Sires That Expired: A Chronicle of Last-Minute Breeding

How I used these old sires in their last days in the sim

I don’t know how many simmers noticed what I did in the transition period from the old game to the new: that some older damsires and dam’s damsires would be retired and no longer available in the new game in the same positions.  So once the new site was up, I made a list of the interesting or quality DS and DDS options that were about to disappear.  Some would still be available at DDS, but their DS availability was going away.  Once I had my list, I checked my old breeding records to see which ones I had already used… I get pleasure from using sires I like at least once.  So while Tom Rolfe, Grey Dawn, Northern Dancer, and Roberto were disappearing from the DS lists, I had already spawned one with them in the DS position.  Likewise with Tom Fool, Buckpasser, Round Table, and Ribot in the DDS position.  There were too many anyhow to use by the new game’s looming September due date, so I skipped all of them.  To my surprise, a number of the quality sires I was still looking at were available for credits late in the old game breeding week.  If I chose carefully, I could grab a few of these aging bluebloods with a credit-bred.  Graustark, In Reality, Never Bend, and Hail to Reason were among those often available for credits.  Below is a recounting of the expiring old sire products I created in those waning days, and a look at how they have done in their short careers as three-year-olds (I like breeding 3yos…).

There were just a few on my list I didn’t get to: Secretariat and The Minstrel.  They at least remain as DDS prospects, so their time may come in my pedigree constructions!

CAVORTING, 3yo colt

DANEHILL DANCER (IRE) x FAPPIANO x BOLD RULER

I’ve yet to get a Danehill Dancer filly, so I thought I would try again, but again a colt.  Oh well.  I hadn’t used Fappiano as a damsire yet, and as a Mr. Prospector damsire with at least some ability to produce turf runners, he was an interesting choice here.  Fappiano fits with the stamina influences too.  Bold Ruler was expiring as a DDS, and again a well-known stamina influence.

This colt broke his maiden at five furlongs on the turf.  So maybe he will like sprints after all.  His first route was on the dirt over Thanksgiving weekend; he finished third with an 85 speed.  Nothing earth-shattering yet.

SUPERCHRON, 3yo filly

ANY GIVEN SATURDAY x IN REALITY x NEVER BEND

For my first Any Given Saturday breeding, I wanted to use In Reality before he expired as a damsire (I had used him once in the DDS position).  In Reality is one of my favorite sires/sirelines of all time.  He would provide more dirt ability and a dose of speed.  Never Bend too was on the speedy end, and was about to expire as a DDS.  I had used him a while back with CANARY ISLANDS, but he was readily available and fit well.

The roan filly has run twice, coming up short of the win in her debut with an 88, then scoring on November 4th with a 96 – and both races were dirt sprints.  She came back from that needing a rest, so she’s at the farm until she’s back in shape.  Looks promising if she comes back healthy.

VELOX, 3yo colt

MORE THAN READY x RAISE A NATIVE x NEARCTIC (CAN)

More Than Ready is another sire where I have difficulty breeding a filly, and here we go again.  I don’t usually inbreed 2×5, but I was looking for a place to use Raise A Native as a damsire, and it fit.  I had used him only at DDS, for SONORAN.  Good old Nearctic was still available as DDS, so I plugged him into the pedigree, hoping for a middle-distance dirt horse.

Velox broke his maiden on the second try in a dirt sprint, then ran third in a polytrack mile at Kentucky, earning a 95.  Another one that looks promising.

FLEUR DE SEL, 3yo filly

FLOWER ALLEY x GRAUSTARK x HAIL TO REASON

Flower Alley has had some real-life and sim success, but as a 4×4 Mr. Prospector and 5×5 Northern Dancer, can be a little hard to outcross.  So here comes classy Graustark, about to end his 7% stakeswinning damsire career.  I had used him as a DDS, but not damsire.  That left room for 1958’s Hail to Reason as the DDS, another quality sire I had never used.

This one has just an 82-speed maiden win to her credit, and failed in her first route attempt last out.  The jury is out, but at least she has a nice gray color to go with her name.

ELIDE, 3yo filly

ELUSIVE QUALITY x DAMASCUS x TURN-TO (IRE)

My only Elusive Quality products had been of moderate quality, so I decided to try again.  Since Mr. Prospector and Northern Dancer were up pretty close in EQ’s pedigree, I thought a pairing with the expiring damsire Damascus might be in order.  Damascus and EQ both leaned dirt but had produced horses with versatility in terms of distance.  Adding 1951 product Turn-To into the mix as DDS was appealing as well.

She ran two mediocre maiden races on turf before taking an easy win last week in a dirt mile affair (at 1-9).  Maybe dirt’s her game, or maybe she’s a dud who got a super-soft field to break her maiden.

FARM TO MARKET RD, 3yo filly

UNCLE ABBIE x HIGH TRIBUTE x TO MARKET

My final expiring old sire breeding was also my last under the old bargain bred rules.  I had long wanted to use To Market, a 1948 foal, in the DDS position, and with my last chance looming, I decided to make it a Texas-bred.  I had flagged Uncle Abbie a long time back as an interesting cheap sire.  To that mix I added High Tribute as damsire, giving me Princequillo and War Relic in the fourth generation, for a feast of old sire power.

This bargain filly has run to her modest breeding in two maiden claimers, with a third in her last out.  She races again soon.