SECRETARIAT out of SHAM and viceversa_WHY NO!

Jorge · Postby **Jorge** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 2:21 pm

Is there any particular reason why Secretariat was only bred once to a Sham daughter and Sham was only bred once to a Secretariat daughter?

These were:

PRINCE SHIRA (Bay h 1989) http://www.pedigreequery.com/prince+shira
(Sham out of a Secretariat daughter)

SECRET IMPERATRICE (Chestnut f 988) http://www.pedigreequery.com/secret+imperatrice
(Secretariat out of a Sham daughter)

Of course that the presence of these giants is not an automatic sign of success but notice that
both horses carried two of the largest hearts the Thoroughbred breed has known.

Are there particular reasons why you think these crosses were never extensively pursued?

xfactor fan · Postby **xfactor fan** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 8:22 pm

I'd guess lack of success with the cross. Also there was something odd going on with Secretariat and the mares he was sent. Maybe Sham's daughter's didn't make the grade. Or perhaps there just weren't that many open breeding slots. They kept his book pretty small.

summerhorse · Postby **summerhorse** » Sun Dec 23, 2012 3:21 pm

He had the average book for his time but I don't think the syndicate members sold many bookings. So while a lot of his mares were nice mares they weren't always the best mares for HIM but apparently that never dawned on the syndie members! I guess none of them had any Sham mares. The foal certainly should have been able to get a distance!

erhrdt3 · Postby **erhrdt3** » Thu Dec 27, 2012 7:00 am

Poor Sham, beautiful boy, and just born in the wrong year!

He ran his heart out chasing Secretariat, and if not for the pull up in the Belmont due to chasing Sec., and if Sec. was born another year, he would have been a Triple Crown winner. I sure hope it did not get to him in his head too much.

DDT · Postby **DDT** » Thu Dec 27, 2012 10:09 am

I would think that one of the main reasons breeders stayed away from the cross is because both Secretariat and Sham are out of daughters of Princequillo and this might have been considered too close by many of them.

DDT

Joltman · Postby **Joltman** » Thu Dec 27, 2012 12:27 pm

Sham was a solid BM sire, with an BM earnings index close to 1.3 and 5 percent SW. Wasn't bred to anything close to what Secretariat saw.

I concur with the Princequillo observation.

jm

Joltman · Postby **Joltman** » Thu Dec 27, 2012 12:30 pm

Secret Imperatrice was no slouch as she was a minor SW and a stakes producer to boot.

jm