These nicks involve a facility where a sire and dam sire show a special affinity and have the potential to improve the breed.

Over the Auckland Cup carnival the metric two mile winner Upsetthym (Rhythm-Set Up, by Zabeel) and the runner up Galway Bay (Rhythm-Ballycairn, by Zabeel) were both bred on a Rhythm-Zabeel stallion cross.

The common denominator in the nick was Northern Dancer supported by duplications involving Mahmoud, the brother and sister Menow and Salaminia, and the Number 5 “footwear” family.

The longshot Group III Desert Gold Stakes winner at Trentham Pride Of The Class (Volksraad—Grosvenor’s Pride, by Grosvenor) carried a most exciting nick involving Volksraad and Sir Tristram.

The combination is likely to effervesce for some time and should reel off a sequence of top performers.

The basic common denominator in this union is the great USA mare Somethingroyal (Princequillo-Imperatrice, by Caruso) represented by the half brothers Sir Gaylord and Secretariat in Volksraad.

Sir Tristram (Sir Ivor--Isolt, by Round Table) has another Somethingroyal presence through Sir Gaylord. This triple has a beautiful sex balance with Somethingroyal carried through male and female lines.

Subsidiary duplications in the Volksraad-Sir Tristram combination inclue Sir Ivor (son and daughter), the half siblings Nasrullah and Sun Princess and the Princequillo and Hyperion clans. But the greatest of all these is Somethingroyal.

Another up-and–coming prepotent combination should be the cross involving Volksraad and Sir Tristram’s highly esteemed son Zabeel.

Incidentally Pride Of The Class hails from the wonder taproot mare Hebrew Maid (Orion-Jewish Maiden, by Sheen) who was born in England in 1904 and came here in foal about 1906. Carrying the No 13 Bruce Lowe notation, Hebrew Maid has made a super influence on New Zealand breeding.

There was another major upset at Trentham when Arrividerci (McGinty—Jellybean, by Lord Ballina) won the New Zealand St Leger Stakes at odds at over 80/1.

Arrividerci’s dam Jellybean is ex Debimus, who is also by Sir Tristram.

The deceased McGinty carries several strains of the great mare Cinna. Though she never reached New Zealand, Cinna (Polymelus—Baroness La Fleche, by Ladas) had several sons (headed by Beau Pere) at stud here.