Some time ago one of our clients requested a report on his thoroughbred mare. We had already completed nine reports for this client's pacing mares but did not really want to start on assessing gallopers at this point in time. After initially refusing we reconsidered, as he has been such a good client. The results we turned up were astonishing to say the least.

During the course of completing his report we discovered that all of the following horses were bred in the same fashion that we design for our standardbred matings: Man O'War, A P Indy, Sham, Charismatic, Tiznow, Sunday Silence, Sea Biscuit, Spectacular Bid and Citation, plus many more, including the Australian champions such as Mahogany the winner of over $3.5 million in stakes, Ajax, Saintly, Vo Rogue, Todman, Rising Fast, Light Fingers, Diatribe and the exceptionally smart WA horse Northerly (now the winner of 2 Cox Plates, the Caulfield Cup and $9 million in stakes) to name but a few.

While many of these horses have won races over shorter distances, the majority of their classic wins were over a distances greater than 1600 metres. Interestingly we think the apparent correlation between the two racing codes, exemplifies the genetic requirement for the true champion to carry not only a large heart acquired from the correct genetic source, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, and the speed which is often associated with horses required to perform over a distance greater than 1600 metres, as with the majority of standardbred races.

At this point I'm sure some of you are probably finding this all a little too hard to believe, but rest assured so are we. The last thing we expected to find was that all these champion thoroughbreds are bred on our breeding methodology, but we shouldn't have!

While it is very early days for us in assessing thoroughbreds, we have discovered that the many of the pure sprinters (1000m-1100m) are not bred in line with our breeding methodology. One distinct exception to this rule to date is the great Danehill. The interesting thing about Danehill is that all his classic wins including Ladbroke Sprint Cup-G1, Haydock (1200m), Cork and Orrery S-G3, Royal Ascot (1200m), Ladbroke European Free H-LR, Newmarket (1400m), Moorestyle Convivial S, York (1200m) were over distances less than 1600m.

Yet, Danehill is the sire of horses such as Dane Ripper the winner of the Cox Plate over 2040 metres, Desert King the winner of the Irish Derby over 2400 metres, Nothin Leica Dane placed in the Melbourne Cup 3200 metres, Arena the winner of the VRC Victoria Derby over 2500 metres, Danendri the winner of the AJC Australian Oaks at 2400 metres and Blackfriars the winner also of the VRC Derby over 2500 metres. Being such a genetically strongly structured stallion we think has afforded many of Danehill's progeny a superior genetic capacity. Danehill has also been very successful in Europe where he is the sire of the French Oaks winner Aquarelliste and is the leading sire of both individual (11) stakes winners and Group (7) winners.

From all reports it is only a matter of time before Danehill surpasses Sadler's Wells as the worlds leading sire of Group 1 winners. This sort of data begs the question - are all of Danehill's progeny from mares that carry a superior genetic makeup lending their foals to exceptional staying ability or does Danehill in fact carry both staying and sprinting genes which he can impart to his progeny depending on the genetic makeup of the particular mare?

We have now reviewed many more thoroughbred pedigrees and have continued to find champion after champion bred on our methodology. While there are far too many to mention here some of the "new" additions to our list are: Affirmed, Alydar, Ark Regal, Assault, Best Western, Blazing Saddles, Blue Larkspur, Carbine, Commendable, Cornish Prince, Dayana, Domino, Dracula, Eight Carat (dam of Octagonal, Kaapstad, Mouawad and Diamond Lover dam of Danewin and Commands), Equipoise, Fairway, Forty Niner, Henderson Bay, Hyperion, Isinglass, Juene, John Henry, Kendon, Luskin Star, Milan Mill (dam of Mill Reef), Native Dancer, Never Say Die, Seabiscuit, Seattle Slew, Show A Heart, Sickle, Singspiel and Vintage Crop.

While I appreciate that to some readers this is just a list of names, but rest assured that all were great racehorses who are endowed with a genetic affinity from their sire and dam or the dam is genetically well bred or both.

The marvellous blood of the great Blue Larkspur who was also bred on our methodology can still be found in many of today's champion thoroughbreds. Interestingly horses that carry this horses blood excel to at least 2400m, which is the distance of perhaps his best win being the G1 1929 Belmont Stakes.

Blue Larkspur (1926) by Black Servant - Blossom Time

While researching the pedigrees of these high quality thoroughbreds, I was particularly taken with the breeding and performances of two champion Australian racehorses - Gloaming and Sky High, both of whom are very much bred on our methodology. Born in 1915 Gloaming was bred of completely English parentage being by The Welkin (GB) from the Eager (GB) mare Light (GB). Gloaming was very much a true champion in every sense of the word.

