Fiorente’s sire good for world breeding

Fiorente captures Australia’s premier staying race

FIORENTE, the Gai Waterhouse stallion who brought joy to the world when he attoned for his second in last year’s Melbourne Cup when he thundered to victory this year, is by Monsun, a now deceased German champion racehorse who has the opportunity in Europe of becoming a vehicle to strengthen the genetic structure of the modern day thoroughbred.

Monsun’s pedigree is completely free of Nearco, the ancestor of Northern Dancer, Danzig, Danehill, Sadler’s Wells and his brother Fairy King, Nasrullah, Bold Ruler, Sir Tristram and Zabeel. On top of this he has transmitted excellence consistently and also good physical qualities.

Although it might take many years to take effect, a view is that too much concentration of the one blood can weaken any breed. Sheep and cattle herds can be improved by the introduction of unrelated strains and also those grown in different environment conditions. The same criteria should apply to the thoroughbred.

One of the best sources for thoroughbred outcrossing, both genetically and climatically, is Germany, a thoroughbred breeding nation for centuries which has concentrated much on domestic lines and which has had an uplift in international impact in recent years. An authority wrote that German breeders have deliberately and skilfully employed inbreeding and linebreeding to siblings and superior ancestors for generations and thus have produced sound animals.

Galileo, sire of this year’s Melbourne Cup runner Seville (Ger) is by Sadler’s Wells and from daughter of German bred Allegretta and Animal Kingdom, the Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup winner now in his first season at Arrowfield in the Hunter Valley, is from German bred Dalicia.

The German impact has been felt in the Melbourne Cup by the efforts of Fiorente and Lucas Cranach, the third placegetter in 2011. They outcross to numerous Nearco strains in different directions.

Now looking after his first book of mares as a sire on a fee of $5,500 at the Bullarook Park Stud at Avenel in Victoria after six wins, including a Group 2 in Germany (2400m), a Listed event in France (2100m) and Group 2 at Caulfield (1800m), Lucas Cranach is by Mamool, a Sadler’s Wells grandson out of a mare by the Mr. Prospector sire Woodman, and his dam Lots of Love is from German bred Lost Love. She is by Acatenango, a German horse who won 16 races, including five Group1s, and who is also sire of the dam of Animal Kingdom.

Lots of Love is by an American produced sire from the Ribot male line, Java Gold, but Lost Love is German in dam line for four generations, possessing a pedigree with much in common with that which produced Monsun.

They share Surumu, sire of the dam of Monsun and paternal grandsire of Lost Love, and great German sires and breed shapers by England sired Tamerlane, a stamina influence. His Tasmanian used son Lanesborough provided Beer Street, in1970 winner of the Caulfield Cup and fifth in the Melbourne Cup, and Piping Lane, annexer of the1972 Melbourne Cup.

One of the Tamerlane German sire sons was Dschingis Khan, paternal grandsire of Monsun, and another, Alpenkonig, supplied the third dam of Lucas Cranach.

A winner of 11 races up to 2400m and two times a German champion (three and four), Monsun was by another German dual champion in Konigsstuhl (11 wins to 2800m) and from Mosella, by Surumu.The first five dams were all German bred.

Described as possessing talent, beauty, intelligence and courage, the December 2012 deceased Monsun (at 23) was the champion German sire four times and recognised as one of the best in the world in his time with his stock in general being tough, good looking middle distance performers.

One of them, the Dschingis Khan 3×4 inbred Manduro, was rated the best racehorse in the world in 2007, a year he was five and, which in one of three Group1 wins, he ‘slammed’ Dylan Thomas in a top-notch Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Described as possessing tactical speed, miler’s pace, stamina and an iron constitution, Manduro stands at Darley’s stud in France and has eleven stakes winners, including two successful in Group1 races, and 14 others stakes with his oldest four.

Darley is also helping Monsun get a grip on the world by standing another of his sons, Shirocco, who was also rated world class. He won the German Derby, Italian Gran Premio del Jockey Club, England Coronation Cup and American Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Shirocco had two runners in this year’s Melbourne Cup, Brown Panther (GB), a winner of the Goodwood Cup, second in the English St Leger and third in the Irish St Leger, and Ibicenco (Ger), a runner up in the Group1 Preis Von Europa who has been racing for over a year in Australia, winning the Geelong Cup and two Listed races. He is with Peter Moody.

Other sons of Monsun at stud in Europe include Gentlewave (won Italian Derby, second Irish Derby; sire of a Group 3 winner and Group1 second), Samum (German Derby winner, champion 3yo; at stud Germany, sire four Group1 winners) and Schiaparelli (four Group1 wins, including German Derby).

The Darley Monsun sires, Manduro and Shirocco, both suggest benefit from matings with Northern Dancer influenced mares.Their dams are by influential sons of Northern Dancer.

This year’s Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente has a pedigree that sees Monsun outcross Northern Dancer by being from Desert Bloom (Ire), a non winner inbred 3×3 to Danzig. She is by Pilsudski, a son of Polish Precedent (Danzig), and from Desert Beauty, a winner in England by Green Desert (Danzig).

Desert Bloom is a half-sister to Hyblon, a Listed winner in Japan, and Desert Beauty to five Group1 performers.They are the Sadler’s Wells offspring Islington (a champion in GB-Ireland and America, won Yorkshire Oaks twice, first and third in Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf), Greek Dance (Champion Older Male Germany, Group1 winner Germany and second Ireland, England, France, Hong Kong), New Morning (won Sandown Brigadier Gerard Stakes-Gr.3, fourth Curragh Pretty Polly Stakes-Gr.1) and Election Day (Listed winner, third Ascot Gold Cup) and to Mountain High, an Ireland sired Danehill colt who won the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud-Gr.1.

Their dam, Hellenic, was a Yorkshire Oaks winner and English St Leger sixth half-sister to Sea Picture, the dam of the Cape Cross (by Green Desert) gelding Ruscello who was unplaced in this year’s Cup after winning the Lexus on the Saturday. He won four races in England but prior to the Lexus had not earned black type.

Chosen in England for the Waterhouse stables by Gai’s husband Robbie Waterhouse and raced by a thrilled tribe of owners, Fiorente has been here since October 2012 and besides a first and second in the Melbourne Cup, has won the Feehan at Moonee Valley, finished third in the Cox Plate and All-Aged Stakes and a half length fourth in the Turnbull.

Eight starts in England included wins at Newbury (2000m maiden by 3.8 lengths) and Newmarket (Group 2 at 2400m, 2.75 lengths) and three stakes seconds, one each Group 2 (2400m), Group 3 (2400m) and Listed (1980m).

It could be good for breeding if Fiorente, a stallion who ran in the Melbourne Cup as a 6-year-old but who is five by northern hemisphere time, could get opportunity in a major Australian stud on retirement. In the 2012 edition England’s Racehorses, he is described as a good-bodied colt and a very smart mover.

Tags: fiorente, monsun

Category: Breeding