First horses arose 4 million years ago

The full genome of a horse that lived between 780,000 and 560,000 years ago has been sequenced by Danish scientists. The finding, published in Nature today, pushes back the known origins of the equine lineage by about 2 million years, and yields a variety of evolutionary insights.

http://www.nature.com/news/first-horses-arose-4-million-years-ago-1.13261


Ludovic Orlando

“We have beaten the time barrier,” says evolutionary biologist Ludovic Orlando of the University of Copenhagen, who led the work with colleague Eske Willerslev. Noting that the oldest DNA sequenced before this came from a polar bear between 110,000 and 130,000 years old, Orlando says: “All of a sudden, you have access to many more extinct species than you could have ever dreamed of sequencing before.”
The team was able to sequence such old DNA partly because of the freezing ground temperatures in the area where the bone was found, which would have slowed the rate of DNA decay.
But the researchers were also successful because they had perfected techniques for extracting and preparing the DNA to preserve its quality for sequencing. They targeted tissue within the fossil which has high DNA content, such as collagen. They also combined DNA sequencing techniques to get maximum DNA coverage — using routine next-generation sequencing with single-molecule sequencing in which a machine directly reads the DNA without the need to amplify it up which can lose some DNA sequences.



Eske Willerslev

Sophia Pedigrees' about sirelines in France

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Sam Williams 1927

SIRELINES IN FRANCE
Over the next few weeks we intend to briefly go over the sirelines present in France. We have divided our overview into five major parts:

Part I: Modern American Sirelines (imported after opening of studbook)
Part II: French Sirelines
Part III: Old American Sirelines (imported before closing of studbook in 1937)
Part IV: The sireline that wasn't really allowed (Florestan)
Part V: The sireline that officially doesn't exist

For clarification, by "American" sirelines we mean sirelines going back to Hambletonian. We make Florestan an exception to this rule as we want to discuss his unique case in more detail in part IV (we will also briefly look at his brother Granit here). Finally, in part V we go over a sireline that, according to officially records, does not exist - we are of course refering to the very special case of Gäel and Calumet Delco.

This overview of sirelines in France is meant to be brief, hence if you feel we have forgotten something we have probably left it out to avoid writing too much. But comments and questions are welcome!

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Part I: Modern American Sirelines (imported after studbook was opened up again)

First of all, Speedy Crown's sireline is represented by his sons Workaholic, Royal Prestige, Armbro Goal and Speedy Somolli, as well as Baltic Speed.

Workaholic was exported to France in 1989 and stood at stud at Haras du Pin until his passing in February this year. Workaholic delivered from the get go, producing stars like Cygnus d'Odyssee, Carpe Diem, Corot and Classe de Tillard in his first year. Workaholic is himself inbred on Speedster, a fact which makes him even more suitable as an outcross sire in France and which we expect have helped him a few percent extra.
The sireline through Workaholic lives on through many sons, of which we here will point out three, namely (1) Cygnus d'Odyssee and his son Texas Charm, (2) Jardy, currently in fashion again as the sire of the star of the 2009 generation, Vanika du Ruel, and (3) Ludo de Castelle and his son Vanishing Point - the top monte horse in the 2009 generation and new at stud this year.

Armbro Goal is the sire of 11 French-born horses, all qualified, and of which 7 earned more than €100 000, topped by Defi d'Aunou (€2 397 824), Although he has several sons standing stud none has delivered much so far - this could also be because most of Defi's top performers are fillies (such as Mahana, Pretty Jet, Notre Audace, Kelle Emotion and Kourgana). Cezio Josselyn is the sire of Olga du Biwetz and his sireline is so far alive and well though his son Himo Josselyn, who is the sire of Prince d'Espace, himself the sire of Unique Quick, so far the highest earner of the 2008 generation.

Royal Prestige is the sire of 7 French-born horses with total earnings of almost 2 million euros among them including Buvetier d'Aunou and Big Prestige as well as top mare Ezira Josselyn (1:13, €519 048 and sister to Cezio Josselyn). Big Prestige has overall been a disappointment at stud although he has produced King Prestige and Lynx du Bellouet (brother of Jag de Bellouet) and his sireline depends on the latter producing. Buvetier d'Aunou, who passed away in 2011, produced Gobernador and Ganymede in this first year at stud and has later followed up with stallions such as Hermes du Buisson, Hello Jo, Juliano Star and Otello Pierji. Juliano Star more or less failed in France but has done quite well at stud in Sweden and being the sire of Commander Crowe makes his Gobernador has so far not produced too well at stud but his son Qualmio de Vandel has had close to a full book the first 5 years at stud. Ganymede has been extensively used at stud throughout Europe and has been a solid producer - so far topped by Monte Georgio, Quinoa du Gers and Plenty Pocket as well as many other who have earned between 100 and 500 thousand euros.

