I have been a bit surprised at the lack of reaction to Auckland Reactor going to stud as he has always been one of those racehorses that had as many detractors as fans during his career. I thought I would give my opinion for what it is worth on his stallion prospects in Nz . First and foremost he is standing at one of the best stud operations in Australasia. He will get every opportunity at Alabar. He is a Direct Scooter line horse which is a sireline which is super sucessful in NZ so thats a plus.His maternal line is moderate to be honest.Until Auckland Reactors emergence it had been patchy for over 30 yrs. Personally dont mind as most of the really sucessful stallions in Nz in my lifetime have had moderate maternal lines up close. No 2yr old record is a negative but he sure made up for it at 3 and 4. Never really showed Aussies how good he was but I have always felt that if Mark Purdon had been left in charge it would have been different. Have no hesitation in saying that at his best he was as good a Nz horse as I have seen. Since becoming addicted to this sport as a very young boy when watching Mount Eden time trial at the 71 Inter-doms I have seen over 40 yrs of racing and Auckland Reactor is up there as one of the few very special horses i have seen race. Last is the service fee. The connections surprised me a bit in starting out at $3000.Thought they may pitch him a tad higher. So how will he be received in the marketplace in Nz. I am certain he will serve a large book in NZ, well into three figures. I would expect his reception in Australia to be a lot more muted. All in all its an interesting debate. Will he --- Wont he. Time will tell
Auckland reactors maternal line might be moderate, but his maternal family has produced some very good horses in the last 10 years or so, with several group winning horses. DEVIL DODGER, RUSSLEY RASCAL, LOUVRE, RENAISSANCE MAN, MISS HAZEL AND AUCKLAND REACTOR HIMSELF.
Last edited by Richard prior; 05-24-2013 at 04:30 PM.
This is a family that in the main was dead for over 30 years prior to Auckland Reactor. I cant think of one outstanding racehorse from 1970 until the arrival of Auckland Reactor that this family produced. It has been bred in the main by two breeders (Doug Frampton in Canterbury and Tony Parker in Auckland) and owes its rebirth to the two Sokys Atom mares of Tony Parkers. The one other constant is that Auckland Reactor, Russley Rascal, and Devil Dodger were by Mach Three. This years talented 2yr old Racer (1:55) is also a Mach Three from this family. So why this family has produced some quality horses in the last ten years it has done so off the back of some very barren decades beforehand.You would never consider it in the same breath as the Black Watch or First Water families.Originally Posted by Richard prior
No comparison to those 2 great families, and i guess it just goes to show that a stallion of Mach Three's calibre, can really awaken a family from its deep slumber.Its quite clear that he has an affinity with this family, not to the extent that he has with Beach Towel mares , but an affinity all the same. Auckland Reactor is clearly the best performed horse from his maternal family, but a few of the others mentioned previously, have also been pretty fair race horses. Sloys, in Australia have had great success with their branch and the promise of better things to come with the number of high quality stallions that are available in the southern hemisphere breeding season.
Last edited by Richard prior; 05-25-2013 at 12:23 AM.
The maternal family is very influential in the success of a sire in my humble opinion, similarly the individual sire's personal attitude to racing ie; pussy cats get pussy cats, look at two full brothers in Thor Hanover and Truant Hanover, Thor was one of the most successful sires of his time, but his quirkily named brother threw a lot of stock that went missing when the going got tough.
Please don't anyone think I'm inferring AR is a pussy cat, or anything even remotely like it, he was in my opinion an extremely talented individual, but he was not lucky IMO, often things would go awry when the opportunity arose to put his doubters at bay.
Personally I reckon he will make a cracker of a horse in the barn, his beautiful gait is one thing he will pass on.
Apart from Holmes Hanover, most of the other leading sires in my lifetime in Nz had average maternal families. From Smooth Fella to Vance Hanover to In The Pocket to Mach Three and plenty in between have been way more successful in the barn than their pedigree suggested they would have been. Some outstandingly pedigreed sires have come to Nz in my lifetime and few have performed. Artiscape is always one that springs to mind for me. Great USA record--- Appalling record in Nz. Some sires are just meant to be. Live Or Die is the one that always intrigues me. A top 2yr old but by Die Laughing from a Temjuin mare and gait issues to boot--- But it just didnt matter. A great sire and now becoming a great broodmare sire. So I tend to be a bit more sceptical of new sires with outstanding pedigrees as history in Nz isnt on their side.
I don't buy into a sire's immediate maternal family being anything like a reliable factor insofar as predicting his success or failure at stud.
The majority of the greatest sires the Standardbred breed has seen have eminated from what were otherwise moderately/ordinarily/poorly performed immediate families/damlines. Albatross, Big Towner, Abercrombie, Cam Fella, Matt's Scooter, Falcon Seelster, Vance Hanover & Fake Left come immediately to mind. Further, there are also quite a few to be found amongst the current leading sires in both Hemispheres.
I know that this does not need to be said.........lets not forget the mare....90% at least contribution ( IMHO)
Taking everything into account, Auckland Reactor should be a very good option for breeders in these tough economic times. Touching on the maternal family issues again, Somebeachsomewhere comes from a very ordinary family and he has excelled so far with his progeny in the Northern Hemisphere. How quickly we forget the greatness of Auckland Reactor, he was a great horse from the time he hit the track and won over all distances and made some very good horses look 2nd rate. He will have a wide range of mares to breed with and he might even get a few breeders to consider their options with Beach Towel mares, even though they could be getting on a bit. Which ever way, he certainly brings a lot to the table, Speed, Stamina and Gait.
Ecomonic times are tough as touched on by Richard & the huge amount of good quality stallions available makes its even harder for sires & their owners to capture a decent part of the market..so I think AR's success will be greatly depend on the big breeders giving him a go just to see what he can throw whilst the small time breeders may decide to monitor the results for a while..super horse in my books & I would certainly give him a go if I was in the position to do so
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