When Deep Field retired to stud and for that matter his full brother Shooting
to Win, one of the first things pedigree analysts note about these sires is that
they come from the family of two highly successful stallions in Commands and
Danewin, tracing to influential broodmare Cotehele House (GB), a half-sister to
legendary blue hen Eight Carat (GB).Given that Deep Field and Shooting to Win are by Encosta de Lago sire Northern Meteor and are therefore free of Danehill blood, it doesn't take a big leap of imagination to think that daughters of Commands and Danewin might prove a very good match with them.
Not only do you get a complimentary outcross for the Danehill blood, but you also get the double up of Cotehele House.
Looks good on paper and in theory doesn't it…. and lo and behold we saw the dream pedigree become a reality on Saturday when Cosmic Force bolted into Golden Slipper contention with a seven length routing of the Group III ATC Todman Stakes.
By Deep Field from the Commands mare Little Zeta, he was bred by Bob Hannon at Ascot Park and sold under his banner at Inglis Classic for $180,000.
Also successful on the same program was Zed filly Verry Elleegant, who won the Group II ATC Phar Lap Stakes and also has a double cross of Cotehele House. Her sire Zed was a minor winner by Zabeel from Group I winner Emerald Dream and her dam traces directly to Cotehele House.
Line breeding to Cotehele House has so far produced 13 winners from 19 runners with additional Group winners Quilate and Fair Trade bred this way, so the stakes-winner to runner ratio is 21%!
Looking down to Melbourne and the $5million All Star Mile went the way of Tasmanian sensation Mystic Journey, another example of some genetic magic in play. Her dam White Gold has a double cross of Cotehele House's dam Klairessa and is by the unraced Zabeel blueblood Colombia, but interestingly her sire Needs Further is from the family of Zabeel, so we see a double up of another influential broodmare in Lady Giselle.
A modest $11,000 purchase from the Armidale Stud draft at the Magic Millions Tasmanian Sale, Mystic Journey is now a Group I winner of $3.2 million.
All pedigree tabulations courtesy of Arion.