Speedy Somolli's most lasting impression in the French studbook is probably as sire of Amour d'Aunou and thus damsire of In Love With You and his siblings, and damdamsire of Love You and siblings. He is also the sire of Tarass Boulba who was a fairly average trotter but managed to produce euro-millionaire Dream With Me in his first season at stud. Tarass Boulba somewhat failed to follow-up though he is the damsire of many good horses, most notably Offshore Dream. Dream With Me also failed at stud and this branch looks unlikely to last long in France.

Speedy Somolli's son Baltic Speed is/was also present in France through sons Vieux Sam and Extreme Aunou. The former was a weak trotter but got many chances at stud and has over 500 foals, though nobody capable of extending the line it seems. Extreme Aunou has not fared too much better, although his son Mon Premier Cehere produced Sun Ceravin who had 65 foals in 2012 (his first generation).

Now we will look at the sireline from Star's Pride in France (primarily Nevele Pride although Super Bowl is hanging on by a thread).

Part I: Modern American Sirelines (imported after 1984)
About Star's Pride

Star's Pride's sireline is found in France through Super Bowl and Nevele Pride. In the US Super Bowl's line is the strongest of the two but the situation is completely different in France. (Quick Pay was also given some French opportunities with 11 foals - of which 10 started - but he sired no great sons and no sireline e...xists. In France his biggest legacy is probably as the damsire of Fan Quick.)

The sireline of Super Bowl is found through Napoletano who had 6 foals in 1991 and 1992. 3 started and 2 sons have been active at stud. Emil Suede had 271 foals between 2000 and 2005 but few good horses and no son to extend line while Eclat de la Crau has over 500 foals since 1999 and his son Lord Angot is also active at stud (but only has around 10 foals each year). Even though Eclat de la Crau has not been terrible (start percentage is fairly good) he has not produced any real stars and we cannot really see this sireline branch extending.

Nevele Pride's sireline is active through three sons in France.

The first is the branch through the "unlikely hero" Mickey Viking. Bought by the French state, Mickey Viking only stood stud for one single year and wasn't overly popular with only 30 foals but the crop turned out to be a very good one: 28 qualified, 5 made more than €100 000 and in addition he produced Viking's Way (who "only" earned €95 052). Viking's Way did not excel on the track and had problems with his feet. But what Viking's Way failed to achieve on the track he more than made up for at stud though: from 895 French foals he produced 3 euro millionaires, 13 half millionaires and 113 horses who earned €100 000 or more. Through his son Imoko we find Timoko; through his son Indy de Vive (the subject of the picture quiz 10 days ago and described further down on our page) we find Ready Cash; his son Jag de Bellouet was the dominant French trotter a few years back and has himself produced several good sons, most notable so far is probably Opus Viervil and Soleil du Fosse (both stallions); among other top sons we find stallions Joyau d'Amour, Niky and Pomeral de Laumac. This branch has been particularly successful and since Ready Cash has made an extremely encouraging start we believe this line could increase even further in importance over the next years.

The second is the the branch of Kimberland who was active from 1984 to 2000. His first crop in 1985 consisted of only 29 foals but contained several good horses topped by Titlis (€449 214) - not to mention a certain filly Tahitienne who is one of the more influential broodmares in France in the last 30 years. She is the dam of Mahama (€814 850), mentioned as one of the great fillies produced by Defi d'Aunou, and her sons Goetmals Wood and Extreme Dream will be mentioned in later posts. The line through Kimberland currently lives on primarily through his son Voici du Niel, a winner of Prix du Cornulier at the tender age of 5, who in turn sired Prix d'Amerique winner Meaulnes du Corta who has around 50 foals each year but also through Replay Oaks - and a few very little used sires.

Finally, a line exists through Pershing and his son Blue Dream who is still active. Blue Dream has been a fairly good sire and his son Hulk des Champs is a fairly well-used stallion. So far, Hulk des Champs' top male sons are all unfortunately geldings. 

