Double Danehill – Just the Facts

The growing prevalence of yearlings carrying a double cross of legendary sire Danehill (USA) is something that has come in for much debate within the breeding industry and particularly at a time of year when yearling buyers have to make a decision on it and back their judgement.

Arion run a very useful report detailing statistics for inbreeding / line breeding to a particular sire or dam within five generations.

The report on inbreeding to Danehill (foaled in 1986) reads like this.

Sex	Named Foals	Rnrs	Runs	Wnrs	Wnrs/ Rnrs	Wins	GW	G1W	SW	SP	AEI(anz)
Colts	1287	882	10370	427	48.4%	1066	4	2	14	25	25
Fillies	1238	795	7754	324	40.8%	730	12	1	23	24	24
Total	2525	1677	18124	751	44.8%	1796	16	3	37	49	49

His 37 stakes-winners are headed by triple Group I winning filly Guelph (2 x 3 Exceed and Excel x Camarilla, by Elusive Quality), while other Group I winners are the Northern Hemisphere bred Astaire (3 x 3 Intense Focus x Runway Dancer, by Dansili) and New Zealand Group I winner Southern Lord (3 x 3 Stratum x Angel Girl by Rory's Jester).

All three have the double Danehill cross quite close in their pedigrees and all three have it sex balanced through a son of Danehill and a daughter of Danehill.

This type of mating is becoming ever more frequent as we see a number of stallions from Danehill line mares, notably Sebring, Star Witness and Sepoy being mated to mares that also carry Danehill, a lot of them by Danehill line sires.

Sebring's stakes-winners Kiss a Rose, Scratchy Bottom and Pressing are all bred this way as is the Star Witness stakes-winner Pearl Star and while Sepoy is yet to sire a winner, you can bet that when we look at his stats at this time next year he will have winners bred this way.

When you start looking at inbreeding involving two Danehill line stallions, the results are seemingly at this point in time not as successful, but it's very early days.

The only Australian double Danehill stakes-winners so far bred on the direct cross (sireline over dam sireline) of two Danehill line sires are the full siblings Psychologist and Luger (by Choisir from a daughter of Danzero), Prompt Return (Beneteau / Exceed and Excel), Darlington Abbey (Stratum / Blackfriars), Fantisha (Collate (by Catbird)/ Flying Spur) and Choice Words (Choisir / Flying Spur).

It's tough to find a comparison for Danehill to see how his statistics measure up in the context of a peer as in reality Danehill had no peer in this country, such has been his dominance in terms of re-shaping the breed and founding a sire dynasty.

Star Kingdom (IRE) stallion Biscay (foaled in 1965) was probably the best stallion of the pre-Danehill era in terms of exerting his influence beyond his own progeny.

His Arion report for inbreeding within five generations reads like this.

Sex	Named Foals	Rnrs	Runs	Wnrs	Wnrs/ Rnrs	Wins	GW	G1W	SW	SP	AEI(anz)
Colts	5528	4477	78419	2596	58.0%	8100	44	6	105	88	88
Fillies	5306	3738	44903	1744	46.7%	4287	31	10	57	75	75
Total	10834	8215	123322	4340	52.8%	12387	75	16	162	163	163

New Zealand based Sir Tristram (IRE) (foaled 1971) is the other sire that could be looked at with some interest as his influence extends in all directions through his champion son Zabeel and also though his presence in the pedigree of current champion sire Fastnet Rock and includes five of his Group I winners.

His Arion report for inbreeding within five generations reads like this.

Sex	Named Foals	Rnrs	Runs	Wnrs	Wnrs/ Rnrs	Wins	GW	G1W	SW	SP	AEI(anz)
Colts	1840	1425	23142	825	57.9%	2388	19	7	42	37	37
Fillies	1805	1230	13339	580	47.2%	1230	17	4	26	30	30
Total	3645	2655	36481	1405	52.9%	3618	36	11	68	67	67

When I first started working in bloodstock the merits of a double cross of Danehill's sire Danzig (foaled 1977) was the subject of hot discussion with many experts expressing the view that it was not or would not be successful.

His Arion report for inbreeding within five generations reads like this.