High Chaparral still making a Golden mark

The G1 Golden Slipper S. quinella - Fireburn (Rebel Dane) and Best Of Bordeaux (Snitzel), are two different sorts of horses (a homebred by a $6600 {inc GST} stallion and a $425,000 Magic Millions graduate by a four-time Champion Sire), who share a pedigree link.

Both are members of the Danehill (USA) sireline; no surprise to see him to the fore on Slipper Day, the race dominated by the breed (Fireburn the 16th winner) ever since his first-crop son Danzero saluted in 1994.

Less expected was the influence of High Chaparral (Ire), whose superstar son So You Think (NZ) is the damsire of Fireburn and whose daughter, Chateau Cheval, is Best Of Bordeaux's dam.

That makes it timely to have a look at the phenomenon that is High Chaparral.

What a racehorse he was; 13 starts, 10 wins and never out of the placings. Beaten only at debut and in two runnings of the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe when a brave third on both occasions. A six-time Group 1 winner in three countries - twice taking on the best in the US and taking home consecutive runnings of the coveted G1 Breeders' Cup Turf trophy.

A Group 1 winner at two, three and four, he earned the titles of Champion 3-Year-Old Colt in GB and Ireland in 2002, Champion Turf Male in USA in 2002 and 2003 and Champion Older Male in Ireland in 2003.

And when it was announced in 2004 that he would be making his way to Australia there was a level of excitement, tempered somewhat by a degree of Sadler's Wells (USA) pessimism that lingered on the back of a few disappointing sons standing locally.

'The perfect fit' for Windsor Park

The Sadler's Wells line was unjustifiably maligned at the time which may have factored into the decision eventually made not to shuttle him after all. That decision may well have been the making of the horse in the Southern Hemisphere as instead, a year later, High Chaparral was offered to Windsor Park Stud.

Fellow Sadler's Wells stallion Montjeu (Ire) had stopped shuttling from Coolmore Ireland a couple of years previously and there was a gap on the roster for a Classic-type horse. And High Chaparral ticked every box.

"He was a beautiful fit for us," recalled Windsor Park's Michael Moran. "A great racehorse with a lovely pedigree and a gorgeous-looking horse too - quite stunning really."

Moran remembers the first impressions breeders had of High Chaparral, some concerned that he may have been a little light boned but overall most were taken by those Classic good looks.

"We had him filled within 10 days!"

Moran was one of those happy to support High Chaparral in his first year at Windsor Park, happier still when an eye-catching colt arrived on November 10, 2006.

That horse being, of course, So You Think.

The best of High Chaparral's 134 stakes winners and 23 Group 1 winners, a globe-trotting 10-time Group 1 winner.

And part of the High Chaparral story that had many believing that he was a far superior sire of colts than of fillies. Not an unjustified opinion with no female Group 1 winners emanating from the four seasons he spent in New Zealand. And none in the Northern Hemisphere either - his first two Group 1 daughters, Fenway and Charmont, born in Australia in 2011.

Moran did notice a difference in High Chaparral's sons and daughters early on, the former faster to mature.

"We treated his fillies as though they were a year younger than they were; the 2-year-olds as yearlings, the 3-year-olds as 2-year-olds."

Male dominance

Early on High Chaparral's male statistics were definitely more impressive, though during the five years he spent in Australia, they started to level out. And looking at them a few years later, his sons had a 69.2 per cent winners to runners strike rate with 8.3 per cent stakes winners, his daughters 60.1 per cent and 6.6 per cent.

And so overall the boys fared a bit better but what is really telling is the results at the big end of town - the major races. Of High Chaparral's 23 Group 1 winners, 16 were male, as were all nine of his multiple Group 1 winners.

It is interesting to look at other members of the Sadler's Wells line, including the great man himself.

The winners to runners strike rate of his sons (75.1 per cent) has been far superior to that of his daughters (61.5 per cent). The stakes winner ratios of 17.6 per cent and 15.3 per cent are not as far apart, but of Sadler's Wells' 74 Group 1 winners, 54 were male.

Montjeu's sons boasted a 74.5 per cent strike rate and 12.8 per cent stakes winners, while his daughters are 56.8 per cent and 6.8 per cent. Twenty-five of his 31 Group 1 winners were male. Galileo's sons have been much more likely to win than his daughters (74.6 per cent versus 60.4 per cent) but at stakes level they both fare well at 14.5 per cent and 14.6 per cent. Of his 93 elite-level winners, 54 are male, and of his 45 multiple Group 1 winners, 28 are male.

