BIG BROWN

 Champion, and winner of the classic Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, by a total of ten lengths, Big Brown is one of the most talented representative of the Danzig line at stud today. His career also demonstrates considerable versatility, as in addition to winning five of his six starts on dirt, Big Brown, won both of his starts on turf, breaking his maiden by 11¼ lengths at two, and defeating tough older horses in the $500,000 Monmouth International. Out of a mare inbred to Rough Shod, the dam of Thong – ancestress of Sadler’s Wells, Nureyev and Fairy King – and her brother Lt. Stevens, he also traces to their family in direct female line.

Big Brown’s sire, Boundary, crossed extremely well with mares from the Mr. Prospector line, which yielded the dams of seven of his stakes winners, including Champion Two-Year-Old Minardi and grade one winner Pomeroy. Particularly good sources of Mr. Prospector in Australia for Big Brown would be Geiger Counter and Jade Robbery with both duplicating Thong. Mr. Prospector is also attractive through Seeking the Gold (broodmare sire of Pomeroy, and available through Secret Savings and Lujain), Woodman (sire of Timber Country and Hector Protector), Thunder Gulch, Umatilla, Zafonic (by Gone West), Street Cry, Unbridled’s Song and Bellotto. Another good source of Mr. Prospector would be Kingmambo (giving inbreeding to Nureyev) and he might be found through King’s Best and Dubai Destination. Fusaichi Pegasus and Distorted Humor, both Mr. Prospector line stallions out of Danzig mares could also be interesting options.

Danzig in general has done very well with Sir Tristram, and with two crosses of Round Table, and Damascus (out of a mare by My Babu), Big Brown may particularly benefit from this influence. Zabeel would be particularly interesting, giving a double of Big Brown’s broodmare sire, Nureyev (and reinforcing inbreeding to the family of Thong), and he is sire of Octagonal (sire of Lonhro), Don Eduardo and Reset.

Inbreeding to Roberto and Damascus through Red Ransom looks very promising so mares by this stallion and his son Charge Forward appeal. Roberto is a Hail to Reason son, and that line could also work well through Halo with More Than Ready and Don’t Say Halo being strong possibilities. Mention of Damascus reminds that his strain could be worth reinforcing here through Gilded Time or Salieri.

With Nureyev and Lear Fan in the dam, Big Brown may well be suited by mares by sons and grandsons of Sadler’s Wells, a three-parts-brother to Nureyev, with Scenic being one strong possibility. Fairy King, a brother to Sadler’s Wells, could be brought in through Encosta de Lago, Falbrav or Helissio. Thatch was a brother to the dam of Nureyev, and out of a sister to the broodmare sire of Lear Fan. He has been well-represented in Australia, and could be brought in through Archway, Rustic Amber (mares by his son Sequalo appeal immensely), Shalford, and Tirol. Another from the female line of Big Brown who could be found occasionally in Australia is Ahonoora. While it would be a closer inbreeding to Nureyev, we also think that mares by Stravinsky would be suited to Big Brown.

As Danzig recedes further back into pedigrees, were are seeing that line worked when crossed back over itself. Here we could particularly consider Danzig through Testa Rossa, who is by Nureyev’s three-parts-brother, Perugino. Another close relative to Nureyev, and one who has already successfully combined with that strain, is Yeats. We might also consider the Storm Cat branch of Northern Dancer through Tale of the Cat and Johannesburg, who both go back to a sister to Round Table (twice in Big Brown), and whose family produced Champion Two-Year-Old Minardi to Boundary, the sire of Big Brown. In similar vein, Pompeii Court, would reverse the Damascus/Round Table cross found twice in Big Brown, and also give line breeding to Round Table’s family. This would bring in mares by the New Zealand stallion O’Reilly who would appeal also.

Alan Porter – Pedigree Consultants