Part I: Modern American Sirelines (imported after 1984)
About Sharif di Iesolo (Victory Song)

When the French studbook was opened on limited terms, Italian Sharif di Iesolo (Despite being Italian, his dam Odile de Sassy, is French) was given a few opportunites and had 5 French-born foals. 4 of these (all sons, 3 colts and 1 gelding) started while the fifth, Eminence de Vilzy, did not start but i...s the dam of Pad d'Urzy (€309 120) and Ninon d'Urzy (€175 550). The three colts, with combined earnings of more than 1 million euros, make up a formidlable trio: And Arifant, Biesolo and Capriccio.

Capriccio is probably best known as the sire of Swedish registered Quarcio du Chene. Capriccio was in our eyes an underrated sire whose major shortcoming was that he did not produced too many great foals. He produced many good trotters, though, and on 729 foals born between 1998 and 2011 he has so far produced 87 with earnings of €100 000 or more and 24 with earnings of €250 000 or more - strong numbers for any stallion and especially one without the help of the best French broodmares. Capriccio is the sire of several active stallions including Kepler, Neoh Jiel and Oceano Nox. None of his sons has so far produced much but they should still have at least 10 years left so this line might still be extended.

Biesolo is the sire of 3 euro millionaires; Giesolo de Lou, Oiseau de Feux and Ipson de Mormal. Except for a few stellar horses he is an erratic producer and his sons have so far not produced too much but at least Oiseau de Feux covers quite a few mares every year to have a fair chance to extend the line.

And Arifant is the one most often associated with Sharif di Iesolo in France, naturally because of Goetmals Wood who has numerous sons active at stud such as Ouragan de Celland, Password, Prodigious, Sam Bourbon, Scipion du Goutier, and Singalo. Password already has two sons (Uaukir and Volcan d'Urzy) standing stud as well. There are several other branches from And Arifant that are alive and well. The branch through Hand du Vivier and his sons, particularly Orlando Sport, is doing good even though there is no obvious candidate at the moment to prolong this branch long-term. Another son of And Arifant, Fortuna Fant, standing at the national Haras, has a steady stream of mares and his son Reve de Beylev - the fastest French-born trotter (1:09.5) - is new at stud.

This post concludes the brief overview of "modern" American Sirelines (imported after 1984). It probably is obvious, but the sirelines of Axworthy, Noble Victory/Garland Lobell and Valley Victory are not present in France.
 
Part II: French Sirelines

Whereas all current American sirelines come from Hambletonian there are two active French sirelines going back to the different tail males.

The title of "Hambletonian of France" is given to Fuschia (b 1883). Fuschia is a son of Reynolds and goes back on the sireline to the British thoroughbred Young Rattler (b 1811) who was imported to France and stood at Haras Le Pin from 1820 to 1836. Fuschia set a record as a 4 year old of 5:08 4/5 over 2 miles (3200 meters) - a 1:36 kilometer time and was purchased by the French government. Fuschia had numerous sons active at stud and there has been numberous branches of his sireline. Today there are two active branches; one branch of his sireline goes through this son Bemecourt and the other goes through another son, Narquois.

The sireline through Bemecourt is active in several branches:
(1) through Hernani III to Atus II, sire of Roquepine, and further to Mon Tourbillon (b 1978), today alive through Objectif Royal
(2) through Hernani III to Quinio and his son Kerjacques. From Kerjacques the sireline branches out:
* through Chambon P and Tenor de Baune. Currently stallions include Flash de Cosse, Fleuron Perrine and Rombaldi.
* through Sancho Panca. Current stallions include Sancho himself, Elvis de Rossignol, his son Memphis du Rib, and Prince Gede.
* through Ejakval. One line from Ejakval goes trough Reve d'Udon, his son Offshore Dream and in turn his son Vaillant Cash who is new at stud this year; Another line goes through Sebrazac to General du Pommeau who unfortunately has fertility issues.
(3) through Hernani III to Quinio a tiny line goes through Borgia III down to Ico Kiki, the only active stallion for this branch. As Ico Kiki is not much used this branch does not look likely to survive.

Next post will look at the Narquois branch and the second active French sireline (through Phaeton).

 

Part II: French Sirelines
Fuschia through Narquois and the line of Phaeton
The sireline through Narquois goes down to Loudeac and his son Fandango. The line from Fandango is not exactly doing great but is still active through two sons:
(1) through Pacha Grandchamp further through Beau Ludois L. Loyd Dore is the single stallion left.
(2) through Querido II to Lutin d'Isigny to Gazouillis and his sons, most notably Queroan de Jay. Gazouillis has done extremely well given the opportunities he has been given.

