Matings mix: Pedigree Dynamics

A Western Australian native, Henning's passion for pedigrees and analysis was born while she was working for the WA Turf Club and at the time describes herself ‘haunting the Bloodhorse Breeders office library reference books’.

After landing a job for a prominent breeder in New Zealand, Henning moved to the UK for two years, where she worked and studied within the ‘bloodstock realm’.

“When I returned to Australia, several of the matings I had planned for my former employer had won Group 1 races and I was asked by Alan Porter, who I had met in England, to be the Australian representative for his company at the time,” Henning told TDN AusNZ.

“I moved to Sydney and started Pedigree Dynamics in 1994, being very lucky to secure Segenhoe Stud as my first major client.”

So how does Henning set about planning pedigrees for her long-list of clients?

“I tackle one mare at a time and I will print out her seven-generation pedigree and I will put it all up on a program I use called Tesio power,” she explained. “In the tradition of Federico Tesio, I use line breeding and judicious inbreeding as a major component of my analyses.

“The program is a great tool because it allows me to look at each pedigree in any way I like. I can look at duplicated ancestors, female lines, male lines and I can highlight different colours for different duplications.”

Stallion shortlist

Once Henning has done her extensive research, she sets about trying to match up each mare with stallions that fit within each client's criteria.

“I also have to take into consideration the owner's wish, like stud fee range and regions, but also the conformation of the mare, if there is anything I need to look out for, such as crooked legs and height,” said Henning.

“I then produce a shortlist for the most compatible stallions in that range. My eight suggestions would be whether the mare in question needs some in-breeding to help her along a bit, some extra line-breeding or whether I need to breed her away from a particular line if she is intense to her pedigree to one line.

“Then, with my shortlist of eight, I will rate them in order of preference and send it off to the owner and let them choose what they like from that list,” she explained.

In terms of choosing a stallion, Henning places, unsurprisingly, a lot of emphasis on a stallion’s pedigree and is unfazed by aspects others might be wary of such as shuttle stallions, first-season stallions or unproven sires.

“I research every pedigree of a stallion and make my decision based on the pedigree and I don’t care if they are shuttlers or if they are colonial or whatever,” she said. “What I think makes a good stallion is if the pedigree has good strength in it. If he has a good female line and good ancestors in the first few generations, they are always quite potent.

“I also take into account certain sirelines that are working, some sirelines just don’t work. Some stallions work better as broodmare sires than they do as sires of sires. I take every stallion at face value on their own merits.”

The way Henning talks about matings and pedigrees, to the untrained ear, is like listening to mathematicians discuss braid theory and the meticulous detail she employs when creating the best mating match up is impressive.

Japanese sire influence

Multiple Group 1 winner Fierce Impact (Jpn) - a son of the late Japanese Champion Sire Deep Impact (Jpn) - is covering his second book of mares at Leneva Park and one mare destined to be covered by him for a second successive year is dual winner Bee’s Honey (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}).

This is the first time Henning has planned the mating for the daughter of Fusaichi Pegasus (USA), who has been covered by a plethora of stallions over the years and has produced two winners, while in 2021 she foaled a colt by Coolmore Stud-based sire Magna Grecia (Ire).

Henning said she was a great admirer of the Japanese blood and believes it can offer something different, but with this mating, she is particularly excited about the presence of Danzig (USA) in Fierce Impact’s damline.

“I haven’t done the mating for her before and this is a new client. I really like the Fierce Impact mating for her, it’s very balanced, it’s good on both sides and it has good line-breeding. I liked the mating so much she is heading back there this season," she said.

“Japanese sirelines just offer that different blood. I think they suit the Australian mares and the one thing I like about Fierce Impact is that his dam is out of a Danzig mare, which makes me prick up my ears because that can help with Danzig-line mares here to bring about a sex-balance cross.

“With Fierce Impact being by Deep Impact, it is good for Australia in particular, because I have always found that Sunday Silence / Halo line works well with Danehill.”

Crosses that work

Sticking with the Japanese theme, Cool Passion, a daughter of Not A Single Doubt, is a mare Henning knows well having purchased her dam Hiavanna (Mister C {USA}) on behalf of Michael MacDermott for $67,000 at the Inglis Weanling and Broodmare Sale in 2006 and subsequently planned the mating to Not A Single Doubt, of which Cool Passion was the product.

After winning eight races in Perth, MacDermott tasked Henning with selling the mare and she believed she would be a good fit for her other clients, John and Anne McDonnell, who co-owned Sebring and G1 Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente (Ire).

This turned out to be an inspired acquisition for the McDonnells, with the mare subsequently adding three Group 3s to her record, including the 2018 G3 VRC Hong Kong Jockey Club S. during the spring carnival.

