b4breeding

I’ve done a few blogs on and off about Tintin In America as a sire, and what might do well with him.

Now it’s time for me to put ‘my money where my mouth is’ and have a go at breeding to him myself.

Obviously my two mares breeding mares are not suitable – being his mum and his half sister! So I have been keeping an eye out for something that would be compatible and interesting in type and pedigree.

Sophie’s Choice

I’ve been lucky to lease the mare Sophie’s Choice (Rustler Hanover-Mattalie Cole) from Lynda Mellsop.

She’s a 10yo mare with 3 wins to her name, no star but a nice type, and to0k a record (placed) of 1:57.8. She is a tall mare about 15.3h, but not heavy boned and has an attractive head. She’s had 3 live foals to date, by American Ideal (not raced), Art Major (2yo), and a weanling by Bettor’s Delight. After failing to get the mare in foal to Christian Cullen last season, Lynda decided to lease her out.

Sophie’s Choice was bred by N S Gibson and raced in the South Island for trainer Lance Hanrahan in 2006 and 2007 for 3 wins and 6 places from 18 starts, including wins at Forbury Park and Addington.

The obvious point of interest for a match with Tintin In America is that the dam Sophie’s Choice (Mattalie Cole by Matt’s Scooter) is a half-sister to Nihilator, who is McArdle’s damsire and in my view was influential in the type of horse Tintin turned out to be. This is expressed as a 5 x 3 to Margie’s Melody. This family on the bottom maternal line is really hard to find in New Zealand.

A foal by Tintin In America would also be 4x4x4 to Direct Scooter. I am looking to inject a bit of speed into the mare, so I see that as an advantage, and all these threads of Direct Scooter come from via different routes.

There is also the lovely Golden Miss line coming from Rustler Hanover, who is a son of the great producer Rich N Elegant. The  match of Shadow Wave and Golden Miss produced Shifting Sands, who left three remarkable fillies – Proven Perfect (the dam of Rich N Elegant), Whispering Sands (Real Desire’s and Safely Kept’s great-grandam), and Shifting Scene (whose daughter Blue Horizon is the dam of Panorama, grandam of Grinfromeartoear and for that reason appears twice in the pedigree of new sire on the block Smiling Shard). And Shadow Wave is another element I believe is influential in Tintin In America’s make-up.

So overall it is a nicely balanced and interesting pedigree match, and a type of mare that should complement Tintin well.

We have a long way to go – first step is to get her in foal. In this game, you never take things for granted!  I’ll follow progress on this blog.

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