Dream Ahead is in the early days of his stud career, with seven stakes winners and 15 stakes place getters to-date. While there are already some favourites emerging, there will still be many more angles from which mare owners can attack. His pedigree contains several patterns which can be dynamically reversed or repeated for great effect.
Three of his seven stakes winners including Gr 2 winner DONJUAN TRIUMPHANT and Gr 3 winner AL WUKAIR, carrying NIJINSKY II’s son CAERLEON via their dams. Caerleon can be sourced via daughters and granddaughters of BLETCHLEY PARK, ALQUOZ, TENBY and GENEROUS.
Dream Ahead carries no MR. PROSPECTOR and his pedigree does include several individuals who work well with this influence. He has already produced a Gr 3 winner out of a MACHIAVELLIAN mare and a stakes winner and a stakes performer out of HUSSONET mares, while another of his stakes winners has EL MOXIE as his second damsire. Australasian broodmare sires such as ELUSIVE QUALITY, RHYTHM, FUSAICHI PEGASUS, KINGMAMBO, WOODMAN, STRAIGHT STRIKE, UMATILLA, GEIGER COUNTER, BELLOTTO, viagra australia EL MOXIE, JADE ROBBERY, distorted humor, END SWEEP, INFLATE, VETTORI, THUNDER GULCH and SECRET SAVINGS are good candidates.
Dream Ahead’s sire Diktat is a son of Warning, who is from the same family as RAINBOW QUEST and SCENIC. In addition, Scenic desirably reverses the Sadler’s Wells / Where You Lead cross present in Diktat. Scenic and Rainbow Quest can be accessed in mares via their sire sons such as QUEST FOR FAME, SPECTRUM, URGENT REQUEST, BIN AJWAAD, CROWDED HOUSE, BLEVIC, UHIVERSAL PRINCE and DUE SASSO.
CAPE CROSS mares look very interesting with Dream Ahead. He is a half brother to Diktat’s dam and as a son of Green Desert, sex balances both elements in his pedigree.
Daughters and granddaughters of DESERT SUN create a great pattern with Dream Ahead’s dam Land Of Dreams. Desert Sun shares the same granddam, ANGUISSOLA as her sire Cadeaux Genereux and being by Green Desert, sex balances this influence, as he is also damsire of Land Of Dreams.
Sex balancing GREEN DESERT can also be achieved by using mares by his other sons such as DESERT STYLE, DESERT PRINCE, INVINCIBLE SPIRIT, KHELEYF, OASIS DREAM, SHINKO FOREST and MAGIC RING.
Green Desert is from the same family as TWINING, LATARMISS, NAMAQUALAND and AZZAAM.
Cadeaux Genereux is out of a SHARPEN UP mare. Dream Ahead’s stakes winner KEN’S DREAM is out of a SHAMARDAL mare whose second damsire is KEEN, a son of Sharpen Up. Sharpen Up’s son KRIS would also be desirable.
Diktat is out of a Sadler’s Wells mare and carries fellow GOODY TWO SHOES family member Lorenzaccio. Dream Ahead’s Gr 3 winner FINAL FRONTIER is out of a mare from the NUREYEV sire line. He also has a Listed winner who carries SADLER’S WELLS further back. Broodmare sire representatives of SADLER’S WELLS and NUREYEV include STRAVINSKY, SPINNING WORLD, STARCRAFT, PEINTRE CELEBRE, HIGH CHAPARRAL, SCENIC, CARNEGIE, EL PRADO (and sons ARTIE SCHILLER, KITTEN’S JOY and MEDAGLIA D’ORO), GALILEO and BARATHEA.
Sadler’s Wells’ brother FAIRY KING is also a great option – most commonly found via ENCOSTA DE LAGO, FALBRAV and HELISSIO.
The presence of ALOPE family members Known Fact and Atan would be supported by further line breeding using individuals such as ROUND TABLE, GONE WEST, DOUTELLE, FOXLAW, ALCIDE, ABOVE SUSPICION, MUKDDAAM, SONG OF TARA, PARTHIA and KNIGHT COMMANDER are other members to seek. ZABEEL appears in two of Dream Ahead’s stakes horses. His sire SIR TRISTRAM is out of a ROUND TABLE mare.
With just a duplication of Northern Dancer 4m x 5m in Dream Ahead’s pedigree, other ALMAHMOUD family sires which will reinforce this line include DANEHILL, MACHIAVELLIAN, WAY OF LIGHT, EL MOXIE, ESPERERO, EXIT TO NOWHERE, CATRAIL, L’EMIGRANT and ARCTIC TERN.
Danehill’s son REDOUTE’S CHOICE is already enjoying success with Dream Ahead. Two of his seven stakes winners (GENERALISSIMO and AWAKEN) are out of Redoute’s Choice mares while the talented Gr 3 winner DREAMS APLENTY is also out of a mare by this influence.
The presence of Star Appeal via a daughter (Dream Ahead’s third dam) invites mares carrying his son, STAR WAY.
The presence of Danzig and a duplication of fellow LADY SUSAN family member Rockefella calls for their genetic friend, BLETCHINGLY. Dream Ahead’s Gr 3 winner DREAMS APLENTY carries Bletchingly (as do the three stakes horses out of Redoute’s Choice mares) via his son CANNY LAD.
Written April 2017
I have a broodmare with a double Mr.Prospector cross in foal to Dream Ahead so I am hopeful of a good mating.
What credence do you give to the large heart gene supposedly carried on the female X chromosome?
Do you support this theory?
Hi Steven
Regarding the large heart gene (‘x’ factor’), I have looked into it and do not support the theory that horses carrying this gene or possibly carrying this gene, will necessarily make vastly superior racehorses. While there are a few champion horses that have very large hearts such as Secretariat and Phar Lap, there are many other champions who don’t possess an abnormally large heart, including Secretariat’s champion sire, Bold Ruler.
Good luck with your Dream Ahead mating!
Thank you for your response and although that wasn’t the response I was hoping for I will press on.
The dam sire is Eavesdropper so the dam will have one X chromosome with the large heart gene. I will therefore need to have a colt and then I still have a one in two shot of the gene expressing itself. One quarter chance overall.
Here’s praying for a colt with curly ears.
Hi Steven
If Eavesdropper has the large heart gene and it has an effect on performance, then you would think he should have produced many more stakes winners. Also, the recent (last decade) mapping of the equine genome has also proven that the gene for heart size is not carried on the X chromosome :-/
In saying all that, I wish you very well with your foal and whether it has a large heart or not, I hope he /she is a champion!
Thank you again for your reply.
It is still a numbers game. Eavesdropper can only pass the gene onto daughters and for them to express the large heart gene then they would have to get the second LHG chromosome from the dam.
It is not that surprising to me that he didn’t throw a heap of champions. To me it is a characteristic that will have more chance of expressing itself in the next generation as the daughter will be a carrier. Do you have a reference for your statement regarding the fact the the LHG is not in fact on the X chromosome?
Hi Steven
You may find this article by leading US pedigree analyst Anne Peters of interest http://www.pedigreegoddess.com/PedigreeTheory/X%20Factor.htm
Much appreciated Jane – thank you.
We are all looking for that elusive edge, that perfect combination of ancestors that will produce the next champion.
First season sires excite me. Which one will be the next Snitzel?
I would love you to do articles on Hallowed Crown, Unencumbered, Deep Field and Exosphere.
Thanks Steven. I have just written an article for Bluebloods which will come out in the June issue in which I do mention Hallowed Crown.