Until recently there was a line through Fandango's son Valmont down to the stallion If as well.

Another line traces back to the British thoroughbred The Heir of Linne, imported to France circa 1859. His son Phaeton is considered the French tail male and his most prominent sons were Harley (b 1885), whose line did not last too long however, and James Watt (b 1887). From James Watt we get to Quo Vadis (b 1916) who in turn produced many sires and the lasting continuation is through Javari, his son Vermont and onward to Quico, the excellent trotter born 1960. This line is definately struggling and looking at the current French stallions we find Fac Simile, Lupin de l'Odon and Paddy du Buisson going back to Quioco on the sireline.

There are several other sirelines that are now gone. Most notable is the line through Telemaque V which also goes back to Young Rattler. The last active stallions on this line were High Echelon and his sons. The last horses from this sireline was born around 2000 but this line has no active stallion and is therefore bound to die out.

Next post will look at sirelines going back to American stallions imported to France before the studbook was closed in 1937.

Part III: American Sirelines imported before 1937
Sam Williams
In an effort to preserve the French trotter the studbook was closed in 1937. Prior to that there were many imported horses in France, primarily from the US but also a few horses imported from countries such as Russia/Soviet Union, Austria/Hungary, Italy. There are two imported stallions who have made a lasting impression: Sam Williams... and The Great McKinney.

Sam Williams was born 1922 and exported to Europe in 1928 (at a cost of $25000 - almost $350.000 in today's money) If he had been born 1 year later he might not have been exported: the first Hambletonian, with its big purse, was run in 1926 with a purse of over $70.000. In 1925, when Sam Williams was 3 years old no race had the kind of the prize money offered by the Hambletonian. He was, as was described in the picture quiz, the winningest of his crop both as a 2 and 3 year old and he sounds like an obvious favorite had there been a 1925 Hambletonian. Had he won a hypothetical 1925 Hambletonian Stakes he might immediately have become a very popular stallion in the USA, and it is then quick likely that no sale would have taken place a few years later but that is just speculation anyway. Sam Williams had many sons at stud from relatively few foals, but the only long-term is though his son Mousko Williams. Mousko had many sons who excelled at stud, but two stood out; the first is Horus L who almost established a longtime sireline thorugh the excellent Tony M, and the second is through Carioca II. Carioca II is extremely influential and is active through several sons:

(1) Ura through Noble Atout to Nuage Noir, and Ura through to Ourasi and Abo Volo. Ourasi's son Emir des Fresneaux has been active at stud but has not produced any good colts and unless a miracle happens no sireline through Ourasi will exist in the future

(2) Sabi Pas where the line splits in 3:
* Jet du Viviver represented by horses such as his son Insert Gede and son of sons Neutron du Cebe, Ni Ho Ped d'Ombree and interesting new stallion Tiego d'Etang * Kronos du Vivier represented by horses such as Jasmin de Flore and monte specialist Prince de Montfort
* Fakir du Vivier who was outstanding at stud and where the line branches again:
- Arnaqueur represented by horses such as Mirage du Goutier
- Coktail Jet represented by horses such as himself, Love You, Look de Star, Magnificent Rodney, Saxo de Vandel and The Best Madrik
- Rainbow Runner represented by horses such as Kool du Caux
- Dahir de Prelong represented by horses such as Korean, Rolling d'Heripre

Another branch went from Carioca II to Narioca to Alexis III to Ideal du Gazeau but that line is not active anymore in France.

Next post will look at the sireline of The Great McKinney in France.

Part III: American Sirelines imported before 1937
The Great McKinney
The Great McKinney was also born 1922 and raced primarily in Michigan until he was imported in 1929 to France by Monsieur F Vanackere, also owner of a certain mare Uranie, the first and one of only four triple Prix d'Amerique winners. Together The Great McKinney and Uranie had the sons Kairos and Ogaden who have ensured the permanence (so far) of The Great McKinney's sireline in France.

Kairos, not very successful on the track, initially seemed destined to do the best of all sons of American stallions as sire of the fantastic Gelinotte, Hairos II (both Prix d'Amerique winners) and many other top trotters, as well as being the damsire of Newstar and Roquepine (also both Prix d'Amerique winners). His sireline today lives through his son Hermes D (who, through his dam, is also sister to the dam of Roquepine). Through Hermes D down to the excellent Buffet II, through various sons a few present stallions are found including Iton du Gite, Faro du Houlbet, Derby du Gite. None of these are much used, however, and the line from Kairos risks being on life support in the near future as the active stallions listed are all born in the 90s in no young stallions seem to be forthcoming.