Scenic's (Ire) sons had an impressive 80.1 per cent strike rate with 11 per cent stakes winners, while his daughters are 61.8 per cent and 3.9 per cent stakes winners. Nine of his 13 Group 1 winners are male.

Montjeu's much-missed son Tavistock (NZ) sits on 74 per cent male winners to runners with 7.4 per cent stakes winners - 61.5 per cent and 3.3 per cent for the girls. Six of his eight Group 1 winners are male.

El Prado (Ire) has the same Group 1 figures and he is 80.2 per cent and 10.8 per cent versus 68.1 per cent and 9.6 per cent.

It’s still early days for High Chaparral's sons Toronado (Ire) and Dundeel (NZ) but between them they have sired eight Group 1 winners - all male.

The buyer preference

Of course statistics can often be swayed by opportunity and luck, bloodstock agent Suman Hedge confident that his Dundeel filly Victoria Quay (winner of the 2021 G2 Wakeful S.) had Group 1 ability - and she did beat the subsequent G1 VRC Oaks heroine Personal (Fastnet Rock).

"I am aware of the High Chaparral sireline's reputation as a better sire of colts than fillies but I still treat every yearling as an individual. What I will say about the High Chaparral line is that trainers have mentioned that the fillies can be a bit hot. And if a breed has such a trait it is easier to deal with the males who inherit it, as they can be gelded."

A major fan is Paul Moroney who purchased, from High Chaparral's memorable debut crop, the G1 VRC Derby and G1 Spring Champion S. winner Monaco Consul (NZ) - at the same New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Sale that saw So You Think go through the ring.

"I loved two colts that year, Monaco Consul, and So You Think was the other. Both ended up being high-class Group 1 horses though of course So You Think was a Champion," he said.

Moroney said that he has not had much to do with High Chaparral fillies, suggesting he saw more to like in the colts, though he did note that he didn't recall any particular differences in the genders.

And years later he and partner Catheryne Bruggeman are still very happy to see High Chaparral pass on his superior traits through the generations, Moroney continuing: "If High Chaparral is in the dam line of a horse, and we can see the High Chaparral coming through, we really mark them up and try to secure them.

"What we see a lot is High Chaparral really stamping the horse, overriding the influence of the horse's sire."

And according to Moroney, that's a good thing.

"We love the way they move, just as High Chaparral did. He walked like a panther, he was the sort of horse you could watch all day. Every part of him moved in unison and you don't often see that."

Bucking the trend

Are there any from the line bucking the trend? Well, yes, the flagbearer being Frankel (GB) who has a way of writing his own history.

His boys are more likely to win (70.3 per cent versus 63.9 per cent) but his daughters boast an exceptional 19 per cent stakes winner strike rate, while his sons are 12.5 per cent. Of his first 20 Group 1 winners, 11 are male and nine female.

El Prado's son Medaglia D'Oro (USA) is one who bucks the trend at the very elite - his two best runners, Songbird (USA) and Rachel Alexandra (USA) are female. His sons do boast a better overall strike rate at 70.5 per cent versus 60.8 per cent.

South Africa's Sadler's Wells son Fort Wood (USA) was a pretty even male/female influence; nine of his 15 Group 1 winners being male.

High Chaparral's Waikato Stud-based son Tivaci is early into his career but his first two stakes winners are female whilst So You Think is proving reliable overall; his sons have a 73.9 per cent overall strike rate with 6.4 per cent stakes winners, his daughters 63 per cent and 4.8 per cent. He has seven Group 1 winners so far, four male, three female.

Remembering that Fireburn is So You Think's first stakes winner as a broodmare sire, it will be interesting to follow his progress in this next phase of his career. His sire High Chaparral has 40 stakes winners as a broodmare sire with a 50/50 male/female split and four of the nine Group 1 winners being female.

Of the 78 Group 1 winners out of Sadler's Wells mares, 31 are female including the very best of them (who also happens to be closely line-bred to him) in Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}).

However the line continues in regards to gender influence, what is assured is that High Chaparral was a truly outstanding horse.

"I just love High Chaparral," Hedge said. "He proved to be an amazingly versatile horse, one who is leaving a great legacy."

Michael Moran agrees: "he really has become a breed-shaper and his name will live on for generations to come."