The "BIG ONE" after so-so siblings

[Jorge]

Name a repeated cross between a sire and a mare that produced
several so-so performers but then came the “big one”.

Let’s try to explain the rationale behind why they repeated that cross after
a couple of initial so-so performers.

Perhaps they were simply breeding not expecting such a “protagonist” but
a modest bread-earner.

Can we cite a good number of cases?

Here are a couple of cases:


TWO CASES COMES TO MIND:

COUGAR II (1966) http://www.pedigreequery.com/cougar2
COUGAR II’s dam CINDY LOU (1955)
Her pedigree: http://www.pedigreequery.com/cindy+lou2
Her produce record: http://www.pedigreequery.com/progeny/cindy+lou2


MAN ‘O WAR (1917)
MAN ‘O WAR’s dam Mahubah (1910)
Her pedigree: http://www.pedigreequery.com/mahubah
Her produce record: http://www.pedigreequery.com/progeny/mahubah

[Georgerz]

Secretariat comes to mind.

[Matchemforever]

In the case of Mahubah, the only one before Man O' War was Masda, I believe- and she was supposed to be very fast. Temperment was her problem. Then came Man O' War and well, who wouldn't try again? In this case, My Play was not a bad race horse. All in all I think this cross did better than most. Then too, that was back when the farms had their own stallions and mares.

[KBEquine]

I think Matchemforever's onto the reason - opportunity. Back in the Man O'War days, the breeders were also the racehorse owners, as well as the stallion owners. They stood their own stallions, bought mares who matched them & bred "at home" most of the time, occasionally sending a mare to a friend's stallion or buying a stallion from another breeder, when the 1st stallion's daughters were of breeding age.

In modern pedigrees, you see a variation when you see a mare bred to several stallions who stand at the same farm. The mare owner often likes the facility or its personnel & the location is convenient - rather than asking themselves which stallions in general match their mare on conformation, pedigree, ability or whatever, they ask themselves which of the stallions standing at that particular farm do they like best (or can they get the best deal on this year.)

Also - if you see 2 or 3 siblings in consecutive years by the same stallion, you have to remember the first hasn't hit the track yet when the 3rd or 4th one was bred. The breeder doesn't yet KNOW the breeding did or didn't work.

[Bast]

Secretariat comes to mind.

I would not call Syrian Sea a "so-so performer".

Had Somethingroyal never foaled Secretariat, she would still be considered an exceptional broodmare.

[Patuxet]

I've been around the sport a long time and the rule of thumb I learned was to repeat a breeding three times in succession -- if not breeding for the market.

[Linda_d]

Barbaro had several full siblings, and I'm not sure if Barbaro was the first of these siblings. Nicador got lots of attention but I don't know that he actually did alot on the track.