February 10th, 2008

STALLIONS’ takes a look at the outstanding array of talent among the sires with first crop yearlings for sale in 2008. 

This week STALLIONS looks at Dubleo’s credentials. 

Having struck gold with More Than Ready, Vinery Australia are hoping that lightning will strike twice in the shape of Dubleo, another son of More Than Ready’s sire, Southern Halo. 

Like More Than Ready, Dubleo raced in the colours of Jim Scatuorchio, and was trained by Todd Pletcher. And, like More Than Ready, Dubleo was a two-year-old standout. A winner over five furlongs at Belmont on his debut, Dubleo scored his second victory in a five furlong turf allowance race at Colonial Downs, a race he took by eight lengths. Next time out, he returned to the same course to take the Chenery Stakes over 5½ furlongs. At Monmouth, Dubleo demonstrated that he could carry that speed, winning the Continental Mile Stakes at Monmouth. His fourth consecutive victory came in another turf event at a mile, the Summer Stakes (G2) at Woodbine. Runner up in the 8½ Bourbon County Stakes, Dubleo recorded his sixth victory of his two-year-old campaign in the one mile Generous Stakes (G3) at Hollywood Park. At three, Dubleo showed that he had trained on, taking the 8½ furlong Dave Feldman Stakes at Gulfstream Park – the sixth different course at which he had won – on his second season debut.

Dubleo’s dam, Secret Red, is a daughter Secretariat. This is a highly significant fact with regard to Dubleo’s stud career, as Secretariat has earned fame as broodmare sire of such sires as Storm Cat, A.P. Indy, Gone West, Dehere and Chief’s Crown. Secret Red is half-sister to Champion U.S. Sprinter, Rubiano, and to stakes winner Tap Your Heels, the dam of the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) winner Tapit. The grandam, Ruby Slippers, was a speedy black-type winning daughter of Nijinsky II. She was half-sister to the very fast Glitterman, subsequently a very smart sire in the U.S., and to the grandam of Japanese graded stakes winner, Taiki Baccarat (by Dubleo’s sire, Southern Halo). The third dam, Moon Glitter, is a stakes winning sister to the very good sire, Relaunch.

Dubleo does have Northern Dancer 3 x 4, but one cross is through a daughter, and the other through Nijinsky II, as the sire of the grandam of the mare. This should leave him open to cross back over Northern Dancer – a strain that has done well for More Than Ready. Danehill is going to give line breeding to Northern Dancer, his dam, Natalma, and grandam, Almahmoud (granddam of both Halo, the grandsire of Dubleo, and of Northern Dancer). In addition to Danehill – broodmare sire of two More Than Ready grade one winners – and Danzig, More Than Ready has sired stakes winners out of mares descending from Northern Dancer through Lyphard (including Manila, who comes from Southern Halo’s family); Storm Cat and his son, Forest Wildcat; Rassendyll; and Last Tycoon. 

Dubleo’s dam is by Secretariat out of a mare by Nijinsky II (by Northern Dancer). This encourages some potentially clever crosses over marse by horses bred on the Northern Dancer/Secretariat cross (such as Storm Cat, Summer Squall, Dehere, Chief’s Crown and Akaaber). Any Storm Bird would be good with the Nijinsky II here, and Bluebird would be very interesting as he is a reverse Northern Dancer/Turn-to cross to Southern Halo (with the Turn-to through the genetic relatives Sir Ivor and Halo, Sir Ivor being by Secretariat’s half-brother, Sir Gaylord). The Minstrel would also be good, particularly Palace Music, Naturalism or Masterclass.

More Than Ready is out of a mare by Woodman (a Mr. Prospector/Buckpasser cross, like Miswaki and Seeking the Gold). More Than Ready has worked well back over Mr. Prospector, as has Southern Halo. Branches which have worked for More Than Ready include Conquistador Cielo (More Than Ready has a grade one winner out of a mare by Conquistarose), Forty Niner, Fappiano (sire of Rubiano from this family, and through his son, Defensive Play, in the broodmare sire line of a More Than Ready grade one performer), Gulch (a horse with a some pedigree similarities to Bellotto), Crafty Prospector and Gone West. From the Gone West branch, Zafonic or his son, Xaar, look particularly promising. 

Dubleo’s pedigree should set him up to combine well with the Sir Ivor strain. Halo is a genetic relative to Sir Ivor and works very well with him, and his sire, Sir Gaylord is also a half-brother to Secretariat. We can note that More Than Ready has a stakes winner by Sir Tristram’s son, Kaapstad.

Any strain of Buckpasser, more often found in the distaff side of a sire, will be of benefit here, and with Secretariat being one of the most important representatives of the Nasrullah/Princequillo cross, reinforcements of that (for example Mill Reef or Riverman) should be of benefit.

Dubleo has five yearlings on offer in the WA Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale (Feb 15-22nd) a lone yearling is listed for sale at the William Inglis Premier Yearling Sale (March 1st-6th) in Victoria. Two are listed for sale at the Adelaide Magic Millions (March 10- 12th) and he has 11 catalogued for sale at the Gold Coast Magic Millions Premier sale (March 24 - April 2nd).

-Alan Porter