In my blog post back in July 2013 I looked at the 17 Shadow Play winning performers in North America, about halfway through their 2yo season, and what their pedigree might tell us about possible golden crosses.
Those North American Shadow Play horses were: Book Babe, Shadowbriand, Alibi Seelster, Shark Festival, Reasonable Force, Brookdale Shadow, Lady Shadow, Play It Again Sam, Performing Art, Shadversary, Twin B Spy, Skippin By, Shadow Place, Courageous C, Yoselin Seelster, Nefertiti Bluechip, and Arthur Blue Chip (the only one whose dam doesn’t carry any No Nukes/Oil Burner/Shadow Wave in her pedigree).
Out of interest, how have those horses tracked in the past few seasons? I’ll follow the same order as above, which I think was pretty random or may have been their rating on earnings at that stage – to be honest, I don’t recall.
Lifetime earnings as at 10 August 2016 (half way through their 5yo season or some have retired earlier)
- Book Babe (mare) $33,250
- Shadowbriand (gelding) $221,574
- Alibi Seelster (mare) $269,878
- Shark Festival (mare) $88,316
- Reasonable Force (gelding) $135,837
- Brookdale Shadow (mare) $244,203
- Lady Shadow (mare) $1,161,012
- Play It Again Sam (gelding) $318,979
- Performing Art (mare) $224,853
- Shadversary (gelding) $3,840
- Twin B Spy (gelding) $147,686
- Skippin By (mare) $607,879
- Shadow Place (gelding) $139,945
- Courageous C (gelding) $6,787
- Yoselin Seelster (mare) $105,508
- Nefertiti Bluechip (mare) $299,840
- Arthur Bluechip (colt) $524,707
I haven’t included their best times or race details, this is just an indicative account.
As a sire of horses that can show up but go on to improve, Shadow Play is interestingto follow. His pedigree shouts out to me, so I am not surprised by him proving longer term success rather than short-term 2yo brilliance. So many other factors come into it, of course, but as breeders we need to lay the potential, the springboard.
Shadow Play can add a lot of genetic value to the right mare. He may or may not be given a chance in New Zealand, but he is getting a reasonable chance in North America and Australia. And the list above shows how it can pay off.
Your own thoughts always welcome.
b4breeding 
HI bee, just a comment is the good horses bye shadow play bay or black as our best in aussie are bay,as with ponder his best are bay not black,not a pandorosa follower ,rather a sire that stamps his foals like himself
I don’t have the answer to that, but interesting to find out. The ones I have seen at the sales or in photos as yearlings often have a similar type, rather than colour (although many are dark brown at least) so he is stamping his looks to some extent.
I meant to say Barry, that you were the only person who entered my Paris Hanover competition, so congratulatons! But I think I will just have to leave it at that, obviously she did not spark the same curiosity in others that she sparked in me! I will do a blog on her and include your observations, sometime over the next couple of months.
will offspring be ontario sire stakes eligible