I was delighted that Jack Hobbs won the big 12f race at Meydan, it was not just the good feeling one gets from a horse ‘coming back’ but because Jack Hobbs promises something for the future as a sire. I sincerely hope so anyway. Jack Hobbs is one of the few representatives of an old and important sire line, but also comes from a distaff line that evokes memories of a tough horse and his breeder. First let’s look at the pedigree of Jack Hobbs. You immediately notice that this horse has only one line of Northern Dancer and that in his 5th generation. As a sire he would be a real outcross to mares full of Sadler’s Wells (and his sons/grandsons) blood or Danzig (ditto) blood. That makes him attractive. His sire is Halling who was by Dieisis, a full-brother of Kris, both being by Sharpen Up. This colt was the leading 2yo of 1971 (a good year for 2yos with High top, Jacinth, Noble Decree, Waterloo and Sallust), with his main victory being the Middle Park Stakes in which he defeated Philip of Spain and Sun Prince. As a 3yo he failed to add to his wins coming 2nd in both the Greenham Stakes and the July Cup. He never won over further than 6f. He was by an unknown stallion called Atan who had won his only race before injuring himself. Retired to stud in Kentucky, a few years later he was bought by Tim Rogers to stand at his stud in Ireland. After the success of Sharpen Up he was sold by Rogers to Japan. Atan was by Native Dancer, a great sire and racehorse in the USA, who traced back like many horses today to Phalaris, whose son Sickle ( a half-brother to Hyperion) was exported by Lord Derby to the USA. Atan’s pedigree looks American but his distaff side is British tracing back to the dam of the Royal Stud’s root mare Feola (ancestress of Aureole, Highclere and Nashwan). Sharpen Up’s distaff side is similarly strongly British tracing back to the 1919 Oaks winner. Sharpen Up’s name as a sire was made when Lord Howard de Walden said to Leslie Harrison to send his maiden, and lowly rated mare, Doubly Sure ‘to that sire down the road’. At that time Sharpen Up was standing for 200guineas a covering. How times have changed! Today a sire like Sharpen Up (with his 2yo career) would be snapped up as a young sire to produce fast 2yos a la Sir Prancealot etc.. The resulting colt was the champion miler Kris. A few years later a duplicate covering led to Dieisis. Both brothers were good to very good sires but Kris did not produce a worthwhile son and Dieisis seems to be represented solely by Halling who was top class at 10f. But Halling is now dead so Jack Hobbs offers an opportunity to extend the influence of this sire line. What about Jack Hobb’s distaff side. He was bred by Minster Stud and his dam is Swain’s Gold. This filly was bred in the USA but raced in England and was purchased by Willie Carson. It could be that being by Swain (Nashwan’s best son) was the thing that attracted him to the filly. Although she was listed as USA bred she really has a UK/Irish pedigree and this comes to you once her 4th dam is seen. She is a mare called Nagaika, who Jim Joel bought to add to his stud in the late ‘50s. Her famous son was the tough St Paddy colt Connaught. A top-class colt who went from being amazingly frustrating to being sometimes consistent. In 1966 it was obvious to everyone that Noel Murless thought he had a great 2yo colt in Jim Joel’s Royal Palace: and he did. A year later it was similarly known that he had another 2yo colt in the huge Connaught. After his first two ‘races’ it was hard to believe Connaught deserved to be mentioned in the same breath as his older stablemate. On his first start at York he was unruly and would not enter the stalls. He got off in the Observer Gold Cup but was a remote 5th to Vaguely Noble. Murless did not lose faith in him and he started his 3yo career in the Greenham Stakes. Again he was unruly and would not enter the stalls. Frustrated Murless then arranged some remedial stalls work on Warren Hill and he went through a routine of going into the stalls, jumping off fast and then galloping for a few furlongs before returning to go through the stalls again. Murless then sent him to Newmarket for a tough 2000G for which he started a 13/2 third favourite, such was the local belief in him. Connaught had learnt his lesson (too well) and jumped off and after about 2f tried to pull himself up: he eventually finished 9th of 10 to Sir Ivor. Murless decided to give him one more chance before he was gelded. A week later he went to Chester and behaving himself ran the Derby 2nd favourite Remand to half a length, with Connaught receiving 4lbs. After that he went to Epsom and behaving himself again he took up the running 8f out and went clear coming into the straight. He looked the winner a furlong out but was easily beaten by a late Sir Ivor rush. At last he had earned some money and a few weeks later he won his first race when winning the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, when beating Ribero by 12 lengths: Ribero later won the Irish Derby and St Leger. He went on to win the Great Voltigeur, 2 Prince of Wales Stakes (so a winner at 3 consecutive Royal Ascots), two other G3 races and an Eclipse. He spat out his dummy now and then and didn’t really stay 12f. He was a resolute galloper without a real kick, but what a galloper. When