b4breeding

In my last blog I looked at close breeding from imported American lines by Charlie Roberts for Lot 37.

Now I want to focus on a lot that is a good example of outcross breeding from New Zealand lines by Bryan Macey for Lot 48 – wonderfully named Local Yokel.

Kiwi Outcross

Lot 48 Elsu colt, Local Yokel

Lot 48 is a black colt by Elsu (Falcon Seelster-Interchange) from Rare Class (In The Pocket-Rare Gift) bred by Brian and Marilyn Macey.  You finally find Meadow Skipper 5 x 5,  through Interchange (New York Motoring-Most Happy Fella, sire-sire), and through In The Pocket (Black Jade-Miss Skipper, dam-dam) connection.  He’s also 5×5 to U Scott.  The closest double ups he has are Overtrick at 4×5, and Tar Heel at 6x6x4.

The Rare Class family is  based on a solid Kiwi maternal line with some upgrading for speed lately via In The Pocket, the sire of Rare Class.

Line breeding, Bryan says, only works well when you are in the position to  breed back to very good sires or families. Otherwise outcrossing is the best option.

Like Charlie Roberts, Bryan Macey is no spring chicken – but with age comes experience and the willingness to back yourself.

This is a family that pops up some very nice horses. Matched by the Maceys to Presidential Ball, the mare has produced multiple winners Presido,  (My) Sound Of Thunder and  Jambo Emali.  Ace Of Spades was bred from Rare Class’ dam, and NZ Cup winner Homin Hosed from the 3rd dam.

The choice of Elsu as the sire of this colt is interesting. Bryan and Marilyn liked Elsu as a racehorse and respected his outstanding record of performances.

You have to say that Elsu is finding a niche as a sire of later developing, honest, good value bread-and-butter horses, but as Bryan points out, it was harder to tell which way the sire was going two years ago when the breeding decision was made. Lot 48 is one of the very few Elsus in the yearling sales, and Elsu is not really going to be a “yearling sale sire” in future – but he still has the ability to still throw up some very, very good horses of a stronger, tough type.  He’s there to sell, says Bryan.

This colt will have admirers on type and the strength of his maternal family. Look at the photo  – he’s probably not going to be a natural 2yo speed demon, but he has a lovely long barrel. Bryan is the first to say: he’s in the middle of some growing and got more growing to do.  He has the two most recent fillies from the mare in training at the moment, both of which are working up well.

Lot 35 trotting filly

Lot 35 Megaspeed

The Maceys have another lot in the sales that I’d like to mention – Lot 35, the only filly by Angus Hall in the total NZ yearling sales. I’ve already covered the Isa Lodge entry, a colt by Angus Hall (also from an Sundon mare), and Bryan describes this filly in similar terms to Kym Kearns’ description of her Angus Hall colt – medium size, solid/strong, correct. You can see from the photo that she looks a very nice type.

Angus Hall’s frozen semen fee that year was not cheap, and I have respect for those breeders who grabbed the opportunity in spite of that. He is a very classy and proven trotting sire in North America who deserves a go with our good mares – and in the total sales the three Angus Hall lots are from three top quality Sundon mares.