The sireline from Ogaden goes through his son Luth Grandchamp, down to Quadrophenio and his numerous sons at stud, including Caballio in Blue and his son Kesaco Phedo, Joe l'Amoroso, Qwerty, Uppercut du Rib, Orlando Vici and his son Un Mec d'Heripre. Finally, a tiny line goes through Ogaden's son Feu Follet X down to Nomade du Digeon who currently only has only around 10 foals per year and we cannot see this tiny line surviving at all

Rounding off Part III we briefly mention another imported stallion, namely Net Worth (by McGregor the Great, a son of Peter the Great). As a 10 year old, Net Worth won the Prix de Cornulier while finishing fourth in the Prix d'Amerique that year. He was use quite a bit in the late 30s and 40s, he had a sireline but by 1985 there were no active stallions on this line.

Next post will look at Roquepine's two sons which forced an opening in the closed French studbook.

Part IV: Florestan and Granit Roquepine
If our readers don't mind we would like to take the opportunity to briefly talk about Roquepine and her sons before looking at how they (Florestan and Granit) did at stud. They deserve to be more than just names on the computer screen and hopefully a little information will contribute to that.

Between 1966 and 1968 Roquepine dominated the world of trotting.... She won 9 French Group I races (Prix d'Amerique 1966, 67 and 68; Prix de l'Atlantique 1967 and 68; Grand Criterium de Vitesse 1967, 68, Criterium des 5 ans 1966 and Criterium des 4 ans 1965). Add to this wins in the Elitlopp 1966 and 67, Gran Premio Della Lotteria 1967 and International Trot 1967 and 68 - in addition to many other wins both inside and outside of France. She was not always the nicest horse to handle - a trait she passed on - but on the track she was the definition of superiority.

Roquepine was a daughter-daughter to Sa Bourbonnaise - one of the golden broodmares in the history of French trotting. Winner of 1944 Criterium des 4 ans and third in the 1947 Prix d'Amerique, Sa Bourbonnaise quickly proved her worth in the breeding shed. Her third foal, and first son, was Hermes D (by Kairos) who proved a very good stallion from 57 to 74. Her fourth foal, the mare Infante II (by Hernani III), was a 1:14 trotter with a three top-5 finished in the Prix d'Amerique who then became the dam of Sabi Pas, a top stallion and on sireline of Coktail Jet by virtue of being the sire of Fakir du Vivier. So it is easy to see that Roquepine comes from an influential maternal family. Her sire, Atus II, won the Prix de Cornulier, and descends from Fuschia on the sireline. Numerous good trotters trace back to Sa Bourbonnaise on the maternal line.

After her fantastic career she was sent to the US to be bred to Star's Pride. Given that the studbook was closed, and that almost all races in France would be out of the question, this was a stunning move by Henri Levesque. Yet in 1971 Roquepine gave birth to Florestan and she was bred to Ayres (son of Star's Pride and winner of 1964 Hambletonian). In 1972 she gave birth to another son called Granit and she was bred to French champion Kerjacques. In 1973 she delivered Hague (1:16.9, €122 803) and in 1974 she delivered her last foal, Ile Marie (1:18, €62 565), a mare by Fandango - before her untimely death in 1975.

Florestan and Granit were trained by Gerhard Kruger and had to race against older trotters, primarily in Italy, Germany and Austria. On the track, Florestan was fairly good, while Granit was very close to the Europe's best. Florestan managed a personal best of 1:15 while earning €38 991 while Granit trotted 1:14.4 and earned €215 306. Granit had a habit of finishing second or third in several top races, for example he was second in Gran Premio Della Lotteria 1978, second in Copenhagen Cup 1977, second in the 1977 Elite-Rennen, and third in the 1977 and 1978 Grosser Preis von Bayern. He also qualified for the final of the 1978 Elitlopp but made a break while in good position in the final.

At the end of their careers the brothers were both bought by Haras Nationaux (since there was another French horse called Granit, for this reason Granit is often referred to as "Granit (HN)") and an exception was made so their foals could be registered in the French studbook. Florestan first stood stud in 1977 while Granit first stood stud in 1981. While Granit was better than his brother on the track, Florestan took a "brutal" revenge at stud.

Next post will look at Florestan as a stallion and the sireline from him.

