Pedigree and Racing Ability
Pedigree and racing ability can be linked. On the racing aspect it wasn’t easy but The Autumn Sun proved what a champion he may be by his win in the G2 Hobartville Stakes. He has a PRI score of 99.8% with only two horses above him on my list. The Hobartville result was pretty much in line with PRI expectations but the second horse Vegadaze went better than predicted. The Autumn Sun win was even more meritorious when you consider that his best racing distance according to his pedigree is 2000-2500m.
Results for Hobartville Stakes G2 2019
| Name | Pedigree | PRI | Placing |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Autumn Sun | Redoute’s Choice-Azmiyna | 99.6 | 1 |
| Vegadaze | Lope de Vega-Rainy Daze | 69.8 | 2 |
| Bondi | Snitzel-Bondi Blonde | 93.8 | 3 |
| Purple Sector | Pins-Eden Valley | 84.2 | 4 |
| Rancho Notorious | Hight Chaparral-Zedity | 64.8 | 5 |
| Paquirri | I Am Invincible -Miss Solis | 71.8 | 6 |
What a Pedigree
And what a pedigree he has! Virtually all the superior bloodlines for sires are present. Danehill and Galileo, back through Roberto, Northern Dancer, Mr Prospector, and Bletchingly to Pharos, Ribot, Mill Reef, Nashua, Native Dancer and Nearco to Pharos, Hyperion, Polynesian, Mahmoud on the sires side. The six generation female index (6GFI) is 11.8% showing a high level of SW in the female line; and two sensational female ancestors, Best in Show and Urban Sea are in his pedigree. What more do you need!
Of course its not necessarily who the ancestors are but how the fit together in a pedigree. However, with a racing record of 7 starts for 3xG1, 1xG2 ,a G2 third and 2 other wins it looks as if the gene shuffle has come out very well. Great horses with a pedigree to match their racing ability aren’t too common. So will he make it as a sire? In my view he will be up there with the modern greats in this part of the world like Star Kingdom, Sir Tristram, Danehill and his own sire Redoute’s Choice. The only problem that he could confront is the same one that Secretariat had – too good for the available mares around.You can’t get better than perfection.
Great Uncle has done Great Things
A positive pointer on how good a sire The Autumn Sun might be is that his grandmother is the dam of Azamour (Night Shift-Asmara) who was a serious racehorse (4xG1, 1XG3). He once rated the third best horse in the world.and stood in Ireland with a brief visit to NZ. He has sired 39 SW to date. His best horse is probably Covert Love ( winner of G1 Irish Oaks, and G1 Prix de L’ Opera Casino in France).Azamour has already had G1 success in Australia when Best of Days won the Cantala Stakes at Flemington last year.