winning his first PoW he broke the course record by 4 seconds. When he won the Eclipse he broke a 9 year old course record. He was an admirable horse: but enough of him for now, who is his half-sister who happens to be Jack Hobbs 4th dam. Her name was Daffodil Day and was bred by Joel using his own-bred sire Welsh Pageant, who was from the same family as Royal Palace, and who himself was a useful miler (Lockinge twice, Queen Anne and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes). She was trained by Cecil and failed to win in 2 starts. She was sold by Joel but Jack Hobbs 3rd dam was an unraced filly called Golden Bloom who was surprisingly by Joel’s good Mill Reef colt Main Reef (who again was from the Royal Palace family and a good 2yo as well as winner as a 3yo and 4yo). You could not have a more Joel influenced 3rd dam. The 2nd dam is Golden Pond who is by Don’t Forget Me, who introduces the Djebel/Ahonoora line, and was a G2 and G3 winner. She, when bred to Swain, produced Swain’s Gold. Golden Pond’s other filly was Brazilian who was a very tough filly in the USa and who has bred a couple of good foals who won races in the USA. So the promise of Nagaika has come through with the toughness of her son Connaught. Jack Hobbs has the ingredients to be a fine sire. The problem is despite all the positives will he be patronized by the often parochial breeding world? He is a definite 12f horse, although very capable of winning over 10f at G1 (he hasn’t so far) and a winner as a 2yo, and that may count against him. It shouldn’t. I’m sure he’ll become a sire, it is just whether he becomes a flat or NH sire. I hope the former.
Very interesting Bustino. That dam side looks very strong. I see there is also the legend that is Bustino and the very tough son of Ribot, Graustark
Interesting facts I discovered (on Wonderful Wiki) about Northern Dancer "Despite his strong pedigree, Northern Dancer was a diminutive horse and did not find a buyer at his $25,000 reserve price at the yearling sales. As a result, Northern Dancer stayed in the Windfields Farm racing stable. Northern Dancer had powerful quarters, plus excellent balance and agility. While officially listed at 15.2 hands (62 inches, 157 cm), most horsemen personally familiar with Northern Dancer estimated his height as between 15 hands (60 inches, 152 cm) and 15.1 hands (61 inches, 155 cm)". Not sure if that is with or without shoes. Some "ponies" that height in junior showjumping
When I was a bit younger, I remember going to the 1840 Epsom Derby with my grandfather. The old guy sold horse meat for a living and as such, knew quite a number of racing folk. One such person was John Forth who had a neddy in the main race. He said it's name was Little Wonder. Pop cast an eye over the form and thought it ****, but decided to take a peek at the horse just in case it looked a million bucks. We got down to the stabling area and there stood what can only be described as a bloody pony. Back to the bar. Pop fronted Mr. Forth and called him an idiot. Little Wonder had never won a race, stood 14.3 hands and was no hope. The trainer said he was really confident and that he was up for a fifty thousand return if Little Wonder won. Grandfather had a tenner on at 50-1. Imagine that, 14.3 hands. The rest is history.
Wasn't Mill Reef just under 15 hands? Connaught was 16.3. The Brigadier was 16.1 as a 3yo and 16.2 when retired.
Quotes from Dr. Robert Cook's SPECIFICATIONS OF SPEED IN THE RACEHORSE. Tesio thought the average size of champions was 15 hands, but the average height of thoroughbreds was 16 hands. Crook said that Grimcrack was 14, Northern Dancer 15.1, Hyperion 15.1, Mill Reef 15.2 and War Admiral 15.
At the other end of the scale was a cult favourite here in the 90s called Holy Roller. He stood 18.1. The quality of the film below is a bit suss but it shows biggies are sometimes the best. He's in the red and comes from last.
Right. I was in Athens in 896 BC to witness the initial flight by Pegasus. I turned to Zeus, who was also standing watching, and commented "One day Pegasus will be likened to a relative named Frankel, and there will be some people who will doubt it!" A true story
Fascinating article Bustino I really hope that when he goes to stud, breeders support him. In his 1st 5 generations there are no crosses which is a rarity these days.
I wrote something similar about him on my blog before he was placed at Epsom. If breeders consign him to the NH sphere, then they are complete fools. I hate the saturation of Northern Dancer blood and I think it is a disaster for the breed. Okay it looks to work, but has placed the thoroughbred on a very rocky base for the rest of the century. Greed, greed and more greed and short sightedness. Of course we no longer have the old fashioned owner breeders who would support a stallion, whose breeding was a hobby and whose aim was the UK classics. The trend of retiring "fast" horses unproven at two is very saddening, as is the panning of classic winners who stay. I am pretty sure he will end up as a dual purpose stallion. Though he stands more chance at success with the Darley outfit than had he been owned by Coolmore.
I'm never original. Did anyone see the article on the Racing Post (which I can't see as I'm not a member) and which was posted the same day as mine?
