Too Much Of A Good Thing

One of the interesting aspects of the recent G3 Craven S. winner Eminent (Ire) (Frankel {GB})'s pedigree is his 3X3 inbreeding to Sadler's Wells. So far there have only been two Grade/Group 1 winners foaled in the Northern Hemisphere, Dewhurst S. hero Parish Hall (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup winner Kitten's Dumplings (Kitten's Joy), with such close inbreeding to the great sire. In all, only 20 black-type winners have emerged from 657 racing-age offspring. That's a strike rate of 3%–not a figure that instils that much confidence. What's more, the 20 are not the very best representatives of their class, with an average Timeform rating of 108. Typically, black-type winners average between 112 and 115. Of course, there are individual sires with impressive strike rates, but none can yet claim to have sired a top-class horse inbred within three generations to Sadler's Wells. We can confidently predict that Eminent, with his combination of class and relaxed racing style, will be the best of the lot.