Part IV: Florestan and Granit
Florestan

We'll be pretty frank. When we look at the numbers we see Florestan as the greatest stallion France has ever had (we do not want to take anything away from the greatness of Coktail Jet and others): Florestan had 624 foals in France, of which 494 started (a starting percentage of 79,17 % - extremely high by French standards). 68 foals earned more than €100 0...00, that's 10,90 % - a percentage most stallions today don't come close to and this in a time where purses where considerably lower. Florestan has a few unique record: In 1998 he was the paternal grandfather of the top three in the Prix d'Amerique (Dryade des Bois, Echo and Capitole) and in 2009 he was the maternal grandfather of the of top three in that year's PdA (Meaulnes du Corta, Nouba du Saptel, Qualita Bourbon).

There are 38 active sires in France from Florestan's sireline and the sireline through his son Quito du Talonay currently seems the strongest. Sire of euro millionaires Kito du Vivier (gelding), Bahama and active stallion Giant Cat, QdT's most influential son at stud, however, is Extreme Dream, a brother of Goetmals Wood. Extream Dream is in turn the sire of several stallions including Kaisy Dream (himself sire to several stallions), Nijinski Blue, Quido do Goutier.

Another line from Florestan is through his (only) Prix du Cornulier winning son Podosis. He has several sons active at stud, most notably First de Retz and his son One du Rib. Though the latter is by no means a great stallion he is the sire of Akim du Cap Vert, the top colt of the A crop (?), who is likely to join him at stud soon enough. Gai Brillant and his sons, most notably Obrillant, is another branch through Podosis. Obrillant produced Up Market (1:13.1, €527 800) in his first crop and has been rewarded with quite a few fillies as a result.

There is also a line through Passionnant although it not doing great. It is not helped by the fact that its greatest horse, Rapide Lebel (through Ginger Somolli, son of Passionnant), is a gelding. The primary stallion is Full Account and his sons but so far no outstanding successor has emerged. Capitole stood stud for 7 years and produced some good horses but no did not produce any sons capable of extending the line.

Another line which we briefly mention is that of Qlorest du Vivier and his son Echo, though the latter seems to do better as a sire in Sweden than in France.

Finally, the last son of Florestan we mention is Diamant Gede. Though no spectacular race horse he has produced fairly well at stud (though the best chance to extend the line might be outside of France through Amour d'Occagnes?)

Next post will look at Granit as a stallion.

Part IV: Florestan and Granit
Granit

Since Granit does not have a lasting sireline we could have skipped him but for completeness we wanted to write a little about him - otherwise he would probably just be though of as "that unsuccessful brother of Florestan". He wasn't a great sire but not terrible either... Ok, after you've read this you might think of him as Florestan's unsuccessful brother but you'll at least have the facts...

... His first crop consisted of 31 foals and included Quartz, winner of Criterium des 5 ans and €585 253, one of the better Q-horses. Quartz had over 200 foals but was overall a very poor sire.

The next year (1983) another sire came along. Rep earned €233 082 and was a good horse but not close to the best that year and was not used much; he fathered only 86 foals in total and did not produce any stars.

1984 brought another sire, namely Seneque. Seneque was also given limited opportunities and failed to make any of them count.

The next crop brought Theo del Amor, a good horse who was 3rd in Prix de Selection and Criterium des 3 ans (remember that Tenor de Baune was untouchable among the Ts); Theo del Amor was Granit's best son at stud and produced Handy Horse, the (surprising) winner of the 2000 Criterium des 5 ans. The story is the same as Granit's other sons though: fairly limited opportunities and overall poor production.

In 1988 came the fifth son of Granit - and last that we consider worthy of mentioning: Agranito was a fairly good horse who earned more than €300 000 and had more the 100 foals after 4 years at stud but who only really produce only fairly good horse, the gelding Ianck Dadurcien (1:14.9, €235 914).

Next post will look at a French sireline that officially does not exist. You read correctly: officially, the sire we will describe didn't have any foals in France. Good thing the Official Secrets Act does not apply to trotters and their pedigrees!
 

Part V: The sireline that officially doesn't exist
Calumet Who?

