By: Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
From a fan’s perspective who follows sire lines, the death of Midnight Bourbon at only age four in his stalls marks a disturbing trend in thoroughbreds of inbreeding resulting in the end of sire lines. With $3,557,970 in earnings, and potentially more if he stayed healthy, Midnight Bourton marked one of the last gasps for the Godolphin Arabian sire line.
Midnight Bourton is a son of Tiznow. According to Blood Horse, there are only four stallions standing that are sons of Tiznow. The future of the Godolphin Arabian sire line appears dependent on Colonel John standing in Korea, Gemologist standing in Korea, Informed in California, and Tizway standing in Turkey. A while back, I identified Cirrus des Aigles as perhaps one of the last great descendants of the Byerley Turk sire line, with few people listening.
Sadly, I proved to be right. Campanelle (Kodiac b. 2018), who just won the listed Giant’s Causeway Stakes at Keeneland, might be among the last stakes winners with a Byerkly Turk dam sire.
Midnight Bourbon
Photo Credit: Eric Kalet
Sure, minor shoots of sire lines die all the time. But we have seen an unprecedented decimation of major bloodlines in the last few decades—St. Simon, Bay Ronald (Hyperion & Bosworth being the two big branches), Himyar (Plaudit and Domino being the two big branches), Isonomy (Blandford), and even the non-Phalaris tale male descendants of Bend Or through Teddy and the like. But now the three major foundation sires—the Byerley Turk (Herod), the Godolphin Arabian (Matchem), and the Darley Arabian (Eclipse) are being reduced to the Darley Arabian. And if the St. Simon sire line fades out, as it is projected to do unless there is some great savior among horses that will prove not to be the end of the line, all Darley Arabians will have descended from Phalaris, a horse born in 1913.
I could easily imagine a breed in 2030 where nearly all horses descend in tail male from Phalaris, almost either through the Northern Dancer or Mr. Prospector branch, a dash of Uncle Mo/Grey Sovereign, a touch of Mucho Macho Man, a bit of Bold Ruler through Tapit, and the last hoorah of Teddy through Skipshot and maybe some endling of the St. Simon line through Pleasantly Perfect standing in Turkey.
No, the “Big 3” foundation sires were not the only sires in the thoroughbred pedigree, and it is amazing to see how many people get this wrong. Few know, for instance, that there are horses that have run in horse races still run today that did not descend from the big 3. Aimwell, winner of the sixth Derby in 1785 did not. Liberty, winner of the 1770 Doncaster Cup also did not descend tale male from the Big 3.
The fact remains that today’s top sires are bred to an astonishing number of mares compared to the past. Man O’War had crops from 1922-1943 with about 368 offspring, 22 crops with an average of 16.72 offspring a year. Lexington had crops from 1856 to 1876, with 347 offspring in 19 years, or 18.26 per average crop. By contrast, a Jockey Club rule limiting sires to 140 mares in a calendar year has proved to be controversial.
I love horse racing as a sport. But I want a sport that cares the utmost for the well-being of the horse, and this means preserving genetic diversity.
Midnight Bourbon
Photo Credit: Eric Kalet
Endlings of species often go well noticed, such as the last Tasmanian Tiger at the Beaumaris Zoo. But not so much for the end of a sire line. Lexington is one of the greatest sires of all time. But it ends in 1987 with a horse named Conquering Elk, the last tale male descendant of Lexington, through the Hall of Famer Emperor of Norfolk.
Twice appearing is Landtados (b. 1918), perhaps ending the tale female line of the great Mollie McCarty, a horse so great famous folk songs were written about her (Molly and Tenbrooks). The endling (the last in line) usually lives and dies in obscurity.
Nobody knows of the whereabouts of that Conquering Elk. Somewhere the endlings for the once mighty Ben Brush or Hermit sire lines met their maker—but nobody really knows what horse that was or when the endling died. And if the world does not come to an end and the thoroughbred is still a breed, 30 to 50 years from now they will be talking about how all modern thoroughbreds descend from Phalaris, either through Mr. Prospector or Northern Dancer or possibly a tinge of Bold Ruler by means of Tapit.
