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To learn more about how pedigree and great genes affect performance, read on.
It's as simple as this: breed the best to the best and hope for the best. OK, it's a little more complicated, as experienced horse breeders can tell you. But the story line is simple. All Thoroughbreds must trace their family tree back to one of three founding sires (yes, these were some super studs!) -- the Godolphin Barb, the Darley Arabian or the Byerly Turk -- Middle Eastern stallions who were named for their respective owners, Lord Godolphin, Thomas Darley and Captain Robert Byerly.
Imported to England around the turn of the 17th century, the founding sires were bred to stronger, but more docile, native mares. The result was the Thoroughbred: a horse that can carry weight with sustained speed over extended distances.
For more than 300 years, breeders have been trying to create the perfect Thoroughbred -- a horse that's elegant, agile, athletic, intelligent and courageous (traits, of course, that you exude). Keep reading and click around -- we've got a guide to take you through the basics of breeding. You'll see why knowing a horse's family history can help you pick a winner, buy a Thoroughbred OR -- if you're already a breeder -- decide which mate is right for your horse.
LEADING BREEDERS
What exactly is a breeder? Simple -- it's the owner of a mare (female horse) at the time she gives birth to her foal. If the mare is under a lease (yes, you can lease a horse!) or a foal-sharing agreement (a nifty arrangement in which two people share ownership of a mare's foal or foals), the breeder of record is decided by the terms of the contract.
For a breeder's name to appear on this list, the foals produced by his or her mares have to race and earn purse money, which begins to happen about two years after the foals are born. Even if a foal is sold to someone else, the starts and purse money that it makes during its racing career are credited -- for purposes of this list -- to the breeder.
Check the leading breeders list to see who the major players are in Thoroughbred breeding. When you're in doubt about who to bet or which horse to buy, look for the name of a big-time breeder -- it could be your winning edge!
The Jockey Club Information Systems, Inc., which supplies this list, believes that the information contained herein is correct. However, no warranties, either express or implied, are given with respect to the data contained herein.
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Leading Breeders Through November 14th, 2000
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| Name |
Starters |
Starts |
Wins |
Seconds |
Thirds |
Earnings |
| Mangurian, Jr. Harry T. |
338 |
2878 |
447 |
384 |
407 |
$9,944,741 |
| Farnsworth Farms |
334 |
2665 |
346 |
331 |
357 |
$7,020,047 |
| Mabee John C. Mr. & Mrs. |
198 |
1281 |
194 |
196 |
169 |
$6,913,906 |
| Juddmonte Farms |
56 |
273 |
54 |
42 |
32 |
$6,262,353 |
| Adena Springs |
78 |
337 |
78 |
46 |
53 |
$6,049,968 |
| Franks, John |
308 |
2103 |
301 |
276 |
272 |
$5,246,803 |
| Sam-Son Farm |
35 |
195 |
54 |
35 |
22 |
$4,306,573 |
| Paulson, Allen E. |
156 |
882 |
147 |
107 |
120 |
$4,239,230 |
| Appleton, Arthur I. |
136 |
1117 |
185 |
152 |
173 |
$4,069,316 |
| Jones, Brereton C. |
188 |
1159 |
166 |
163 |
171 |
$3,853,204 |
TOP SIRES
Our sires lists show you the top sires in Thoroughbred breeding and give you different perspectives on what it takes for a stallion to be classified as a leading sire. (A sire is the male parent of a horse).
Before diving in, read below. You'll need these keys to symbols that may appear before or after a stallion's name on the sires lists.
KEY TO SYMBOLS
Before a horse's name
* A horse imported to North America before 1976.
= A foreign-bred horse that was never imported to North America.
$ A foreign horse that was brought to North America temporarily, only to race.
After a horse's name
(COUNTRY ABBREVIATION) Starting in 1977, used to indicate that a horse was imported to North America, and the country that it came from. For example, Fiji (GB), was imported to North America from Great Britain.
TOP SIRES BY NUMBER OF STARTERS
The Who's Who of sires that produce "starters" -- Thoroughbreds that actually compete in races (not all do). In the event of a tie between sires in the number of starters, the progeny's total earnings is the tie-breaker.
TOP SIRES BY NUMBER OF MAIDEN WINNERS
A maiden winner is a racehorse that's won for the first time. Horses on this list are sires with a high number of first-time winners. (This can help you decide when you're trying to handicap a race for maiden horses and you just can't choose between two horses!)
