At the highest levels of competition, thoroughbred racing is a global sport and it's exciting to witness elite Northern Hemisphere runners compete against the best representatives from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The foundation for such international competition is an increasingly measured approach to breeding combined with management of the thoroughbred racehorse for optimum performance.
The breeding of thoroughbred horses for competitive racing provides many challenges. Wherever the sport is widely practiced, there will be key factors influencing the quality of the breed. The first task of any serious racehorse breeder is to research the successful matings of recent times, paying particular attention to strong or emergent families which may be identified through a valued broodmare. A sound knowledge of these important families will assist in determining the genetic influences which are most influential and desirable for the level of racing one aspires to.
Historically, important race events were considered to be the critical testing ground and means whereby superior genes were selected for developing speed, endurance, and durability in the breed. With few exceptions, the important races are now encountered earlier and over shorter distances. In conjunction with this, stallion prospects and quality race fillies are usually retired after brief racing careers since breeding and selling good stock tends to offer a financial advantage with less inherent risk. One obvious consequence of shorter racing careers is to reduce the amount of useful racetrack data available for breeders and potential owners to analyse. Informed breeders continue to analyse racetrack performance and may prioritise a small selection of elite race events to distinguish the better class of racing stock.
The major yearling and breeding stock auctions are a somewhat distant cousin to the racetrack and can provide further insight into the fickle nature of the thoroughbred industry. With promotional machinery surrounding the progeny of new and established sires, these selling events are both exciting and demanding in terms of the caution and restraint required from vendors and potential buyers. Small breeders needing to sell rather than race their own stock are extremely vulnerable to the shifting opinion of the market. For economic reasons the commercial stallions cover large books of mares each season. It is then left for breeders to anticipate how the numbers may influence future demand for the progeny as they mature to yearling prospects. An emerging stallion with one or two quality representatives can quickly lose commercial appeal when subsequent crops fail to deliver. The larger studs and breeding syndicates have more resources and will generally avoid overexposure to an identifiable risk, particularly in respect to unproven and emerging stallion prospects.
Before and after each major sale, professional industry participants must evaluate significant quantities of information, in particular the statistical analyses linking breeding data to outcome in terms of either racetrack performance or economic viability. They inspect many yearlings and consult a range of opinions including those of trainers, breakers, veterinarians, pedigree consultants, geneticists and other breeders. Leading buyers tend to select heavily on type, aiming for the beauty and grace of a well balanced equine athlete. There is probably less emphasis on pedigree at the surface, more on a deeper level, which is a bit of a trap for the uninitiated.
In addition to physical quality, the importance of race ability in close relatives cannot be overemphasised whether selecting purely for racing or breeding at a later stage. It is well proven that certain key races provide a benchmark for quality that tends to extend itself across subsequent generations via both male and female lines. Racing pedigree seeks to establish a breeders profile of the most significant juvenile events in major thoroughbred racing precincts across the globe. The focus on juvenile racing follows the longstanding trend for early maturing speed that dominates commercial breeding particularly in Australia and the United States.
When considering which juvenile event to focus upon in each region, the criteria for final selection was to ensure that each winner could be evaluated within the context of a single racing season but also within the much broader historical context of the event. Without exception, the chosen races were graded at the highest level of thoroughbred competition. There was a brief hiccup in 2012 when The Hopeful Stakes were inexplicably relegated to Grade 2 level. The following year the American Graded Stakes Committee returned this event to Grade 1 status. While the race may have experienced some inconsistencies over recent years, there is no reason to doubt the overall potential in terms of competitive quality and as an ongoing reference for astute breeders.
With the exception of the Hopeful Stakes, our selected events are conducted on a turf racing surface which is the popular choice for most of the European racing centres and Australasia. The distance of each event was another criteria for selection. Early season races for juveniles are generally over shorter course or sprint distances. Towards the end of each season many trainers are keen to trial some of their better horses for the lucrative three year old classics. France's Prix Morny and Ireland's Phoenix Stakes are both run down a 1200m straight while Australia's Golden Slipper requires running the same distance but includes a sweeping clockwise turn. England's Dewhurst Stakes has the longest history and on account of Newmarket's undulating layout this provides a far greater test of stamina than other 1400m events. Alternatively the tighter circuit of Nakayama indicates the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes is somewhat less demanding of stamina than the 1600m distance otherwise suggests.
Since its commencement in 1957 the Golden Slipper Stakes has traced the development of precocious speed in Australian thoroughbred bloodlines. For its initial two decades the race was dominated by Star Kingdom (IRE), the imported grandson of a champion racehorse and major influence of the breed in Hyperion (UK). Star Kingdom was leading sire of juvenile racehorses over seven seasons, his immediate progeny successful in the first five renewals of the Golden Slipper Stakes. The Star Kingdom line was continued through his sons Todman (AUS), Kaoru Star (AUS), and Biscay (AUS). Other influential lines included those established by Wilkes (FR) and his son Vain (AUS). The next sireline to produce multiple winners of this race was that of Danehill (USA). Commencing with three consecutive winners, the dominant line has been extended by the success of his own sire sons in this prestigious race. Redoutes Choice (AUS), Danzero (AUS), and Flying Spur (AUS) have all sired winners of the race as has Danehill's grandson, Stratum (AUS).
Experienced racehorse breeders tend to emphasise the importance of quality in broodmare selection. In most instances fairly strict criteria can be identified. A quality broodmare must descend from a recognised family with a record of producing winners. She may be closely related to a stakeswinner or have already produced a stakeswinner or promising racehorse herself. Opinion varies regarding the importance of the dam being proven as a high class race performer. Stakeswinning mares tend to become prohibitively expensive and many breeders are satisfied to obtain an unraced mare from a strong family. In fourteen renewals of the Golden Slipper since 2000, half of the winners can claim dams who were stakes performed themselves or sibling to a stakeswinner. This list includes Belle du Jour (AUS), Ha Ha (AUS), Polar Success (AUS), Phelan Ready (AUS), Crystal Lily (AUS), Sepoy (AUS), and Pierro (AUS). From the remaining winners Dance Hero (AUS) and Forensics (AUS) were by dams who had won at least one minor race while Stratum (AUS) and Miss Finland (AUS) were bred from unraced dams.
Further to considering each family's ability to produce racehorses with ability, the potential genetic contribution of the dam's sire is paramount in the mind of astute breeders. There is now considerable emphasis on statistical comparison between various combinations of sire and damsire as these are so convenient to access with widely available software. Obviously, this type of analysis is determined by the amount of data supplied and there will be limitations with new sires and those with fewer offspring to evaluate. Commonsense still dictates that a broodmare sire should be evaluated in terms of his own racing ability and most importantly the overall quality of his female offspring.