In the Milwaukee Journal from Nov 6, 1934 we find the following little notice: "Calumet Delco, Wisconsin's champion trotter of 1933, is the toast of French harness racing fans. FB Luchsinger Monroe, who sold the colt to European buyers, has received word from Henri Masson, now racing the horse, that Delco has won five times and placed second three times in eight races on French soil (...)" Born in Kentucky at the famous Calumet Farm (originally standardbred breeders, but in 1932 the farm switched to thoroughbreds and is now one of the most famous breeding operation), Calumet Delco raced in Wisconsin before being exported to France in early 1934. In total he won 24 times in France, was one of the better horses at the time and managed a fifth place finish in the 1938 Prix d'Amerique. His pedigree is impeccable, being the son of Peter the Brewer and Dillcisco. This makes him the brother of Stardrift, dam of a certain Star's Pride. He is also the full brother of Josephine Brewer, the fourth dam of Arnie Almahurst and Astro Hill.

In addition to racing, Calumet Delco had a rather interesting "part-time job." He was a "souffleur." Working at the Haras de Ginai, the current home of Fabrice Souloy as well as stallions Korean,
Orlando Vici, Rolling d'Heripre and Un Mec d'Heripre, Calumet Delco's "job" was to "prepare" or "warm up" broodmares for the stallion Gäel who was standing stud there. Certainly an interesting job! However, from early on it was suspected that Calumet Delco did more than merely "prepare" the broodmares...

In 1992 Rene Veslard, son of Albert Veslard (who owned Haras de Ginai and Gäel), admitted publicly that mares owned by his father that were supposedly bred by Gael in 1937 were in fact bred by Calumet Delco. The foals were registered with Gäel as sire, though, because the stud book was closed and the foals could not be registered with Calumet Delco as sire. From this 1938 crop we find son Quiroga II and Quiproquo II who both became influential stallions (in addition to Prix de Paris winning mare Quinauderie). The French have never changed any of the records and Gäel is still the official sire.

In addition to the public confession, the rumour and speculation there is some physical evidence to confirm that Gäel could not be the sire of the 1938 foals. The best evidence comes from the horse Quaker H, officially by Gäel and Idalie B. Gäel and Idalie B were both red/chestnut. Genetically red + red should produce a red foal. Quaker H, however, was brown (bay). Calumet Delco was, like most US horses, bay. It is extremely unlikely that Gäel, or any other chestnut horse, could be the sire of Quaker H. Although this does not in any way prove that Calumet Delco is indeed the sire, it certainly looks very likely.

Calumet Delco was in Germany during the War (if this was voluntary or not we do not know - but the Germans were good at "borrowing" quality trotters from France in the 40s...) and did really well as a sire there between 1941 and 1948, and again after 1952. He did not stand stud in Germany between 1949 and 1952 and according to German records Calumet Delco was not in Germany during this time - in fact, according to German records he did not spend a single day in Germany during this period. French records show him as being in Germany between 1949 and 1952, however ... Surprise, surprise ... Calumet Delco is rumoured to be the sire of Isard du Padoueng and a few other trotters born in France in 1952. Again, this is just rumours (but we cannot help thinking that nobody keeps records like the Germans...).

Next post - the last in this series - will look at Calumet Delco's sireline through Quiroga II and Quiproquo II.
 

Part V: The sireline that officially doesn't exist
Calumet Delco: Quiroga II and Quiproquo II
Calumet Delco's sireline is currently hanging on by a few thread and the odds of Calumet Delco's line surviving is not good - in fact it is close to 0. We will briefly outline his sireline through Quiroga II and Quiproquo II.

Quiroga II, himself a good trotter, had over 20 sons active at stud but few of them made any long-term impact. There are 3, however, that should be mentioned:

His son In Extremis became the sire of quality trotter Quasipyl (b 1960), winner of Criterium des 3 ans and Criterium des 5 ans. He was in turn the sire of Gazon who fathered many good trotters, most notably as a sire is probably Arzel de Gournay, the sire of Galopin du Ravary, second in Prix d'Amerique 2000, who unfortunately died in 2006. Galopin du Ravary has six crops and poor production: only 21.4 % has qualified and the number of stars can be counted on a fingerless hand. This branch is unfortunately dying out and the line through Gazon will live on by virtue of him being the damsire of Hermine d'Urga, dam of the sires Oyonnax and his now deceased brother Pomerol de Laumac.

Another son of Quiroga II is Jokai, sire of Amiral Williams who in turn sired James Pile. Through his soon Steed James we find Escartefigue and Keed Tivoli who are two very little used sires. Neither has produced well and this branch needs a miracle to survive.

