Saarland with Eskimo Quest

[Taino]

I am thinking of sending Eskimo Quest to Saarland this year. Any thoughts on this mating? I like the Rasmussen Factor through Exclusive. Anyone out there have a season to Saarland or feedback on his foals?

[freshman]

Trying to learn here, so I have to ask what is the Rasmussen Factor?

[Rick]

http://www.pedigree.me.uk/Articles/rf.htm

http://www.equicross.com/Inbreeding_to_ ... _Lines.htm

[henthorn]

I think the mating looks great on paper. Caution: Saarland has a tendency to decreased fertility during busy parts of the season. Two of my mares had barren years when mated to Saarland.

[kimberley mine]

Looks good on paper. Aside from the Exclusive linebreeding, it's the same cross as Songandaprayer, and adding extra Dr Fager worked with her Toolighttoquit offspring.

If for whatever reason you decide Saarland won't work out (and I've heard of the fertility questions as well), Out of Place at Claiborne has a Gr-2 winner (and his second highest earner) linebreeding to Exclusive though Exclusive Native and Arabian Dancer. Not commercial, good solid breed-to-race value.

[madelyn]

I visited Saarland last week, having booked Believe It Shesdue to him.

He is a tall horse, a bit rump high (runs a bit downhill) with classic Unbridled knees and front tendons a bit tied in. Provided your mare offsets those issues, the cross certainly provides some interesting inbreeding.

[CS]

I think the mating looks great on paper. Caution: Saarland has a tendency to decreased fertility during busy parts of the season. Two of my mares had barren years when mated to Saarland.

Henthorn - This statement is not accurate. If anyone has ANY questions about his fertility, I would suggest contacting the farm.

[henthorn]

CS, I hope you're right. Maybe they've figured him out now. But I was warned before I sent the second mare, that the mare's timing for breeding would need to be as close to ovulation as possible in order to have the best chance of conception. They also did double covers in order to improve their chances of success.

[reese]

I visited Saarland last week, having booked Believe It Shesdue to him.

He is a tall horse, a bit rump high (runs a bit downhill) with classic Unbridled knees and front tendons a bit tied in. Provided your mare offsets those issues, the cross certainly provides some interesting inbreeding.

I don't understand the conformation issues with regard to Saarland...Saarland ran very well with those "defects"...21 races is a record these days and Saarland ran 1 second slower (133.2) than Najran who tied Dr. Fager's NA record for the mile in the Westchester HCP.

I 'm not being obnoxious here, just that I don't understand how these defects affected Saarland as a race horse. I saw ALL of Saarland's races in NY and from my eye he was a big, strong-boned horse...maybe a little slow to get into that big body into gear but he could run.

Genetics is not a sure thing. Maybe his dam, Versailles Treaty was Perfectly conformed, but Saarland still inherited those "defects",

Understanderably, a mare with the same "defective traits" as Saarland is a bad match, but a mare with perfect conformation is no guarantee of a perfectly conformed foal either. Given Saarland's total pedigree, I'd guess the odds of getting nice foal is pretty good.

[madelyn]

Every breeder probably has different criteria. Race record/ability is only one of the factors I use as a breeder in evaluating a stallion. Striving to also produce correct conformation is one of MY goals as a breeder.

So as a breeder I would not send Saarland a mare whose conformation amplified the knees/tendons and the higher rump. Certainly I hope to produce a nice Saarland foal.. else I wouldn't have booked a mare to him!

[reese]

Every breeder probably has different criteria. Race record/ability is only one of the factors I use as a breeder in evaluating a stallion. Striving to also produce correct conformation is one of MY goals as a breeder.

So as a breeder I would not send Saarland a mare whose conformation amplified the knees/tendons and the higher rump. Certainly I hope to produce a nice Saarland foal.. else I wouldn't have booked a mare to him!

Thanks for your reply.

As you said, of course "you expect a nice Saarland foal".

I was a big fan of Saarland as a race horse. He had courage and speed.
Here's hoping you add conformation to the mix, and breed a winner.

[Paris Hill]

Taino here is a picture of a 4 1/2 month old Saarland filly who also happens to be 5X4 Exclusive. Not bad huh!!!!
[img][img]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s62/dandymarl/SaarlandfillyoutofPyramidScheme.jpg[/img][/img]

[Toccet02]

No, actually quite gorgeous!

[reese]

Very nice filly...she looks feminine but well put together too.

Looks like she had a good roll in the "dirt..."

[TBMom]

About Saarland the Jockey Club shows his 2005 stats as:
Saarland 120-Bred 103-Reports Received 94-Foals 78%

I would talk to the farm and stallion manager - they are very communicative on that farm - unlike some that are a bit tough to work with...

Remember - like a catalog page - to read between the lines on all these reports - for example non-reported foals can be just that - or they can be lost foals that have not yet been reported. I felt it was important to look at the actual stats on each stallion if they are available - here is where to look -

http://www.jockeyclub.com/information.a ... request=LF