Cool Passion will be entering her fourth season in the breeding barn, having already had success in the sales ring with her first foal by Darley’s stalwart stallion Lonhro, who was purchased by Sheamus Mills Bloodstock (FBAA) for a huge $1.05 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale earlier this year, the second highest price ever paid for a son or daughter of the stallion.

In 2021, the mare produced a second filly, this time by Widden Stud’s star stallion, Zoustar and she is due to foal to Vinery Stud’s exciting young stallion Ole Kirk in the coming weeks.

The mare is booked to go to visit Arrowfield shuttler Maurice (Jpn) this year, a mating Henning chose because the resulting foal will be bred on the same cross as multiple Group 1 winner Hitotsu.

“She is a beautifully conformed mare and they have decided to send her to Maurice this year, and I really like him,” explained Henning.

“The stallion has begun very well in Australia and of course his best horse over here is Hitotsu and he is also out of a daughter of Redoute’s, so it’s a cross that works and that sealed the deal for me,” explained Henning.

“He is a nice commercial stallion and he sex balances Danzig for Cool Passion. He does have Danzig a little further back, but she has two sons in her pedigree and he has a daughter.

“His grandsire, Grass Wonder, carries a Danzig / His Majesty cross, which is the same as the one on Cool Passion’s sireline through Danehill and I like those pattern repetitions. I find those clusters very interesting and if you are repeating those clusters of ancestors like that, it can be very successful.”

Four-time winner Arazona (High Chaparral {Ire}) is another of the McDonnells mares Henning has lent her hand at planning the mating. The daughter of High Chaparral (Ire) was snapped up by Henning for $70,000 at the 2021 edition of the Magic Millions Perth Winter Online Sale and immediately sent to Widden Stud-based sire Zousain.

This season, however, the mare is booked to another of the Widden inmates in Rebel Dane, who enjoyed a red-letter season courtesy of the exploits of his G1 Golden Slipper S.-winning daughter Fireburn, who makes her seasonal comeback in the G2 Run To The Rose on Saturday.

“She has a pedigree which is easy to match to lots of different stallions,” explained Henning. “She does suit him on paper, but I just spotted him as being very good value for this year and for this mare. The McDonnells keep their mares at Widden and they asked me to make a preference.

“His grandsire Danehill emulates the Danzig / Ribot / Almahmoud cross present on Arazona’s tail female line. Arazona actually traces to Almahmoud, Danehill’s great-grandmother. This will be a really strong Almahmoud-based mating, which is something I am very keen on.

“I think the mating physically will be very good as well. She is a middle-sized mare. She would probably suit anything to be honest.”

Lasting Legacy

Another mare with strong Japanese ties is the unraced daughter of Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) Fulfilling, an $800,000 Magic Millions yearling, who Henning recommended her client Paul King purchase earlier this on an Inglis April Digital Sale for $30,000.

The mare produced a filly by The Autumn Sun in 2021 and was offered in foal to his Arrowfield barnmate Pariah, who she is due to foal to this spring. Pariah is a son of Redoute's Choice and the mare will be set for a date with another son of the breed-shaping stallion, with Henning opting to send her to Coolmore Stud inmate King’s Legacy.

“Arrowfield was having a dispersal online and Paul King asked me to go through and find him something that would be within his budget. We have decided to send her to King’s Legacy and that looks like a lovely mating for her.

“King’s Legacy’s damsire Hussonet is out of a Raja Baba mare and there are a lot of little things there in the fifth and six generations that build up that give it a little bit more support.”

Kid Gloves (Fastnet Rock), also owned by Paul King, is another headed for the Coolmore Stud breeding shed.

The daughter of Fastnet Rock has already proved her worth as a broodmare, having produced Group 3 winner Lady Horsepower (Equiano {Fr}) as well as Listed-placed Sassy Salitage (Toronado {Ire}).

Daughters of Fastnet Rock when mated with Galileo (Ire) have produced 17 winners from 24 runners and they are headed by seven stakes winners including Group 1 winner Russian Emperor and Group 2 scorer High Definition (GB).

This year, on Henning's advice, the mare will likely visit Coolmore Stud shuttler Churchill (Ire) in the hope he can prove as potent when matched up with daughters of Fastnet Rock as his late sire, Galileo, has proved.

“I am a bit of a fan of Fastnet Rock going to mares carrying Storm Cat and so I am switching that around, as Churhill is out of a Storm Cat mare and she is by Fastnet. They tend to work well with Storm Cat because she is out of a sister to Royal Academy and he is Fastnet Rock’s damsire.

“Combining Storm Cat and Royal Academy in a pedigree via Fastnet Rock has resulted in Group 1 winners Foxwedge and Irish Lights and Group 2 winner, I Am Superman, so I’m hoping this will work again.”

Table: Some of the matings Pedigree Dynamics is planning for the 2022 season