Response

Pedigree advisor Alan Porter continues his series of pedigree profiles and this week he takes a look at the family behind Response. Australia appears to currently have a very promising group of second season horses and the victory of Response in the G3 Matron Stakes has prompted us to consider her sire, Charge Forward.

By the recently-deceased Red Ransom, who stood in the U.S., Europe (England) and Australia, and who sired group one winners on all three continents, Charge Forward was one of the best to represent his sire in Australia.

Out of the G1 winning Bletchingly mare, Sydney’s Dream, Charge Forward was a precocious youngster, taking the Breeders’ Stakes and G2 Todman Slipper Trial, and missing by just a short-neck to Dance Hero in a renewal of the G1 Golden Slipper, which was run in record-time. Charge Forward trained on at three to add the G2 San Domenico Stakes and crown his career with a victory in the G1 The Galaxy.

Charge Forward was also fast off the mark at stud, completing the 2008-2009 season as Leading Freshman Sire. Topping that first crop was Headway, who also earned honours as Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. Runner-up in the G1 Golden Slipper at two, Headway notched a grade one win in the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (registered name Ascot Vale), and has also won the G3 Sweet Embrace Stakes and MRC Chairman’s Stakes. Response, another filly became the second group winner from that crop with her win in the Group 3 Matron Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.

Charge Forward’s second crop are just as sharp. The colt, Shrapnel, broke his maiden in the G3 SAJC Breeders’ Stakes, and the filly, Solar Charged, won the G3 AJC Kindergarten Stakes. This makes their sire, the only stallion currently represented by a pair of 2009-2010 juvenile graded winners.

Red Ransom was free of Northern Dancer, but his grandam was by that horse’s sire, Nearctic, out of a mare by Ballymoss, a son of Mossborough (very close genetic relative to Nearctic, a Nearco/Hyperion cross, where Mossborough is by Nearco out of a three-parts-sister to Hyperion). Not surprisingly, Red Ransom has worked with Northern Dancer in general, and particularly happily for Australian breeders, with the Danehill line, siring three group winners on the cross, including group one winner Red Dazzler.

Charge Forward’s broodmare sire, Bletchingly, has a grandam, Last Judgement, who is closely related to the grandam of Danehill’s sire, Danzig, so it’s no surprise that he too is working well with the cross.

Headway (TrueNicks A++) is out of a mare by Danehill’s son, Flying Spur, who also brings in Mr. Prospector (dam, closely related to the dam of Red Ransom’s sire, Roberto), and Northern Dancer’s most important daughter, Fanfreluche.

The dam of Headway also brings more Star Kingdom (the male line of Bletchingly) Sybil’s Niece, another three-parts-sister to Nearctic, and Showdown, who is from the family of Red Ransom, and very closely related to Red Ransom’s second dam.

Solar Charged is out of a mare by Danehill himself (TrueNicks A++). Solar Charged’s second dam is by Sir Dapper, who is a reverse cross to Charge Forward’s fourth dam. Looking at the pedigree connections, we’d expect to see Sir Dapper’s broodmare sire, Vain, continue to appear in good Charge Forward runners.

Shrapnel (TrueNicks A++) is bred for explosive speed, as his dam is by Snippets, out of a mare by Southern Appeal, a grade one winner in the U.S. at two. Shrapnel has an unusual pedigree for an Australia horse as he is inbred 4 x 4 to In Reality’s son, Valid Appeal (sire of the grandam of Charge Forward, and of Southern Sprinter).

Since In Reality is inbred to War Relic (himself inbred to two of the grandparents of Man o’ War) and Bletchingly is out of a mare by Relic (by War Relic), Charge Forward’s dam has a strong background of Rock Sand/Fairy Gold). Valid Appeal’s dam also ties back into the European Nearco/Hyperion background as she is by Moslem Chief, a Hyperion grandson linebred to Canterbury Pilgrim and Gondolette (the two grandams of Selene, the dam of Hyperion).

Response (TrueNicks A) is out of a mare by Match Winner, a Dancer’s Image son who we can’t find previously appearing anywhere in the pedigree of a stakes winner. Match Winner’s dam, is a Mossborough/Fair Trial cross, just like the third dam of Red Ransom. Dancer’s Image also has an important horse called, Challenger II, a very good balance for Selene’s influence.

Response, is linebred to Biscay, has a third dam by the speedy Irish-bred Tumbledownwind (who has the Fair Trial/Solario combination found at the bottom of Charge Forward’s pedigree). The fourth dam is by Vain’s sire, Wilkes (another Fair Trial/Solario combination).

Source: Alan Porter, Stallions Daily Bulleti