Greys before Native Dancer

[Easy Goer]

Looking through Mahuba's book, I dont think there were any Greys that won classic races between 1914-1953. Were there any important greys in this period? Why or why not? What about pre-1914? I guess Tetrarch was a grey so I know they existed. Mah. didnt mention the source of Grey in Native Dancer is it so obvious that it need not be mentioned? Was being Grey a big deal for 1953? Are there many more now, due to certain mares/sires? thx.

[erins isle]

I found this website for you:
http://www.tbheritage.com
enjoy!

[summerhorse]

Greys fell out of favor because well various reasons but they thought the coat color was a disease and quite gawdy to boot. Actually of the disease part they were more or less right but most grey horses didn't live long enough to be killed by melanomas back then. If not for The Tetrarch's success and a few others the whole line might have died out and we'd have no grey TBs today! Wouldn't THAT have shaken up the bloodstock lines?!! No native Dancer, no raise a natives or exclusive natives or Alydar or Affirmed or Ruffian (dam was grey).

[summerhorse]

dang double post...

[Linda in TX]

Mah. didnt mention the source of Grey in Native Dancer is it so obvious that it need not be mentioned? Was being Grey a big deal for 1953?

Sorta obvious. A gray horse always has one gray parent, so it's easy to trace the line of grayness when you know the colors of the ancestors. Gray TBs today will have an uninterrupted gray ancestral line tracing more often than not to Le Sancy. Follow the line of grays in Native Dancer's pedigree, and you'll eventually find Le Sancy. (Although a couple of years ago I found one that traced to a source other than Le Sancy. Jorge would know the primary roots that still exist).

Are there many more now, due to certain mares/sires?

Grays represent about 5% of any foal crop, and I believe that has been a fairly consistent percentage over the decades.

[Easy Goer]

interesting reading for sure.

Were there any famous greys in AMerica before Native Dancer? (he said again)

[Lucy]

There weren't really any worth speaking of until the 1950's. As Summerhorse stated, The Tetrarch did much to dispel the myth of grey horses being inferior....but he raced in England. It took America much longer to catch on! I think there may have been a couple of minor stakes winners, but that's about it.

The stud success of imported Mahmoud in the early 40's got things rolling. Other than him, it's tough to find an established American 'grey line' that didn't hop over from Europe post-1950.

[Mahubah]

Reel, a daughter of *Galopade (or *Gallopade -- you'll see both spellings in old records), was a gray and held to be the best race mare of her time. She raced in the early 1840s, was a first-rate broodmare (her produce including the high-class Lecomte and Prioress), and is the ancestress of champions such as Tim Tam, Christ Evert, Chief's Crown, and Winning Colors.

[Lucy]

Ah yes, I forgot old Reel! Sadly, while her class still breeds on, her color did not make it very far.

Was there another real (no pun intended) old-timey grey, War somethingorother? I was trying to recall earlier, but couldn't find it, and came to the conclusion my addled brain had invented the whole thing. Maybe I was thinking of Reel's son War Dance....but he wasn't grey.

[Mahubah]

Maybe you're thinking of Grey Eagle? He showed a lot of speed early for a horse of his time before breaking down as a 4yo in a match against Wagner but became a popular sire. According to the notes accompanying his pedigree on this sire, his best-known son was another famous gray, though not a Thoroughbred -- Traveller, the war-horse of Robert E. Lee.

[Easy Goer]

Traveler, now there's a horse. Did you ever read his book?

[Mahubah]

The one by Richard Adams? Yes -- interesting read.

[Easy Goer]

I think so, I mean how many can there be? I've read many civil war books and came across that one but didnt really think I'd enjoy it so I havent read it. But given your recommendation, maybe I will have to.

[Mahubah]

It's a fiction book from Traveller's point of view. I can't say it became a favorite of mine but it was certainly unique and showed considerable skill on the writer's part, though I really preferred Watership Down.

[Lucy]

Maybe you're thinking of Grey Eagle? He showed a lot of speed early for a horse of his time before breaking down as a 4yo in a match against Wagner but became a popular sire. According to the notes accompanying his pedigree on this sire, his best-known son was another famous gray, though not a Thoroughbred -- Traveller, the war-horse of Robert E. Lee.

That's entirely possible! There are sometimes too many horses in my head for me to keep 'em all stright. Seems a likely candidate, though.

For kicks, I looked through the Blood-Horse's 'Quarter Century Of Racing & Breeding', which lists all stakes winners foaled between 1916 & 1940.

1916-1929 crops only yeilded 20 total gray stakes winners. Of these, six were imports, and all but two of the others (Ramoneur 1924 & Battleship Gray 1926) got their coat color from an imported parent. No Household names in the bunch, but Tred Avon (1928) was named Champion Older Mare in 1932. She won the Arlington Matron, among others.

They became more common in the 30's - I found around 40 stakes winners foaled in that decade. Still, most were getting the color from recently imported stock - the good imported stallions Kiev, Stefan the Great, Royal Canopy, Sir Greysteel & Royal Minstrel had a hand (hoof?) in most of them. Finally, by 1936 I found Doubt Not - his grey gene had been on this continent a whopping three generations. Again, most were useful stakes horses rather than superstars - but Miyako 1935 is worth a mention, as she was the second dam of Native Dancer, and the source of his color.

That was fun.

As an aside, I also read that Traveller book years ago, and enjoyed it....though it was a bit of a disappointment when compared to Adams' mighty 'Watership Down'.