Aug 09, 2022 16:01 pm
In his first five generations he has 3 MR PROSPECTOR [5x3x4] and also 3 NORTHERN DANCER [5x5x4]. Do you think there is any significance in this duplication? Reply

TOPOFTHEHILL»Wed Aug 10, 2022 10:29 am
Well one will supply sons of Native Dancer the other daughters, is it significant? I really couldn't say its a common cross and you see it in a lot of good horses but unfortunately you see it in a lot of very slow ones too. I would suggest it is likely to be a good thing if there are other interesting crosses close up in the pedigree. Reply

Squid»Wed Aug 10, 2022 21:05 pm
ST MARK'S BASILICA has N.D. 4 times and MR PROSPECTOR twice. Reply

TOPOFTHEHILL»Thu Aug 11, 2022 8:48 am
Unfortunately Squid you see it a lot and not only in good runners. I was doing some research for a client a few days ago and it seems Danzig has a very unusually high number of son daughter crosses of St Simon and I looked at the dams of his top 20 runners and 19 out of the 20 all had a similar profile some not quite so pronounced but still more than you might expect then you sit down and think, well he was champion sire for a few years perhaps thats just what we should expect. I have an algorithm to determine if it is statistically significant and it appears that it is but only marginally, my guess is the sons and daughters of Native Dancer will be similar. So yes its impoertant but not the sort of thing that would make you plan a cross that way. Reply