Secretariat - will SA breed a horse like him?

I was looking at the National Yearling Sale catalogue and have just realised that the sire Sail from Seattle is from the Secretariat family - I wonder if he can breed a horse like Secretariat? Such a great movie - horse racing needs more hero's like him!
Check the catalogue on www.tba.co.za

The answer to your thread headline is NO, plain and simple, NO.

Not because I don't believe in South African breads, simply because it will take an awful long time before we see another horse quite like him........

Lot 368 one of his progeny

catalogue

I think we should start with a horse like Horse Chesnut and when we get another one then we can find a Secretariat, baby steps

Just having a look at the catalogue and thinking how much money was taken out the "kitty" by the Cape Sales or do we still have plenty local and international buyers?

I still feel we have great potential if our horses can be moved? What is the latest on our export concerns?

Ah, nice question ... if I start with the same brush, canvas and paints as Leonardo da Vinci had, could I paint another Mona Lisa? Answer: I could, strictly speaking, but chances are I won't, LOL!

What about lot 457 by Sail From Seattle,half brother of Soft Falling Rain

My Nephew Eric (tu)

Will see what we can do for Easter, dont u like eggs?

Magic we discussed a horse the other day over the jumps, Monte Cavallo (Saumaez) it's from here, how easy is it to send potential jumpers to the UK ? Sure it costs the same, we have had a couple, even for Cheltenham. -

An intereresting thread - and one I feel qualified to jump right into - as I was responsible for sourcing and purchasing both SAIL FROM SEATTLE (CAN), and FORT WOOD (USA) [the sire of HORSE CHESTNUT (SAf)] for clients in this country.

Firstly, I would just like to correct 'Big Red' (good nick by the way!). SAIL FROM SEATTLE (CAN) is not "from the Secretariat family" - his sire, GONE WEST (USA), is out of a mare by SECRETARIAT (USA), but many of the stallions in South Africa have the second 'Big Red' (the first one was MAN O'WAR) in their pedigrees, so whilst this is nice it is nothing special.

As to South Africa ever being able to breed a horse like SECRETARIAT. I genuinely believe that, in HORSE CHESTNUT (SAf), we did! He was EXCEPTIONAL - as a 3yo he was the greatest horse in the entire Southern Hemisphere. Interestingly the greatest horse of the same time in the Northern Hemisphere was the 3yo DUBAI MILLENNIUM ..... very interesting, as HORSE CHESTNUT (SAf) was by a son of the great broodmare FALL ASPEN (USA); and DUBAI MILLENNIUM was out of a daughter of the same great mare!!

Had our export protocols at the time not be so iniquitous, HORSE CHESTNUT (SAf) would not have had to endure the lengthy 60 day quarantine period in New York - with no exercise other than walking in the barn aisle. All previous horses from South Africa that went through this quarantine took up to a year to get back to the track - HORSE CHESNUT (SAf) raced and won in less than 3 months from exiting quarantine. That he won this race, a G3, by 5½ lengths in a fraction of a second outside the track record, show just how great a horse he was - that he injured himslef shortly thereafter was a tragedy - and the great horse that we knew him to be was never fully appreciated by the rest of the world.

Going back to SECRETARIAT (USA) ... whilst the movie was good it did, in typical Hollywood fashion, miss out a lot of important information - no mention whatsover was made of the fact that Penny Tweedy had the year-older RIVA RIDGE (USA) in the stable, and won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes with him the year before SECRETARIAT's Triple Crown. It was actually RIVA RIDGE who saved the farm's bacon - SECRETARIAT added the ... er, icing!

Finally, reverting to SAIL FROM SEATTLE (CAN) - he was an outstanding horse who came back from a starting stall injury to win his next four starts. He had TREMENDOUS speed, and with the looks and tremendous 'stallion pedigree' to go with it all, he has every chance of becoming a success at stud.

If not for that injury, Horse Chestnut could very well have faced Dubai Millenium in the World Cup that he won. What a race that could have been.

Welcome to the forum guys ,always wondered how you guys go about deciding what sires to introduce to South Africa ?