|
|
|
|
Mating Recommendation
A multiple grade one winner, multiple stakes record-breaker
and Breeders’ Cup hero, Johar is by Gone West, sire of sires Elusive Quality, Grand
Slam, Mr. Greeley and Zafonic. What’s more, he is out of Champion and millionaire
Windsharp, the dam of grade one winners Johar and Dessert with her first two foals.
Johar is free of the strain of Northern Dancer, and the Gone West/Northern
Dancer cross has produced more than 100 stakes winners, including Speightstown,
Grand Slam, Zafonic, El Corredor and Elusive Quality. Johar is half-brother to a
grade one winner by Northern Dancer’s son, Storm Cat, and Storm Cat
is also broodmare sire of Gone West’s Champion Sprinter Speightstown, so mares by
Storm Cat and his sons should do well. There are several other Northern Dancer strains
which have strong appeal here. Gone West sired at least six graded stakes winners
out of mares by The Minstrel. He is bred on similar lines to
Vice
Regent and mares by that horse, and his son, Deputy Minister have
done well with Gone West and his sons. Other branches of the Northern Dancer line
which have worked with Gone West include Danzig, Nijinsky II, El Gran Senor,
Be My Guest and Dixieland Band. Gone West and his sons
have also worked with mares descending from Northern Dancer’s sire, Nearctic through
Icecapade and his sons Clever Trick and Phone Trick.
Johar should also like Northern Dancer through Sadler’s Wells and
Nureyev, who give a double to the great family of Rough Shod II
(also in Johar’s broodmare sire, Lt. Stevens).
Johar is out of a mare descending from Turn-to through Hail
to Reason and Roberto. Other branches of the Turn-to
line have worked well here. Gone West sired grade one winner West By West out of
a mare by Cox’s Ridge and his grade one winner goes back to a mare
by Cox’s Ridge’s sire, Best Turn. A son of Gone West sired Breeders’
Cup Sprint victor Cajun Beat out of a mare by Cure the Blues, and
there is also a Gone West stakes winner out of a mare by Temperence Hill,
like Cure the Blues, a son of Stop the Music. There are also four
stakes winners by Gone West and his sons out of mares from the Halo
branch of the Hail to Reason line.
Gone West appears to have a strong affinity for mares from the In Reality
line, this cross produced classic winners Smarty Jones and Commendable. In Reality
would be particularly interesting through Known Fact who is from
the immediate family of Gone West and Atan (in Johar through Sharpen Up, sire of
Johar’s second dam). The In Reality branches of Valid Appeal and
Relaunch could also do well here, and Smarty Jones is out of a
mare by Smile.
Gone West is a Raise a Native line stallion, but he could be suited by some other
Raise a Native strains. Crossed back over mares descending from
Raise a Native through Majestic Light, Gone West and his sons have
sired three graded stakes winners, including grade one winner Nonsuch Bay. Johar
could also be interesting with mares carrying the strain of Mr. Prospector’s genetic
relative, Alydar. Other strains which are worth considering here
include Ribot through Hoist the Flag, and Never Bend
through Riverman and his son, Irish River.
|
|
|
