Alan Porter Breeding Analysis for Dublin

by Alan Porter

Dublin is a grade one winning two-year-old, by brilliant dual classic winning Champion, and exciting young sire Afleet Alex. He is out of a grade one winning Storm Bird daughter, and from the same female line as Medaglia d’Oro

Even though Dublin is a Mr. Prospector line stallion, that strain will be back in the fifth generation of his offspring, and we can note that both Afleet Alex and his sire, Northern Afleet, have enjoyed success when crossed back over Mr. Prospector line mares, particularly when the Mr. Prospector/Northern Dancer cross is present. Afleet Alex already has stakes winners out of mares by the Mr. Prospector stallions, Distant View and Kingmambo (sire of Lemon Drop Kid), and Northern Afleet is sire of stakes winners out of mares by Gone West (who can brought in through Grand Slam, Elusive Quality, Mr. Greeley, Speightstown, Proud Citizen, and Perfect Mandate), and from the Fappiano branch of Mr. Prospector, Quiet American (sire of Real Quiet). There are numerous other sources of Mr. Prospector that might do well here, and among those to particularly note would be Distorted Humor, Fusaichi Pegasus, Smoke Glacken, Thunder Gulch, Broken Vow, Birdstone, City Zip and Not For Love.

Dublin is himself a product of the Mr. Prospector/Northern Dancer cross, and stallions bred on that cross have done well when bred back over Northern Dancer line mares.Dublin is out of a mare by Storm Bird, and Afleet Alex and his sire, Northern Afleet, have stakes winners (one grade one) out of mares by Storm Cat (by Storm Bird) and his son, Giant’s Causeway (brother to Freud). It could be well worth experimenting with inbreeding to Storm Bird through other Storm Cat sons such as Tale of the Cat, Storm Boot, Forest Wildcat, Catienus, Hennessy (sire of Johannesburg), Forestry, Stormin Fever, Raging Fever, Tabasco Cat, Bernstein, Harlan (sire of Harlan’s Holiday), Pure Prize, and Mountain Cat.

Storm Bird is a genetic relative to Nijinsky II, and Northern Afleet and Afleet Alex both have stakes winners out of mares by the Nijinsky II son, Royal Academy, while Afleet Alex also has a stakes winner out of a mare by Strawberry Road, a grandson of Nijinsky II. It would also be possible to bring in Nijinsky II via Sky Classic, Green Dancer, Seattle Dancer, Sword Dancer, and Shadeed and his son, Alydeed. Less commonly found, but also useful would be any strains of Nijinsky II’s three-parts-brothers The Minstrel and Far North. Afleet Alex has a stakes winner out of a mare by Citidancer (by Dixieland Band), and this branch of Northern Dancer could also be brought in through Dixie Union, Hook and Ladder, Dixie Brass, Dixieland Brass, and Dixieland Heat. There are also stakes winners by Northern Afleet and Afleet Alex out of mares by Danzig and his son, Honor Grades, which suggests trying mares by Belong to Me, Langfuhr, Polish Numbers, Pine Bluff, Dayjur, Ascot Knight, Exchange Rate, and War Front. Since Northern Afleet carries Northern Dancer through Nureyev, it would also pay to try mares descending from Sadler’s Wells, with the most likely U.S. sources being El Prado (sire of Medaglia d’Oro), King of Kings, Horse Chestnut, and Sligo Bay. Stallions carrying Storm Bird have also combined well with mares carrying Northern Dancer through Deputy Minister, and this cross might be tried through Silver Deputy (sire of Posse), Dehere, Salt Lake, French Deputy, Awesome Again, Touch Gold, Deputy Commander, and Defrere.

Like many other Mr. Prospector line stallions, Northern Afleet has a good strike-rate over Seattle Slew line mares, including a graded stakes winner out of a mare by Aptitude (by A.P. Indy), and Afleet Alex has a stakes winner out of mare by Capote (sire of Boston Harbor and Matty G). The A.P. Indy branch could also be brought in through Pulpit, Malibu Moon, Mineshaft, Golden Missile, Old Trieste, Jump Start, and Flatter. Other sources of Seattle Slew would include Doneraile Court, Williamstown, Fast Play, Chief Seattle, Slewpy, and Septieme Ciel.

From the Halo line, Afleet Alex has already sire two stakes winners, one graded, out of mares by Saint Ballado (sire of Captain Bodgit, Sweetsouthernsaint, Yankee Victor, and Straight Man). This also suggest trying mares by Saint Ballado’s brother, Devil’s Bag and his sons, Devil His Due, Diablo, Abaginone, and Twilight Agenda.It could also be worth trying mares by More Than Ready, a grandson of Halo.

Northern Afleet enjoyed success with both the Relaunch and Valid Appeal branches of In Reality, which suggests trying mares by Skywalker, Bertrando, Officer, Cee’s Tizzy, Tiznow, Waquoit, Honour and Glory, Put It Back, Successful Appeal, Valid Expectations, and Valid Wager.

We can also note that Northern Afleet has a stakes winner out of a mare by Broad Brush (sire of Include); a stakes winner out of a mare by In Excess (sire of Indian Charlie); and stakes winners out mares descending from Damascus through Time For a Change (similarly-bred to Gilded Time), and Private Account (sire of Personal Flag, Private Terms, Unaccounted For, and Valley Crossing; grandsire of Afternoon Deelites); and descending from Ribot through Graustark and His Majesty (from a son of Pleasant Tap, but also available through Pleasant Colony, Pleasantly Perfect, Cormorant, and Go For Gin).