North Light (IRE)

pokeyman · Postby **pokeyman** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 4:31 pm

Does anyone know if this stallion was bought by Stronach and will remain in the US or is he only here temporarily?

Also, any word on the size of his 2007 book?

Do you think his stud fee will come down or are mare owners able to get to him for less than his stud fee?

I really like him for one of my mares....

Maven · Postby **Maven** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 4:57 pm

Adena tends to be very unwavering with their fees. They have so many home mares to support their stallions, they dont depend on outside mares as much as other farms.

I would imagine he's not being heavily supported by outside mares... I know every time someone mentions breeding a mare within earshot of Adena, they highly "recommend" North Light... which tells me they're not meeting the quota they originally had for him with outside mares. We're talking mares that are cheap all the way to stakes-producers. Anyone is being told they "fit" with him.

Rokeby Forever · Postby **Rokeby Forever** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 7:17 pm

He's a real shake of the dice for Adena because he's not really bred for this market. I think he'll have to prove himself before people get on his bandwagon. It was no different with El Prado.

LaTroienne · Postby **LaTroienne** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 2:36 pm

Rokeby Forever wrote:He's a real shake of the dice for Adena because he's not really bred for this market. I think he'll have to prove himself before people get on his bandwagon. It was no different with El Prado.

It was a bit different with El Prado. North Light was a distance specialist, which does not appeal to the American market, but El Prado was a champion juvenile, from a top female family, and was a son of sire of sires Sadler's Wells.

Maven · Postby **Maven** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:15 pm

LaTroienne is right. El Prado had speed and juvie championship working in his favor plus a female line that was familiar to American breeders.

Rokeby Forever · Postby **Rokeby Forever** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 4:35 pm

I think Sadlers Wells was better known here because he'd had sons that raced here. Can you think of any Danehills that have run in the US?

winds · Postby **winds** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 5:10 pm

It's unfortunate that he doesn't fit American breeding. He's exactly what we need and more like him. Maybe if our horses were bred for distance we'd have sounder horses that will run past their 3 yr old season.

I wish I had a mare, I'd breed to him.

wind

Maven · Postby **Maven** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 6:05 pm

Im not sure he's "exactly" what we need. There are stamina stallions standing in America that are undervalued AND proven. They also have more American pedigrees to boot... Pleasant Tap, Aptitude, Arch, Cryptoclearance, Lemon Drop Kid, Quiet American, Sky Classic, Victory Gallop, etc. can all you get two turn horses of graded caliber both on the dirt and on the turf, are listed at fees cheaper than North Light, and are already proven stallioons.

Rokeby Forever · Postby **Rokeby Forever** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 6:14 pm

What we "need" are more Hail To Reason/Buckpasser crossed stallions like AP Indy and More Than Ready. The world is polluted with Storm Cat poison.

In fact....hasn't Global Warming become a problem since Storm Cat was born...and the situation has gotten worse since his sons started standing stud? No coincidence, methinks.

Melhor_Ainda · Postby **Melhor_Ainda** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 6:33 pm

Um, Danehill did get Dianehill. Won a nice turf stake at KEE, can't remember the name of it though.

Danzig · Postby **Danzig** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:04 am

I think you're on to something here, Rokeby. The whole Middle East thing didn't start heating up until that damned Storm Cat came around and as soon as his sons started breeding, BAM, we have to start dealing with that pain in the arse, Osama bin Laden. We wouldn't even be in Iraq if it wasn't for that damned stud.

kimberley mine · Postby **kimberley mine** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:48 am

North Light's biggest problem at stud (so far) is that Adena initially priced him about $40,000 higher than what the market is willing to pay for a lightly raced stamina horse with an entirely European pedigree. His second biggest problem is that he is a Danehill in a genetic population that largely doesn't match what Danehill wants.

If you look at the sires of dams of Danehill's best winners, you find a whole host of names that just aren't common in North America...Diesis, Darshaan, Bletchingly, Ela-Mana-Mou, Mill Reef, Lomond Star, Bustino, Sir Tristram, Top Ville. What you do NOT see is Mr Prospector. He has a couple of good ones (notably Flying Spur and Visorhill) out of Mr Prospector mares, one out of a Miswaki, and a pair of full sibs out of an exceptional Machiavellian mare (whose 2nd damsire was Mill Reef). Danehill has had underwhelming results with mares by Gulch, Gone West, Distant View, Kingmambo, Seeking the Gold, and Woodman. The top Danehill over Mr P's were out of truly exceptional female lines...one mare was a half to Nashwan, one was a full to Machiavellian (!), one was a full to Kingmambo (!!), one mare was a granddaughter of Fanfreluche, and one has produced 5 stakes winners out of 9 foals to race. When you consider the amazing sirepower of both these horses, these results should give you pause if you are looking at breeding this horse in the Mr P-saturated North American market. If he needs a mare line as good as Miesque's to get a stakes winner, something clearly is not working with that cross.

What is really interesting here is that Danzig with Mr Prospector is a high-quality cross. Go figure.

Rokeby, FWIW the ill-fated Landseer won the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland.

kimberley mine · Postby **kimberley mine** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:50 am

winds wrote:It's unfortunate that he doesn't fit American breeding. He's exactly what we need and more like him. Maybe if our horses were bred for distance we'd have sounder horses that will run past their 3 yr old season.

I wish I had a mare, I'd breed to him.

wind

Distance and stamina breeding doesn't automatically imply soundness. Unbridled was a distance horse if there ever was one, and he sired a lot of distance horses. He also sired a lot of horses with a horribly straight shoulder and all the soundness problems associated with that.

LaTroienne · Postby **LaTroienne** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 9:11 am

Rokeby Forever wrote:I think Sadlers Wells was better known here because he'd had sons that raced here. Can you think of any Danehills that have run in the US?

There've been quite a few racing Danehills in the USA, including champions like Banks Hill. Admittedly, they were European-bred, though. Rock of Gibraltar finished a closing second in the BC Mile; others like Intercontinental also raced in America.

wallinga · Postby **wallinga** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:13 pm

kimberley mine wrote:What you do NOT see is Mr Prospector. He has a couple of good ones (notably Flying Spur and Visorhill) out of Mr Prospector mares, one out of a Miswaki, and a pair of full sibs out of an exceptional Machiavellian mare (whose 2nd damsire was Mill Reef). Danehill has had underwhelming results with mares by Gulch, Gone West, Distant View, Kingmambo, Seeking the Gold, and Woodman...

What is really interesting here is that Danzig with Mr Prospector is a high-quality cross. Go figure.

Rokeby, FWIW the ill-fated Landseer won the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland.

Miss Finland is out of a Woodman mare, she is a dyed in the wool star.

Cacique is another son of Danehill to go alright in the US.

One thing that may work in North Light's favour is that, although he was a Derby winner, Danehill is one of the great juvenile influences. One of his better Classic sons here in Oz has sired a Juvenile group one winner. So wait and see.