TOP SIRES BY NUMBER OF WINS OF THEIR PROGENY
These are the leading sires when it comes to producing winners. In the event of a tie between sires in the number of wins by their progeny, the progeny's total earnings is the tie-breaker.
TOP SIRES BY NUMBER OF BLACKTYPE STARTERS
Blacktype starters are horses that compete in stakes-level races -- the highest level of athletic competition for Thoroughbreds. In the event of a tie between sires in the number of starters, the progeny's blacktype earnings is the tie-breaker.
TOP SIRES BY NUMBER OF BLACKTYPE WINS OF THEIR PROGENY
"Blacktype" wins are stakes wins -- the highest achievement for Thoroughbreds. Stakes races make up only 4% of all races, but they account for about 25% of all the purse money. In the event of a tie between sires in the number of blacktype wins by their progeny, the progeny's blacktype earnings is the tie-breaker.
HOW TO READ A PEDIGREE
Its in the genes...
The Thoroughbred breed began in England more than 300 years ago, when native English mares were bred to three stallions imported from the Mediterranean Middle East. Since then, every pedigree of every registered Thoroughbred has been recorded in detail. That's a lot of history!
Fast-forward three centuries and you have thousands of Thoroughbreds and millions of bits of information on their family trees. The diagram below illustrates a Thoroughbred pedigree -- point to a section and read all about it. You'll be amazed at how much you can learn!
DOIN' DOSAGE
Picking winners by the numbers.
Everybody talks about Dosage before the Triple Crown races. Why? Because it's an easy way to talk about a complicated subject. Dosage is basically a scorecard for three-year-old Thoroughbreds that helps determine if they can compete at longer distances, like the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby, the 1 3/16-mile Preakness and the 1 1/2-mile Belmont.
The short version of Dosage is this: the higher the horse's Dosage Index (DI), the more likely it is that the horse is suited to sprints (races of less than a mile). For Triple Crown contenders, it's best to have a DI of 4.0 or lower. A horse's Center of Distribution is sometimes mentioned in connection with Dosage. Triple Crown contenders usually have a CD that's 1.25 or lower.
WHAT IS DOSAGE?
Dosage is a system that identifies patterns of ability in horses, based on whether their pedigrees trace back to a group of influential sires, each of whom is called a chef-de-race (as in "chef de RAH").
The chef-de-race sires fall into one of five categories: brilliant, intermediate, classic, solid or professional, which cover the range from speed (brilliant) to stamina (professional). Sires can be listed in up to two chef-de-race categories.
A chef-de-race sire appearing in the second generation of a horse's pedigree (the horse's father), is worth 16 points. Any chef-de-race sires in the third generation (the horse's grandparents) are assigned 8 points each. In the fourth generation (the horse's great-grandparents), chef-de-race sires are worth four points apiece and in the fifth generation (the horse's great-great-grandparents), chef-de-race sires are worth two points each.
Through a formula using the chef-de-race points, you get a horse's Dosage Profile, a listing of its Dosage points by category. The Dosage Profile is reduced to one number, called the Dosage Index (DI). The DI reflects the horse's potential for speed (short distances) or stamina (longer distances). The higher the number, the more likely it is that the horse is a good sprinter. The average DI of all horses is about 4.0.
The Center of Distribution, based on the Dosage Profile, is another way to quantify a horse's tendency to speed or stamina. Horses that have stamina usually have a CD of 1.25 or lower.
THOROUGHBRED AUCTIONS
Want to get in the action and buy a horse, but don't where to go? Check out these Web sites for major Thoroughbred auctions, then make your travel plans!
Barretts Sales Company
Fairplex Park
White Avenue, Gate 12
Pomona, CA 91768
(909) 629-3099
www.barretts.com
California Thoroughbred Breeders Association
P.O. Box 60018
Arcadia, CA 91066
(626) 445-7800
www.ctba.com
Fasig-Tipton Sales
2400 Newtown Pike
Lexington, KY 40583
(859) 255-1555
www.fasigtipton.com
Keeneland Sales
4201 Versailles Road
Lexington, KY 40592
(859) 254-3412
www.keeneland.com
Ocala Breeders' Sales Company
1701 S. W. 60th Avenue
Ocala, FL 34474
(352) 237-2154
www.obssales.com
Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association
Morris J. Alhadeff Sales Pavilion
Emerald Downs
3220 Emerald Downs Drive
Auburn, WA 98001
(253) 288-7878
www.thoroughbredinfo.com/showcase/wtba.htm
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