Surprising as it may seem, very early in his stud career, there was a question mark over Zabeel. Of course, given a little time to mature, along came Octagonal, Jezabeel and Cronus, followed by Octagonal’s brother Mouwad, Might and Power, Bezeal Bay, and the rest is history.
 
Now, perhaps that history is repeating itself with Lonhro, son of Octagonal and grandson of Zabeel. Just as Lonhro was the outstanding son of Octagonal. A group winner at 2, 3, 4 and 5, and from 1200 to 2000m., Lonhro won 26 of his 35 starts, including the Australian Cup (G1), Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1), George Main Stakes (G1), L.K.S. Mackinnon Stakes (G1), two renewals each of the Caulfield Stakes (G1), and George Ryder Stakes (G1), the C. F. Orr Stakes (G1), and Chipping Norton Stakes (G1). The Australian Horse of the Year for 2004-2005, he was also World Champion Middle Distance Horse of 2004.
 
Lonhro didn’t get off to a flying start, but with time his runners are rounding into form. From his first crop he now has the stakes winners Black Minx and Minnesota Shark. His second crop are now beginning to make their mark with six black-type performers, including the Group I Golden Rose winner, Denman and the Listed winning filly Custard.

A sprinter, like Lonhro’s other three black-type winners, Denman was defeated on his debut, but he’s won his next five, his most recent victory coming in the Group I Golden Rose on Saturday at Rosehill.

Denman is out of the prolific producing Vain mare, Peach. She won only once, and earned just $3,900, but produced 13 foals, and nine winners, including the Canny Lad sisters Preserve, who took the VRC Sire’s Produce Stakes (G1), Magic Night Stakes (G2), Gosford Slipper and Debutante Stakes, and Rio Osa, who earned black-type in the Dark Jewel Classic and Flemington Festival of Racing Stakes. Speed is also apparent in the pedigree of Denman’s second dam, Market Maid. She was unraced, but is by Marscay, and is a half-sister to Golden Slipper (G1) victress Dark Eclipse. There are several other stakes winners under Denman’s third dam, Marjoram, most notably the Merson Cooper Stakes (G3) scorer Lemongrass, who is out of a three-parts-sister to Market Maid, and Reisling Slipper Trial (G2) captor Press the Button. This is a storied family, and Marjoram is half-sister to the exceptional performer Taj Rossi, and the fifth dam, Solar Eclipse, is a sister to Stormy Passage, successful in the Alister Clark Stakes and South Australian Derby, and Arlunya, who took the Rawson Stakes (G1), and to Storm Gleam, dam of the wonderful mare, Storm Queen (by Coronation Boy, the sire of Denman’s fourth dam, Dark Queen).
 
We always suspected the Octagonal was a product of a deep accumulation of strains of the Mumtaz Mahal family, and even behind that, of her dam, Lady Josephine. He has the brother and sister Royal Charger and Tessa Gillian (third dam Mumtaz Mahal) at the top and bottom of his pedigree, along with other relatives, Nasrullah, Badruddin and Mahmoud. He’s also got a double of Fair Trial, along with his half-sister Riot (out of a half-sister to Mumtaz Mahal). Lonhro may be a continuation of this theme, as his dam has three cross of Nasrullah (including through Never Bend, whose pedigree is a great foil for Octagonal’s grandam, Eight Carat, and for My Babu, who is in Sir Tristram), a cross of Royal Charger, and a cross of Forli (also Zabeel and inbred to Fair Trial and his three-parts-sister Riot).

Lonhro’s first crop stakes winners Black Minx and Minnesota Shark are both out of Danehill line mares (the first out of a mare by Danehill himself, the second out of are mare by Flying Spur). Danehill, who has done well under Sir Tristram in general, is inbred to Natalma (dam by Mahmoud).  On the distaff side, Faith Hill, the dam of Black Minx, is just full of the stuff that theory suggests Lonhro should like, as she’s by Kenmare (inbred to Nasrullah and a sister), out of a mare by Sir Tristram (bringing more Royal Charger, and along with Kenmare, two crosses of My Babu, who really pulls things together here, as he’s a close relative to Octagonal’s grandam Klairessa, and particularly to her sire, Klairon; is out of a half-sister to Turn-to, the great-grandsire of Sir Tristram; and is out of a mare by Badruddin, from the Mumtaz Mahal family).  Minnesota Shark’s broodmare sire, Flying Spur, has more Nasrullah and Royal Charger in his dam. Her grandam is by Northern Spring, who has two crosses of Djebel (male line of My Babu/Klarion), two crosses of Fair Trial, and Malindi, another sister to Nasrullah. Lonhro’s other second crop stakes winner is Custard, whose dam has three crosses of Nasrullah.
 
Turning to Denman, his dam is by Vain, a Fair Trial/cross. Marscay adds just one cross of Fair Trial, but we do note that he is from the sire line of Star Kingdom, a horse inbred to Sunstar, the best son of Sundridge (sire of Lady Josephine, who as we’ve noted is ancestress of Fair Trial, Nasrullah, Royal Charger, Mahmoud, Badruddin, et al). However, Marjoram, the third dam of Denman, is another Fair Trial/Nasrullah cross, with the Nasrullah through Coronation Boy, a horse inbred 3 x 3 to Mumtaz Mahal, his broodmare sire Furrokh Siyyar, being out of that mare.
 
With this in mind we suspect that Lonhro will do his best work with concentrations of Mumtaz Mahal, such as Nasrullah, Royal Charger, Mahmoud, Badruddin, Malindi, and Rivaz; Djebel, particularly mixed with Nasrullah or Royal Charger, such as Never Bend or Bold Reason; and the Lavendula family, such as My Babu, Turn-to, Klairon and Ambiorix II.

• Bloodhound pedigree for Denman.

    If you want to give your mare the best chance to produce a top class racehorse consider employing the services of Alan Porter at www.pedigreeconsultants.com

Tags: Alan Porter
Permalink| Aug 31, 2009

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