Thunder Gulch

FASTHORSES

THE WINNING PEDIGREE

thunder gulch

Winning Post 27 November 2000

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Last week I wrote about the great excitement and anticipation that will accompany the foals of Woodman when they start racing this season, but probably one of the surprises on the shuttle stallion list has been Thunder Gulch who last weekend showed a sign of what just might be the start of a very good year for him.

Looking at his race career and seeing his pedigree it is probably hard to imagine that the success of a stallion such as this would come as any surprise, but a surprise it has been for many of his earliest critics.

Whilst not the fastest juvenile of his year Thunder Gulch managed to win the Remsen and the Fountain of Youth before a marvelous three year old season in which he won two legs of the American Triple Crown and was placed in the Preakness.

It was the lack of early speed in his first American crop which influenced the confidence of American breeders and when Ashford Stud sent him off to Japan for a season some questioned his chances of success. Perhaps they argued he was transmitting the stoutness of his family rather than the brilliance of his broodmare sire, but whatever the reason his sales averages in America weren't what they might have been for an expensive freshman.

This season he has roared out of the wilderness to put paid to those who would doubt his ability as a sire with 10 stakeswinners in America culminating with Spain who won the Breeder's Cup Distaff.

From an Australian perspective the most valuable and consistent aspect to his pedigree is toughness, and this comes from various sources. Clearly there is also speed and ability in his pedigree otherwise he wouldn't have performed as he did, but toughness allows for the expression of the ability.

His sire Gulch won some good juvenile races including the Hopeful Stakes and Saratoga Special, and as an older horse he carried heavy weights to victory in the Breeders Cup Sprint and the Metropolitan Hcp. Thunder Gulch's broodmare sire was the marvelous English juvenile Storm Bird and his grand-dam Shoot a Line was the Champion three year old filly of her year, she was also 2nd in the Ascot Gold Cup which reflects the "much maligned" stamina coming through her sire High Line.

Often where there is stoutness there is durability and in Richard Ulbrichs book Peerage of Racehorses he mentions this about High Line the sire of Shoot a Line: " A tough and resolute stayer, who proved one of the best and most consistent horses of his generation. Initially, he was less than popular with breeders, but transmitted qualities that made them sit up and take notice, his progeny instancing his own doughty character and toughness. Astonishingly, he also transmitted precocious speed."

Indeed this latter characteristic seems to be echoed in Shoot a Line's grandson's progeny who are also being competitive in our two-year-old races.

Clonmel won the Fernhill Stakes G3 and was second to the Champion juvenile Assertive Lad in the Champagne Stakes last year while Sparks won the AJC Breeder's Plate and Miss Thunderstood won the Widden Stakes.

The pattern seems to be repeating this season with a few more Thunder Gulch's showing good early form: Stormy who was a breath away from Patterns in a nice two year old race at Randwick and Transparent Lass who took out a two-year-old handicap at Eagle Farm last weekend.

Now that his oldest progeny are three-year-olds the indicators are that the momentum will continue with Thunder Down Under adding to the list of good city performers by this sire who are likely to be improving as the races get more testing.

Although competition is always tough in the yearling sales there is every reason to believe that the yearling by Thunder Gulch will be keenly sought after as they are showing sign's of flourishing here as well as overseas.