Quiroga's most successful son at stud was undoubtably Mitsouko. In addition to being the sire of Casdar (Winner Criterium des 4 ans), Detor (Winner Criterium des Jeunes) and Major de Brion he also sired star Hadol du Vivier whose accomplishments were briefly explained in last week's picture quiz. Even though he did ok at stud (producing horses such as Sabre d'Avril, Uranus de Tillard, Quiradol d'Hilly, Ursis and mares Bibiche Du Fosse, Tolmina, Biddle Princess and Valse Bleue) he failed to produce sons who themselves did well at stud and unless a miracle happens, most likely through a foal of Idalo (son of Ursis) who have had a handful foals in the last few years. Another source of a hope for a miracle is Fou du Chene, son of Vautre du Buisson, a son of Major de Brion, but as he also only has had a handful of foals in the last few years this looks extremely unlikely.

Quiproquo II also produced many good foals but even fewer succeeded at stud. His best son, Double Six M, was exported and became a star stallion in the Netherlands. Another son, Chambon, did best as damsire of Train Bloc and Alexis III (sire of Ideal du Gazeau). His long-term success came through Toronto II and his son Ersin. Ersin produced several good sons but none better than Oligo, winner of Prix de Cornulier 1986 and 1987. At stud Oligo was a poor producer, however, and his only son at stud was Dapper James who had 38 foals between 2000 and 2008. But of these 38 foals, only 6 qualified and the sireline from Quiproquo II will undoubtedly fade away.

In closing, a final note on Calumet Delco and who he is NOT the sire of seems in order. There is some speculation that most, if not, all of Gäel's foals are by Calumet Delco. This clearly is not the case. Rene Veslard's confession was specific about the 1938 foals and it makes no sense why he would falsely restrict it to 1938. Moreover, there is no question about Calumet Delco's whereabouts during the second World War: he was in Germany and it is extremely unlikely that he was shipped back and forth through a war zone to cover mares in France. There is nothing to suggest that foals born prior to the studbook being close would be falsely registered. Still, some speculate that Odoacre (b 1936) is also the son of Calumet Delco and not Gäel. Odoacre is the other brother of Quiroga II and is the sire of Abner, himself the sire of Jamin. There is nothing to substantiate these rumours. Furthermore, Odoacre was himself red, like Gäel while his dam, Femina III, was bay. Of course, two bay parents, with recessive red colors genes, could still have produce a red foal. Still, we do not think it likely that Calumet Delco was the sire of Odoacre.

That concludes are series on sirelines in France. If you are still reading, thank you for your attention. We hope this has been informative and useful.

As a little follow-up to our articles, here is a list of non-French sires and broodmares whose foals have been accepted into the French studbook (primarily under the French-American protocol) until it was closed again in 1992:

- 20 stallions: Armbro Goal, Ayres, Baltic Speed, Bonefish, Mack The Knife, Meadow Road, Mickey Viking, Napoletano, Nevele Pride, Pershing, Prakas, Quick Pay, Royal Prestig...e, Sharif di Iesolo, Speedy Crown, Speedy Somolli, Star's Pride, Sugarcane Hanover, Super Bowl and Workaholic
- 22 broodmares: Armbro Elegant, Armbro Glamour, Bermuda Star, Camille Lobell, Castleton Class Flower Lobell, Sea Floral, Honey Roasted, Grades Gaiety, Marlena Lobell, Mary Lobell, Mayday Lobell, No No Nannette, Perfect Mate, Proximity Lane, Sedation, Seven Palms, Singoalla, Shemein, Snow, Table and Velvet Slipper

Del 1: Moderne amerikanske hingstelinjer i Frankrike
https://www.facebook.com/SophiaPedigrees/posts/545754352154895
https://www.facebook.com/SophiaPedigrees/posts/546227238774273
https://www.facebook.com/SophiaPedigrees/posts/547120122018318

Del 2: Helfranske hingstelinjer
https://www.facebook.com/SophiaPedigrees/posts/548127101917620
https://www.facebook.com/SophiaPedigrees/posts/548540875209576

Del 3: Amerikanske hingstelinjer fra før 1937
https://www.facebook.com/SophiaPedigrees/posts/549022025161461
https://www.facebook.com/SophiaPedigrees/posts/549790441751286

Del 4: Roquepines sønner
https://www.facebook.com/SophiaPedigrees/posts/551565724907091
https://www.facebook.com/SophiaPedigrees/posts/552677438129253
https://www.facebook.com/SophiaPedigrees/posts/554002681330062

Del 5: Hingstelinjen som offisielt ikke finnes
https://www.facebook.com/SophiaPedigrees/posts/554763144587349
https://www.facebook.com/SophiaPedigrees/posts/558322247564772