Written by Bren O'Brien
The remarkable influence of the legendary Northern Dancer (Can) is well known across the breeding, racing and bloodstock industry and there is no clearer example of the dominance of his bloodlines than Tuesday's G1 Melbourne Cup, where all 24 runners feature him somewhere in the first five generations of their pedigrees.
Such is the popularity and success of the interbreeding of Northern Dancer blood that there are only three runners (or 12.5 per cent) in 2020 that don’t feature a multiple cross to the 1964 Kentucky Derby winner somewhere on their page.
Surprise Baby (NZ) (Shocking) and King Of Leogrance (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) are the only runners in the race that don't feature duplications of any horse through their first five generations, while Persan (Pierro) features just one, Sir Tristram (Ire), on the fifth line.
Conversely, the horses most influenced by Northern Dancer are Twilight Payment (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who features him three times in his fifth generation and once in his fourth, and Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}), who features him four times in her fifth generation.
Verry Elleegant (NZ)
A further seven horses feature Northern Dancer three times in the first five generations, Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Finche (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Prince Of Arran (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}), Russian Camelot (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Steel Prince (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Miami Bound (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) .
The remaining 12, outside of those mentioned above, all have a single duplication of Northern Dancer in their pedigree.
As an aside, Verry Elleegant's pedigree features the most multiple crosses of any horse in the Cup, with 10 different horses replicated, while Sir Dragonet has nine different names appear more than once inside that first five generations, which contains 62 antecedents.
The concentration of Northern Dancer's blood, even in a race as global as the Melbourne Cup, is hardly surprising when you look at the recent results of the race.
"The concentration of Northern Dancer's blood, even in a race as global as the Melbourne Cup, is hardly surprising when you look at the recent results of the race. "
The past 10 Melbourne Cup winners have been in-bred to Northern Dancer is some manner, with 2018 winner Cross Counter (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) featuring him three times in the first five generations of his pedigree.
In fact, only one Melbourne Cup winner this century does not feature him anywhere in their pedigree is 2000 winner Brew (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}).
2009 winner Shocking (NZ) (Street Cry {Ire}), 2007 victor Efficient (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), 2002 hero Media Puzzle (USA) (Theatrical {Ire}) and 2001 champion Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm {USA}) are the other Cup winners of the 2000s not to have a multiple cross to Northern Dancer, but all feature him somewhere inside that first five generations. 2008 winner Viewed (Scenic {Ire}) and 2011 winner Dunaden (Fr) (Nicobar {GB}) both feature a 5 x 6 cross to Northern Dancer.
The means that the past 19 Cup winners are descended from Northern Dancer in some form, while 75 per cent of winners since 2000 featuring him multiple times in their pedigree.
