Stamina Lines in the
American Thoroughbred

Is our American Thoroughbred only sprinter bred? No it is not, and we still have some very strong stamina lines that are alive and well in our American Thoroughbred. This means Sport Horse breeders in America can stop listening to the propaganda and start reinforcing those stamina lines your horses already carry.

In the American Thoroughbred article you learned that sprinter (speed) bloodlines are created by close concentration of bloodlines- often of stamina lines. Stamina on the other hand is built into the lineage by strong concentrations in the back of the pedigree. Breeding back speed to speed can create an upright shoulder angle, a downhill balance and lack of stamina. The sprint racing American Quarterhorse (1/4 mile racer) is an extreme example of this conformation type.

Princequillo- Mr. Fixit

Princequillo, a Thoroughbred often referred to as Mr. Fixit for his ability to correct leg problems and give soundness, is a great source of stamina in our American horses. If you look at his pedigree you will see it is pretty quiet until you get to the 5th generation with just a few duplications, but then it explodes with concentrated bloodlines in the 6th and 7th. Clive Harper says:"Stamina is basically built up from many mutltiples of the same horse or close relatives, between the 6th and 10th generation."

In Princequillo there are many such build ups, but the overriding influence, the flavor and background strength of Princequillo, is 12 lines of Galopin (classic distance winner and three times leading sire in Britain) in the 5th through 8th generation. Galopin is rated a mid distance runner, but multiplying his lines in the back of the pedigree has created a lasting stamina influence. These lines include 4 of St. Simon and 2 of his full sister Angelica, 3 other 1/2 sisters, and 2 of his brother Galliard.

Many good stayers are inconsistent sires because they do not have a closer focal point of the background build up. To bring forward a desired potency present in the 7th through 10th generation (or beyond) you must provide a closer reinforcement, otherwise the talent will be dissipated. Princequillo however, has those needed reinforcements of his huge stamina factor in the 4th and 5th generation with sex balanced lines of St. Simon and his 1/2 sister Merry Gal. His pedigree pattern is very similar to Gordon Russell.

In Sport Horse breeding you build potency the same way. Ramiro is a prime example of this type of pedigree pattern. His extreme potency for sport was built up with multiple lines of the superior ancestors, Achill and Ethelbert, in the 6th through 10th generation, with the important reinforcement closer up. In order to consistently pass on the talent you must have a focal point closer in the lineage- usually you will find it in the 4th or 5th generation. Weltmeyer is an example of this type of potent pedigree.

Building up the far reaches can give you a successful stayer runner or a winning sport horse, but for them to pass the talent on reliably they need a "funnel" closer in the pedigree. (Cimarron, the example used on the Pedigree Study page is another illustration of this pedigree pattern.)

If you own a Thoroughbred or part-Thoroughbred, if you extend the pedigree a little you will surely come across soucres of stamina (Fair Play, Rock Sand,Spearmint,Teddy, Herbager etc). If you are not sure what horses are known transmitters of stamina you can look at a useful tool the Chefs-de-race list This list of sires is separated into 5 catagories: Brilliant (sprint), Intermediate (sprint), Classic (mid-distance), Stout (stamina) and Professional (stamina). The list and the dosage system it was created for both have some problems, such as the data used to determine each horse's rating didn't consider the female lines, but we can still refer to the list as a helpful identifier of possible sources of speed and stamina in the Thoroughbred. For our study right now we will be looking at the Stout and Professional columns. The horses in the far right columns are known for producing distance runners- stayers. Don't worry if you see some of the horses listed in both a stamina and a speed column (like Princequillo). The stamina sources are lines we can build into the far reaches of our pedigrees to bring more stamina to our sport foals.

If you add a stamina line close up remember if you double up on it, especially in the 3rd or closer, you could get speed instead of stamina. The American sprint lines of Americus and Domino are examples of this. The placement and pattern of bloodlines is just as significant as their type.

Breeders of race horses use both stamina and speed influences to produce the Classic winners. To breed just speed to speed will result in a horse that may be brilliant at two, but can not train on.
(Lauries Crusador- the Hanoverian Thoroughbred is an example of this type of sprint race performer.) To breed just stamina on stamina results in plodders with little acceleration- however, these horses often have a very good career as a steeplechaser or jumper.

This brings us to something else I would like you to be aware of. Do you ever wonder why Americans import New Zealand Thoroughbreds or Irish Thoroughbreds or French Thoroughbreds? It is because they think they have to go to those countries to get a stamina bred horse. Stamina bred horses, can not only go the distance, but usually have a good shoulder angle, denser bone, an uphill balance and sometimes a quiet temperament. Those countries breed more horses for the distance races than we do. However, that does not mean stamina horses are not bred in the USA- we just have less of them.

You might not know that America has a healthy Steeplechase circuit mainly located on the Atlantic seaboard from New York to Florida. Over 150 of these "hurtle" races are run every year in this country. For instance, the American Grand National is a 2 1/8 mile race over jumps, the Virginia Gold Cup is another, and then there is the mother of them all: the grueling Maryland Hunt Cup, which is run over 4 miles with 22 solid obstacles. Do the competitors import all the horses that run in these races? No they don't, most are bred right here in the USA. Not only that, but because they retire these horses when they are done racing, this industry could be a source of some nice stamina loaded breeding stock for Sport Horse breeders.

The steeplechase races in this country were initiated by Thoroughbred breeders starting in the mid 1800's and the National Steeplechase Association was brought about by breeders, like August Belmont, who were concerned with having a reserve of good cavalry horses with plenty of stamina and toughness in case of war. Remember, this is why the 3-day event has (or had) the steeplechase portion in its test. And of course, our 3-day events come directly from the cavalry test for its horses and riders.

It is unfortunate that political pressure organized by the powerful European Warmblood Industry in recent years has brought about the "short" version of the 3-day event- which eliminates the steeplechase element. Do you think the slower and less agile qualities of the European Warmblood could be a motive behind this? Historically it has been the Anglo countries (Canada, Britain, New Zealand, Australia, USA) plus France that dominate this sport. I am not criticizing the European Warmblood- they have obviously become a crucial part of our own Sport Horse, but rather, that we bended to this pressure and changed our 3-day to accommodate this type of sport horse. Warmbloods are very good at most jump competitions, and they are great at dressage. But we need both kinds of sport horse, and I regret that we are homogenizing equine sport.

Getting back to my main point, American breeders, please realize that we already have great stamina lines in our horses, and as breeders we can reinforce those bloodlines to gain the benefits.

Follow this Link to Fair Play- a source of stamina, soundness and jump talent

Back to Thoroughbred