Breeders backing Danehill

With all the current discussion about artificial insemination and its possible ramifications on the breeding industry should AI ever be introduced here, it is worth looking at the spread of influence of Australia’s most dominant sireline, that of nine times Champion Australian Sire Danehill (USA) and the possibility that about 45% of all foals born here in 2010 could carry Danehill blood.
   Born in 1986 and a Gr.1 winner in England, Danehill began shuttling to Australia in 1990 (covering 70 mares) and served his final southern book in 2002 (when he covered 41 mares in Ireland to Australian time) – his peak covering coming in 1998 (158 mares). He left 1188 live foals in Australia and died in Ireland in May 2003.
   Danehill’s dominance of the Australian breeding industry was never more apparent than at the end of the 2009 breeding season where his sons, grandsons and one great grandson covered 8284 mares or about 36% of the broodmare population.

   That came in a season where his daughters and male-line grandaughters also made up 11% of the broodmare population (not counting mares whose second dams are by Danehill).
   Michael Ford, Keeper of the Australian Stud Book, said preliminary returns for 2009 showed Danehill had 98 active sons at stud in Australia representing 14% of stallions and they had covered 4595 mares last season (20% of mares covered), while Danehill’s 83 active grandsons (12% of stallions) had covered 3639 mares (16%) and a lone great grandson had covered 53 mares. These Danehill-line sires (26%) represented more than a quarter of the entire active stallion population and had covered 36% of mares (8287) who went to stud in 2009.
   In addition, Danehill had 367 daughters (2%) who were covered in 2009 and 2154 grandaughters (9%) – giving the possibility that about 45% of the foals born in 2010 will have Danehill somewhere in their pedigrees (8287 mares covered by sires and the 2521 mares equals 10,808 mares). This figure could be slightly reduced given that some Danehill line mares were covered by stallions from the same male line, but shows that in time it will be hard to find a thoroughbred in Australia who does not have Danehill (Danzig-Razyana by His Majesty) blood.

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Permalink| Jan 19, 2010

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