Date posted December 30, 2009 | Posted by Alan Porter | Filed under
Alan Porter - Pedigree Insights,
Racing and Breeding,
Staff FavouritesAmerica, Rienzi (December 30th, 2009) - Pedigree advisor Alan Porter continues his series of pedigree profiles and this week he takes a look at the families behind the Group 2 AJC Villiers Stakes winner, Palacio de Cristal and the Group 2 WATC C B Cox Stakes winner, Lords Ransom.
Palace Music was a horse of moments. In Europe he ran ten times, and although he won group three events before and after he never produced a performance that equaled his final effort as a three-year-old, when he upset the Champion Stakes (G1), defeating the great mare Pebbles, and an exceptional supporting cast. In the U.S. he made 11 starts at four and five, again record a solitary success at the highest level in the John Henry Stakes (G1), although he was also a good second to Last Tycoon in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1).
Palace Music
At stud the story was somewhat similar. Although he was responsible for 32 stakes winners, Palace Music was never a consistently successful sire, but did have two shining moments in the great U.S. runner Cigar, and the brilliant Australian performer Naturalism.
It is Naturalism that is the link to another “Music Moment.” The only Australian group stakes events run the weekend before Christmas (Dec 19th) – the Villiars Stakes (G2) and C. B. Cox Stakes (G2) – were taken by the offspring of Palace Music mares. The Villiars winner, Palacio de Cristal is a very well-bred daughter of Encosta de Lago out of Crystal Palace, who not only won the Queensland Oaks (G1) and Eulogy Stakes (G3), but is a sister to Naturalism. With a North American pedigree on top, Crystal Palace and Naturalism were outcrosses with Australian, New Zealand and European bloodlines in the distaff side. The dam, Zephyr Souba, by the Biscay horse Zephyr Bay, won the Auckland Ladies Mile (G3) and Waikato Guineas (G3). She was half-sister to the Dalgety Stakes (G2) captor Tessuti, and half-sister to Star Dancer who completed a grade one trial in the Futurity Stakes, Japan Racing Association Classic and Aukland Classic. The fourth dam of Crystal Palace and Naturalism is the foundation mare Blue Denim, also ancestress of European stars Green Dancer, Alhaarth, Authorized and Grey Dawn II.
Although it’s had it’s successes, the cross of Encosta de Lago with Northern Dancer line mares, has a stakes production record that is considerable below opportunity. There are, however, some compensatory factors where Palace Music is involved. The key is relationship between Palace Music and Grand Luxe, the third dam of Encosta de Lago. Palace Music is by The Minstrel, who is by Northern Dancer, out of a mare by Victoria Park (Chop Chop/Windfields cross). Grand Luxe is out of Fanfreluche (by Northern Dancer out of Ciboulette (Chop Chop/Windfields cross). The dam of Palace Music is Come My Prince, a Princequillo/Turn-to cross, whose dam is by Turn-to out of the mare, Mumtaz. Grand Luxe is by Sir Ivor, who is by Sir Gaylord (Turn-to/Princequillo cross, the reverse of Come My Prince), out of a mare by Mr. Trouble (brother to Mumtaz). Sir Ivor’s grandam, Athenia, is a three-parts-sister to Menow, who is also in the pedigree of Palace Music. We can note that Palace Music sired grade one winner Anthems and stakes winner Our Quartet out of mares carrying Sir Ivor. More importantly going forward, there are at least 13 stakes winners sired by stallions carrying out of Sir Ivor out of mares by Palace Music, two grade one. We can also note that Flying Spur, who is out of a daughter of Grand Luxe, is the sire of the dual group one winner Forensics out of a mare carrying Palace Music.
Genetic relatives are also part of the picture in the pedigree of Lords Ransom, who was collecting a first group win when taking the C. B. Cox Stakes (G2). Lords Ransom is by the English-bred Jeune, a son of Kalaglow, from the Kalamoun/Zeddaan branch of the Grey Sovereign line. Jeune was smart in England, where he took the Predominate Stakes, September Stakes (G2) and Hardwicke Stakes (G2). In Australia, however he earned honours as Horse of the Year, displaying outstanding ability over a wide range of distances, his victories including the C. F. Orr Stakes (G1), which he took in a new course record; Underwood Stakes (G1); Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1); and Melbourne Cup (G1).
Jeune
Jeune has never been a really commercial sire, but has been a more than useful one. He is sire of 24 stakes winners, 12 of them graded, with Mummify – a five time group one winner – True Steel and Young Centaur all scoring at the highest level.
Lords Ransom’s dam, Palace Alice, won ten races between 1100-1600m and gained black-type with a third in the TRC Foster’s Classic. She was the only black-type performer for her dam, the Vain mare, Stuck Up, but the third dam, Ballometes, produced a good one in Sir Avon, winner of the New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (G1), and in Australia the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G2) , and Canterbury Gold Cup (G2). The fifth dam, Palormia, is ancestress of several noteworth performers, among them Clay Hero, Seamist, Marconee, Quezette, Star County and His Latest.
As we mentioned we believe that, like Palacio de Cristal, the key to the pedigree of Lords Ransom is the combination of the background of Palace Music with a genetic relative. In this case, it is rather less complex as Jeune is out of a mare by Green Dancer, who is by Nijinsky II, a three-parts-brother to The Minstrel, the sire of Palace Music (and coincidentally, Green Dancer is from the same female line as Naturalism). Combining stallions carrying Nijinsky II with daughters of Palace Music has so far produced seven stakes winners, four graded, including the grade one winner Sound Action (whose sire, Vettori also brought in Sir Ivor, so is a great theoretical foil for Palace Music).
