I was flicking through the 2014/2015 Register of Standardbred Stallions of New Zealand today (while listening to the NZ vs Sri Lanka cricket test) when a strange fact jumped out at me:
Western Hanover is almost totally missing from the maternal line of sires. In fact the only sire available here with Western Hanover as his damsire is the Canadian newcomer Prodigal Seelster (Camluck x Platinum Seelster). Apart from him, the closest we get is A Rocknroll Dance whose bottom maternal line is the same as Western Hanover’s (and same for the sire Modern Art in Australia).
Shark Gesture is the only other one I can think of, and he was only here for one season in 2011, but was quite well received and his foals look lovely types. They will be 2yos this season. But Shark Gesture has not been given much of a chance to shine in the breeding barn to date – read the Harnesslink review of his career as racehorse and sire to date here. A huge pity as I think he brings a lot to the table in terms of his pedigree and performance, and would be an interesting option for the daughters of Western Hanover line sires. (See a blog of mine about his yearlings last year.)
Since we get access to many of the top international sires now, the absence of Western Hanover so far as a damsire of top sires seems to be a phenomenon wider than just New Zealand.
On the other hand, Artsplace is already the damsire of Well Said and Rock N Roll Heaven, and in New Zealand also two lower tier but interesting newcomers Raging Bull and Net Ten EOM.
Beach Towel was also born around the same time as Artsplace and Western Hanover and has damsire credits for Somebeachsomewhere and our own Sir Lincoln.
And Matt’s Scooter, only just a few years older than Artsplace and Western Hanover, is the damsire of American Ideal and Shadow Play.
Falcon Seelster was renowned as a sire of good broodmares, and he has managed damsire credits for Art Official, and for New Zealand-bred sires Ohoka Arizona and Charles Bronson.
So the lack of Western Hanover in the damsire position of top stallions is really intriguing. His own sire No Nukes has proven really potent in the maternal lines of sires. So why not Western Hanover himself?
It’s almost as if his whole legacy is concentrated as a sire of sires.
Have I missed something? What do you think the reason is? Is there anything on the horizon to change that?
b4breeding 
Bee, it is not in my book about what the sire brings to the broodmare pool for my mares it is about what matches up well with my mares. For instance I like Prodigal Seelster and have a Rustler Hanover mare, TK Hellraiser, but this is not the mare that I am sending to him next season , it is the Grinfromeartoear mare, Provocative out of World Class (Dragons Lair).
The reasons are that I get a double up of Abercombie in the mid line pedigree (3X3) and good doses of Bret Hanover (4x4x4x5), Most Happy Fella (4x5x6) and Albatross (4x5x5) through lots of Meadow Skipper (5x5x5x6x6x6x7). The resultant foal will have a great chance of succeeding on the race track.
Yes it depends what you are looking for, what your aim is. Nice to see you are the owner of Provocative – noted her in my blog in May 2012 when she came up for sale https://b4breeding.com/2012/05/02/opportunities-at-weanling-all-age-sales/
yeah she was a typical Grinfromeartoear raced too early and was weak and needed time. She is a totally different horse now helped by both maturity and have a nice Attorney General colt this season
We also own World Class and she is currently being served by frozen Lislea semen
OK have to ask: Why Lislea?
well while I understand that Lislea’s take a bit of time they are tough. He has done a good job since going back to North America.
I was looking for a real good son of Cam Fella and Lismore’s family is terrific and Pam likes the breeding. I bred an Albert Albert once and it was a nice horse but got ruined by the trainer. This is a top family that consistently produces good males and females.
More to the point this is a perfect cross for World Class, with 3X4 to both the good sons of Meadow Skipper in Most Happy Fella and Albatross plus good positioning in the pedigree of Bret Hanover, Adios and Tar Heel and a good touch of the fast Good Time in the mid line pedigree as well.
The resultant foal is not for the sales but for us to race as well so I can take a calculated risk on the basis of my breeding idea philosopy that has already produced good horses like TK Swift, TK Victor, TK Saracen to name a few…I don’t follow the sheep I breed to what I think best suits the mare and my purpose.
If I was looking for a yearling sales horse I would go to Badlands Hanover or Bettor’s Delight but Lislea is a better match then even these two but I guess time will tell if I have hit the right strap
Good on you! One of the pleasures of breeding is to take an interest in the theories and mull over what history can tell us, but in the end to make your own decision for your own mare and your own reasons.
Out of interest, why not Lis Mara? (By the by, I had a mare by Lislea called Ivylea that I bought at one of the ready to run sales a long time ago, and she was a plain tough thing, but unfortunately had soreness problems and so I sold her as a hack.) World Class is by Dragon’s Lair of course, and his mares have crossed particularly well with Direct Scooter’s sons and with No Nukes. But she hasn’t been bred that way much at all so far.
Its the old thing about brothers and half brothers not always living up to expectations. Holmes Hanover and Michael Jonathan were a good example.
The Lis Mara’s that I have seen racing do seem a bit weak and like cover where the LIslea’s were tough and I am looking here at breeding a NZ Cup winner so it needs to be tough and will have speed through the maternal line.
World Class has gone to Badlands Hanover ( No Nukes Blood) and he, Bad Boy won the other night in Aussie.