He won from 800 metres to 2400 metres, setting time records at any distance. At one point his winning streak reached nineteen in a row. From age 3 to 9 he started in 67 races, and won 57 of those. He was 2nd on nine other occasions and the only race in which he failed to run either first or second was in a race in which he fell after becoming tangled in the starting tape. Gloaming would ultimately win 38 classic races some of which were: AJC Derby, New Zealand Derby, Great Northern Derby, AJC Spring Stakes, AJC Craven Plate twice, Wellington Stakes and the Auckland Plate.

Gloaming's dam Light (1907) was very well bred carrying blood that would enable her progeny to excel over a wide variety of distances up to 2400m. Gloaming's sire The Welkin by the very well bred 1896 Orme stallion Flying Fox himself a winner of the 1899 Derby Stakes (G1), 1899 Two Thousand Guineas Stakes (G1), 1899 St. Leger Stakes (G1), 1899 Eclipse Stakes (G1) had a very strong genetic affinity with Gloaming's dam, which attributed to Gloaming's ability.

My memories of the great Sky High are of my father recanting stories of what a great racehorse he was when I was growing up. As a two-year-old Sky High recorded six wins from seven starts beginning with the AJC Breeders Plate by three lengths in the Spring of 1959. He was sent out as odds-on favourite in the 1960 Golden Slipper, which he won comfortably from champion filly Wenona Girl, by 1 1/2 lengths.

As a matter of interest Wenona Girl was ranked among the very best sprinter/miler mares Australian racing has produced. She raced against the best horses of her time for five seasons, winning 27 races (21 Classics) from 68 starts, 19 seconds and 7 thirds. Her stakes earnings of £70,825 was an Australian record at the time she retired. Interestingly Wenona Girl's sire Wilkes and dam Golden Chariot were both bred on our methodology, but had no genetic affinity for each other, thus which X Chromosome was dominant with this mare is unknown.

Wenona Girl at stud would ultimately produce the filly foal Philmuir, who would in turn produce Kinjite a winner of $2.2 million in stakes. Sky High however won 29 races in his career including the VRC Derby, Lightning Stakes, Futurity Stakes and AJC All Aged Stakes, Epsom Handicap, Caulfield Stakes, L K S Mackinnon Stakes, Rawson Stakes and the Chipping Norton Stakes. Sky High was a top class racehorse who was a brilliant two year old and classic winner at three plus numerous handicap and weight for age events.

Sky High's dam, Flight's Daughter was an extremely well bred mare who carried the blood of one the best staying genetic sources we have located, which has also been described as one of the most influential bloodlines of all time. Flight's Daughter would unfortunately only produce two foals, her other being a full brother to Sky High in Skyline. Skyline was also endowed with more than his fair share of ability and would go on to win the 1957 STC Golden Slipper Stakes, 1958 AJC Derby and the STC Hill Stakes. Sadly both Sky High and Skyline had only moderate success at stud, but that's another story.

In recent years there have been many top line genetic crosses in the thoroughbred world as well of sires and broodmare sires such as Danzig over a Halo mare. This cross for example has produced many fine horses such as Angel Fever the dam of the Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus and Pine Bluff the winner of the US Preakness Stakes. Another great genetic cross is that of Seattle Slew over a Buckpasser mare.

This excellent genetic cross has produced horses of the calibre of champions A P Indy winner of the 1992 Belmont Stakes and over $4 million in stakes, and Slew O Gold the winner of over $3.8 million in stakes. Another cross in the USA of interest is that of Halo over an Understanding mare. This has produced the great US racehorse and sire Sunday Silence the winner of the 1989 US Breeders Cup and over $4.9 million in stakes.

In Australia it has been possible to breed champions in the past if the genetic cross was correct. A famous genetic cross of the past was Star Kingdom over a Colombo mare. This beautiful genetic cross produced the great champion Todman a winner from 1000m to 2000m and the following quality races. 1956 AJC December Stakes, 1957 AJC Champagne Stakes, 1957 AJC Hobartville Stakes, 1957 STC Canterbury Guineas, 1957 STC Golden Slipper Stakes, 1960 VATC Futurity Stakes and the 1960 VRC Lightning Stakes.

This superb blending of genes via the X Chromosome also produced the great racehorse and sire Nolholme the winner from 1000m to 2400m and the 1959 AJC Champagne Stakes, 1959 AJC Epsom Handicap, 1959 MVRC WS Cox Plate, 1959 STC Hill Stakes, 1959 VRC C B Fisher Plate, 1959 VRC Linlithgow Stakes and the 1960 AJC All-Aged Stakes.

This cross also produced the great sire Shifnal, the sire of no less than 16 Group race winners. While all these crosses have been successful, there is a genetic reason why they are successful crosses. The famous crosses involve a blending of the sires bloodline with the mares maternal or paternal bloodlines or a direct link with the mares initial genetic make up. There is no luck involved, just sound genetic blending of bloodlines.