When you’re advising clients as to the best stallion for their mares, all sorts of factors need to be kept in mind. Obviously the key concern is finding the horse with the pedigree which best matches that of the particular mare, given her conformational and temperamental make-up. However, this is an inexact science and getting it wrong is an occupational hazard. From everybody’s point of view, therefore, it is some consolation if the stallion recommended has done well in general and if he has provided good value for money at the time when the service fee has been paid.
Danroad has already produced a Group 1 winner in his first crop, stands at a bargain fee of $6000 +GST and has a pedigree which suits a wide range of broodmares. He is a horse which has appealed to me since he first retired to
stud. I’ve bred to him and have an impressive 2yo gelding out of a very ordinary little Manntari mare; his placed gelding Outtalimitz was my top colt selection in the 2007 Carnival Sale and I’ve also made several mating recommendations for him.
From a pedigree point of view Danroad has a lot to offer. The bloodlines which have affinity with Danehill are well documented but Rockdale’s pedigree suggests a number of exciting possibilities. Firstly, he’s out of a Danzig – line mare. To date inbreeding to Danzig, especially via male lines, has not been very successful – is this the beginning of a new phenomenon? Secondly, we have the Nijinsky – The Minstrel cross, another genetic combination not normally sought out by breeders. These two close relatives can certainly work well on occasion, Falkirk being an example which quickly comes to mind, but the overall picture is not compelling. Finally, there’s the plodding Vienna lurking back on Rockdale’s female line; is this a suggestion that all our Vaguely Noble blood has finally found a means of recovering its former glory?
I realise that using one horse’s pedigree to draw global conclusions has logical drawbacks, but it may well pay breeders to analyse the pedigrees of Danroad’s best performers in case he is the breed-shaper we all try to find before it becomes obvious to everybody.
